B4 Magazine issue 21

B4

Magazine

ISSUE 21 WINTER 2011

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CO N F E R E NC E

N ET W O R K I N G

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E DU C AT IO N

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CO M M U N I C AT I O N

H E A LT H •

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M A R K ET I NG

P R O P E RT Y

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R & R

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BOTTLE PR BOTTLE’s thinking on a Few Matters

Chrysler Oxford Finding Affinity: Future Partnerships and Customer Relations

Bloxham School The Small School with Great Spirit

B U I L D I N G

B R I D G E S

B E T W E E N

B U S I N E S S

meet oxfordshire

Residential Letting · Property Management

Don’t get left out Now over 400 members. See page 127.

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With annual memberships starting at £250+VAT*, entitling you to a business directory listing and unlimited press release, event, job vacancy and offer uploads, it’s no wonder our membership is increasing daily.

Call us now on 01865 742211 to book your membership or e-mail sales@b4-business.com for more details. The B4 Website – the most efficient way to network your business from your PC! *Quoted rate is Membership for up to 5 employees. Rate increases for 6 to 20 employees to £375+VAT per annum, £500+VAT for 21 to 50, £900+VAT for 51 to 100 and £1200+VAT for over 100 employees. Ambassador scheme is separate and subject to a separate charge.

B4

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12 Why A Few Matters: BOTTLE PR's Director and Founder, Claire Cairns, talks to B4.

38 Ready 4 Launch: We launch B4 in new territory with over 100 Berkshire based businesses

LEAD

SPOTLIGHT

45 Happy Talk: ATG Chief Executive, Howard Panter, talks to B4.

54 Sickness Absence Adds to Employers' Headaches: The perennial problem for any employer .

66 Building Success in the Oxfordshire Property Market: Lloyds TSB Commercial's Area Director, Dave Atkinson, talks to B4.

96 Preparing Employers for the Olympics 2012: Preparing for the biggest show on earth with Henmans LLP.

50 Finding Affinity: Welcome to B4 Magazine, Tim Keatinge of Chrysler Oxford.

77 Picture Perfect: The Team Behind the Images of B4.

78 The Oxfordshire Resaturant Awards 2011: Four page feature on this year's Awards.

89 A Clearer Picture: Hugh Bettesworth, CEO of Mirada Medical, talks to B4's Tracey Jefferies.

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NEWS

11 Oxfam 15 B4 Connections 17 B4 News

PROPERTY

22 BOTTLE

58 Commercial Property is Much More than a Game: Meet the commercial team at Carter Jonas.

25 HR2YOU 27 IOD 29 Glooo 30 Oxfordshire Community Foundation 33 The Business Wealth Club 35 Aston and James 37 VSL 61 WILA 65 OTCN 69 Oxford Innovation 73 B4 Wine Club 111 WOBA 119 Visit Oxfordshire 121 Macmillan Cancer Support 123 Charitable Funds 125 Oxford Inspires

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41 ADVICE

41 Cash Crop: Barclays throw the spotlight on farming.

46 The Taxman: Grant Thornton's Samantha Vanags tells us how to pay less and plan more.

49 Hedges Solicitors: Fit for the Future: Erica Conlan meets Hedges' Managing Director, Nicola Poole.

62 Look North: Attention to detail with Riach Architects.

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IT & COMMS 70 Are You Really Well Connected?: Getting connected in the remotest places.

92 SMEs are Reaching for the Clouds: Why everyone is turning to the cloud.

www.b4-business.com

B4 contents 74

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104 All in One: La Manga Club: Almost permanent sunshine, great facilities and wonderful food at La Manga.

HR

R&R

No Agencies Please!: B4 Platinum Ambassadors, The Career Boutique, dispel a few myths.

116 The Crazy Crazy Bear: Double decker bus receptions and golf buggies what did you expect?!.

103 CONFERENCE

103 Christmas Cakes, Parties & Pleasures: Have your party and stay next door in style!

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84 SERVICES

84 City Audio Visual: Oxfordshire's leading audio visual firm meet up with B4.

90 Sustain Ability: First class customer support and high quality all around from Banbury Litho.

107 Transforming Family Values into Commercial Success: B-Line celebrates 25 years and plenty of hard work.

EDUCATION

108 Air Business: Jordan & Co, part of the Air Business Group, outline excellent solutions for your business.

53 Oxford International Study Centre: Why OISC is a magnate to students the world over.

112 Delivering the Dream: Turning dream kitchens and bathrooms into reality.

86 Star Quality: Why more students are looking to St Clare's.

95 Youthful Ambition: We meet a student with a will to succeed.

98 The Small School With Great Spirit: Ex Bloxham student, Claire Thompson, goes back to her roots.

100 Executive Education: Tailored business solutions, just for you.

www.b4-business.com

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PARTNERSHIPS 115 A United Partnership: Oxford Utd FC and Fredericks Oxfordshire.

43 EVENTS

43 Shaw Gibbs show their spots to raise lots!: Great fundraising initiative from Shaw Gibbs for BBC Children in Need.

57 Major Stanley's: A Make sure you get your tickets!.

127 CONTACTS

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www.b4-business.com Contacts If you want to contact B4 Magazine Telephone: 01865 742211 info@b4-business.com Publisher B4 Magazine is published by Designs On Ltd, The Firs, Headington Hill, Oxford, OX3 0BT Chairman Colin Rosser colin@designs-on.co.uk Editor Richard Rosser editorial@b4-business.com Art Editor Keith Simpson artwork@b4-business.com Assistant Editor Annette Kamphausen assistanteditor@b4-business.com Editorial contributors

welcome to B4 Welcome to B4 Issue 21.

If you have received B4 in the post, then your postman is probably breathing a sigh of relief! We’ve got more than enough to keep you busy for the next three months with a 144 page magazine PLUS our fantastic 3rd annual Celebrations supplement AND our new Education Guide.

It’s a good place to remind those who haven’t yet done so that from Issue 24 in June 2012, B4 will only be mailed to those who have asked to receive B4. It will still be complimentary, but we want to make sure B4 is hitting desks, not empty offices! Please do subscribe and help us to help our customers achieve maximum profile.

Barbara Richardson Claire Thompson Erica Conlan Hannah Howell Irene Streicher Rebecca Anne Butler Sarah Airey Tracey Jefferies

Back to the magazine and in this issue we have something for everyone. If you are looking for advice, we’ve got a great line up of professionals to help you. Withy King, Henmans and Hedges deliver some great legal advice, whilst on the accountancy front, Grant Thornton and Shaw Gibbs contribute. We hear from commercial property experts, VSL, and meet the commercial property team at Carter Jonas - good effort with the impressive line up by the way gents! We also ‘Look North’ with Riach Architects.

B4 Photography Rob Scotcher Tamara Taboas Vera Bardashova

Leading Oxfordshire based PR firm, BOTTLE, are the focus of our lead article. BOTTLE have gained themselves a great reputation, not just locally, but nationally, and BOTTLE’s Director and Founder, Claire Cairns, shares some of their successes with B4.

Studio Photography Studio8 Telephone: 01865 842525

Talking of success, a great night was had by all at the inaugural Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards.

Read more about the event in this edition and if you’re a restaurant owner or would like to see your favourite restaurant up in lights next year, make sure they enter the 2012 Awards now at www.inoxford.com (click on the Awards banner on the home page).

Inside

11. Oxfam B4’s Preferred Charity for 2012 Announcement

46. The Taxman With Samantha Vanags of Grant Thornton

We also announce our preferred charity for 2012 on page 11 and we are delighted to confirm that this year’s preferred B4 charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, have raised £43,000 through their 100 Club - well done to Julian and the team and all contributing businesses!

I’d like to welcome new Platinum Ambassadors, BGP and Stones (our printers) New Theatre and Chrysler Oxford. If you’d like to find out more about the Platinum Ambassadors package or becoming one of our 400 and growing members, please call me.

Subscriptions For free Subscription, please contact: Telephone: 01865 742211 info@b4-business.com Each business with an Oxfordshire postcode is entitled to one free copy per issue. For additional copies and for businesses outside of Oxfordshire, there is an annual subscription charge of £25.

And finally, we turn the camera on our preferred photographers, Studio 8, a great supporter of B4 and an organisation many of you will be familiar with. Thanks to Clark, Brooke, Adam, Barbora and the rest of the team for their support over the past five years.

Sickness Absence Adds to Employers’ Headaches

Enjoy B4!

Put Together in Oxfordshire B4 is all about Oxfordshire. Designed, produced and printed in Oxfordshire.

© Designs-on Ltd and B4 Magazine.

Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure that the content of this publication is accurate and correct in every way, the publishers cannot be held responsible or liable for any inaccuracies or errors within the publication. Information reproduced from this publication is permitted with the express permission of the publisher and the advertiser, where relevant. All information is correct at time of going to press.

B4 Magazine is printed by

www.stonestheprinters.co.uk

54. Withy King

Richard Rosser Editor

About

B4

Magazine

B4 Magazine was established to provide Oxfordshire businesses with a clear voice to raise their profile and to help businesses connect. Direct mailed to three thousand business decision makers in Oxfordshire every quarter, B4 is regarded as Oxfordshire’s leading free distribution business publication. B4 stands for Building Bridges Between Business and that is what B4 helps businesses to do, aided by our first class website at www.b4-business.com, quarterly B4 Ambassador events and monthly workshops.

B4 is funded by paid for display advertising and editorial, although some editorial is granted without charge at the discretion of the Editor. Please call us to find out how you can get involved.

WHY NOT FOLLOW B4 MAGAZINE ON

96. Henmans Preparing Employers for the Olympics 2012

CLIENT SUPPORT We can offer independent advice in all areas of financial services.

OXFORD 30 St. Giles, Oxford OX1 3LE Te l . 01865 559900 email . information@wenntownsend.co.uk CIRENCESTER 5 Gosditch Street, Cirencester GL7 2AG Te l . 01285 659778 email . partners@wennsci.co.uk ABINGDON 10 Broad Street, Abingdon OX14 3LH Tel . 01235 548700 email . partners@wennsab.co.uk www.wenntownsend.co.uk

news B4’s Preferred Charity For 2012 Oxfam will be celebrating its 70th birthday next year. Just six people, concerned about the starvation and suffering in Greece and elsewhere in war-torn Europe, formed the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief in October 1942. The Committee soon became known as Oxfam and ever since that meeting in the University Church on the High St, Oxford has been our home.

The hearts and minds, talents, energy and commitment of many thousands of Oxfordshire men, women and children have helped make Oxfam what it is today: a global movement of people who believe in working together to

overcome poverty and suffering.

Together we save lives in emergencies, develop projects with local partners that enable poor people to work their way out of poverty and campaign for change that lasts.

Oxford is our home, and Oxfam is your charity.

We are delighted to be B4's preferred charity for 2012: many thanks B4, especially for your fantastic pledge of £5,000 to set the ball rolling via your Oxford to Paris Bike Ride - we'll be cheering you all the way!

Our business partnerships are crucial to us in raising vital funds. Over the last couple of years we have won national Charity - Business Partnership Awards with both Marks & Spencer and PizzaExpress and we relish the opportunity of creating similar success with you.

We are developing a range of activities for the coming year and would like to start exploring opportunities with you now - do please make contact, we'd love to talk!

Anna Thorne, Oxfordshire Development Manager.

Email: athorne@oxfam.org.uk or Tel: 01865 473775, 07825 388131

Oxfam Collects at Work Oxfam Collects at Work is an innovative new scheme designed to make it as easy as possible for your staff to give the things they don't want any more to Oxfam.

It makes their lives easier, helps stock our shops and, cleverly, means we can tell people how much money we've made from their donations. With an indication of how much everyone in the company as a whole has raised for Oxfam and illustrations of how that money could be used in Oxfam's work, it really is a winner.

Find out more at: www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam-collects

Run the Virgin London Marathon for Oxfam Photo: Eva-Lotta Jansson/Oxfam

Oxfam team, and you’ll make a guaranteed difference to families who are determined to win the struggle against poverty.

B4 places are subject to a minimum fundraising pledge of £2,000 - raising that could buy a water tank to provide safe drinking water to a whole community – meaning your determination will never be forgotten.

As a thank you for your amazing efforts, Oxfam’s dedicated running staff will arrange: • Training sessions with professional runners • Fundraising and training support, including plenty of high-fives on raceday and your very own unmissable Oxfam vest • A host of post-race treats, including a reception at the British Academy overlooking The Mall, a muscle-soothing massage and a delicious, energypacked meal.

Crossing the finish line of any marathon is an incredible, life-changing experience. And crossing it knowing that you’ve helped to change the lives of people all over the world helps to make it even more special.

So why not make 2012 the year you experience that amazing feeling for yourself? Oxfam has guaranteed places for B4 members in the Virgin London Marathon – one of the biggest and best running events in the world. Join the

www.b4-business.com

And if you’ve already got a place through the London Marathon ballot, we’d love you to run for us (and we’ll still spoil you with all of the goodies above).

So why not start planning your own extraordinary London Marathon experience today? You'll have to move fast - we can only hold B4's guaranteed places until 9 November. Simply head to www.oxfam.org.uk/marathon or call Lucy on 01865 472080.

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Claire Cairns, Director and Founder at BOTTLE

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B4 LEAD

WHY A FEW MATTERS...

Are you finding the social media revolution overwhelming but are too afraid to admit to it? Do you spend too much of your time following other people when you should be getting them to follow you? Are all those opinions, whether from celebrities, icons or Joe Soap (who your boss’ friend’s sister said was a guy worth watching), threatening to prevent you from ever having an original idea of your own?

Well, you wouldn’t be the only one. Some recent research coming out of the Hewlett Packard Labs in Palo Alto, California, is quite possibly going to spread light in your darkness.

BOTTLE describes the message of this research as having potentially the same catalytic impact as the famous jam experiment. Conducted several years ago by psychologist Sheena Lyengar, the jam experiment revealed that having too many options makes you less likely to decide on the option you prefer, and that having fewer options makes you more likely to commit firmly to the option you choose.

It’s all about social influence; the degree to which we do what we do because someone else thinks we should.

The recent Hewlett Packard research confirms that the opinions of others significantly sways our choices.

However, having a few ‘likes’ in your favour can be more

scientist at Yahoo!, famously said that everything is obvious - once you know the answer. Once upon a time, the few were the people in power or the spotlight. Now they can be ordinary influencers or Everyday People. New thinking on the few suggests that concepts make connections between unlikely partners, and it’s unlikely connections that help create contagion. BOTTLE believes that, if you want an idea to spread like wildfire, then wildfire conditions have to exist.

It recognised those conditions existed for its client Poundland recently in the most unlikely setting; the middle of the summer riots. On 9 August, the people of Peckham woke up to scenes of devastation following a night of rioting and looting. The people who work or volunteer at Peckham Shed – a local youth theatre – hit the streets, posting hand-drawn signs spelling out “Why We Love Peckham”, and the manager of the local Poundland store

“By such deceptively simple but decisive and timely interventions, a good PR consultancy like BOTTLE can help its clients to turn an incipient disaster into a major triumph” influential than having a hundred, and this is informing BOTTLE’s new strategy, which it has coined ‘The Few’. It’s time to start thinking even harder about the influence of those few.

“Acquiring social influence has so far led to the now commonplace strategy of building advocacy through extending influencer and recommendation networks”, Claire Cairns, Director & Founder at BOTTLE explains.

“BOTTLE has taken on the challenge of reducing those influencers, to slim them down to ‘The Few’ with the greatest power to advocate our clients’ goods and services.

Taking away, like breaking up as the Walker Brothers sang, is so very hard to do”.

It’s a challenge to distil one idea when everyone has so many. How do you ‘take away’ when there’s an overriding temptation to add? BOTTLE offers its clients the ability to work out why some ideas burn brightly whilst others are just damp squibs. Duncan Watts, a principal research

www.b4-business.com

was in the process of boarding it up against the worst effects of the rioting.

“At our suggestion, he offered up his boarded shop front as a makeshift community notice board” says Claire.

“Volunteers armed only with felt tip pens and post it notes encouraged local people to have their say. The board was so popular that it filled up within days and a new concept was born: the Peckham Peace Wall. The concept made an unlikely connection between a theatre company, a discount store and a stack of post it notes. It created a contagion that spread like wildfire throughout local and national news channels, print, online and on TV.” By such deceptively simple but decisive and timely interventions, a good PR consultancy like BOTTLE can help its clients to turn an incipient disaster into a major triumph. www.bottlepr.co.uk

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news Got a B4 success story you would like to share?B4 has been a useful platform for members to promote themselves over the past five years, but what’s promotion without results? There are many examples where B4 has delivered for our members in terms of real business, so we thought it was about time these success stories had some profile of their own. Got a success story you would like to share? Send it to editorial@b4-business.com. Remember, it has to be between two members of B4.

Ken Heathcote of Studley Wood Golf Club and Sarah Morris of HR2YOU “Through B4 I was introduced to HR2YOU, since the first meeting the benefit to our company has been considerable. In these testing times, running a leisure business such as ours the focus is very much on sales, cost control and profits. So much so that the important aspect such of caring for your staff is something that often takes a back seat, and that needed to be addressed.

“It took just one meeting for me to convey my requirements to Sarah Morris and to tap into her vast knowledge and experience within HR. As a result, numerous initiatives and controls, including performance measurement, have now been put in place, thus improving the standard of service that we give to our members and guests at Studley Wood Golf Club. Thank you to B4 and to HR2YOU from all of us at Studley Wood Golf Club.”

Ken Heathcote MD Studleywood Golf Club www.studleywoodgolfclub.co.uk “As an Ambassador of B4 I have made numerous business connections. One of which includes the introduction to Ken Heathcote, MD of Studley Wood Gold Club, whom I have been working with since the start of the summer. It is

wonderful to work with companies such as Studley Wood who take a proactive approach to employment law and who are open minded and dedicated to employee engagement, satisfaction and development – not to mention working in the beautiful surroundings of the club. It certainly makes my job so much more enjoyable!

Sarah Morris founder HR2YOU www.hr2you.co.uk

Nathan Thomas of Hilltop Chauffeurs impresses B4 and Miele “It’s been a pleasure to drive for B4 members, most notably Richard from B4 and Zoe Naylor from Miele. It’s great for a small business like me to be able to secure work from large local companies like Miele, something which wouldn’t

have been possible without B4.”

Nathan Thomas owner Hilltop Chaffeurs www.hilltopchauffeurs.co.uk

Daren Bowyer of Pembroke College and Chris Crewe-Read of Aldestrop Kitchen “Discovering Chris and his outstanding produce was a real plus for Pembroke’s fine dining offer; excellent quality, beautifully priced!”

Daren Bowyer, B4 2011 Ambassador and Pembroke College Home Bursar. www.pmb.ox.ac.uk

‘Thrilled Pembroke took the plunge and gave us a go. May it be the start of a lasting Oxford relationship. Many thanks for putting us together B4.’

Chris Crewe-Read, Member and owner of Aldestrop Kitchen

Susi Golding of Visit Oxfordshire and Alan Aston of Aston and James “I met Alan at the B4 Platinum Dinner at Lady Margaret Hall in May. I was impressed with Alan’s low key approach and genuine interest in our business and what we were trying to do with Visit Oxfordshire. I actually called Alan to ask him whether he would be interested in supplying us on a trial basis, and it wasn’t long before we realized we had to move all stationery orders to Aston and James. Their service has been first class, they are incredibly polite from the

directors to the delivery man and we are so pleased we moved. Another great plus is that our orders are now going to an Oxfordshire based business, whereas before we were buying from outside of the county. Thanks B4, it’s been one of a number of exceptional introductions.”

Susi Golding, B4 Platinum Ambassador and Director of Visit Oxfordshire www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com

Got a B4 success story you would like to share? Send it to editorial@b4-business.com. Remember, it has to be between two members of B4.

www.b4-business.com

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B4 news A No-holds-barred Autobiography Steve Walker, Programme Director at the Ley Community in Yarnton, Oxford, is celebrating the publication of his refreshingly honest autobiography, Steve: Unwanted.

A no-holds-barred account of Steve’s early life, including his involvement with drug-taking, -dealing and crime and his personal problems across a period of many years, Steve: Unwanted is ultimately a story of hope and of overcoming. Despite a hugely unpromising start, at the age of thirty, Steve came to the Ley Community for treatment and help, and

managed to turn his life around. A few years later, he returned to the Ley in a professional capacity. Today, he is the Programme Director.

Already the subject of glowing reviews, Steve: Unwanted is not just the story of one man’s triumph over abuse, ill-health and addiction; it is also the story of Oxfordshire’s Ley Community, which has been giving men and women like Steve a fresh start for forty years. www.ley.co.uk

Macmillan Coffee Morning at Oxford Castle - Unlocked Bunting, balloons and a giant teacup adorned Café 1071 on Friday 30 September as Oxford Castle – Unlocked hosted a Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.

Guests were invited to enjoy a cup of coffee with 50p per cup donated directly to the charity. A giant teacup lent from The Story Museum was filled with coffee beans and people were invited to guess the

number of coffee beans, with prizes generously donated by Tchibo.

Michael Speight, general manager of Oxford Castle – Unlocked, commented: “We really enjoyed hosting our coffee morning event and we hope it has contributed to smashing the Macmillan Oxfordshire fundraising target!" www.macmillan.org.uk

Shaw Gibbs show their spots to raise lots!

Shaw Gibbs are pleased to announce they will be hosting a variety of fun-filled activites in aid of Children in Need.

a variety of activities and fete themed stalls, with staff members attempting to row the length of the Thames!

The Summertown Supports Children in Need raffle has an array of fantastic prizes to be won, the top prize being a weekend for 2 to Paris! On the day itself, the office will host an open day with

For further information visit pages 42 or visit www.shawgibbs.com for full details of the activites (and prizes!), or contact Jemma Risk on 01865 292170 or email jemma.risk@shawgibbs.com

Opportunities to get jobs in Oxfordshire available ...Willing young people and progressive companies wanted!

NEET Interface Ltd is a not for profit social enterprise business co-founded by Jon Treanor and Emma Earl based in Oxfordshire.

NEET co-founder John Treanor.

www.b4-business.com

NEET Interface provide valuable work experience, that could lead to a full time job, for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs) through short term internships with Oxfordshire based businesses. Success stories include Patrick Toplis who began as an intern at Dream Car Hire, Abingdon, he is now a valued full time member of the Dream Car Hire team and about to start a college apprenticeship. With the

number of NEETs and youth unemployment increasing NEET Interface opens doors for young people to gain valuable hands on training with the help of participating Oxfordshire businesses, we are keen to meet more companies to join the programme in order to provide a wider range of intern opportunities, we are also keen to meet young people who want to get on the job ladder and gain work experience with a wide range of companies. To find out more visit our website at www.neetinterface.co.uk or contact Katie Roberts at Katie@neetinterface.co.uk or 07500 726 444.

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IMPORTANT B4 ANNOUNCEMENT PLEASE READ

As from B4 Issue 24 (June 2012) B4 will only be mailed to you if you have confirmed in writing to us that you would like to receive B4 in the post.

If you have received your copy of B4 in the post, please complete the enclosed form and return to us in the post or by fax.

If you have picked up a copy of B4 and would like to receive it in the future, please send the following information by e-mail to editorial@b4-business.com 1. Name. 2. Title. 3. Company Name. 4. Company Address. 5. Post Code.

6. Telephone number. 7. E-Mail (if you wish to receive B4 e-Newsletters) 8. A brief description of what your company does. 9. Number of employees

MANY THANKS FOR YOUR TIME

B4 news B4 Ambassadors at Miele Experience Centre Following on from successful B4 Ambassador events at Malmaison, Pembroke College, Rhodes House and Blenheim Palace, over 150 B4 Ambassadors, Members and their guests convened at the magnificent Miele Experience Centre in Abingdon at the end of October for an event with a difference.

A series of talks and seminars captivated those in attendance. There was a live cookery demonstration with the highly entertaining Nigel Smith, Miele gave

a talk on The Art of Good Coffee, Theo Sloot from The Oxford Wine Company held a comparative tasting session on New World v Old World wine and there was also a combined talk on nutrition, stress and fitness at work from Helen Money Nutrition, Link Fortune and TLA Fitness.

Chrysler Oxford also displayed their latest models in front of The Experience Centre.

With thanks to Miele for a stunning evening.

In Oxford Magazine Hits 10 Years!

In February next year, our sister magazine, In Oxford & Oxfordshire Magazine, will be 10 years old – a fine achievement! We will be celebrating at a 10th Birthday Party at the Ashmolean Museum on Thursday 26th January, and guests will be sent invites during November. The event will also double up as B4’s first Ambassador Event of 2012, so it promises to provide a fantastic opportunity for customers across The

In Oxford Group to celebrate together.

Ashmolean Head of Commercial Events, Bénédicte Montain commented, ‘We are delighted to be hosting In Oxford Magazine’s 10th Birthday party in January. To reach such a milestone is a great achievement and we are very much looking forward to hosting In Oxford Magazine and B4 customers for this great occasion.’

B4 Shirt Sponsorship Deal!

Hinksey Park Football Club was formed back in 2001 by a local group of parents to provide family-friendly football for their young kids.

The Club is run by a group of highly committed volunteers: coaches, managers, committee members, referees, car park attendants, the list goes on. In all over 35 people give up their time on a weekly basis to help propel the club forward. “This Club wouldn’t exist without the huge effort put in by our volunteers” says the Club Chair, Jim Smith.

This year the Club’s Under 15’s are being sponsored by B4 Magazine who are providing essential funding for the smart new strip.

Team Manager, Mike Price, commented, “It’s great to get B4’s support for the shirts. The club is always on the lookout for sponsorship, so please do get in touch at info@hinkseyparkfc.org if you’d like to get involved.”

1st Annual Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards On Monday 12th September, 2011, 270 guests attended the inaugural In Oxford Magazine Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards in the grounds of Oxford Castle. The event caterers were Malmaison and the event was sponsored by Miele who have their UK headquarters in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

Guests included Raymond Blanc, Sir John Madejski, Martin Keown, Trevor Osborne, Felicity Lusk, Sally Dicketts, Robert Cook and BBC Radio Oxford’s Jo Thoenes.

www.b4-business.com

Biggest winners of the night were The Feathered Nest, who scooped the top prize of Restaurant of the Year and Best British Restaurant.

Zoe Naylor, Financial Controller of Miele, presented the winners with their trophy and declared the event a great success for everyone, ‘We were delighted with the evening. It really was exceptional and it’s given Miele exceptional profile. The Awards are most certainly here to stay.’ See more about the Awards on page 78.

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Blenheim Palace A truly unique and inspiring conference and meeting venue in Oxfordshire

Blenheim Palace is offering excellent conference and half-day meeting package rates for a limited period in 2012, providing a wide range of facilities with a capacity for 8 up to 200 delegates, in an unbeatable World Heritage Site setting.

• A choice of seven impressive conference/meeting rooms • Natural daylight in all rooms • Car parking for all delegates • Rooms on the ground floor • Outdoor areas for team building • Technical equipment (flip-chart, screen and data projector) • Unlimited WIFI • Delegate notepads and pencils • Blenheim Palace Natural Mineral Water • Union Fairtrade coffee, teas and infusions, selection of traditional biscuits served at intervals throughout the day.

• Delicious fork buffet lunch

January – June 2012 Conference Offer Package Just £37.50 + VAT per person.

Conference package includes additional mid-afternoon tea and coffee and a glass of champagne to complete the day.

Half – Day Meeting Offer Package Just £30.00 +VAT per person.

(Minimum 8 people)

Our dedicated Hospitality team will ensure you have everything you need for your conference and meeting requirements.

Only 8 miles from Oxford in the midst of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds

For more information contact

Blenheim Palace Hospitality

Email: sales@blenheimhospitality.com Tel: 01993 813874 Visit www.blenheimpalace.com

Britain’s Greatest Palace

B4 news Kemp & Kemp maintain 100% planning appeal record Kemp & Kemp has successfully fought and won five appeals on behalf of the Council of the London Borough of Harrow.

The latest success related to an application by Harrow Churches Housing Association in November 2010 for the demolition of two units and redevelopment of 13 residential units for the elderly.

Following an officer recommendation of approval at a Special Planning Committee meeting, Members resolved to refuse the application.

HCHA subsequently submitted an appeal. Given that members refused the application contrary to officers’ recommendation, Kemp & Kemp was instructed on behalf of the Council to defend its decision.

After submission of detailed evidence to the Planning Inspectorate, the appeal was successfully dismissed.

“This latest appeal success demonstrates Kemp & Kemp’s ability to work closely with, and on behalf of, Local Planning Authorities” commented Kemp & Kemp’s Matthew Jeal. www.kempandkemp.co.uk

Join Us at the B4 Christmas Dinner at Pembroke College, 21st December At a loose end for the office Christmas Party? We have booked the stunning dining room at Pembroke College for our Christmas lunch and up to 160 B4 Ambassadors, Members and their guests can join in the fun.

Guests will be treated to jazz throughout lunch by The Paul Jefferies Trio. This classic jazz line up of piano, bass and drums will be playing a selection of pieces from the great American Songbook as well as some festively influenced tunes.

So why not join us, after all, what else would you be doing so close to Chritsmas - paperwork, shopping????

Tickets are £50+VAT each and include a welcome drink and three course meal. Wine to be purchased separately, direct from Pembroke College.

Call 01865 742211 or e-mail events@b4-business.com.

Social Media – Yes or No? Do you use Social Media to actively market your business? Be aware, even if you are not using Social Media, people may be talking about your business on Social Media. Rather than rushing in and creating profiles and tweeting madly, I would recommend you put some thought into which Social Media tools you should use, based on your business type, aims, resources, brand, and audience. You should also have a plan for what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. Not all Social Media tools are

right for every business and it is easy to waste time and money without any real purpose or return on investment.

To help, Concise Training are the only company to offer the City & Guilds Social Media Qualification – or we run regular, informal hands-on workshops in Faringdon, Oxfordshire to get you up and running.

Find out more: www.concisetraining.net mary@concisetraining.net or call 01865 522658 or 07799 634835

Oxfordshire Cotswolds Tourism Forum The 2011 Oxfordshire Cotswolds Tourism Forum will be taking place on the evening of Thursday 10th November at the new Crowne Plaza Hotel at Heythrop Park resort.

The purpose of the event is to bring together everyone involved in, or with an interest in, developing tourism activity across West Oxfordshire.

The event annually receives well over a hundred attendees from the local tourism sector and is a great opportunity to find out about the work of the tourism service and a good networking opportunity.

www.b4-business.com

The evening will see a range of speakers, including a presentation on ‘Big Marketing and Ideas for Small Marketing Budgets’ and we are delighted to announce that Simon Calder – Britain’s leading travel commentator and Senior Travel Editor for The Independent will also be speaking.

Find out more about the event and how to attend here www.oxfordshirecotswolds.org/ industry/meetings-and-events or call 01993 861558.

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2011...distilled BOTTLE’s DNA. The four values are Magnetic, Relentless, Grounded and Vivid.

BOTTLE is Magnetic in that clients come to and stick with the agency because of its intelligent approach and great ideas. Relentless is demonstrated through the ‘never give up’ attitude that runs through the agency. The team is Grounded as they meet agreed targets for clients’ PR campaigns and can show the evidence. Being Vivid means being colourful, bright, clear and unambiguous in PR strategy and activity. It means PR that’s inspiring and standing out from the crowd.

BOTTLE has had a successful 2011, delivering 42% growth year on year compared with an industry growth average of 9.24%. The consultancy’s social communications profile has soared too, with online communications accounting for 25% of the consultancy’s client activity and BOTTLE’s Head of Social Communications taking a lead in social web discussions on Twitter and at social media conferences.

Claire Cairns, Founder & Director of BOTTLE says: “We’re thrilled to have had another great year. Being shortlisted for the ‘Consultancy of the Year’ category at the PR Week Awards was the icing on the cake as it is recognition for the hard work and ‘BRING IT ON’ attitude of the BOTTLE team.”

In addition to this latest recognition, 2011 has seen BOTTLE scale the coveted PR Week league tables to secure 103rd place in the ‘UK’s Top 150 PR Agencies’ and 28th in ‘Top Digital Consultancies’. And in Oxfordshire, BOTTLE has been shortlisted for the CIPR PRide Awards three times in the Thames and Chiltern region. BOTTLE is a finalist in the Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy category and has been shortlisted twice in the Best Use of Social Media category for its campaigns for TV channel HISTORY and pest control expert Rentokil.

Paul Sutton, Head of Social Commuinications at BOTTLE

Living and breathing four thought-provoking values has taken BOTTLE from a home-based start-up in 2003 to a shortlisting in 2011 in the “Consultancy of the Year” (Boutique) category at the prestigious PR Week Awards 2011 - the equivalent of the film industry's 'Oscars'.

Paul Sutton, Head of Social Communications at BOTTLE comments: “It’s great to be recognised for the social media campaigns we are producing at BOTTLE. Both the HISTORY campaign, which teamed up with location-based social network foursquare, and the Rentokil campaign, which integrated specialist Twitter and Google maps technology to locate wasp hotspots around the UK, are fantastic breakthrough campaigns that have gained widespread praise. The former has already won one accolade this year at the CorpComms Digi Awards.

We’re really looking forward to the event in November.”

BOTTLE’s four unique values underpin everything they do – they make up

News from BOTTLE’s consumer division BOTTLE's consumer team specialise in targeting Everyday People. They develop and implement PR programmes to reach this audience, using an integrated blend of tactics including experiential activity, media relations and social networking campaigns.

They've got extensive insights on this audience’s behaviours and media/social networking consumption. And they’ve got heaps of experience at targeting Everyday People on behalf of clients, from Poundland to Butlins; from GE Digital Cameras to Fabulous Bakin' Boys; from DYLON to The National Lottery.

minute - approximately 30 million pairs of footwear per annum.

BOTTLE will handle media relations to build brand awareness for Shoe Zone and build on its nationwide reputation as the UK's leading footwear retailer.

BOTTLE will also undertake social media outreach for the brand, identifying online target audiences through Facebook, Twitter and blogger outreach.

BOTTLE has recently been appointed by Shoe Zone, the UK's leading footwear retailer, to handle its national PR brief. The retailer sells 57 pairs of shoes a

22

www.b4-business.com

news Festival Appointment for BOTTLE Festival Place, Basingstoke’s premier shopping destination, has appointed BOTTLE as its communications consultancy following a competitive pitch.

Festival Place is one of the country’s leading shopping centres with a diverse range of retailers, restaurants and cafes and a yearlong calendar of events appealing to a broad spectrum of shoppers.

Using both traditional and social media, BOTTLE is working with Festival Place to raise the profile among the local community and further afield of the ideal shopping experience the centre offers through its wide variety of shops and highly quality, family-oriented events that regularly take place.

BOTTLE is also providing strategic advice and manages day to day activities for Festival Place’s

B2B communications activities including engagement with the national and retail trade press and the local business community and representatives.

Johanna Cassells, Director at BOTTLE, who is leading the account comments: “With its dynamic offering and some amazing events and store openings to launch, including the new Apple store, we are thrilled to be working with Festival Place.

BOTTLE will be delivering some fantastic campaigns throughout 2011 and beyond, using an integrated blend of tactics including experiential activity and media relations.” www.bottlepr.co.uk

Supreme Pet Foods National pet food manufacturer, Supreme Pet Foods, has appointed BOTTLE to handle PR activity for its rabbit product line.

impact among the target audiences. The campaigns will blend traditional outreach to target media including the specialised pet press.”

BOTTLE will focus on two fully integrated PR and social communications campaigns to bring brand awareness for the product line over the next year, with a split of 60% digital PR and 40% traditional media outreach.

BOTTLE's first campaign for Supreme Pet Foods launched this month leading on a bespoke facebook app to find Britain’s Cutest Bunny. The competition closed this week having received over 1000 entries. The winning rabbit will be photographed on Supreme’s new product packaging, as well as winning a year’s supply of rabbit products. www.bottlepr.co.uk

Paul Sutton, Head of Social Communications at BOTTLE says: "Both campaigns are highly creative and have been developed to have maximum

News from BOTTLE’s business-to-business division

The BOTTLE business-to-business PR team are experts at helping large organisations reach SMEs and/or corporates. From Business Link to 3M, BOTTLE’s business team work with a wide range of public and private sector organisations which provide services, advice and products to

www.b4-business.com

SMEs and corporates.

education departments & agencies.

In addition, the business team are experts at helping organisations targeting large organisations in the public or private sector.

RM Education, the company that helps teachers to teach and learner to learn, has hired BOTTLE to handle its PR brief following a competitive pitch.

Carole Scott, Director at BOTTLE comments: “RM Education’s core market includes schools, colleges, exam bodies and – increasingly - parents. We are working as part of the company’s extended communications team to deliver a year round strategy to reach existing and potential customers, as well as to engage parents.”

RM Education provides innovative products ranging from classroom resources, through school technology, to systems for marking exams and delivering school performance data. Its customers include schools, colleges & universities, local government associations and central government

We will be drawing on RM Education’s panel of experts to provide media with comment and opinion and create roundtable discussion and briefing opportunities on the ever-changing education landscape.” www.bottlepr.co.uk

23

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news The Right Advice For Your Employee Needs!

B4 Ambassador, Sarah Morris, runs Oxfordshire based HR2YOU, a leading provider of Human Resources solutions for businesses of all sizes. Here, Sarah answers questions put to her by B4 readers. This will be a regular feature, so put your queries to Sarah at Sarah@hr2you.co.uk and a selection will be published in future editions of B4.

Q: I have an employee who has been sick for over one month now, how long do I need to keep paying them?

A: The law requires you to pay the employee Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for 28 weeks, providing they meet the qualifying criteria, but this is the minimum you need to do. They may also be entitled to Company Sick Pay (CSP) of which the entitlement and qualifying period will be outlined in their contract of employment. If the periods of CSP has been exhausted you should let them know in good time that their pay will reduce to SSP in their next salary payment.

In cases of long term absence from the workplace you should a) check your absence policy on seeking medical advice, a GP can indicate when they may be fit to return to work and how you can assist with this b) consider whether there may be other underlying issues which may cause a prolonged absence and finally c) remember that contact with your employee should be reasonable and kept to a minimum. Why? The more you disrupt a convalescing employee the likelihood of their recovery time taking even longer is high.

A. There are two possibilities here; 1) The person you chose didn’t have the skills and aptitude for the higher role. Perhaps you could review your selection process, which should include using Psychometric tests. These can be purchased off-the-shelf. Employee aptitude tests could especially help. You could also consider an in-house talent management programme so potential Senior Managers are prepared through management competencies. 2) You picked a capable candidate but underestimated the difficulty people have making transitions. First-time managers make mistakes, often they feel that they’re still “one of the gang” when they’re not. They’re uncomfortable exercising positional power and may lose focus trying to handle multiple tasks.

Most new managers need to be coached by someone they trust who can give

“Most new managers need to be coached by someone they trust who can give them the big picture but also give them real-time advice on handling specific situations as they arise.” them the big picture but also give them real-time advice on handling specific situations as they arise. Transitions into a management role are difficult particularly if the new post holder hasn’t undertaken a people management position before.

Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

Q: We recently promoted our top sales rep to a managerial role and she failed. The same thing happened with an engineer we promoted earlier this year. In each case, we considered personality, emotional intelligence and leadership skills, but we got it wrong. Any suggestions?

HR2YOU founder Sarah Morris

We are running an ILM accredited (Institute of Leadership and Management) Level 2 & 3 course early next year, specifically designed for Team Leaders, Supervisors and Line Managers – contact us for further information.

Q: We are currently recruiting for staff. Can we check on applicants’ online profiles before deciding whom to appoint?

A: There is nothing in the law preventing an employer from looking at publicly available material before offering an individual a job. However, doing so is widely considered to be contrary to good practice. This could also expose the employer to discrimination claims if it can be inferred that the reason for not selecting an individual was a protected characteristic revealed by the profile’s content. However, such a claim would be very difficult for the applicant to prove. www.hr2you.co.uk

www.b4-business.com

25

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR AT THE MAL.

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(No joke.)

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TH NOV - 8 TH JAN

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Mal life. How dare you accept the humdrum and be so so satisfied with the so-so? You have all the festivities to play with, so use them wisely. Choose from the Early Bird, Celebrations, Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve menu. That’s four very special festive wishes and to top it all off there’s always 25% off selected Champagnes and 2 for 1 on glasses of Prosecco.

It’s your life, your Christmas. Live it how you like. That my little Christmas cracker, is Mal life.

Local terms and conditions apply. See website for full terms and conditions. Breakout the bubbles available. 5 - 8pm on Saturday to Sunday.

To book call in or call

01865 268 400 events.oxford@malmaison.com Oxford Castle, 3 New Road, Oxford, OX1 1AY

visit www.malmaison.com

news LEPs and Enterprise Zones: what are they and how can your business potentially benefit?

“LEP”, “Enterprise Zone”. You’ve probably heard these terms a lot recently, and seen articles about both in the press with all sorts of claims about their impact and importance to the region, but how will they really effect the business community in Oxfordshire, or indeed your business in particular?

We thought we’d use this article to tell you about what’s been happening over the last few months, hopefully resolve a few myths and most importantly explain the positive impact both the LEP and Enterprise Zone can have on the entire region, and how you can benefit.

In the summer of 2010, the Government awarded Oxfordshire its own Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Creating a LEP specific to Oxfordshire was a highly unusual move - most LEPs have been created with a much wider constituency, usually covering several counties. So, a great thing for the profile of Oxfordshire, but initially with one major flaw: no money. LEPs act as a vehicle for the local business community to access government grants for specific projects in their region but there’s no regular central government funding.

However, the LEP has already been successful: its bid for the Milton Park and Harwell Enterprise Zone was granted in August 2011. It’s been widely publicised

that residents of the Zone will have a range of benefits: eased planning restrictions, high-speed broadband networks and freedom from business rates up to £50k. However, what’s not so well understood is that even if you’re not likely to, or cannot, relocate your business to the Enterprise Zone you may still gain, and here’s how: all business rates received from businesses located in the Zone (sums over the £50k exemption) will be spent at the discretion of the LEP. The LEP at its core intends to remove barriers to growth and increase high value jobs in the county. So, even if you’re not located in the Enterprise Zone, businesses in the county will hopefully see some benefit from the LEP. This is a really unusual situation and one that we should make the most of.

Membership of the IoD is one great way to help influence the LEPs decisions.

One of the key requirements of the LEP is to be business-lead so it needs your views and involvement. If you wish to get more involved or know more, contact us in the first instance and we will endeavour to connect you with the LEP, or alternatively visit the LEP’s website at www.oxfordshirelep.org.uk Let’s not waste this amazing opportunity to create real growth and opportunity for all businesses in our region.

Festive Dinner at The Palace Friday 9 December, 7pm. Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, OX20 1PP The Oxfordshire festive dinner will take place at the glorious Blenheim Palace where we will be treated to a private palace tour, pre dinner drinks in the Colonnades and a spectacular 3 course dinner in the Marlborough room. The guided tours of the palace take you through the Great Hall, Saloon & Long Library and the state rooms, allowing you to marvel at the grandeur of the fabulous portraits and furniture. Dazzle your guests on this very special occasion. £100 members and guests

£120 non members

Bookings and further information: www.iod.com/oxfordshire or contact Rebecca: admin.oxfordshire@iod.net or telephone 01865 390025

www.b4-business.com

www.iod.com/oxfordshire

27

Enjoy the fruits of your labour

Is the time ripe to plan the future for you and your business?

• Succession and Exit Planning • Financial Services

• Acquisitions Management Buy Ins/Outs • Personal and Corporate Tax Planning

The MGroup Corporate Finance Team can help you achieve your objectives.

Cranbrook House 287 / 291 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7JQ Tel: 01865 552925 Fax: 01865 557732 Website: www.theMgroup.co.uk

the social

In association with

Twitter Business Tool or Social Media Fool ?

Tweets • The riots of the summer were allegedly fuelled by tweets • Lady Gaga has over 10 million people who follow her tweets everyday • Sir Alan Sugar plagues Peers Morgan with tweets across the Atlantic How can it help your business in just 140 characters?

Yes, its only 140 characters, but that snippet of information can say so much about your business.

Simply think of Twitter as a gateway for someone to view your business.

• Linking to your latest news items with a bold headline • Highlighting new services you offer • Detecting and responding to customer services issues • Or simply letting people know you’re still in business Why aren’t you using Twitter now?

I speak to people about social media every day and I here the same excuses:

Well here's the thing; most business people have smart phones these days, so you do have time, at lunchtime whilst buying your sandwich, waiting for your next meeting, waiting for the train, or first thing in the morning before you get out of the car!

Your clients may not be on it today, but with over 300 million users Worldwide and with 72 % year on year growth of new accounts they soon will be.

The Facts Twitter for me is clearly is a business tool, be it: • Advertising, • PR, • Client profiling/market intelligence, • Client alignment, • Thought leadership, • Marketing, • Customer services, all of these things can be achieved with your business in just 140 characters.

And my favourite “I haven’t got time to Tweet...”

www.glooo.co.uk

“I don’t understand it...”

What's to understand, a tweet is a small email we all write emails.

“My clients aren’t on it....”

Twitter facts for Oxford For Glooo clients, Twitter represents on average 6% of website referral Traffic . The largest following of a Twitter account is the Oxfam. The largest age range of Twitter users in Oxford and the UK are between 27 - 49 and Tuesday is the most active Twitter day.

Top 10 Corporate Oxfordshire Twitter accounts

Top B4 Member Oxfordshire Twitter accounts

#

Followers

Company

#

Followers

Company

1

198,935

Oxfam - @Oxfam

1

3,328

Oxford United - @OUFClive

2

50,057

Lotus Renault - @OfficialLRGP

2

2,243

Miele - @Miele_GB

3

36,449

Williams F1 Team - @WilliamsF1Team

3

3,491

Chiltern Railways - @chilternrailway

4

24,240

University of Oxford - @UniofOxford

4

1,701

Bottle PR - @BOTTLE_PR

5

17,379

Fallowfields - @FallowfieldsUK

5

1,690

Lower Mill Estate - @LowerMillEstate

6

6,035

Travelodge Hotels UK - @TravelodgeUK

6

1,599

Innovation Centres - @oxinnovation

7

5,531

Jack FM - @106jackfm

7

1,441

Malmaison Oxford - @TheOxfordMal

8

4,617

Oxford Brookes - @oxford_brookes

8

890

B4 Magazine - @B4Magazine

9

8,463

Thames Valley Police - @ThamesVP

9

519

Bridle Insurance - @BridleLeisure

10

4,044

Oxford City Council - @OxfordCity

10

204

Studio 8 - @studio8search

www.b4-business.com

29

Supercharge your giving with the Oxfordshire Community Foundation The Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) is absolutely passionate about and committed to inspiring and influencing others to think local give local and Jayne Woodley, Chief Executive of the OCF is on a mission to collaborate with any business looking for an effective, high-impact way of supercharging their corporate social responsibility agenda.

“I am really excited by the potential of what I believe will be a whole new generation of charitypreneurs.

Making sense of the ever changing fundraising landscape of social media, micro donations, payroll giving, and transformational gifts, legacies are now demanding more innovation and creativity which will only be achieved by those organisations who are proactively looking to collaborate and blend the best bits of philanthropy, social enterprise and entrepreneurship.”

The Oxfordshire Community Foundation is dedicated to creating such opportunities for community philanthropy and believes it is incredibly privileged to work with individuals, businesses and other organisations helping them to find local causes on their doorstep that make life better for local people, from urban to rural, everywhere in Oxfordshire.

The sheer diversity and number of local causes to support can be seen on localgiving.com, a new

website that was recently launched by the OCF to raise awareness and support for the numerous small volunteer led, community based groups and projects that are all taking action to improve the lives of Oxfordshire’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Only those not for profit organisations that have been independently vetted by a Community Foundation can be listed on localgiving.com and this ensures all donations can be given with confidence and even more important those made to unregistered groups will also benefit from Gift Aid. It was great to attend the OCVA / Blake Lapthorn sponsored Charity and Volunteer awards at the Town Hall recently and see so many of the groups nominated and receiving awards that are already on localgiving.com and we would like to send our special congratulations to Restore, Refugee Resource, Special Effect, yellow submarine, Streets Revolution My Life My Choice, The Ley Community, Young Dementia UK, Oxford Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis.

Will you now pledge to think local, give local?

Email: jayne@oxfordshire.org Tel: 07775 625942 Web: www.oxfordshire.org

Jayne Woodley, Chief Executive of the OCF.

Surviving Winter

Photography: Irum Shahid

Following on from the success of our Surviving Winter appeal last year, the Oxfordshire Community Foundation will be involved in a national campaign which is being launched at the House of Commons on the 10th November.

Inspired by individuals who wanted to donate their winter fuel allowance to support those less

fortunate than themselves, who are living either in fuel poverty or vulnerable conditions, this year we will be working with the Oxford Hub offering students the opportunity to become directly involved in some really practical and helpful volunteering opportunities to support elderly people e.g. clearing their lofts to prepare for insulation to be laid.

VOUCH Oxfordshire Community Foundation are delighted to be involved in the launch of VOUCH – be sure to buy yours soon – our thanks goes to all participating in this new scheme, as a

30

percentage of every voucher purchased will be taken as a donation to support all Oxfordshire groups on localgiving.com. To see a full list if VOUCH deals, visit www.inoxford.com.

www.b4-business.com

news highly

Making 2012 a year to celebrate

businesses inspiring supported

typical

life

improving

organisations awarded give

established

Community enabling

happiness

Foundation

projects

million

feel-good contributed committed

helping

funding

endowment

success

To find out more or to pledge your support to the Oxfordshire Jubilee Fund:

joy

individuals

think

Oxfordshire vulnerable

deprivation

give

funds

responsibility

giving

grant large better

rural corporate

social

everywhere

Oxfordshire

local

building addressing

volunteers So from now and into 2012 the Oxfordshire Community Foundation will be asking everyone to pledge their support and help us do something amazing and build an endowment for the next 60 years - the Oxfordshire Jubilee Fund.

think

philanthropy action

donors

An Oxfordshire Jubilee Fund would enable communities everywhere in Oxfordshire from city streets, schools, families, business and other organisations to come together and pool their resources to create a lasting legacy for the next 60 years in celebration of the dedication the Queen has shown to community service and charity work throughout her own jubilee.

help

small

need

£15 million would help to build a significant endowment to last for the next 60 years that would ensure on going, local support is available for those causes on our doorstep that are the least well known and not attractive enough to generate their own charitable donations as they deal with some of the most difficult issues facing our society today e.g. Chaotic families, children with conduct problems and adults out of work due to mental health problems.

support

Oxfordshire growing disadvantaged urban

The Oxfordshire Community Foundation has calculated that if every business in Oxfordshire was to raise just £10 for every year of the Queen’s jubilee from any of their typical fundraising activity e.g. dress down days, cake sales then that would be £600 per business and with 25,000 businesses that alone could raise £15 million.

people

The Oxfordshire Community Foundation believes 2012 is going to be a mega fundraising year as preparations and celebrations for both the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics will provide great opportunities for communities to come together and party!

smiles

... thank you

Email: jayne@oxfordshire.org Tel: 07775 625942 Web: www.oxfordshire.org

The Midcounties Co-Operative Values Its Community Links

Member-owned retailer The Midcounties Co-operative has a proud record of supporting local communities in Oxfordshire.

More than 30 local groups were successful in the first round of grant making from a new community fund established by the Midcounties Co-operative and managed by the Oxfordshire Community Foundation. There were smiles all around as cheques were presented to the lucky members who were all invited to a very special presentation event at the Barcelo on the 17th October.

The Society is a major employer with food stores, travel branches, pharmacies, childcare nurseries and funeral homes in the county and continues to build on the strong links to the areas where it trades.

www.b4-business.com

It is committed to putting its co-operative values into action by supporting projects that tie in with its broader goals, for example working in schools with partner organisations. It also believes in making a positive difference by giving much needed grant aid to local groups and it invests time and skills by encouraging colleagues to get involved in community fundraising, volunteering and mentoring.

Oxfordshire organisations will be among those to benefit from the new Midcounties Community Fund which enables members to apply for a grant of up to £2,000 for worthy causes. Grants are made twice a year in spring and autumn working in partnership with the Oxfordshire Community Foundation.

Community Manager Maxine Sharman said: “We are an ethical retailer that puts its community responsibilities at the heart of its businesses. We want to be judged not only on the success of our businesses but also on how effectively we put our co-operative values and principles into practice.”

31

A few matters The behaviour of the few has always influenced the behaviour of many.

Today, insights are gained by observing the few who do things differently from the many who do the same.

The few who are more influential are no longer just those in positions sitions are of po wer or fame power fame..

TThere’s here’s a new new few few that th t cr eate. create. veral to to shar TThey hey inspire inspire se sseveral re and a man share manyy tto o vie w. A And at BO T TLE w view.

BOTTLE wee call them EEveryday veryda d yP eople©.

People o kknow now o IIff yyou ou want tto moree about ab bout the (a little) mor contact co ontact us ffew, ew, please contac di o or join the discussion on LinkedIn http://ht.ly/68fZ2 l /68fZ2 Link edIn att http://ht.ly/68fZ2

TTel: el: +44 (0) 1865 18 882988 Email: bringit bringiton@bottlepr.co.uk giton@bottlepr ttleprr.co .co.uk

www.bottlepr.co.uk www w.bottlepr .bot ottleprr.co.uk

Shortlisted for Boutique Consultancy of the Year at the PRWeek Awards 2011 Shortlisted for Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy at the CIPR PRide Awards 2011 Results Pending

for Itt’’ss a beautiful day

PR

news Over 200 Oxfordshire and Berkshire Business Owners learn the Secrets to Business Success even in a Recession! doing. This was packed full of great distinctions, interaction and positive vibes, with the whole audience vowing to stop using the words, (and to pull each other up for saying), “Don’t” “Not” and “No”! Everyone leaving the event was fully energised and ready to take on the world.

Best-Selling author of Law of Attraction and international speaker Michael Losier joined founder Paul Avins to “Wow” Business Owners at The Business Wealth Club Open Days in September.

Some 227 positive and passionate Business Owners kicked off the "Back to Business" week after the summer holidays by attending the 2 Training, Networking and Exhibition meetings.

Hosted by Northampton Club Mentor Kath BonnerDunham in Bicester and Reading Club Mentor Steve Plotkin in Reading.

After the Main Workshop session, Club Members met for a Private Q & A Session with Michael and this was when the deep learning took place.

Michael poured his heart out for well over an hour, answering question after question on how to Allow, how to Identify Limiting Beliefs and why Dream Boards don't work, as well as some sneak peeks into running his radio show and working with Oprah for the last few years…well he did like to name drop!

Wealth Club Members are used to giving memorable pitches for their Businesses; over breakfast on each day over 60 Members shared their wins with the room and the great offers made to all the delegates kick started the first sessions, even Buzz Lightyear dropped in to the event!

16 New Members took Action at the events to secure their place at their local club as their were 6 to choose from, St Albans, Reading, Oxford, Maidenhead, Newbury and Northampton. Including the new member who came from Switzerland and wants to travel to the UK every month until a club opens there!

B4 Magazine’s Richard Rosser gets his message across in under 10 minutes!

To visit a club near you go to www.thebusinesswealthclub.com or call 01869 278900 to speak to one of the team for details on your nearest club.

It’s this unique mix of Blended Training, Coaching and Member Support that creates such a “buzz” in the local Business community when Business Owners attend the meetings.

Oxford Member Alan May raised the bar by proving just how much fun Business can be

Award Winning Business Coach and CEO Paul Avins stepped up to run a Profit Boosting Workshop; teaching practical strategies to show Business Owners what is working in the current climate to boost their Sales.

First time guests were given a copy of Paul’s popular first book, ‘Business SOS: 173 Proven, Fast-Acting Strategies to take Your Business from Surviving to Thriving’. Club Members received an exclusive prelaunch copy of Paul’s next book due out in October: “The Wealth Accelerators”. Paul is particularly proud of this book as it contains strategies from 33 of his Mentors and personal Experts Team.

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Another successful aspect of the Open Days is the opportunity to sponsor the event and there were some highly imaginative Stands from the Sponsors in the adjacent Exhibition Room, including fishing for plastic ducks to win a prize! Over the coffee break, Members and visitors networked and discussed potential Joint Ventures, another powerful component of the Open Day format.

Platinum Sponsors are given 10 minutes on stage in front of over 100 Business Owners; shrewd Members know this is a great way to get their message to their market.

The Main 1 hour Workshop was delivered by the guest Speaker from Canada, Michael Losier, on “How to Harness the Power of The Law of Attraction” to attract more Sales, Customers and Profits into a Business, whatever the economy is

Essential reading, Michael Losier’s ‘Law of Attraction’.

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news Toners & Cartridges Save Money on your printer cartridges. Our new consumable pricing structure has saved businesses significant sums of money on their toner and cartridge costs. With potential savings of 50%, why not see if your office can make savings?

A cartridge to suit everyone. We stock a wide range of cartridges and toners to suit all printers and copiers from small desktops printers through to the heavy duty multifunctional machines.

We are offering all B4 readers a free print survey. Just let us know what printer you use and we’ll suggest the best options available to you. All with 100% guaranteed performance.

All our cartridges are available on a free next day desktop delivery service We provide our customers with a completely free collection service for all used toner and ink cartridges.

To find out more email makeadifference@aston-james.co.uk

Business Gifts What ever event you have coming up, promote your company in style with our wide range of business gifts...from pens and mugs through to bespoke eco friendly products.

Not only do our customers use the business gifts service to promote their company, but personalised gifts also make great rewards for loyal staff and customers.

Quote B4 for your free artwork/set up when you place a business gifts order.

10% off Personalised Charity Christmas cards before the end of October Email: gifts@aston-james.co.uk Web: www.astonjamesgifts.co.uk Telephone: 01993 893306

Workwear & PPE Our Workwear department includes a wide range of garments to kit out your workforce literally from head to toe. Hats to footwear!

We supply appropriate clothing for all seasons, whether it’s a personalised poloshirts or Hi Vis jackets we’ll source almost any workwear requirement you may have, large or small Catering - Business & Office uniforms - Hotel, bar & Restaurant uniforms School uniforms - Building & Construction - Warehouse - Security Quote B4 for your free artwork/setup when you place a business gifts order.

Email: sales@aston-james.co.uk Web: www.astonjamesworkwear.co.uk Telephone: 01993 893306

www.b4-business.com

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NEW BARCLAY HOUSE Botley, Oxford TO LET

3,000 – 11,000 sq ft Modern refurbished offices with comfort cooling with excellent access to Oxford and A34.

21 NUFFIELD WAY Abingdon TO LET

36,951 sq ft Detached industrial/warehouse unit on self contained secure site

CHILBROOK Oasis Park, Eynsham TO LET

Ground floor 14,706 sq ft First floor 6,351 sq ft Total 21,731 sq ft Refurbished air conditioned offices

NORTHBROOK HOUSE The Oxford Science Park Part Ground and First Floor TO LET 3,480 sq ft to 11,440 sq ft Ground floor 3,974 sq ft First floor 7,931 sq ft Second floor now let to Roxar and JA Kemp

unrivaled local and regional expertise Richard Venables Tom Barton

rvenables@vslandp.com tbarton@vslandp.com

news Enterprise Zones, What Are They Good For? On the 17th August 2011 the Government announced that a new Enterprise Zone was to be created for our area and will be known as the Oxfordshire Science Vale Enterprise Zone. The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership are to be congratulated for their work in promoting this bid which designates Enterprise Zone status to an area of 92 hectares in South Oxfordshire. The Enterprise Zone is actually split across two locations. 64 hectares in the Harwell International Business Campus and 28 hectares in Milton Park. It is forecast that by 2015 a further 8,400 high-tech /high value jobs will be created generating an additional £4 million of business rates per year which will be invested in the local area. It is hoped that around 200 businesses will be attracted to the area due to the location and technology market sector clustering.

The advantages of Enterprise Zone status include simplified planning rules and a commitment from the Government to invest in a superfast broadband network. More importantly for businesses there are business rate discounts

equating to a maximum of £55,000 per annum for a period of five years. All new business rates generated within the Zone for a period of 25 years will be retained by the local area and reinvested to generate more economic growth.

It could be argued that Science Vale UK is already a global hotspot for enterprise and innovation in science and therefore is not in need of regeneration or investment. The Enterprise Zone primarily relates to development land and any new occupier will therefore be looking at a Design and Build solution. This is likely to be more costly than an existing building, despite the business rate savings, unless the building has some specialist function. The focal intention of this specific Enterprise Zone is to raise the global profile of the Science Vale area and hoping to attract international investment which is seen as a core priority by the Government. With the global economy in turmoil this is likely to be a hard sell but the appeal of Oxfordshire cannot be underestimated. We consider the targets set are optimistic but time will tell and 2015 is already on the horizon.

Deals, Deals and more Deals…..

Here are a selection of deals VSL and Partners have completed in the second quarter of 2011.

Unit 16, Avenue One, Witney – letting of 6,231 sq ft to Eco Solar Equipment Limited.

Rowan Place, Oxford Business Park – letting of ground floor office suite comprising 7,878 sq ft to Barlow Lyde & Gilbert Solicitors.

Northbrook House, Oxford Science Park – letting of part second floor suite comprising 3,943 sq ft to Roxar Limited.

Seacourt Tower, Botley, Oxford – letting of first floor north wing comprising 2,900 sq ft to Focus

Windrush Court, Abingdon Business Park – letting of an office suite comprising 3,043 sq ft to Compact GTI plc.

Units 8 & 9, White horse Business Park, Stanford in the Vale – freehold sale of a unit comprising 47,800 sq ft to Ocado Limited.

Lakesmere Close, Kidlington – office units let to Arcwind and Selby Dixon Riley Solicitors.

Florey House, Oxford Science Park – letting of second floor office and laboratories comprising 7,600 sq ft to Oxford Nanopore.

Unit 2 Beadle Trading Estate, Wallingford – freehold sale of 10,900 sq ft to Tension Technology International

www.b4-business.com

www.vslandp.com

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READY 4 LAUNCH

We welcomed over 100 representatives of Berkshire's professional community to a wonderful drinks and canapes reception at The Millennium Madejski's Cilantro restaurant on Thursday 6th October.

Ruraigh Whitehead, Hotel General Manager, commented, "For a first event in a new territory, B4 have managed to attract a fabulous mix of the established professional community here in Berkshire and a lot of new faces representing some excellent businesses we haven't connected with. If B4 continues to deliver like this, they will enjoy much success."

Photography: Tamara Taboas & Vera Bardashova

Students from Reading College, who are using B4 as a case study during their studies, were also exhibiting some of their fantastic designs at the event. Principal Lesley Donaghue commented. “It’s been wonderful working with B4 and the experience the students have gained working on B4 during their design studies has been invaluable. It’s also been marvelous for them to be a part of such a wonderful event and it helps get them one step closer to the working world.”

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Representatives from Pitmans LLP, Coutts, Microsoft, Lloyds, Berkshire Institute of Directors, Reading FC, Launchpad (B4’s official 2012 Berkshire charity of the year), Field Seymour Parkes, James Cowper, Crowe Clark Whitehill, Santander, The Vineyard, RSM Tenon, BDO, Reading 107fm, RBS and Wilson Partners attended the event. Berkshire IOD, Reading College, Pitmans LLP and Reading 107fm were also handed vouchers worth £750 to take their staff paintballing with Bedlam Paintball!

If you have a presence in Berkshire and would like to take advantage of the launch phase complimentary web membership period to 31st December, 2011, then please contact us on 01865 742211 or e-mail editorial@b4-business.com. To see the launch brochure for B4 Berkshire, see http://issuu.com/b4-business/docs/promo. www.b4-business.com

B4 SPOTLIGHT

www.b4-business.com

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distilled Our values: M Magnetic, agnetic, Gr Grounded, ounded ed, Relentless Relentless ess and V Vivid ivvid Our attitude: BRING IT ON O Our industr industryy position: position tion: RRising ising Our key str strength: trength: e en Passion P assion n Ourr fifirst question: qu Who do yyou Wh ou want nt tto o rreach each h and influe influence? ence?

If you wan wa want nt to uncork BOT BOTTLE, TTTLE, TLE, pleas TL please ase get in to touch. ouch.

TTel: el: +44 44 (0) 1865 882988 88 Email: bringiton@bottl bringiton@bottlepr.co.uk tleprr.co .co.uk http://twitter http://twitter.com/bottle_pr r.co .com/bottle_pr om/bottle_pr

facebook facebook.com/bottlepr k.com/bottlepr

www www.bottlepr.co.uk .bot ottleprr.co.uk linkedin.com/company/bottle-pr lilinkedin.com/company/bottlee-pr

for Itt’’ss a beautiful day

Shortlisted for Boutique Consultancy of the Year at the PRWeek Awards 2011 Shortlisted for Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy at the CIPR PRide Awards 2011 Results Pending

PR

B4 ADVICE Increasingly tough environmental legislation, fluctuating world markets and rising input costs mean many farmers spend as much time at their computers as they do walking their fields.

But while it may be a business, it’s a business that seems to play by its own rules, and never more so than during the current economic downturn. While other sectors are struggling, agriculture is performing strongly and arable farmers, in particular, are investing in bigger and better grain stores and machines with six figure price tags.

Such a specialist area needs a specialist approach, which is why Barclays Corporate provides relationship directors who deal purely with rural issues and can focus on their particular needs.

“Farming is increasingly affected more by worldwide factors than by domestic issues, which means it tends not to follow the same economic cycle as the rest of the economy,” explained Tom Windett, Oxford-based agricultural sector relationship director with Barclays Corporate.

“Our agriculture specialists understand the pressures and the opportunities currently affecting farmers” “Our agriculture specialists understand the pressures and the opportunities currently affecting farmers and they know that farming is at a very different stage in the economic cycle compared with, say, manufacturing or retailing.

“The agricultural sector is mature and generally healthy, which reflects strong commodity prices and firm land values. Barclays Corporate has a vital role to play in helping farmers to achieve their goals, but the challenges are not the same as they are in other part of the economy.”

The industry thinks differently, too. Timescales tend to be longer, investments reflect the multigenerational aspect of many businesses and farmers know that their asset base is, generally, very sound.

“While the average business might look to borrow money over four or five years, our farming customers are expecting terms of anything up to 10 or even 20 years,” said Tom. Arable land values have been rising swiftly over the past six months and have doubled over the past four years in some parts of Oxfordshire and surrounding counties. Some areas are achieving £10,000 an acre, which means farmers who want to buy land when it comes on to the market need their bank to respond swiftly with any funding support they need. Machinery, too, is costly, and the increasing worldwide appetite for grain has fuelled the demand for storage and for the eye wateringly-expensive machines that harvest it. “We www.b4-business.com

work closely with our colleagues in asset finance to help with big investments,” explained Tom “New combines don’t come cheap.”

With agriculture now increasingly diverse, the Barclays Corporate team stays well versed in everything from green energy to golf courses, although Tom believes the trend for converting farm buildings to small business units is in decline unless there is already a serious tenant lined up.

Renewable energy is attracting a significant level of on-farm investment and Barclays Corporate has provided funding for an anaerobic digester being built as part of a new dairy unit. The digester will convert slurry and maize silage to energy as part of a major expansion of the herd that is set to create new jobs in an industry where workforces are generally contracting.

“We are also involved in other alternative energy schemes including hydro-electric power, wind turbines and solar PV systems that farmers are seeing as a good investment opportunities.”

CASH CROP Even the most romantic of country dwellers would struggle to argue that modern farming is anything other than a business – and a challenging one at that. Tom Windett, Relationship Director at Barclays Corporate, explains.

Solar PV systems reflect the farming community’s longer-term view, offering a substantial return over 25 years – and free electricity – in return for an initial investment that can be significant.

“Barclays Corporate is fully behind schemes that are put to us with a well-justified business case and where we are comfortable with the risk. We continue to make the point that we are open for business and have funds to lend,” said Tom. The bank has recently provided £1.5m to support a management buyout of a salad grower in circumstances that others may have shied away from.

“The retiring shareholder is selling the business to three directors and the loan is only 50 per cent secured. It is bigger than we would generally expect to advance based on cash flow projections but we believe the business case is strong and so we have backed the deal’ Tom explained.

Another key area for Barclays Corporate is the large landed estates sector and the Trustees who typically oversee the running of these businesses. The bank provides tax-efficient solutions to such issues as inheritance tax planning, as well as the often high capital cost of running and maintaining these properties. This sector is a real area of growth for Barclays Corporate, allowing the bank to combine industry knowledge with bespoke funding solutions in perhaps a more commercial way than the private banks that would traditionally serve this sector.

“Agricultural land doesn’t attract inheritance tax but let properties and some non-agricultural buildings often do,” said Tom. “It can be an advantage to borrow against these buildings in order to off-set future tax liabilities. We work closely with the accountants and legal advisers in such issues and we can play an important role by providing the right investment vehicle.”

Call Tom Windett on: 07775 542467.

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B4 EVENTS

“We are really looking

Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

forward to working with the local community in raising a significant sum for a very worthwhile charity”

SHAW GIBBS SHOW THEIR SPOTS TO RAISE LOTS! Shaw Gibbs are pleased to announce details of their fundraising efforts in aid of BBC Children in Need. The Summertown accountancy firm are looking to raise an impressive £25,000 for the well established charity, by performing a variety of activities including a gruelling rowing challenge to cover the length of the Thames, a raffle prize draw, a drawing competition with pupils of a local school and a champagne business card raffle.

All events on the day will be integrated with an office open day that will host a variety of fête themed stalls, sale of local produce, children’s activities such as face-painting, and an evening reception with live music to thank those who have participated.

all the individuals and companies who have or will be donating their time (and prizes!), especially those who have agreed to participate in the activities. It promises to be a fun-filled day and I look forward to welcoming people on the 18th of November!”

Children in Need was established in 1927 and since then, over £600 million has been raised by the public. The money is awarded as a grant on a quarterly basis to deserving UK projects of all sizes and disciplines, which focus on helping disadvantaged children and young people to extend their life choices.

Full details of the activities, including a full list of raffle prizes which is growing by the day, can be viewed at www.shawgibbs.com, along with details of how you or your company can play a part. Raffle tickets are available to purchase from the offices of Shaw Gibbs at 264 Banbury Road, Summertown, and in selected local retail outlets.

Graham Henley, Managing Partner of Shaw Gibbs, had the following to say: “We are really looking forward to working with the local community in raising a significant sum for a very worthwhile charity. We have secured some excellent prizes for the raffle, such as a weekend for 2 in Paris and a helicopter ride around Oxford. Our staff members in particular, are looking forward to challenging themselves with the rowing! Although we have set a high target, I am confident we will achieve it.

We support several Oxfordshire charities and this year, in addition to our existing commitments, we wanted to contribute on a larger scale. I would like to thank

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If you are considering carrying out your own fundraising activity, there is a multitude of information available on the Children in Need website, at www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey For further information please contact Jemma Risk, Marketing Administrator, on 01865 292200 or email jemma.risk@shawgibbs.com

www.shawgibbs.com

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‘That’s some enchanted evening! FAULTLESS’ DAILY MAIL

L I N CO L N C E N T E R T H E AT E R P R O D U CT I O N O F

R O D G E R S & H A M M E R S T E I N’S

‘If you don’t already have a ticket, go and purchase one

IMMEDIATELY!’ BAZ BAMIGBOYE, DAILY MAIL

6 -31 DEC 2011 0844 871 3020* NewTheatreOxford.org.uk* (*bkg fee)

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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B4 SPOTLIGHT

HAPPY TALK FROM HOWARD PANTER, ON THE ARRIVAL OF BARTLETT SHER’S SOUTH PACIFIC TO OXFORD NEW THEATRE Oxford New Theatre presents Bartlett Sher’s South Pacific and if Broadway sales are anything to go by, theatre-goers should buy tickets far in advance! It’s a great feat for co-founder, Joint Chief Executive and Creative Director of The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG), Howard Panter who spoke to B4’s Richard Rosser.

‘It’s been many, many decades since there has been anything quite of this scale on at the Oxford stage’, Panter affirms. Sold out for two-and-ahalf years on Broadway and at the Barbican, London, this show is a must-see. Having taken his nine-year-old daughter to the show, Panter can vouch for its success as a family outing. ‘I think the family will get a tremendously rich, multilayered package so that both parents and children can enjoy it, on different levels, perhaps.’ South Pacific, he argues, is ‘one of the greatest five musicals of all time by anyone who really knows theatre’, and with multiple theatrical awards under his belt, he’s certainly in the know.

Moreover, Sher’s version of the musical has been the most critically successful production at the Lincoln Center in New York, which Panter explains ‘is at the centre of culture and arts activity in New York, arguably in North America’. Both the director and cast have Tony Awards to their names. ‘It’s fair to say that sometimes Oxford doesn’t get the entire original London cast’, Panter admits.

However, with ATG behind it, Oxford New Theatre is bringing the entire London cast, with Tony-Award winner, Paulo Szot, New York Tony-Award winner, Loretta Ables, and Eastenders actress, Samantha Womack, starring alongside her co-star from Donmar’s Guys and Dolls, Alex Ferns and Daniel Koek, from ATG’s London and touring production of West Side Story.

For Panter, it’s about restoring a part of Oxford’s reputation, which has been lost. ‘I’m old enough to remember when Oxford was absolutely the centre of regional theatre in the United Kingdom and perhaps... it needs some refreshing and it needs some new bigger productions. Because we’re producers as well as theatre owners, we’re able to bring major quality productions to Oxford’.

Since taking over the New Theatre in November ’09, ATG have brought a new level of high quality programming to Oxford, as well as upgrading the theatre building to include a new Club Lounge. The company’s success has already been noted by local media in Liverpool and Manchester.

‘We can and we will grow Oxford’, asserts Panter. ‘It requires the resources and the determination and the talent to do it perhaps, but that’s the only way that we conceive going forward’. Having bought the Live Nation Theatre Commission in 2009, ATG has shown that the two businesses are more profitable together, with growing revenues and customers. It is now the biggest theatre owner, operator and producer in the United Kingdom.

South Pacific is showing from Tuesday, December 6th to Saturday, December 31st. Book now to avoid disappointment. www.atgtickets.com/oxford

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“I think the family will get a tremendously rich, multilayered package so that both parents and children can enjoy it” 45

THE TAXMAN You don't have to be super-rich to be stung by the current high tax rates – as a result, more and more people are now seeking out good tax advice. Samantha Vanags from Grant Thornton tells us how to pay less tax and to plan for the future.

“...many of us are needlessly paying too much tax. So let's start saving some money!”

or is married to someone who is not earning at all, then that couple should exploit the non-earning person's nil rate band.”

Interested?

Tax has always been painful - nobody likes to see their income go down, but the current income tax rates are the highest they've been for over twenty years’. So, with the help of Samantha at Grant Thornton we explain some steps to reduce your tax bill.

Sounds complicated? Well thankfully it isn’t.

While we don’t pretend to see tax as straightforward, there are some simple steps that both individuals and their employers can take in order to reduce their tax bills – we wanted to find out more.

Samantha explains: “On the basis that corporate tax (the tax paid by companies) is going down, and income tax (the tax paid by you and me) is going up, a lot of our work is currently focused on reducing income tax.”

"For companies, the big increases are hidden within National Insurance, so we've been helping them to deal with that too."

Here Samantha sets out some of the easy ways that we can start to take control of the amount of tax we pay:

Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

Married Couples First of all, if you're a married couple, you can often pay less tax by sharing your assets and investments intelligently between you. If you're a natural giver you'll be no stranger to the altruistic feelgood buzz associated with sharing in any case, but now it can also help you to get your joint income taxed at the lowest rates possible.

“If one spouse is earning far more than the other

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Equalising incomes between spouses can save you up to £22,000 per year in cash. This can be done through simple things such as transferring investments into the non-earning/lower income spouse’s name.

“So, the higher earner can transfer, for example, a second home so that rental income is taxed at lower rates. On a sale of the property, further tax could be saved, as lower earners also pay less capital gains tax than higher earners do.

“Transfers of investments between spouses are free of capital gains tax so you can generally rearrange things without crystallising any tax liabilities.

So what else can we do?

It's becoming more important for employers to use more creative ways of paying people. Some things, like childcare vouchers or making payments into their pension schemes can be completely tax free for the employee.”

Investing in Your Own Company Up until recently, the rate of capital gains tax you paid when you sold your business was determined by how long the business had been owned. But now, after just one year, there is a flat rate of 28% for higher rate tax payers and a much lower flat rate of 10% for people owning more than 5% of the company for which they work. This 10%, which was previously available on up to £2 million of gain, is now available on a staggering £10 million of gain.

So, by owning a share of your company rather than investing elsewhere, you could potentially make a cash saving of up to £1.8m. Putting it into lower numbers, for every £1,000 worth of shares you hold, you can make cash savings of £180.

Employees Although income tax is high, capital gains tax is still relatively low. Income tax is as high as 62% for some people (including national insurance), whereas capital gains tax is never higher than 28%.

So some employers are looking at ways in which they can reward their people with cash, but in a capital form which is then free from income tax and national insurance.

Alternatively, some companies are issuing shares or share options to people to get to a similar endpoint, but this time without any immediate cash cost.

“There are lots of sensible alternatives that employers can look at as ways of rewarding people”.

"Identifying tax-free employee benefits which your employees will value is an obvious way to save money", says Samantha.

Samantha sometimes sees employees who own just under 5%, and are therefore unable to claim the 10% rate, and helps them to put plans into place to correct the position.

Inheritance Tax “The IHT rate is 40% on death, so if you die with more than £325,000 in your estate, your descendants will lose 40% of anything on top of that.” But all is not lost. “There are some really basic things that you can do like making gifts in your lifetime or setting up nil rate band trusts.”

Samantha also helps her clients set up more complex strategies to increase retention of their estate, as most feel that “40% is just a lot to give away.”

Intelligent Investing There are also some well-known but under-rated

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B4 ADVICE

“many of us are needlessly paying too much tax. So let's start saving some money!”

investments that an individual can make in terms of financial planning and investing tax efficiently.

“People seem to think of these mechanisms as relatively small and don’t necessarily appreciate the significant long term cumulative benefit that is available.”

• National Savings Certificates and ISAs – allow you to save money in a tax-free environment.

“Most people don’t use them but some of the couples that we've advised now have over half a million pounds in ISAs because every year they have used their allowance, as it has grown in a tax free environment.

Usually these investors would pay 50% tax – so they are effectively getting twice as much on their investment as they would outside of an ISA wrapper.”

• EIS companies which, despite traditionally being high risk, can now become less so because of structures you can now put around them to de-risk them.

“The Income Tax benefit of this is that if say you put £10,000 into an EIS company, then you will get £3,000 off your tax bill for that year, and then when that company is sold, you make a capital gain that is free from tax completely – a very tax efficient scheme.”

• Pensions used to be complicated and very restrictive, but recently this tax deductible gem has come back to life: “People are now able to make a contribution of up to £50,000 every year, which comes off their taxable income. For most people £50,000 is the most they would want to put away; but for those that have more available, the previous three-year’s allowances can also be used, so effectively £200,000 can be deposited in one go in some cases and the full amount can be deducted from your taxable income.” www.grant-thornton.co.uk

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BLE A AIL RTY V A A W AS P L. O A N M LS RIST HE M A DE CH T T T EA UR T A GR R YO VEN FO OR E

PUTTING THE SHOW BACK INTO BUSINESS. Meetings and Events at the Oxford Mal.

Bar

Suite

Cell

Atrium

Mal life. In these times you need an edge. That daring difference that speaks volumes to your client or your competitors.At Malmaison, we put the show back into business.

This is no glitzy display with no real depth, but a glamorous venue, with a deep-rooted love for style, ultra tasty cuisine, outstanding wine and an undying dedication to providing amazing hospitality.Add some show into your business. Go on, we dare you.

That’s Mal life.

To book call in or call

01865 268 400 events.oxford@malmaison.com Oxford Castle, 3 New Road, Oxford, OX1 1AY

visit www.malmaison.com

DAY DELEGATE RATES FROM

£55

B4 ADVICE

“Most importantly, we are making sure our staff understand that client service is the number one priority.

We only recruit people who really “get it” and we are investing heavily in training”

HEDGES SOLICITORS: FIT FOR THE FUTURE

“The biggest compliment you can pay me is to say I’m not like a lawyer.” Quite an opening line from Nicola Poole, solicitor and a Managing Director of a firm of solicitors which has been around for over 200 years. But then Hedges is no ordinary firm of solicitors and Nicola’s approach is refreshingly different, as B4’s Erica Conlan found out.

With over 20 years of family law experience, a nomination this year for ‘Family Lawyer of the Year’ and managerial responsibility for the firm, Nicola is surprisingly approachable. It is soon apparent that this is partly due to the empathy she has with her clients as they struggle with marriage break ups and dramatic shifts in their family life. ‘A client recently apologised for being upset, saying “I know you’re not allowed to talk about emotional things to lawyers.” Where does this perception come from? I take my lead from clients as to how much they want to share, but I feel I’m doing a good job if people feel they can trust me and speak to me in confidence. I can sometimes be the first person who knows what is going on in their private lives.’

It is the perception that lawyers are living in an ivory tower which Nicola is tackling head on. ‘I try to make Hedges a firm people feel comfortable with. I want to make it easy for people to come through the door. I don’t think the average man in the street has a particularly positive experience of a lawyer’s office. The service can sometimes be geared to what the lawyer wants and not the customer.

We are different. We offer great expertise but also people you can really talk to. As a divorce lawyer I am passionate about helping people through the process. My tagline is “breaking up, not breaking down” and I always remember that, when I close my file, the individuals involved still have to carry on living their lives.’ www.b4-business.com

This determination to put the client first will serve the firm well in increasingly challenging times. October saw the Legal Services Act come into effect, potentially bringing competition from national companies and household names, now able to offer legal services and for whom customer service is second nature. ‘One of my roles is to ensure Hedges can respond. We are already making lots of changes in house and looking at the range of services we offer. We became an incorporated company in February. Most importantly, we are making sure our staff understand that client service is the number one priority. We only recruit people who really “get it” and we are investing heavily in training, helping all of us appreciate what the client experience is.’

So does all of this leave Nicola with any time to pursue her own interests? ‘Just a few years ago I started running. It’s a great form of stress relief. First I went out for a run on New Year’s Day and thought I was going to die. I gradually improved my distances and entered a half marathon and did an ok time. I was quite pleased with that as I was not athletic at school, the last one to be picked for the netball team, that sort of thing. Then last year I ran the New York marathon but my time was not as fast as I’d hoped due to a knee injury at 23 miles.’ Undeterred, in just a few weeks time Nicola is returning for a second attempt to run it in sub-4 hours, lured back by the buzz of forty five thousand runners, 3 million spectators and the drama of the location. Quite simply, ‘New York is a very cool place to go.’ www.hedgessolicitors.co.uk 49

FINDING AFFINITY: CHRYSLER OXFORD ON FUTURE PARTNERSHIPS AND CUSTOMER RELATIONS

Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

‘If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re probably right’, advises Tim Keatinge, Managing Director of Chrysler Oxford. Chrysler and Jeep have been to hell and back after their split with Daimler four years ago but they’ve re-emerged, reinvented themselves and restructured themselves financially. Now part of a talented portfolio of Fiat Group Automobiles UK Limited (with brands including Maserati, Fiat and Alfa Romeo) Chrysler and Jeep can access platform and engine technology to be at the vanguard of green motoring. Rebecca Anne Butler meets the ever engaging Tim Keatinge.

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B4 SPOTLIGHT With several brand new products showcasing this year, from the Compass to the Wrangler to the Grand Cherokee from Jeep, and the Grand Voyager, Delta and the Ypsilon from Chrysler, the dealership has a highly competitive product line-up. The Compass range includes a new two-wheel drive Jeep or 4X2, four wheels, of which two are driven whereby customers can experience the quality, safety and spaciousness of Jeep but at a lower cost.

you get is a ten minute trip around the block?’ Tim asks. 5 to 6 out of 10 people will go on to purchase the car and the hope is that 10 out of 10 people will have fully appreciated it and liked the people they dealt with.

Tim’s sales team have also added an element of fun to the process. Inspired by Las Vegas car dealers, Tim sought a responsible method of celebrating a sale. ‘I was ferreting around in a shop...in Bicester and I found this old, vintage car horn but they had about thirty in there and I tried each one until I found the loudest one, much to their displeasure!’

Now Tim has to endure the noise as customers parp the horn to mark their new purchase.

The company also offers bespoke handovers. ‘No one wants to stand around in a showroom with their new car sitting there for hours on end, going through everything and every control’, argues Tim. Provided that all the relevant information has been communicated, the client controls the duration of handover.

While the company serves businesses as well as retail customers, approaching prospective businesses can prove difficult. Finding out who

However, Tim remains cautious in predicting success. The Brands have been through difficult times, but now is the time to dig deep as we cannot afford to sit on our laurels. We’ve got some fantastic new cars and we may be on the up slope... But we’ve got to find something that makes us different and if product doesn’t provide enough differential... We’ve got to make customer satisfaction and customer service our differential.

Chrysler Oxford goes the extra mile to ensure that service meets the satisfaction of individual customers for example by offering bespoke testdrives. Customers are given the opportunity to test-drive the car in their own environment to see whether it suits their lifestyle. ‘How can you really be happy with a car you’ve never had before if all

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‘get on people’s consideration lists, ‘so that we’re tagged in their memory’ adds Tim. Just a few weeks ago, they launched the new Ypsilon at Bicester Avenue ahead of its official launch internationally, a coup for the dealership, something which makes Tim even more animated, and that’s no mean feat for this likeable character.

With a dozen new cars expected to go on the market between now and 2014 and hopes to twin with Alfa Romeo, the future looks bright for Chrysler Oxford. The company’s Facebook page marks the beginning of the development of an online community and an official website is on its way.

Tim wants the website to act as ‘a place where people can join and find affinity with us’ thereby ‘turning customers into clients... where we understand their business and where, to some extent, they understand ours, and then we can find where the synergies are’. Tim is the first to admit that the huge turnaround at Chrysler Oxford could not have been achieved without the support of his dedicated staff.

‘Powered by great people’, is the dealership’s slogan on their green campaign and it also captures the huge asset Tim has behind him. In the next edition of B4, we’ll meet the team. www.chrysleroxford.co.uk

makes the decisions in a company and approaching them in an unobtrusive manner is a difficult line to tread.

‘The due diligence that was done on our database wasn’t ideal in the past and, therefore, I know that there are customers that we ought to be talking to and we’re not and I apologise to them...if we haven’t spoken to you...because we’ve spent time, effort, energy and money trying to reconcile and understand who is still our customer, but we’re making great strides.’

Product placement plays a huge role in moving the company forward by raising its profile. From the Blenheim Horse Trials to Fly to the Past and the Oxford Motor Show, Chrysler Oxford makes sure to

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B4 EDUCATION

OXFORD INTERNATIONAL STUDY CENTRE Oxford is a world renowned University City, with its origins dating back over eight hundred years. The Colleges of the University, with their beautiful architecture dating back to medieval times in many cases provide a spectacular and inspiring backdrop for educational, business and cultural programmes for visitors and students from all over the world.

OISC is accredited by the Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC), one of the four accrediting organisations, which are recognised by the UK Home Office. We have UKBA Highly Trusted Sponsor status.

The College is also an Associate Member of the European Council of International Schools, and a recognised examination centre.

Oxford International Study Centre (OISC) was founded by Robert Marsden,who studied at Eton College and INSEAD, and Carolyn Llewelyn, who graduated from St. Anne’s College, University of Oxford, in Modern and Medieval Languages. They have both worked in international education for over twenty years.

The teachers and trainers at OISC are from leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, and have many years experience of teaching international students and company staff.

OISC provides high quality year-round and short programmes which offer: • Flexibility: many of the programmes are tailor-made to meet the requirements of the individual student or client company; • Excellent contacts with the University, enabling students and clients to be taught in the Colleges of the University in the vacations. Fully residential courses in the University are offered in summer and, subject to status, arrangements can be made for visiting academics to become members of the University libraries; • High calibre tutors and visiting speakers from academe or business; www.b4-business.com

• A range of over twenty subject specialisms, enabling, for example, a student to combine academic English with a University preparation programme; • Strong links with a large number of British and European Schools, enabling younger students to prepare for entry to some of the best Boarding Schools;

“The teachers and trainers at OISC are from leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, and have many years experience

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• Good links with Oxford, Cambridge and other leading universities, and provision of individual educational counselling for students who wish to apply to a British University; • A high level of pastoral care for students, including personal tutors and regular reports.

• Well-established links with Companies in the Oxford and London areas, enabling company clients to combine their Oxford programme with meeting new business contacts. www.oxintstudycentre.com 53

B4 ADVICE

SICKNESS ABSENCE ADDS TO EMPLOYERS’ HEADACHES Employment is a fast-moving area of the law influenced by ever-changing UK laws, rulings in the courts and European law. It’s no wonder that employers struggle to find the time to keep up to speed with new developments, and managing sickness absence is particularly problematic.

Mark Emery, an Employment Partner at Withy King’s Oxford practice, outlines recent cases in the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) and discusses the implications for employers.

The Trust argued that the mid-wife had not requested an alternative role – for example in administration. But the EAT said the onus was not on the employee.

Instead, it was the employer’s responsibility to offer any alternative roles available within the organisation.

Off-Sick from one job while working at another An employee with two part-time jobs has won her claim for unfair dismissal and been awarded compensation after her first employer sacked her for claiming sickness benefit while she continued to work for a second employer.

Her first employer, an NHS Trust, said her claims were fraudulent but the EAT disagreed, saying the Trust had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

“...employers are advised to tread carefully when it comes to making assumptions about what an employee may or may not be entitled to while they are signed off sick” The employee worked as a community mid-wife for the Trust and as an administrator for a second healthcare provider. A knee-related condition meant she could not fulfil her physically demanding role and she was signed off work and received sick pay. However, she continued to carry out her desk-based role for the second employer.

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It’s clear that once again, the burden of responsibility lies with the employer.

In today’s challenging job market, where it is becoming common for people to hold down two jobs at the same time, it is important to properly investigate the facts and, if necessary, ask for advice.

Pay in lieu of holiday A worker who did not take any holiday during long-term sickness absence is entitled to be paid for the untaken statutory holiday entitlement on termination of her employment, the EAT has ruled. The clerical worker’s sick leave spanned an entire holiday leave year.

Again, employers are advised to tread carefully when it comes to making assumptions about what an employee may or may not be entitled to while they are signed off sick, on their return to work, or on termination of their employment.

Career Breaks It may reassure some employers to know that the EAT does sometimes rule in their favour! An occupational therapist who was on long-term sick leave wanted

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Mark Emery, Employment Judge and Partner at Withy King Solicitors in Oxford

Courts are prepared to put limits on what constitutes a ‘reasonable adjustment’ for disabled employees: reasonable adjustments are designed to assist employees to properly fulfil their role when at work. They will rarely include special measures whilst the employee is absent from work and unable to perform their role.

Employment Judge strengthens Withy King’s Oxford practice Mark Emery, who also works as an Employment Judge, has joined Withy King’s Oxford practice as a

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Partner from a London firm.

issues and implement good practice.”

“This is a really positive move for me,” said Mark, who is a keen cyclist. “I am enjoying Withy King and the quality of life in Oxford is great.

Mark has expertise in all areas of employment law, from dismissal to discrimination, whistleblowing to white-collar crime. Mark represents clients at tribunal and mediation and provides training to businesses.

“...my experience as an employment lawyer and Employment Judge will add value to organisations, helping to resolve employment issues and implement good practice”

Mark is recognised as one of the top employment solicitors in the UK. The legal directory Chambers UK state that “Employers rate Mark Emery’s knowledgeable, clear, concise and prompt guidance.” (2010) and that he “…wins praise for his dedication: He goes above and beyond the call of duty” (2011). Clients praise Mark’s pragmatism and his ability to deal with difficult workplace issues with sensitivity and commercial acumen.

For a confidential discussion about any employment issue please contact Mark Emery by telephone on 01865 792300 or email: mark.emery@withyking.co.uk Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

a career break to enable her to recuperate without pressure to return, or alternatively, to return to work initially in a non-productive role to ease her return.

The employer refused and the employee sued, claiming failure to make reasonable adjustments to facilitate her return to work. However, the EAT ruled that a career break did not constitute a reasonable adjustment as it would not help the employee return to work or overcome any of the issues preventing her from resuming her role. The EAT also ruled that there was no requirement on the employer to construct a special non-productive role to facilitate return.

“I am looking forward to working closely with employers in Oxfordshire and further afield. I believe that my experience as an employment lawyer and Employment Judge will add value to organisations, helping to resolve employment

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B4 EVENTS

MAJOR STANLEY’S

Oxford University is just as renowned for its murky history and secret societies as it is for its intellect. Not to be outdone by the colleges, Oxford University Rugby Football Club reveals one of its own during preparations for the famous Varsity Match against Cambridge University. Hannah Howell writes for B4.

Since 1894, the legendary enigma that was Major Stanley has influenced rugby both within the University and on a national scale: The first Stanley’s Match does not appear on fixtures until 1914 and was subsequently cancelled due to the war; but when the Major R.V. Stanleys XV was eventually released for the first time in 1919, it welcomed onto the field rugby legends William Wavell Wakefield and Thomas Anthony Voyce. With future England greats and RFU

Selection for Major R.V. Stanleys XV side is regarded as a great honor, yet the man behind the team appears never to have played a game of rugby.

With (probably) its 90th anniversary approaching this November, the Stanley’s match will for the second year return to its traditional afternoon kickoff after seven years of evening play.

Attendance to the match skyrocketed last year with hospitality bookings seeing an increase from 15 tables in 2009 to 26 tables in 2010 – and this year

Blues in ’95 and played for Ireland and the British Lions, are beginning to escape the clubhouse.

November’s event will begin around 1pm with a curtain-raiser match between Magdalen College School and Rugby School’s 1st XV teams. The popularity of such prestigious curtain raisers has encouraged the club to invite more teams to open professional matches. However, currently the pitch is not able to handle a huge number, so increasing the frequency of these exciting youth games is a

“With future England greats and RFU Presidents donning the famous white shirt of the Stanley’s XV for its first game, traditions began to spring up around the fixture - in true Oxford University style” Presidents donning the famous white shirt of the Stanley’s XV for its first game, traditions began to spring up around the fixture - in true Oxford University style.

By far the most public part of OURFC’s preparation for December’s Varsity match, the Blue’s match against Stanleys XV in November is the only chance for the public (and the prying eyes of the Cambridge University Rugby team), to witness OURFC’s season progress.

Famed for its exciting level of play, the match in 1955 saw 44 points scored, with one try coming from interplay passing which included every Oxford player and lasted 1 minute 22 seconds!

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looks likely to be just as successful as OURFC has organised capacity for up to 40 hospitality tables.

long-term project for the club, and will also help encourage young rugby players.

The corporate hospitality event on the day is traditionally a hub for local Oxfordshire businesses and University Alumni, as well as current students and local residents. This year the club has decided to place more family focus on the event and plans to include a guest speaker, auction and a prizedraw.

With attendance rising from 1,300 in 2009 to 2000 in 2010, numbers seem set to increase further this year to around 3,000 spectators. The club’s two stands plus pitch-side standing areas will easily accommodate the ever-growing crowd, and promises a hugely exciting match with a fantastic atmosphere!

Last year’s speaker, former Blues coach Lynn Evans, was a huge success and especially popular with the younger rugby enthusiasts. This year the club is aiming to invite a former Blue with a bit of a name, and whispers of Tyrone Howe who captained the

Tickets for hospitality and stand seats are available from OURFC now. www.ourfc.org

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COMMERCIAL PROPERTY IS MUCH MORE THAN A GAME B4 Magazine gets a snapshot of Carter Jonas’ experienced commercial team, who provide a multi-disciplined service with a proven, proactive track record.

It may seem strange that a company such as Carter Jonas, long associated with the rural and residential sectors, should choose a sporting theme, especially one without a field sport in sight, for a group photo.

Yet in the midst of the Rugby World Cup Carter Jonas’ commercial team felt that the theme was a sporting way to demonstrate the mixture of skill sets available, even if they do admit that it opens them up to some ribbing from clients and competitors alike!

Sporting analogies can be over-used in the corporate world, however characteristics such as competitiveness and drive are much in evidence in the team who pride themselves in a proactive approach to the challenging market place.

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The agency team comprise the real tennis player, golfer and rugby player (sadly now ex), namely Scott Harkness, Nick Wilkinson and Jon Silversides, who between them have nearly 60 years’ of local experience. They are actively involved within the business community and act for both occupiers and landlords ranging from single retail units up to Milton Park, one of Europe’s largest mixed-use business parks.

The professional side comprises the squash player and the American footballer, namely Robert Dipple and Tom Northcote-Green. They deal with all forms of valuation, landlord and tenant work, and building management.

Finally Charles Gardner, their very own Lionel Messi, provides Asset Management advice, specialising in maximising returns for property investors, through the active management of portfolios and properties. www.b4-business.com

B4 PROPERTY

“Although we don’t take ourselves too

All very interesting you may say, but how does this set the team apart?

Carter Jonas considers that it offers the rare ability to provide clients with a complete range of services all under one roof. This is well demonstrated by a recent acquisition case where Jon was tasked with acquiring a new production facility within an extremely tight timescale: “Not only did we achieve our client’s aim in terms of the right building, location and terms,” he says, “but our building surveyors provided a survey and www.b4-business.com

schedule of condition and our architectural team project managed their fit-out, completing on time and in budget.”

But in a difficult market, realistic advice has to be given and sometimes opportunities are created from nothing. Scott comments: “We have recently acquired a multi let investment for private clients, approaching the owners directly after they had initially decided against selling to any of 25 parties who had bid.”

Carter Jonas team, which includes residential sales & lettings, new homes, development, rural and planning. Some major changes are in store for the firm in Oxford, as it is expanding in Oxford to occupy a 7,000 sq ft office suite in Mayfield House, Summertown, in addition to the existing base nearby. The move will expand the firm’s presence across the south as Oxford becomes one of the firm’s key regional hubs for. www.carterjonas.co.uk

And the commercial division is just one part of the 59

Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

seriously we certainly do take our client’s property matters very seriously”

A Fairy-Tale Wedding at

Blenheim Palace Winter Wedding Limited Special Offer in 2012 - over 50% discount on normal package price!

Blenheim Palace is offering a fabulous fairy-tale winter wedding package for up to 70 guests in a stunning location including a Civil Ceremony in the Marlborough Room and Wedding Breakfast in the Orangery. Hold your special day at this world-famous venue, host of many high-profile celebrity weddings.

Special Offer Package Price: £6860 including VAT. (Subject to availability, terms and conditions)

The Package includes:

• A Master of Ceremony on hand to make sure the day runs smoothly • The Marlborough Room for your civil wedding ceremony • The Orangery for your wedding breakfast

• A cocktail or a soft drink for your guests during the reception • Three-course wedding breakfast with coffee

• A half bottle of Blenheim Palace Wine per guest and a half bottle of Blenheim Palace Mineral Water • A glass of sparkling wine for all guests to toast the newly-weds

• Provision of Blenheim Palace silver wedding cake stand and knife

Selected Dates

Monday to Thursday from 2nd January until 28th February 2012, and the following selected dates: Friday 13th January Saturday 14th January Saturday 21st January Saturday 28th January Friday 10th February Friday 17th February Saturday 18th February Saturday 11th February Saturday 3rd March

• Continued support from our hospitality team during the planning stages of your wedding day

Only 8 miles from Oxford in the midst of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds

For more details contact

Blenheim Palace Hospitality

Email: sales@blenheimhospitality.com Tel: 01993 813874

Britain’s Greatest Palace For more information, terms & conditions visit the Hospitality section of www.blenheimpalace.com

news WILA achieves Carbon Neutrality to new standards!

Commenting on the company’s achievement, WILA’s marketing manager, Cally Elston said: “As a lighting company we understand the importance of energy efficiency and the resulting benefits to environment and finances. It’s a subject that has been at the forefront of our industry for many years so we feel that our products, as well as our business should be developed with energy in mind – we’re obviously thrilled WILA has achieved the PAS2060 Carbon Neutrality standard.’

“Fundamental to achieving carbon neutrality is commitment from staff; we have found our colleagues to be hugely enthusiastic about reducing our impact on the environment. Each and every person in the company is involved with our carbon management so this achievement is something we’re all very proud of.”

Dr Wendy Buckley, director of Carbon Footprint Ltd said, “WILA have taken a leadership position by actively managing the emissions of their operations, that marks them out in their sector and also to their clients as a responsible business.”

WILA, a leading manufacturer of quality commercial luminaires based in Oxfordshire, has been working with environmental consultancy firm, The Carbon Footprint Ltd (www.carbonfootprint.com) for 5 years.

WILA first became Carbon Neutral in September 2006 by continually and strictly adhering to the independent assessment guidelines from The Carbon Footprint, which recognises all stages of carbon management including initial emissions and year on year reductions. This year, they have received recognition of their carbon neutrality to the requirements of the British Standards Institute (BSI)

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Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2060, the new industry standard.

WILA has achieved the standard through a number of initiatives by assessing its carbon emissions and evaluating where these can be reduced. On a daily basis, everything from staff travel and printing to recycling systems and luminaire production comes under scrutiny. The business has also been offsetting carbon emissions through tree planting in Oxfordshire and the South West and is now supporting the ‘Clean Energy Portfolio’ which funds wind farm and hydro power projects around the globe.

WILA’s office in Germany is currently under assessment for carbon neutrality and is aiming to be Carbon Neutral to PAS2060 by the end of the year. The enthusiasm from staff has resulted in a timer being displayed on the home page of the WILA website, www.wila.com, counting down the days until the German office reaches this environmental achievement.

For further information please contact: Cally Elston, Marketing Manager on cally.elston@wila.co.uk

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“Riach Architects take real care of the somewhat fragile nature of the buildings they work on and attention to detail is one of the key components of their success”

LOOK NORTH

Riach Architects are currently commissioned to undertake a wide range of prestigious projects with a key demand being to preserve and enhance the historical character of the buildings - from a Benedictine Priory on the outskirts of the county, to the first house built in the Norham Manor Estate.

The skills and experience Riach have developed over the years, whilst working in their home turf of North Oxford, are key to their ability to craft sensitive and imaginative solutions whilst working on Listed Buildings and those in Conservation Areas.

They can boast a growing portfolio of exemplary projects of this type, where the life expectancy of these elegant and grand buildings has been greatly extended, and the appearance of the Conservation Area is protected.

They are turning heads with a series of eye catching projects – most recently their scheme for restoring the 150 year old 7 Norham Gardens which, for the first time in many years, will return to its original residential use. The addition of new extensions to replace the various poor quality accretions made in

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the 18th and nineteenth century will contribute to the restoration to a very comfortable family home.

Under the direction of Douglas Riach, this ambitious practice has drawn on a wealth of experience and talent to deliver considered and inventive designs sensitive to the traditionally Victorian vernacular of the City’s Northern Suburbs.

Their wide portfolio of historical work demonstrates an ability to combine high quality, traditional materials in designs which sit harmoniously with the context. Both contemporary and traditional design solutions, produced by Riach, have been recognised by the Oxford Preservation Trust Awards and the RIBAwith the practice receiving plaques and awards over the last 12 years.

This chapter in the practice’s extensive and impressive portfolio primarily involves the

adaptation of the traditional 19th Century houses which shape North Oxford to meet the requirements of contemporary living, through a careful process of restoration and development where sensitivity to the historic fabric of the building is paramount.

Many of the properties in the area were owned by St John’s College, Oxford University, Tutorial Colleges and Language schools and the conversion of these large Gothic Villas into student classrooms was common.

Working closely with the client Riach Architects undertook the refurbishment of 24 Warnborough Road with a view to overhaul a dated and tired house, and transform it into a light and spacious contemporary family home. Initially modest beginnings progressed to a full restoration of the

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B4 PROPERTY

interior, preserving the existing building shell.

Excavations to the rear provided the property with a generously sized courtyard, the design allowing a seamless transition from the internal space to the garden. What was a dark dingy and damp basement became the most functional and well used room in the house Formal living rooms and study were relocated to the upper ground floor with master suite, guest room and family bathroom and bedrooms on the upper floors. The proposal was finished to an exceptional standard, breathing in new life to the property.

An exciting contemporary project is currently evolving at a traditional Norham Road house designed by Architect William Wilkinson (also renowned for his design of the Randolph Hotel).

After successfully obtaining planning permission, work is about to start on the renovation and extension of a property which was formerly used as student accomodation.

The ambitious project is increasing the accommodation of the property by a third through the provision of an extension at lower ground floor level and adding a further floor below making it possibly the first domestic dwelling house in Oxford to have a double depth basement. The inherent challenge of improving the energy performance of the historic fabric of the building is being met

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through the addition of insulation and minimising air leakage throughout the house, bringing it into the 21st Century whilst retaining its Victorian charm and elegance.

“...Contemporary and traditional design solutions, produced by Riach, have been recognised by the Oxford Preservation Trust Awards” Riach Architects Projects are being constructed throughout the area bringing much needed employment to the construction industry and local suppliers – especially kitchens and bathrooms – many of these projects are managed on a fast track basis with occupation taking place within months of the initial site meeting, as for instance the conversion of a building previously used as student housing to three houses – Planning and Listed Building consent was obtained in 11 weeks from instruction and occupation of the first house took place within 6 months of the initial instruction. As can be seen from the end products illustrated here,

through working with their clients they take real care of the somewhat fragile nature of the buildings they work on and this sensitivity and attention to detail is one of the key components of their success.

As well as the full Architectural range of services offered Riach are a practice with a flexible and constructive approach and advise on the feasibility and viability of refurbishment and new build budgets of all sizes commonly from £200k to £3million + for a single property.

The practice have established a reputation over the past 25 years in being able to find solutions to the challenging conundrums created by planning restrictions often through creating contemporary yet appropriate and sensitive solutions - this combined with their skill at managing and orchestrating the construction and design processes has resulted in the success of their projects and repeat business from their clients, many of whom they have worked with for over 10 years – some for much longer.

Reliability, experience, reputation and foresight are key ingredients in any successful business, and these are clearly evident in the firm foundations that this long established architectural practice has laid down. www.riacharchitects.com

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news The China Challenge What percentage share of China’s massive imports market does the UK have? That was one of many valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges of trading with China at the first in a series of events for the new Oxfordshire International Trade Forum.

Delegates heard from UKTI’s China Business Advisor, Chris Lowsley, award-winning designer, Stefan Knox, whose company Bang Creations has been trading there for almost 15 years, and IP specialist, Chris Shelley, from hosts Manches LLP (see picture).

A joint venture by OTCN, UKTI, FSB and Cherwell, Vale and South Oxfordshire District Councils, kindly supported by Lloyds TSB Commercial and London Oxford Airport, OITF aims to boost international trade in our county. It brings together businesses involved in international trade to share ideas, experiences, and information, and explore opportunities to work together.

The next two events in the series are: exploring the importance of cultural awareness (Tuesday, November 22nd at London-Oxford Airport) and a ‘Focus on India’ (late January/early February 2012). There’s more information on the Forum at www.otcn.co.uk/internationaltrade/index.html. And the answer to the question? The UK accounts for 1% of China’s imports. That’s what you might call a challenge!

OITF ‘Focus on China’: Chris Shelley (Manches LLP), Fiona Jefferson (UKTI), Stefan Knox (Bang Creations) Chris Lowsley (UKTI). Photo: Alison Nicholson/OTCN

From a 30th to the firsts...

Meanwhile, our member groups and colleagues in Oxfordshire business continue to innovate and expand. Fast-growing group, Networking Women, has a first - adding another event to its monthly schedule by launching in Abingdon at Milton Hill House.

In Wallingford, the first was playing host to future brides from far and wide for Wallingford Weddings. The aim was to demonstrate that the town can offer everything a bride needs in planning the big occasion, from locally designed bridal dresses, bridesmaid’s outfits and wedding shoes, to potential presents, cakes, rings, flowers and invitations. Brides-to-be and their families also had a chance to check out wedding and reception venues.

Meanwhile word reaches us from Chipping Norton of its first Literary Festival.

The latest high profile Oxfordshire market town initiative is planned for April 2012 and organisers say top authors are already queuing up to take part.

Chipping Norton businesses who’d like to get involved are urged to get in touch via www.chiplitfest.com

30 years young: some of the 500 people employed in the 80 tenant companies at Monument Park, Chalgrove help mark its 30th anniversary. photo: Neil Ginger/Ginger Photography

OTCN member groups have been celebrating notable milestones. Our first business park member – Monument Park, Chalgrove - has celebrated its 30th anniversary, and took the opportunity to capture a memorable image to mark the occasion.

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Our colleagues at Bicester Chamber have been working to bring the Pop-Up shops concept to the town’s Crown Walk. The idea is that local businesses and not-for-profit organisations can have use of empty shop units on a temporary, pop-up basis, rent and rate free, and without the expense and commitment of a long term lease.

There’s more on the work of Oxfordshire’s biggest business network and its member groups at www.otcn.co.uk or via twitter with @otcniain.

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B4 ADVICE

“One of the key components of restoring economic confidence is access to finance, as businesses need to know that if they do decide to invest in new property, the financial support is available to enable them to do so�

Amid one of the deepest recessions for decades, organisations saw their cash flow and profits stretched to the limit. This led to many putting on hold property moves or purchases, choosing to consolidate rather than actively looking to grow their business, perhaps deterred by a perception that finance was too difficult to obtain in the current economic climate.

With economic upturn remaining fragile, the property market recovery remains slow with businesses on the whole still showing a cautious approach to investment. Difficult trading conditions have left many shop and office units empty, and demand is slow for industrial space.

But there are reasons for optimism in the future of the property market in the region. The announcement in August that Science Vale UK will become a Government Enterprise Zone, for example, is set to generate over 8,000 new jobs and will make taking up property in the area extremely attractive, whether to relocate an existing business or open a new start up.

One of the key components of restoring economic confidence is access to finance, as businesses need to know that if they do decide to invest in new property, the financial support is available to enable them to do so.

At Lloyds TSB Commercial, support for property investment remains a consistent proportion of our lending activity.

In Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, the Lloyds TSB Commercial property team has increased lending to property businesses by six per cent in 2011 to date, compared to the same period last year.

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BUILDING SUCCESS IN THE OXFORDSHIRE

PROPERTY MARKET There is no denying that the commercial property market, across both Oxfordshire and the rest of the UK, has seen big changes over the last few years. Dave Atkinson, area director for Lloyds TSB Commercial in Gloucester and Oxfordshire, tells B4 how you can still succeed in property.

Dave Atkinson, Area Director for Lloyds TSB Commercial in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, said: “It is perhaps understandable that during the recession, and the current period of fragile economic recovery, many property investors and developers have assumed that they are unlikely to be able to secure finance from banks to fund new projects.

“However, funding is, and has always been, available for viable businesses. At Lloyds TSB Commercial, for example, we continue to grant eight out of ten requests for loans and overdrafts.”

Beyond funding, the bank also offers a relationship-based banking service to help customers navigate a market place full of both possibilities and challenges.

Lloyds TSB Commercial relationship managers undertake a range of property sector specific training initiatives and testing throughout the year, complementing their practical experience gained by working with businesses in the industry. They fully understand the opportunities and challenges presented by the local property market as well as issues that affect the sector nationally.

exclusive development of four detached family homes.

Brendan O’Brien, of Empire Homes, said: “In the current financial market, it is vital that we have a proactive and secure relationship with our bank and with Lloyds TSB Commercial we feel confident and fully supported in our land acquisitions and build programmes.

“Whilst the current market is challenging, there are also excellent opportunities for experienced and well supported developers.’’

Peter Rogers, relationship director for Lloyds TSB Commercial, said: “We have listened to our customer base and it is clear that they don’t just want bankers who work in property; they want property bankers.

“Our growing team is trained to the highest standards. Each property relationship manager has a dedicated property customer portfolio and is authorised to make significant lending decisions, up to £500,000 at their own discretion, based on their considerable understanding of the market.”

Lloyds TSB Commercial offers insight from working with other businesses about how they have taken opportunities, adapted to financial challenges or diversified.

Through careful planning and utilising external support networks, Oxfordshire property investors and developers could find themselves in the perfect position to achieve further growth in the market.

One business that the bank is currently working with is Empire Homes Ltd, a privately owned property development firm specialising in bespoke residential developments in Oxfordshire.

For further details on how Lloyds TSB Commercial can help your property business, please contact Peter Rogers on 07836 618323 or peter.rogers@lloydstsb.co.uk

The company is currently working on a number of projects across the county, with the support of funding from Lloyds TSB Commercial, including a development at Iris Lane, Stonesfield, which is an

Further details on Empire Homes’ Iris Lane development can be found at http://residentialsearch.savills.co.uk/propertydetail/N318317/list

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Milton Park Innovation Centre 99 Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RY

t: 01235 854000 e: miltonpark@oxin.co.uk www.miltonpark-ic.co.uk

Milton Park Innovation Centre is managed by Oxford Innovation on behalf of MEPC

WWW.MILTONPARK-IC.CO.UK

news iPONT International iPONT International, an innovator and technology partner in the glassesfree 3D market, will be at MIPCOM 2012 (the worlds entertainment content market) showcasing its innovative technology which is taking the 3D TV world by storm. With its UK head office based at Milton Park Innovation Centre, iPont has seen worldwide interest from multiple markets in its technology.

AT MIPCOM, iPONT will install a wide-angle 65" auto-stereoscopic (withoutglasses) LCD screen with its proprietary 3D TV box, a device that streams real-time 3D broadcast content from a satellite receiver to the display, performing a ‘true’ real-time stereo to auto-stereo conversion.

During June 2011, in a landmark technology demonstration, iPONT announced the successful ‘real-time' conversion of a Sky 3D satellite broadcast signal into one for use on a without-glasses (auto-stereoscopic) 3D TV. The successful decoding and conversion of a standard 3D TV broadcast signal through iPONT's proprietary 3D TV box could potentially allow the TV industry to dispense with active and passive eye-wear for 3D TVs - paving the way for mainstream without-glasses 3D TV in the home.

"Today all 3D TV broadcasts and productions are tailored specifically to the needs of glasses-based technologies and we know, the use of these glasses has largely stunted consumer belief in the product," said Matthew Young, director iPONT UK. "iPONT's 3D TV box overcomes a major technological barrier to user acceptance of 3D in the home. Removing glasses out of the equation could well make 3D TV mainstream." iPONT's 3D TV technology had its first live public demonstration with an invited audience for the UEFA Champions League Final, 28th May at Walkabout, Covent Garden, London. In the pilot iPONT's technology converted the standard live Sky 3D broadcast for viewing on a 65" ‘without-glasses' autostereoscopic 3D TV. Customers, who saw FC Barcelona beat Manchester United, 3-1 at the Australian-themed bar were asked if the 3D-experience had improved their enjoyment of the match. And the majority felt it had and were keen to watch future games on 3D without glasses technology.

Barcelona fan, Barak said: "I came down to the Walkabout to watch the match as I was intrigued to see what 3D without glasses was like and it's been a great experience. It's much better than I expected as I'm standing quite far back and still get a really great 3D effect. I feel very privileged to be one of the first in the world to witness it. With Barcelona also winning I can safely say it's been a brilliant night".

On the Walkabout pilot, Young said: "3D without the glasses is only way to enjoy 3D TV and at Walkabout we've demonstrated that it's possible to deliver an enjoyable immersive entertainment experience. The technology is maturing and our own solution is evolving to what will be a perfect experience. Despite the viewing improvement provided by the technology, Manchester United

Throw those glasses away, iPONT unveil their glasses-free stereoscopic system

supporters have been inconsolable but a few have told us that seeing it this way has just been incredible." iPONT's 3D TV box can handle Internet, satellite, cable and terrestrial services that stream 3D content directly into the home or business and converts this for use on an glasses-free 3D TV or display. The 3D TV box technology currently supports all 3D broadcast channels.

Debbie Rushton, Centre Manager at Milton Park Innovation Centre, commented, ‘It’s great to showcase the truly innovative products and services that are developing at the Innovation Centre. Oxford Innovation (managers of the Centre) are delighted that iPont UK are pioneering this new technology, and look forward to working with them as they continue their successful business growth’.

About iPONT International iPONT International is an innovator and technology partner in the glasses-free (autostereoscopic) 3D market. The company serves both business and consumer markets. iPONT has a complete 3D turn-key solution for designing, distributing and displaying content.

For home entertainment enthusiasts, iPONT's set-top boxes convert any stereoscopic (with glasses) 3D content to autostereoscopic (without glasses) 3D format, in real-time from any incoming 3D feeds including satellite, cable and terrestrial services.

The company offers a complete multiplatform solution including 3D Blu-Ray integration, live 3D viewing from the Internet, and a back-end 3D broadcast solution to convert source content.

Based in Milton Park, Oxfordshire, UK, iPONT UK is a subsidiary of iPONT International.

For more information on iPONT, visit www.ipont3d.com

About Oxford Innovation Oxford Innovation is a leading operator of business and innovation centres that provide office and laboratory space to companies throughout the UK. The company also provides innovation services to entrepreneurs, including business planning advice, coaching and mentoring.

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Oxford Innovation also manages three highly successful investment networks that link investors with entrepreneurs seeking funding from £20,000 to £2m.

During the last five years, the investment networks have helped over 90 companies raise £19.5m. For more information, please visit: www.oxin.co.uk

www.oxin.co.uk

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ARE YOU REALLY WELL CONNECTED? Broadband is a contentious subject for many people living or working in rural areas. Who hasn’t roamed from room to room, arm outstretched hoping for just a few bars to send or access important data? As technology has developed, so has our expectation of service; we expect and demand more.

Many people reading this article will take reliable connectivity for granted, but the growth of the Internet requires that we invest in continuous development to ensure we have easy access to sufficient bandwidth and by ‘sufficient’ we mean a reliable, robust and quick connection.

Companies keen to grow are often prepared to relocate to more rural areas to enjoy more affordable rents and rates, but not at the price of reduced productivity. The Internet has become standard office communication technology for businesses. The ability to communicate quickly has made bandwidth as important as power and water to a business.

For landlords today, high-speed Internet access is critical for attracting and retaining tenants and also for achieving the best possible rent price. Small to medium-size business tenants can encounter serious obstacles to high-speed Internet access. A ‘wired’ building with affordable, high-speed Internet access can be a critical advantage in the commercial property market.

Robert Arnold, Business Development Manager at The Oxford Knowledge Company talked us through the benefits to one client of using an affordable and cost-effective solution called FireBrick: “As an exWWII airfield, this particular business centre was located in a windswept, desolate and remote rural location in Gloucestershire. Part of the site had

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recently been converted into serviced office accommodation for up to 30 separate companies.

With over 10 years supporting multi-tenanted locations The Oxford Knowledge Company was the natural choice vendor for the landlord to choose.

The landlord approached us to design, implement and support a high-bandwidth solution. With many years of experience with FireBrick products, the FireBrick FB2700 was the natural choice solution, along with a high speed Ethernet circuit.

Although more expensive than domestic broadband, an Ethernet circuit provides the site with guaranteed bandwidth along with a service level agreement so that faults are dealt with promptly. Importantly the Ethernet circuit has the same upload speed as download speed, so activities such as VoIP, web conferencing and uploading files are accomplished more effectively and quickly than when working from home.

A pair of FireBrick FB2700 devices acts as the brain of the solution. The devices are paired up so that, in the unlikely event of a problem with one unit, the service keeps working. They also allow some tenants to buy a dedicated bandwidth from the centre, whereas others used a ‘shared service’. The FireBricks also act as firewalls for some tenants – removing the need for them to have any IT infrastructure other than the PCs or notebooks physically in front of them.” Principal Consultant Matthew Banks added, “The solution in place at this site means that tenants can move in with their

computer and be working in minutes, requiring no network infrastructure.”

FireBrick devices monitor and manage bandwidth, displaying usage graphically so any problems can easily be tracked down. A recent crisis whereby someone had inadvertently plugged in a virusinfected computer was quickly diagnosed and resolved. Matthew explained, “The Centre Management team was first alerted after the tenant complained of a slow Internet connection. The virus had flooded their part of the Internet connection and slowed traffic down to virtual standstill. Using the Firebrick solution, the centre staff were able to quickly deduce that a compromised machine had been added to the network and took appropriate steps to rectify the problem.”

Backed by a responsive UK-based customer support team, the FireBrick range is flexible, highly configurable, and can meet a majority of networking requirements. At the same time all FireBricks offer simple to manage protection for your network, and are extremely easy to deploy. www.oxford-knowledge.com

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B4 IT & COMMS

5 REASONS TO CHOOSE

FIREBRICK Reliability: FireBrick supplies network solutions to a wide spectrum of customers, ranging from SME's to enterprise IT departments and Internet providers.

By combining high quality UK manufacture with upto-date custom-engineered software, FireBrick network appliances can be rolled-out with confidence.

Security: FireBricks provide a simple means to control access to your network - blocking intrusion but allowing traffic you want to allow. As well as a configurable firewall, they offer high-end features such as intrusion reporting, ICMP aware session tracking, tunnelling, and address mapping.

High-end performance: FireBricks are much more than boxes that connect each machine on your network. As well as an Ethernet switch, router and network firewall, FireBricks have much more to offer: Double (or more) your ADSL connection speed using DSL bonding, even with multiple different ISP's and secure connection to offsite machines with an easily-configured VPN, or set up multiple independent "demilitarized zones" (DMZs).

Flexibility: A range of models and options allow you to choose the right product for your network, and even allow the standard feature-set to be expanded quickly with on-line upgrades should you have an unexpected requirement. Even so, you do not have to worry about per-user licences or paying for software upgrades.

A great price-performance balance: Compared to competing products, FireBrick network appliances provide a fully-fledged feature-set at a modest price, giving you much more performance, flexibility and features for your money.

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B4 Wine Club

In association with

The B4 Autumn Mixed Case Offer

Special Discounted Case Price £85.00 (normal price £99.14) - Includes FREE Delivery within 30 miles of Oxford. Includes two bottles of each of the following six wines: Domaine du Tariquet Classic Ugni Blanc/Colombard 2010, Gascogny Made from grapes varieties also used to make Armagnac, Yves Grassa has produced an ultra fresh clean style of white wine that is both fragrant and crisp.

Wonderful as an aperitif or with fish dishes.

Sauvignon de Touraine, Domaine Guy Allion 2010, Loire Valley This ultra fresh, fine and minerally Sauvignon Blanc is full of mouth watering and refreshing fruit – delicious!

Macon Charnay Cuvee a la Angienne 2010, Burgundy Subtle touches of butter and crisp structure in this very drinkable wine from the southern Cote Maconnais area of Burgundy.

creamy cherry fruit and touches of raspberry and strawberry. This wine has been made using selected fruit from the finest pinot noir grapes that are handpicked at dawn to preserve their freshness and acidity. Superb with lamb dishes of any sort.

The B4 Wine Club is a collaboration between B4 and The Oxford Wine Company. There is no joining fee and the exclusive cases can be ordered through The Oxford Wine Company’s website at www.oxfordwine.co.uk quoting the code B4AUT001 or by email or telephone to Theo Sloot – theo@oxfordwine.co.uk – 01865 301144. Be sure to include payment, your mobile number and any special delivery instructions if you are out with your order. Cases can also be collected by prior arrangement from our Oxford branch at 167 Botley Road, Oxford OX2 0PB. Please ring Lee Isaacs on 01865 249500.

Rio Alto Classic Merlot 2010, Aconcagua Valley "Rich, dark red plum and raisin stew. This is excellent chunky, chewy red. You get some real sense of ripeness through that slight raisin taste, but the basic flavour is big, broad, plummy and fresh.” Oz Clarke – Top 250 Wine Guide 2010.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Moncaro 2010, Italy Made from fruit grown on the Adriatic coastline of the Abruzzi region, this fruity, velvety soft red has flavours of delicious cherry and red berry and is perfect with rich pasta dishes.

Hidden Bay Pinot Noir 2010, New Zealand Delicate but fruity pinot noir from Marlborough that has a velvety texture,

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NO AGENCIES PLEASE! What is it with our love-hate relationship with recruitment agencies? It doesn't take much research to confirm the glaring truth - that given the option, the average small to medium-sized company recruiting new staff will opt for extracting unicorn's tears by a full moon rather than pick up the phone to a respectable agency. It's time to dispel the myth.

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So here's the deal. I need to recruit a new member of staff – they must demonstrate specific skills, be personable, dependable and punctual, I'd like a little streak of unmatched creative genius. I also need them to work on their own initiative as I'm too busy to handhold them for long. Oh, and a sense of humour.

On further review, this candidate sounds like a mythical being. Am I going to need help to find them? Do I need to use good or bad magic?

Whom should I call? No-one. Instead I spend day 1 trawling the internet, writing the job description and posting it absolutely everywhere. Day 2 is spent on the phone, clarifying and replying. Day 3 I've delegated CV sorting so that so I can catch up on the work I've missed. Then there's interviews…

“I vow to the gods that next time I'm handing over to recruitment experts” It takes 3 days before I admit to myself that I should have outsourced this task to a professional, and 10 days before our new colleague is actually in residence. My budget, morale and ego have been pummelled by my lame efforts. I vow to the gods that next time I'm handing over to recruitment experts – or rather, I'll consider it after some serious research and convincing.

www.b4-business.com

B4 HR I fire up Google and am immediately bowled over by the sheer range of recruitment services on offer. The highest ranking names are ones I know – but they're not what I'm after. I want my agency to be personal and efficient and to cater for the size and needs of my business.

I decide to call some business acquaintances to ask about their agency experiences and pinch a few recommendations. Before long, I'm realising that even small businesses are being positive about their agency dealings. I'm starting to feel I've seriously missed a trick.

“I want my agency to be personal and efficient and to cater for the size and needs of my business”

RECRUITMENT

Q&A OK, the predictable question. How do you get value for money from an agency?

I end up calling three agencies. All three are polite, ask pertinent, intelligent questions and are not the least bit pushy. Finally, I arrange to meet Kat at The Career Boutique, who suggests we meet after work as I am so busy. She's keen to find out about my needs and to tell me how the boutique works. On meeting her, we talk about my recruitment ordeal and my lengthy to-do lists and she talks about offloading and lifestyle. I relax. I'm starting to like this game, but am wondering if they might start charging for therapy.

Well – imagine you're choosing a new car. There's plenty of variety, but you want one that you like, that fits the bill and will go the distance. We find candidates with the right skills, but also ones who buy into what your company offers and want to stick around. Recruiting in-house can be expensive as it takes time and effort – and as you know, time is money.

www.thecareerboutique.com

Fair enough on your last point – filling our last vacancy nearly cost me my sanity. Is it always quicker to call in an agency?

It depends. Some agencies thrive on haste as it gives them carte blanche to bombard you with CV's and hope you'll pick one.

With us, you'll only get prime candidates, So, if you need a Microbiological Researcher, we'll send you someone with experience in microbiology who has worked in a similar role.

Other agencies might send you anyone with a GCSE in Biology.

We're about quality, not quantity.

I'm going to be honest. I know the business inside out and think “if you want something done properly, do it yourself.”

Fair enough! But before we work with you, we'll meet you, understand your business, your ethos and your direction. We'll discuss the role and get a picture of your ideal candidate. Then we'll search, find, pre-screen and only then put forward the best matches. For specialised roles, you may only get one candidate from us – but rest assured they'll be on the money.

OK I'm getting the good feelings – but what if you can't find me my perfect Microbiological Researcher with a PhD and newt handling licence?

Well we like a challenge! Our bottom line is we'd rather miss out on a vacancy if we can't find the right person. Unlike some, we're not going to send you 30 random CV's and hope for the best. Though if anyone can find 30 people who meet that job description, we might offer them a job right now!

I'm on the case! Finally, my research shows that agencies are rather nice – so why all the bad press?

The bad press about recruitment agencies comes from the same press that says all Estate Agents drive BMW’s – it's fantasy. Like all service industries, there are good examples, and less good ones, but The Career Boutique is blazing ahead as an agency that cares about its customers, offers incomparable service and gets recommended again and again. I guess the only way for people to find out is to give us a go! www.thecareerboutique.com www.b4-business.com

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SOUTHERN SPAIN MEETS NORTH AFRICA WHERE CONTINENTS COLLIDE

‘Recommended as one of the best tapas bars in Britain’ THE OBSERVER

‘The range of high quality tapas should be enough to suit most tastes’ THE GUARDIAN

Open until 12.30am Thursday and 1.00am Friday and Saturday.

K A Z B A R, 2 5 - 2 7 C O W L E Y R O A D, O X F O R D

01865 202920 www.kazbar.co.uk W A R N I N G

M A Y

B E C O M E

H A B I T

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B4 SPOTLIGHT

PICTURE PERFECT

“It’s not the camera, it’s what you can do with the camera that is important”

Adam Flynn, photographer and videographer at Studio 8 talks to Sarah Airey about making the most of photography, for business and pleasure.

We all know the adage: ‘A good picture is worth a thousand words’, but Adam Flynn of Studio 8 says it can be worth a lot more.

Adam isn’t just talking about Studio 8’s excellent portraits that we are familiar with through B4, (Studio 8 is responsible for many of the great images we see on the pages of B4 magazine). He is also talking about film.

He says, “Video is very important for business. It is great for search engines, and it is more effective than text. Rather than just read about a product you can see what it does.” He goes on to say, “Already there are over 30 billion videos watched on YouTube each day and by 2014 analysts expect over 57% of all consumer internet traffic to be for video.”

“Having video embedded on your web site increases the chance of it being viewed, and of course, YouTube is second only to Google as a search engine“ He adds, “It is also much more personal.” Quite simply, he says that video can tell the story better, whether you are launching a new service or want to demonstrate the winning features of your latest product. Oxfordshire’s businesses have been quick to understand the opportunities, and Adam says that Studio 8 is expanding to meet demand from clients which include Blenheim Palace and Brookes University. And don’t just take my word for it!

You can see some of the films made by Studio 8 on the web site at http://studio-8.co.uk/video.

Adam, who studied media production at Coláiste Dhúlaigh in Dublin, followed by a BA in photography at the University of Cumbria in Carlisle, is an experienced videographer and photographer. He has successfully exhibited his photographic work in Ireland and the North West, and in 2012 he will be heading up Studio 8’s new photography master classes.

Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

He says, “A lot of people are using digital SLR cameras now that they have become so affordable. The trouble is that so many really don’t know how to use the camera, with the result that they are often left on automatic.” The series of classes will teach photography enthusiasts how to take professional photographs.

Adam says, “It’s not the camera, it’s what you can do with the camera that is important”. The classes will be held for beginner and intermediate level to specialist 1:1 sessions for more experienced photographers. Starting with the basics, Adam will be teaching how to use lighting, flash, composition and how to frame a picture properly, as well as special effects. The classes will include practical work, and will be held at Studio 8’s studio in Kidlington, as well as on location. There will be a maximum of eight people on the courses which will begin early in the New Year and start from £95. An excellent Christmas present!

Contact Adam for more information and to book a class to perfect your photography, as well as Studio 8’s professional photography and video services for business.

For more details on classes with Adam contact: 01865 842525 or see www.studio-8.co.uk

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OXFORDSHIRE RESTAURANT

AWARDS SUCCESS Well we did it! 248 days after the first meeting was held to look into the possibility of staging the Awards, we pulled it off, not without the extraordinary help of our friends at Malmaison and Oxford Castle, not to mention Miele, our brilliant Committee, wonderful suppliers and our fabulous sponsors. The In Oxford Magazine Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards are, officially, here to stay!

We packed 270 guests into a huge marquee at Oxford Castle, in the Exercise Yard behind Malmaison, and the end product was a stunning sea of red and black tables, which was just incredible.

radio and television broadcaster, writer and journalist, originally from Oxford, and Donald Sloan, Head of the Oxford School of Hospitality Management at Oxford Brookes University. Donald is also the Chair of Oxford Gastronomica.

Special mention to Zoe Naylor of Miele, Jean-Pierre Morilleau of Oxford Castle and the Malmaison A Team of Mark McSorley, John Ryan (who was co-ordinating the military operation of food leaving the kitchen) and Suzy Bramfitt (who held it

Trophies were hand-made using reclaimed or sustainable wood by Ian Smith, artist in residence at Rycotewood Furniture Centre, Oxford and Cherwell Valley College. SAE composed music specifically for the Awards.

Biggest winners of the night were The Feathered Nest who scooped the top prize of Restaurant of the Year and Best British Restaurant, followed by Pierre Victoire who were ‘victorious’ in the Best European and Public Vote categories – the latter with 488 votes! (over 7,500 votes were cast in total). Zoe Naylor, Financial Controller of Miele, presented the winners with their trophy. A full list of results is provided below.

Special guests presented the Awards alongside

“It was a pleasure to be a part of the inaugural Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards and I can only see the event going from strength to strength”

Raymond Blanc, OBE

together front of house). Chef Russell Heeley did an unbelievable job making sure we could enjoy a terrific meal and Suzanne Port was also an immense help with the preparations.

Guests enjoyed a champagne reception in the A Wing of the former prison, and they were joined by actors from The Oxford Actors Network playing the part of prisoners, together with their very own Prison Warden, Mr Mackay! The Orchestra of St John’s also played at the reception.

The Awards were hosted by Reya El-Salahi, a BBC

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There were eight categories plus two special achievement Awards. The first of these was presented to George Dailey of The Bell at Hampton Poyle. George received his award for Outstanding Contribution from Alain Desenclos, the Awards Committee Chairman. It was then Alain’s turn to be recognised for his Outstanding Service, and as guest presenter, Raymond Blanc OBE, commented before handing Alain his award, “Alain has most probably served every one of you here today.”

Raymond and Alain were then photographed together as La Marseillaise, the French National Anthem, played in the background.

each category sponsor. Guests included Jeremy Mogford (founder of Browns and Maison Blanc, and owner of The Mogford Group), Jo Thoenes (of BBC Radio Oxford), Raymond Blanc OBE, Robert B. Cook (Chief Executive Officer of Malmaison), Sir John Madejski (chairman and director of 18 companies including Reading FC and BGP Group), Felicity Lusk (Head of Abingdon School), Martin Keown (ex Aston Villa, Arsenal and England professional footballer and now television and radio analyst), Sally Dicketts (Principal of Oxford and Cherwell Valley College) and Trevor Osborne (developer of Oxford Castle and Chairman of The

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B4 SPOTLIGHT

PRAISE FOR THE AWARDS “It was a pleasure to be a part of the inaugural Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards and I can only see the event going from strength to strength. Congratulations to the winners and I look forward to seeing a strong challenge mounted for Awards success in 2012 by all Oxfordshire restaurants.”

Raymond Blanc, OBE, Guest Presenter “I just wanted to write and thank you for your invitation to the inaugural In Oxford Magazine Restaurant Awards 2011. I think you did outstandingly well and I congratulate both you and Tina for all the enormous effort that I know you put in. Congratulations and well done and thank you so much for your warm hospitality.”

Sir John Madejski, Guest Presenter

“Both Amanda and myself are overjoyed with having bestowed upon The Feathered Nest not only "The Best British Restaurant" award but also the much coveted "Oxfordshire Restaurant Of The Year" award.

This is especially rewarding considering that we only opened our doors in early June last year! I would like to thank all our staff without whom this would not have been possible. These awards are a reflection of their hard work and dedication to "The Nest". I also wish to take this opportunity to thank you, all our customers and friends, for supporting us over the last year. And last but not least, we like to thank Richard and his team at Inn Oxford Magazine for organising this prestigious event and his panel of esteemed judges for choosing us as the ultimate winners.”

Tony Timmer – The Feathered Nest, Winners Best British and Oxfordshire Restaurant of the Year “On behalf of Miele, I would like to thank you and your superb team at B4 for organising such a professional event last night. Staff members/partners and customers all feedback positive comments.

Special thanks to your events manager/wife, Tina Rosser, for managing the event with such precision. I was particularly pleased that the Miele Logo was behind all the official prize winners photographs.

I have personally spoken to Simon Grantham, our MD today, to notify him that the event was a success for our brand and a valuable opportunity to discuss business with some key local businesses and personalities.”

Zoe Naylor – Financial Controller, Miele, Overall Awards Sponsor

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Oxford Event Hire, Oxfordshire’s leading supplier of tables, chairs and catering equipment can supply everything required to make your Christmas event a success

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B4 SPOTLIGHT

PRAISE FOR THE AWARDS “Richard the Evening was a GREAT success and well themed - 10/10 . An excellent idea I am sure it will now live on for many years. A big well done to Tina & yourself.”

Kieran Lynch – Oxford Event Hire, Equipment Sponsor “What a great night! I had a brilliant time, thank you for inviting me, and so exciting to see so many passionate and positive people under one roof.”

Jo Thoenes – BBC Radio Oxford, Guest Presenter

Trevor Osborne Property Group).

Malmaison hosted the event and Head Chef Russell Heeley masterminded the unenviable task of feeding his peers but, with the help of General Manager, Mark McSorley, John Ryan, Suzanne Port, Suzy Bramfitt and a team of over sixty staff, ensured that Malmaison were deserving of the utmost praise from all of those in attendance.

Category sponsors included FN Foods, Brakspear, Blueprint, JACK fm, Bean Bags and B4 Magazine.

New Folium Marquees and Beautiful Chair Covers were instrumental in creating a stunning scene for the guests and the event was co-ordinated by Tina Rosser of TERA Events. Local suppliers also included Blueprint, City Audio Visual, Oxford Event Hire, Studio 8 and SAE. The Oxford Actors Network, Illuminate, The Oxford Wine Company, Guylian, Stones the Printers, PresstoPrint, and Tamara Taboas also played significant parts in ensuring the Awards were a success.

The independent committee who were responsible for deciding the winners of each category, were as follows: Susi Golding (Visit Oxfordshire); Julie Archer (Meet Oxfordshire); Jacquie Bugeja (Oxfordshire Registration Service); Donald Sloan (Oxford Brookes); Daren Bowyer (Pembroke College); David Gambier (Great Experience Travel); Mark Taylor (Darbys) and Mark Ritchie.

Macmillan Cancer Support were the beneficiaries of the raffle which included the star prize generously donated by Baglioni Hotels – two nights at The Relais Santa Croce in Florence.

Event organiser, Richard Rosser, Managing Director of The In Oxford Group, commented. “We couldn’t have hoped for a better first year. There was a huge amount of work to undertake to make sure that we established a great platform for the Awards to continue long into the future. We have received an amazing flood of compliments about the Awards, which is down to everyone involved. It was certainly a team effort!”

Entry details for the 2012 Awards can be found here: www.inoxford.com. To keep in touch sign up to the www.inoxford.com e-Newsletter, or follow @inoxfordawards or @inoxford on Twitter.

“Thank you for a very enjoyable evening and the successful launch of the Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards. I am sure Monday night will be the first of many years of successful annual award dinners to which I look forward to attending. Congratulations and all best wishes and thanks from Barbara and myself.”

Trevor Osborne – Oxford Castle, Guest Presenter “We would have had a lovely time even if we hadn't won but getting an award was the icing on the cake, so thank you on both fronts! As the Feathered Nest said on BBC Oxford this morrning, it really is a boost for all the staff and we're duly delighted for them to have been so celebrated.

“The evening worked really well and looked terrrific - well done to you and all your team.”

Matt Lebus – Cibo, Winner Rest of the World category “It was good to meet you on Monday evening and be part of a great evening. From my point of view, and my colleagues on our table, we thoroughly enjoyed the evening and felt it ran swimmingly.

It was superb to be part of the inaugural event.”

Matt Tilsley – Regional Manager, South Midlands Marstons Beer Company “What a great way to showcase Oxfordshire – well done.”

Susi Golding – Visit Oxfordshire, Committee Member “Really well done for last night. All went well from where we were!

The venue looked fantastic and lots of details had been considered.

I hope everyone else had as good an evening as our group did. Once again, a big thank you.”

Martin Matthews – Blueprint, Sponsor Rest of the World category “The Oxford Wine Company is delighted to have been involved in sponsoring the inaugural In Oxford Magazine Restaurant Awards which have obviously been a huge success and look forward to supporting the event in the future.”

Ted Sandbach – The Oxford Wine Company, Wine Sponsor “I’m sure my email to you today is just one of many congratulating you (& your good lady wife of course!) on the event last night; I’m confident that was a very successful start to what promises to be a very successful annual event for years to come, well done to you all. Kind regards and well done again.”

Jamie Baskeyfield – General Manager, New Theatre, Guest “The Awards provided us with an opportunity to meet new clients and entertain existing customers in a unique location where one of our coffees was served on the menu. Well done to the organisers for coming up with a new concept that embraces business to business development.”

Mike Graham – Bean Bags Coffee, Sponsor British Category

www.b4-business.com

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THE PLACE TO B2B! With state of the art function spaces and private hire ranging from an art gallery to a crypt Oxford Castle is conveniently located between Oxford train station and the city centre.

Surrounded by stimulating buildings and serviced by an array of restaurants, a stylish hotel, and first class catering, Oxford Castle is the place to B2B!

Oxford Castle, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1AY – www.oxfordcastle.com – 01865 201 657

B4 SPOTLIGHT

WINNER OXFORDSHIRE RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2011 WINNER

2nd Place

3rd Place

cibo!

WINNER PUBLIC VOTE CATEGORY WINNER

2nd Place

3rd Place

WINNERS BRITISH CATEGORY WINNER

2nd Place

3rd Place

Finalist

Finalist

The Leatherne Bottel

The Bell at Hampton Poyle

WINNERS REST OF THE WORLD CATEGORY WINNER

2nd Place

3rd Place

Finalist

Finalist

cibo!

WINNERS ASIAN CATEGORY WINNER

2nd Place

3rd Place

Finalist

My Sichuan 正宗川菜馆

Jaan Finalist

INDIAN Restaurant

WINNERS PUB & BAR CATEGORY WINNER

2nd Place

3rd Place

Finalist

Finalist

Blue Boar

WINNERS REST OF THE EUROPE CATEGORY WINNER

2nd Place

3rd Place

Finalist

Finalist

Rigoletto WINNERS EXPRESS CATEGORY WINNER

www.b4-business.com

2nd Place

3rd Place

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B4 SERVICES

CITY AUDIO VISUAL City Audio Visual is a professional and specialist provider of audio visual equipment. With a hire department providing for a wide range of private to high profile events, they also specialise in bespoke audio visual installations. Irene Streicher met with Director Peter Gunn and Project Manager James Selkirk-Hay, to find out more about the two sides of the business and why CAV is regarded as Oxfordshire’s leading provider of audio visual services and installations.

CAV celebrates its twentieth year in business next year, but started almost by accident. Peter recalls, “Our first ‘job’, if you can call it that, was more of a favour, helping out a friend with a technical set up. Although it was a fairly basic job I knew there was a business in what we were doing and formed CAV.” Since then the company has grown beyond all recognition of that first foray into the world of audio visual support. The industry itself has changed

clients, we have also provided technical support to the Queen, three American Presidents, the last three English Prime Ministers, and Michelle Obama, to name but a few.”

In spite of this high-profile clientele Peter and James are at pains to stress that no job is too small or too big. “We do all events; I think that’s the crucial thing.

Every client is important to us whether it’s for a small or large event. To them their event is the most important thing. That’s how we have built up our

“Our first ‘job’, if you can call it that, was more of a favour, helping out a friend with a technical set up. Although it was a fairly basic job I knew there was a business in what we were doing and formed CAV

”

considerably as Peter explains, “We have certainly made huge strides since the early days and can quote blue chip companies amongst our wide range of 84

reputation for reliability and professionalism. We deliver and our clients know that, so when it comes to the big events, they know they are in safe hands.” www.b4-business.com

“It is very important to us that no matter what, we deliver a service that we would expect to receive ourselves”

at this year’s first Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards, where nothing was too much trouble and a first class service was delivered in style. CAV really do hold your hand through your event and are quite prepared to go beyond their technical brief.

The driving force behind CAV is their ethos to work as a team and understanding the need to be flexible. From their office support staff to their front of house technicians it’s their total commitment that makes every event successful.

“It is very important to us that no matter what, we deliver a service that we would expect to receive ourselves. Regular clients even call us their “Fourth Emergency Service” because they can rely on our technical expertise and prompt response in solving any last minute requests.”

Experienced and professional, CAV have proven they are calm under pressure and absorb their clients’ stress to make sure events run smoothly.

B4 had the pleasure of experiencing CAV first hand

CAV also provide permanent installations which is a growing part of the business. With so much experience providing technical solutions for a wide range of venues, it was a natural progression for

www.b4-business.com

the company. James explained “We understand that unless you’re up to date with all the latest technologies it can be very hard to know which systems will provide the most effective solution for your needs, this is why you should make us your first port of call. We’ll do our upmost to ensure that we can add you to our growing list of satisfied customers.”

So whatever it is that you’re planning, whether you need a laser pointer or a satellite truck, a classroom or conference facility installation, CAV are your complete audio visual service. www.cityaudiovisual.co.uk

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Awards Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

With a bulging diary, co-ordinating the workload is the responsibility of the team at CAV’s offices in Central Oxford, adds James. “We’ve become accustomed to being busy but always strive to accommodate any client request no matter how last minute.”

STAR QUALITY I’ve never read a Harry Potter novel or seen one of his films, but St. Clare’s does have a connection with the movie – Professor Sprout [Miriam Margolyes in real life] used to live in one of our residential houses. We had a large response to this piece of news when we placed it on our Facebook site as everyone wants to connect, however remotely, with celebrity and success.

Apart from our link with Harry Potter, St. Clare’s has also had a very successful year and found ourselves shown on local television - the College was ranked as having the best performing sixth form in Oxfordshire when the government league tables were published in January 2011. The league tables also showed that the College was ranked 11th in terms of independent sixth forms in England.

The worldwide average pass rate for students who sit the IB Diploma examinations is about 80% but, in this year’s examinations, St. Clare’s performed 86

extraordinarily well with 99% of its students passing the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Parents want to know how IB scores relate to the A-Level.

The answer is that the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service [UCAS] publishes a table which shows this information – see the comparison chart on the right. Every year for the past seven years, at least one student has been awarded the perfect score of 45 points at St. Clare’s, something achieved by only 0.2% of all students who sit the exams worldwide. In A-Level terms this is the equivalent of 5 x A* plus 1 x A grade.

At St. Clare’s: • 22% of our students achieved the A-Level equivalent of 4 x A* • 65% achieved the A-Level equivalent of 3 x A* • 90% achieved the A-Level equivalent of 3 x A. Many schools and colleges only offer the IB to a select group of students. This is not the approach taken at St. Clare’s as we believe that the Diploma is accessible to a broad range of students with different abilities and aptitudes; our examination results prove that this is the right approach. www.b4-business.com

B4 EDUCATION

IB Marking Scheme • 6 x subjects • 3 at Higher Level and 3 at Standard Level • Maximum score of 7 points per subject = 42 points • 3 points for the core elements of the Extended Essay, the Theory of Knowledge paper and compulsory extracurricular programme • Perfect score = 45 points, equivalent to over 5 x A* at A-Level.

6 Reasons to Apply • Best sixth form academic results in Oxfordshire in government league tables.

• 11th best independent sixth form in England.

• 99% pass rate in 2011 IB examinations.

• Three students with the perfect mark of 45 points.

• Day and boarding College.

• Bursary awards available.

IB Points 45 40 35 (St. Clare’s 2011 average) 30

A-Level equivalent 5 x A* + 1 X A 5 x A* 3 x A* 2 x A*

Apart from doing the IB, the College is distinctive in a number of other ways. The founder of St. Clare’s, Anne Dreydel, lost the use of her legs during the Second World War but, nonetheless, made a conscious decision to create a College which encouraged young people from Europe to study together here in Oxford. The College mission is ‘to advance international education and understanding,’ something we have been doing successfully ever since 1953, the year St. Clare’s was founded.

Secondly, there are very few boarding schools that look anything like St. Clare’s as it is a boarding school in an urban environment where students live close together in what were family houses in residential streets. There is a domestic rather than institutional quality to the buildings, reflecting the fact that the houses were originally built for families, which give it a distinctive feel. It is unusual in this country to have a boarding school which is so firmly part of a residential area, as the normal model is to define the perimeters of the school with walls providing both a physical and metaphorical barrier between them and the outside world.

which St. Clare’s lives up to being a place with a distinctive educational purpose, is its ethos. When the College was founded, a decision was made to educate young adults rather than children. Students are encouraged to be independent and selfsufficient. The College has a relaxed and informal atmosphere balanced by a strong emphasis on work.

If we combine all these features, there is no other institution in this country which places such an emphasis on internationalism, which offers the IB Diploma, which is a sixth-form college, which has such a distinctive ethos and is in Oxford.

Paula Holloway, Principal The next Open Day: Thursday 19 January, 2012 from 2.00 – 6.00 p.m.

Scholarship Deadline: Friday 3 February, 2012 Scholarship Day: Saturday 25 February, 2012 www.stclares.ac.uk

Finally, and perhaps the most important way in

www.b4-business.com

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Photography: www.tamarataboas.com

Comparison with A-Levels

M a g a z i n e s

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C a t a l o g u e s

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C o m m e r c i a l

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Don’t run the risk of missing the mark!

Benham Goodhead Print.

Always spot on!

www.bgprint.co.uk

F i n a n c i a l

B4 SPOTLIGHT

“I make it my business to employ the right kind of people. Everyone at Mirada has a sense of purpose, is ambitious to improve and takes ownership of his or her role within the company

”

A CLEARER PICTURE

Nature versus nurture is seemingly a debate without a firm conclusion. Bearing this in mind, it comes as no surprise when highly successful people admit to parental influence that has had a bearing on the choices and subsequent decisions made in our adult life; CEO of Mirada Medical, Hugh Bettesworth, is no exception. By Tracey Jefferies.

Hugh’s father was instrumental in launching Anchor Housing Trust in 1968 (then Help the Aged (Oxford) Housing Association). Backed by a government initiative, the Trust was one of the first housing associations aimed at older people and is still a thriving enterprise today.

disease, assess response to treatment and better plan radiation therapy or surgical intervention. Originally spun out of the University of Oxford, the company’s technologies are, to this day, developed by a team of dedicated engineers and world-renowned scientists working out of Oxford, England.

“My father was definitely one for thinking ahead. He was entrepreneurial with a flair for recognising trends for the future. He made sure we seized technology opportunities quickly and in 1982 the family became proud owners of a BBC Micro computer, which was quite something at the time. I wrote a lot of programs on that machine but I was still really keen on sports and didn’t foresee just how much a part of my life computer programming would become”, Hugh explained.

“Managing patient treatment and care can be very complex. There are usually several departments involved and communication can suffer. In simple terms, our products encourage clarity of communication between all departments and personnel; encouraging collaborative decision-making, which in turn leads to better patient care and possibly a more positive outcome over all”, commented Hugh.

Having secured a degree in sociology, majoring in politics and psychology, Hugh saw the potential for environmental-friendly stationery products (recycled paper etc.) and launched his own business. Like his father before him Hugh was ahead of the curve, although on this occasion being an early adopter didn’t make financial sense. Unlike today, producing ‘green’ stationery was costprohibitive and Hugh returned to study for an MSc in Computer Science at Napier University, where he admits that for the first six weeks, it made so little sense that the lecturers could have been speaking Chinese! Luckily, everything finally clicked and Hugh spent the next several years writing software applications, initially developing financial management systems then working on software for clinical trials, before joining Mirada in 2001.

Mirada Medical develops internationally recognised imaging analysis applications for diagnosis, staging, treatment planning, assessment and response in Oncology. Specialising in simplifying technically complex image quantification, Mirada software allows clinicians to more confidently diagnose

www.b4-business.com

In 2008 Hugh led a management buy-out of IP, goodwill and trademarks to reform Mirada Medical as an independent company. Just three years later the company is celebrating having won the Martin & Audrey Wood Enterprise Awards Overall Winner 2011 at Venturefest this year. These prestigious Awards celebrate innovative and technology-based companies in the region, and were established in honour of Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood, co-founders of Oxford Instruments plc.

Hugh credits the success of Mirada to the people behind the brand: “I make it my business to employ the right kind of people. Everyone at Mirada has a sense of purpose, is ambitious to improve and takes ownership of his or her role within the company. We encourage autonomy and look for people who can push the boundaries. Science doesn’t stand still and neither can we.” www.mirada-medical.com

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SUSTAIN ABILITY

Banbury Litho on keeping staff, first class firepower, customer support and environmental awareness.

This year, Banbury Litho celebrates its 30th anniversary as a long-standing family business, providing high quality printing to its loyal customer base.

However, with national and international blue-chip clients and high profile Oxfordshire businesses forming a crucial part of its ever-expanding portfolio, the close knit team at Banbury Litho isn’t basking in past glories.

With so many companies suffering the impact of the recession, B4’s Rebecca Anne Butler met with Banbury Litho’s Managing Director, Matthew Wise, to find out more about this successful Oxfordshire print firm. “In view of the fact that we’ve had two or three years of a depressed economy plus the fact that many businesses seem to think that print has had its day with the opportunities and cost savings presented by the web, we’re really thriving and our customers are doing more, not less. It’s remarkable that we haven’t actually lost any customers in the past few years. We see our competitors downsizing or, unfortunately, ultimately shutting their doors, but we’ve expanded and added to our customer base.”

So what distinguishes Banbury Litho from other printers? “Reliability is key now more than ever before. As a customer, it’s vital that you know your job is going to be printed to the highest standard and delivered on time. Reliability becomes consistent with our customers and this leads to high expectations – that’s where we are winning, being reliable every time.”

“The majority of the population would still rather have a magazine or brochure in their hands. You can easily get lost on line and print is the best way to stand out”

Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

From Production Director, Ted Eley, who has been with the company since the presses started rolling, through to Press Operator of twenty-eight years, Keith Wiggins, Banbury Litho has benefited from its highly experienced staff across all aspects of the business. At the same time, the company continuously invests in cutting-edge technology to ensure that it keeps up-todate with the best quality, and most efficient printing methods: ‘We reinvest into the business every year. Our equipment is state of the art, for example we have just invested in some pre-press equipment and we are always reviewing where investment can improve quality for our customers.’

Sustaining customer relations is also paramount to Banbury Litho’s mission, as Matthew explains. ‘We work hard to build relationships with clients and we’re very personable. We have some fantastic long-standing clients, including Seton Ltd, based locally and a loyal customer of over twenty-five years. Barker & Evans were one of my father’s first customers and we still print their business cards and letterheads.’

But, with the internet playing an increasingly large role in business marketing strategies, how does Matthew see the future for even the most versatile and well equipped printer? “The majority of the population would still rather have a magazine or brochure in their hands. You can easily get lost on line and

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www.b4-business.com

B4 SERVICES print is the best way to stand out. The environmental argument holds a lot of water with many companies, but there are actually environmental benefits of paper printing. We are a member of Two-Sides, a campaigning organisation for the paper industry, established to prevent greenwashing by internet companies. According to Two-Sides, 50% of the world’s power in the next five years will be used to run laptops and computers. Printers, by contrast, are planting more trees than we are actually cutting down. So, it’s the most sustainable form of communication that there is.”

Banbury Litho even offer a sourcing service whereby, if a customer so desires, they can track each sheet of paper printed to the country, forest and even the very tree it was produced from and at exactly what time. “Furthermore, all of our staff recycle everything from ink tins to rags to plastic used in printing.”

With a considered programme of investment and customer satisfaction to the fore, it’s little wonder that Banbury Litho have thrived for as long as they have.

We wish them the very best in their thirtieth year and for the next thirty years

ABOUT BANBURY LITHO After 30 years working in the printing industry, Matthew’s father, Mark Wise, has seen many changes. The biggest being the move from plate preparation to digital based lithographic printing. Some things remain the same however, and Mark has put down the success of his company, Banbury Litho, to employing good staff who know what they’re doing.

Mark started his printing career with an apprenticeship at Henry Stone’s printers and after this set up a dedicated printing facility at Compton Buildings in Fenny Compton.

From here, with a loan of £400 from his bank, Mark bought a printing press from the Old Kent Road in London and set it up in the garage of his home in Banbury.

Working evenings and weekends, Mark built up the business until in September 1979, Banbury Litho opened its doors for business in a small 1500sq ft unit in Lower Cherwell Street in Banbury with five members of staff.

After a few years they outgrew the space and moved to a double unit a few doors down. 1989 saw them move again this time to an 8000sq ft unit in Adderbury with the installation of their first four colour press. During the next 15 years the business grew, the property expanded and staff increased to 37. It soon became clear that bigger premises were needed and Banbury Litho moved to their present address at Vantage Business park on the Bloxham Road, just outside Banbury.

With 20,000sq ft Banbury Litho is now completely self sufficient running 24 hour shifts and boasting an impressive plant list.

The litho and digital printing services offered by Banbury Litho cover production of catalogues, company brochures, mailshots, magazines, display graphics, www.b4-business.com

printed banners, pop up panels and point of sale packaging. By providing a complete fulfilment service, including in-house finishing, direct mail personalisation, mail sorting and national distribution, the team can ensure important deadlines and delivery schedules are met.

Thirty years after the first print jobs rolled off the presses, Banbury Litho is still a family run business, Mark is chairman, his son Matthew is Managing Director and his daughter Rebecca is Company Secretary.

Production Manager Ted Eley and Glenn Calvert in the finishing department have racked up an incredible 60 years service between them and Keith Wiggins has woked at the company for the past 28 years.

“A large part of the success of Banbury Litho can be put down to reliable staff who know what they’re doing”, said Mark.

“I’ve been working with Ted (Eley) for the past 30 years or so – that’s longer than some marriages!”

Ted commented that the company had come a long way from its beginnings in the garage of Mark’s house. “We had a contract with GF (now Kraft) to print their stationery and I remember rolls of print filling Mark’s house. The kitchen was always fairly empty however and I do remember enjoying a fried breakfast at Mark’s expense now and again”, he joked!

Working hard to maintain their quality, environmental and colour management accreditations have provided good opportunities and Banbury Litho now boasts a large and diverse global client list.

The digital press however, can still accommodate the small print runs that started the business over three decades ago.

PLANT LIST Pre-Press Apple Macintosh G4 x 3 Apple Macintosh G5 x 4 Epson Stylus Pro 10600 x 1 Epson Stylus Pro 9900 x 1 Heidelberg Printready PDF Workflow version 1.1 Heidelberg Suprasetter Press Heidelberg SM74 10P ten colour perfecting press Heidelberg CD74 5 colour with inline coating unit Finishing Heidelberg Stahl Combination Folders x 3 Heidelberg S Cylinder Die-Cutting and Creasing Machine x 1 Heidelberg ST350 Stitching line with 6 stations + cover feeder Heidelberg Polar Guillotines x 3 Combination Drilling Machine x 1 Bostitch Hand Stitching machine x 2 D & K B2 Laminator Digital Xerox IGEN3 Digital production press (up to B3 in size) Wide Format

www.banburylitho.co.uk Xerox Eco Solvent 8264E 91

SMES ARE REACHING FOR THE CLOUDS Cloud computing has been hailed by many as the answer to a more flexible and efficient business, and with the increased availability of cloud-enabled devices, such as smartphones and tablets, even the UK’s smallest businesses are turning to the cloud. However, despite their enthusiasm for revolutionary technology there are some issues, such as security, that are still holding SMEs back from fully embracing the cloud. In this article, Martin Lyne, SME Director, Orange investigates the hurdles that are hampering cloud adoption and what can be done to overcome them.

Confidence in the cloud Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the UK economy, with their revenues accounting for 51 percent of the UK’s GDP. A key element of their success has often been said to be their focus on driving innovation and their willingness to adopt new technologies. Spared the burden of sprawling legacy IT infrastructures, which can constrain their larger competitors, the agility and flexibility of SMEs makes them prime

they are. From 2010, the number of SMEs adopting cloud-enabling devices such as smartphones and tablets has shot up to 79 percent .

Vulnerable data Nevertheless, despite SMEs appearing to be well equipped and eager to start taking advantage of cloud computing services, they are being held back by security concerns. The research revealed that two-thirds of SMEs

For instance, should an employee lose a phone, companies should have the ability to immediately disable the device and its applications within seconds - regardless of its location. Solutions that are capable of this ensure that outsiders are denied access to company data via a lost or stolen device.

Furthermore, businesses that encourage their staff to work flexibly must first ensure that they provide a secure connection from the mobile device to the corporate LAN services.

“two-thirds of SMEs questioned are yet to take the leap into the cloud, 45 per cent only considering cloud services if they were assured about the safety and privacy of their business data” recipients for emerging ideas. Cloud computing is a perfect example of a technology which the SME sector is primed to take advantage of, and yet, there is one key issue holding them back – security.

Flying high in the clouds A recent survey from Orange showed that the SME community is eager to reap the benefits of cloud computing. In fact, nearly half (49 percent) of those questioned want to use cloud services for the increased flexibility that it offers their business – allowing them to do as much or as little as they want in the cloud to reflect their business needs. Meanwhile 29 percent want to use cloud services to shift the IT focus of their company – meaning they no longer have to worry about constant server updates and other computing issues.

In addition, the research found that over a quarter (28 percent) of SMEs look forward to the cost saving benefits offered by cloud – an understandably important motivation given the UK economy is still considered by many as vulnerable. It is not just the benefits that are enticing SMEs to the cloud, but also that many of them now have easy access to the technology needed to harness it – wherever

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questioned are yet to take the leap into the cloud, 45 percent only considering cloud services if they were assured about the safety and privacy of their business data.

However, when it comes to using data on a mobile device, there are in fact few places better for storing it than the cloud. Being a virtual storage environment, the cloud offers users access to data without actually having to permanently keep any sensitive information on the phone. This offers the perfect solution for a mobile user, reducing the risk of data falling into the wrong hands, should the device be stolen, lost or damaged.

This is not to say, however, that cloud renders data bullet proof. There are risks involved with storing information in the cloud, such as hacking or corruption, which SMEs need to bear in mind. Furthermore, the increasing legislative burdens on organisations’ use and protection of data, means they can face substantial financial penalties if they fail to ensure employees who are working remotely have secure access to data.

For example, managed Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions allow only the people you authorise to connect to your corporate LAN services securely from their mobile devices. The most secure services generally use dedicated Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) encrypted tunnels to route data over the Internet between the communication service provider and your network.

The scalable and pay-as-you-use nature of the cloud can offer SMEs a new level of flexibility to their businesses, improving agility and businesses efficiency. However, they must firstly ensure that they are confident in their access to cloud services by taking the opportunity to plug all possible security holes.

SMEs that can achieve this will be able to modernise their IT systems and enjoy the long-term cost benefits of using cloud computing.

For more information about mobile security and how you can ensure that your data is safe, please visit www.orange.co.uk/business.

SMEs need to harness the benefits of cloud, but they also need to use traditional security methods to ensure that their device is safe.

www.b4-business.com

B4 IT & COMMS

“The scalable and pay-as-you-use nature of the cloud can offer SMEs a new level of flexibility to their businesses, improving agility and businesses efficiency�

www.b4-business.com

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B4 EDUCATION

YOUTHFUL AMBITION Being able to provide valuable work experience to school children and students is not always easy. We follow a fourteen year old taking his first steps into the workplace.

Bloxham School student, Edward Rosser, seized the opportunity presented to him by Oxford United Chairman and B4 Ambassador, Kelvin Thomas, to spend a week behind the scenes at his favourite football club.

“It was slightly odd being dropped off ‘for work’ on my first day’s work experience at ‘The Kassam’, a place I would normally only associate with watching football. I was half excited, half nervous at the thought of working where the team I support plays every other Saturday.

“I was introduced to Club Secretary, Mick Brown, and the Business Development Manager, Owen Clark. and shown to the Ticket Office where I spent the rest of my first day. I was told to sort out tickets for posting out for the forthcoming cup game against Cardiff City, and going through each of the tickets made me really appreciate how much work goes into getting someone into their seat on a match day. There was a good attendance at the match so hopefully I didn’t make too many mistakes!

“The next day was spent at the Club, mostly on the pitch whilst the first team squad had their official Club photograph taken. Earlier in the summer I had been in the Club shop and was disappointed that a poster of the Club’s crest wasn’t available for sale and thought I would ask the Chairman if I could get some printed for sale in the shop. He encouraged me to go for it so I managed to get the poster designed by a friend and printed in Oxford. To finish it off, I had asked the Chairman if some of the players could sign the poster and the official photo shoot was the perfect opportunity to ask the players to sign.

“I’d never got so many autographs in one day and all of the players were really friendly. A lot of them said how good it was and what a great idea it was to get the poster done.

“The poster has now been framed and should be going on sale in the Club Shop before the end of the year. There’s only ten of them, so hopefully they’ll all sell.”

“The rest of the week was spent in and around the Club and on one day I was lucky to follow the Chairman and spend the day with him which was really interesting. I also interviewed Paul McLaren for the match programme which was great fun and it was even better to see my article in the programme when I went back to watch the game. The whole week was brilliant and I am really grateful to everyone at the Club for making me so welcome.

“I got a really good idea of how hard everyone works and when I went back to watch the Cardiff game and have the picture (above) taken with the poster, it was good to know I’d helped in a small way towards getting everyone there!”

Chairman Kelvin Thomas was happy with Ed’s input also. “I was delighted with Ed’s efforts during the week and particularly impressed with his poster. It looks great and I’m sure it will sell well.” www.oufc.co.uk

“it was good to know I’d helped in a small way towards getting everyone there!”

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PREPARING EMPLOYERS FOR THE

OLYMPICS 2012 Time and Usain Bolt fly - the London 2012 Olympics start next July.

The preparation has been meticulous and, to date, everything is on plan for a fantastic, memorable and uplifting event which will hopefully boost morale in otherwise austere times.

The Olympics will also boost business across a considerable range of sectors – the catering and hospitality sectors will certainly be planning to cater for the large number of people who will be visiting London and the associated venues and generally taking time out to watch and enjoy the competition.

With this, businesses need to be on top of their own preparation because even if they are not involved in delivering the games, many of their workers will want to take time off to enjoy and be involved in the spectacle. Transport in and around the venues will also be heavily affected. As with the games, careful advance planning is important to avoid dissatisfaction and assist businesses in coping with the inevitable disruption.

THINGS FOR EMPLOYERS TO THINK ABOUT • How are you going to deal with holiday requests and allocate holiday – you may face a flood of requests at the start of the relevant holiday year? You need a policy which is clear, fair and not discriminatory; • Do you know how many employees have tickets and when they intend to take the time off?

Gathering that information now is essential because whole departments may be off at the same time and you may need to hire temporary staff; • Do your employment contracts permit you to decide when holiday is taken and when you can refuse holiday requests? There are statutory provisions under the Working Time Regulations

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that deal with the right to take holiday – do you know how these operate and how will you apply them?

• What is your position going to be if you deny time off when a critical worker has a valuable ticket to watch a premiere event? Will you compensate the worker?

• Are you going to be offering specific flexibility so that workers can take time off or vary start and finish times to work around peak times; • Will you allow workers to work from home and if so, how will you monitor their work? What are the health and safety issues that arise from working from home?

• Are any of your employees volunteering to help out at the games – will you give them the time off and will it be paid or unpaid?

• What approach are your clients, suppliers and competitors taking with regards to flexible working and time off? Will morale be affected if you have a different approach?

• Will you be shutting down for a short period?

Can you shut down and if so, is the time treated as holiday and/or is it paid or unpaid?

• What are your company’s staffing needs over the period? Will you need to pay overtime and/or bonuses to ensure business continuity? Will you need to hire in temporary staff? Are you aware of the new Agency Workers Regulations and the new “Day 1” rights that apply?

• Will you allow employees to watch the games during lunchtimes? Will your internet policy flex to allow workers to watch it online? Do you need to revisit your IT policy?

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“Will you allow employees to watch the games during lunchtimes?”

B4 ADVICE

“Do you know how many employees have tickets and when they intend to take the time off?

Gathering that information now is essential because whole departments may be off at the same time”

• How will you deal with “spurious” sickness absences during the games? Will you apply a more vigorous absence and disciplinary policy?

• What about poor timekeeping?

• Will you be hosting or attending events around the games? Do you need to remind employees about your conduct, drugs and alcohol policies?

• There will be a lot of corporate hospitality around the games with many of the tickets held by sponsors. What will be your policy on the offer and acceptance of corporate hospitality in light of the Bribery Act? • What about those employees who have no interest in the games; how will you treat their requests for time off for a holiday or a different event?

• Many businesses have created teams or brought in/seconded workers specifically to work on Olympic related projects – what are you going to say to these teams and workers when the games are over? Can they be assimilated into other parts of your business or is there a risk of redundancy?

• Is your business undertaking a service to the games which will be transferred to a different provider when the games are over? Do you need to worry about the operation to the Transfer of Undertakings provisions?

We can help you, and your business with answers to these questions and any other employment related query. To enquire about the specific help and advice we provide please contact Michelle Morgan (pictured) on 01865 781195 or michelle.morgan@henmansllp.co.uk. www.henmansllp.co.uk

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B4 EDUCATION

THE SMALL SCHOOL WITH GREAT SPIRIT

Claire Thompson of Syncro PR went back to her old school to meet with Nick Irvine to discuss Bloxham’s modern and relevant approach to education and how the school is already delivering on their ambitions.

Bloxham School has grounds, which cover approximately 60 acres in the beautiful village of Bloxham, just 3 miles from the M40 and yet with all the appeal of a Cotswold village. It is a small, friendly and flourishing school of around 420 pupils, small enough to provide an intimate and fully supportive family atmosphere but also providing wonderful facilities within the academic mainstream.

Scholarships and bursaries are available which can bring a Bloxham education within the reach of all.

Co-educational throughout, Bloxham is committed to remaining an exceptionally good small boarding and day school. They have a very flexible approach to boarding so around half the pupils are boarders and around three quarters of them board at some stage each week. A most recent ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) Inspection report picked up on how ‘the pupils’ educational outcomes and personal development are enhanced by the boarding life of the school which meets the aims of providing a warm and friendly environment where they feel secure and happy, and are enabled to develop their talents to the full.’

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Houseparent and Marketing Director Nick Irvine explains: “Bloxham School is a school that produces grounded individuals who leave the school as confident and well-rounded young adults which is very important in this day and age.”

“Our strengths are distinctive, many and various and we are delighted that our recent ISI report made glowing references across many aspects of the school including our health and welfare – including outstanding in-house catering, sport, art, cultural activities, music which has become a great strength over recent years and technology. Our pupils’ achievement and personal development was noted as excellent, they work well with each other and develop a very good range of skills, including ‘people’ skills, that prepare them well for later life.”

The school underlines its modern and individual style with its digital approach to marketing. The recently launched bloxhamschool.com website has just scooped the coveted Gold Award in the School Website Open category run by the industry opinion leader, CMS (Centre for Marketing Schools).

Bloxham were delighted to receive the accolade

although were not present for the handover in Melbourne! The multi-media rich feel to the website, the ease of use, video content and vibrancy were all winning factors. bloxhamschool.com is also the portal for the schools innovative eProspectus, a further example of the schools spirit of individuality.

Being modern and at the forefront does not stop there, much of the communication from the school takes place digitally. This means that the website now features a parents login area and housemasters utilise social media platforms to converse with parents, keeping them abreast of developments. A weekly sports newspaper, written by the pupils, also appears as do short video clips again generated by the pupils.

A further distinguishing feature is the schools focus on upholding a relevant education and this year they are looking to shake the curriculum up with the introduction of a new ‘Food and Nutrition’ course. As lifestyle education is becoming ever more relevant, the food and nutrition courses will feature a module covering ‘survival on a budget’ which should hold pupils in very good stead at

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“Our determination is to remain at the forefront of good solid modern and relevant education. In-line with our traditions, we produce well-rounded, confident young adults who leave us with strong interests and strong desires to make a real difference

”

university. This new discipline will not only focus on the academic side of food and nutrition but will also emphasize the lifestyle aspect.

Under the leadership of Headmaster, Mark Allbrook, Bloxham attaches great importance to the academic quality of its education with 98% of pupils going on to University, including Oxbridge.

Careers advice to and beyond university is also offered.

As a Woodard School, Bloxham puts considerable emphasis on both Christian teaching and excellent pastoral care. Pupils benefit from a strong moral and ethical framework that helps them grow up with a clear sense of values. They will learn to respect others and also themselves and to engage in the world around them.

Bloxham tops the value-added league table offering an impressive array of extra curricular activity across a wide spread of interests and many of the activities are generated by a mix of staff and pupil energy and expertise. A wide range of sport is coached and the school has its own extensive playing fields, an indoor swimming pool, a well-equipped sports

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hall and fitness suite and two synthetic turf pitches.

The school is also very strong in the Arts and technologies and it is clearly evident that there has been considerable investment to keep the school’s facilities up to date.

Nick concludes: “Our determination is to remain at the forefront of good solid modern and relevant education. In-line with our traditions, we produce well-rounded, confident young adults who leave us with strong interests and strong desires to make a real difference. I am very fortunate to work in a school that is capable of thinking outside the box, not afraid but rather proud to be different and prepared to embrace change where and when it is sensible to do so. Our size and sense of community is the well from which we draw our strength. It enables us to deliver what we promise and makes us distinctive in a crowded marketplace. It is difficult to put into words – but those who visit us and get to know Bloxham will readily appreciate our distinctive style.”

www.bloxhamschool.com

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EXECUTIVE EDUCATION The original Magna Carta strove to create a fairer land, a land in which the King's will was not absolute, and where citizens felt secure that the law benefited and protected them - no longer could the King capriciously widen the berth of his coin purse to suit his cause. Hannah Howell writes for B4.

The causes of the document’s age are a far cry from the worries of our century, yet the name has imbedded itself as a force for positive solution that has not faded with the ebbing of time. The document’s namesake, Magna Carta College, positioned in the heart of Oxford’s academic hub, offers a range of Executive Education that is not ruled by an autocratic statute of pre-prepared solutions.

‘Bespoke’ is a term that gels easily with the offerings at Magna Carta College and is an ethos by which the professors and lecturers at the College have designed their services. All too commonly Executive Education has performed as an expensively repackaged, regurgitation of previously used models with a typical three-letter acronym.

What Magna Carta College offers are not only individually tailored solutions for your company’s problems, but also a professionally minded opinion from individuals who have both practical and academic backgrounds in the business world.

Magna Carta College’s approach, versus a traditional consultancy, delves deeper into the roots of issues through what could be termed ‘business psychotherapy’. While consulting with their customers, Dean David Faulkner and Andrew Pearson, Managing Director of Magna Carta Executive Education, stress that they are not trying to sell a product. ‘We listen and try to find the issues that a particular client has, is interested in,

and ultimately what worries them. From there we put a programme together that addresses our customer’s specific issues and provide recommendations about what they might do.’

Explains Andrew.

Alongside this tailored approach, David Faulkner stresses that operating as ‘a business school which has a branch in Executive Education is going to be far more effective for their customers than a consultancy for one main reason: as a business school we already operate very closely with the industry and are therefore able to offer a service which is far more relevant and far less expensive than consultancies.’

Both David and Andrew have the advantage of being highly experienced in their fields versus the regular consultancy trope of young, inexperienced people who are generally unable to rival the specialised, relevant advice that the staff at Magna Carta pride themselves upon, continues Andrew.

‘I’m passionate about innovation and creativity and less so about classical business models. We strive to use entrepreneurial means and methods to find new ways of doing business and new ways of providing something far better for our customers.’

‘The important thing is to focus on what people’s real problems are, rather than a commoditised solution because most people’s problems are very

individual rather than subject to commodities.’

Alongside their tailored solutions the college also offers pre-packaged Executive Education programmes such as the ‘five day MBA’ and in disciplines such as entrepreneurship and innovation. However, each of these programmes can again be tailored to individual specification.

‘Blending bespoke solutions with packaged solutions from an institution with a naturally close proximity to business, means we can use our insight to develop new strategies removed from traditional business thinking. Our core team of professors and tutors have a variety of skill sets in different disciplines that will advance different ways of thinking about business issues and business problems.’ Concludes David Faulkner.

By being able to offer a balanced perspective on business solutions from both academic and practical backgrounds Magna Carta College’s Executive Education services have a distinct advantage over their competitors - their individually tailored solutions work because a single, off the shelf solution doesn’t fit all.

The college will be hosting a taster event on 17th November. For more information about this event contact Andrew Pearson at the College. www.magnacartacollege.org

“I’m passionate about innovation and creativity and less so about classical business models.

We strive to use entrepreneurial means and methods to find new ways of doing business” 100

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Photography: Alex Faulkner

B4 EDUCATION

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B4 CONFERENCE

CHRISTMAS

CAKES, PARTIES & PLEASURES Now here’s an opportunity to put the icing on the Christmas cake – the Oxford Conference Centre on Park End Street has apartments available at reasonable rates for any party, whether corporate or private, booking at the same time for one of their Christmas parties. The one and two bedroom apartments are next door to the Conference Centre so those last-minute titivations really can be applied at the last minute – no more tottering down the road in six inch killer heels girls, trying to look nonchalant about the pain. Barbara Richardson reports for B4.

I was impressed when I visited to see that the apartments are finished to an exceptionally high standard with all the usual facilities you would expect in a four star hotel but with the addition of a lounge, dining space and fully equipped kitchen. This means you could have private informal cocktails together before the main reception starts in the Conference Centre.

Every apartment has a dedicated car parking space directly in front too. Your whole evening could be so much more enjoyable with no worries about parking, driving or getting to work the next day: attractive whether you are coming from the centre

you as you arrive for drinks at the reception. An exceptional dinner, provided by caterers who come highly recommended and who have been carefully selected by the Centre’s events team, will be followed by a DJ providing a terrific evening’s entertainment.

you how you would like the room to be presented and what drinks you would wish to offer your guests.

A great deal of planning and preparation has clearly gone into making sure the evening will feature as one of the gastronomic delights of the Christmas period, provided in a very special atmosphere.

The parties are running on 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th December. Contact Alexandra on 01865 - 797979 to make your booking or for further details. She tells me that they have been conscious of keeping prices down and making these parties affordable for everyone so there’s really every reason to ring her straight away.

There is the added opportunity to take a private room for your own early-evening reception if you

It’s worth pointing out too that the Conference Centre is available on other dates for company gala

“Your whole evening could be so much more enjoyable with no worries about parking, driving or getting to work the next day” of Oxford or from somewhere out of town like the Oxford Science Park.

The party itself promises to be an extravagant affair with stunning Christmas decorations welcoming

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were thinking of entertaining guests for the evening or just saying a big thank you to staff for an exceptional year – which of course it has been for everyone. The friendly people I met at the Conference Centre will be happy to discuss with

dinners and the apartments are available throughout the year for short-term serviced lettings. www.conferencecentreoxford.co.uk

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ALL IN ONE: LA MANGA CLUB Anyone with an interest in sport will have heard of La Manga Club, based in Murcia, a south-eastern region of Spain. Blessed with sunshine for the majority of the year, this is a multi-faceted resort which can relax, challenge and amaze you all at once. We were fortunate to get to know more about La Manga during a week-long trip in the middle of August and a meeting with the Director of Tennis and Leisure, Lorenzo Martinez and Director of Tennis Coaching, James Rose, only served to confirm why once you’ve been to La Manga, you simply have to keep going back.

Lorenzo bursts with pride and explains how La Manga is “a self-contained luxury sports and leisure resort set in some 560 hectares, a unique natural setting, bordered by wooded hills and a natural park on two sides and by the Mediterranean to the south. We have over 2,000 beautiful villas and apartments, in excess of 85,000 visitors a year and first class facilities in what many regard as one of the finest sports and leisure resorts in the world.”

Tennis is HUGE at La Manga. Over 10,000 visitors attended academies in 2010 and over 200 tennis lessons are conducted each day during the summer. Tennis alone generates revenues for La Manga in excess of 2 million euros. “It’s one of Europe’s finest outdoor facilities”, explains James.

“We have played host to the Davis Cup, the Fed Cup and a number of ATP tournaments.” Britain’s number one female tennis player, Elena Baltacha, recently enjoyed a training camp at La Manga and commented. “I chose La Manga Club for my clay-

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court training because I wanted somewhere that offered top class training in warm weather so that my team and I could prepare properly for European clay-court events in May. It was a great trip and being able to use the excellent facilities - courts, gym, pool etc - as well as enjoy the famous La Manga Club hospitality and lovely apartments was a massive help to me. I'd recommend La Manga Club to anyone who is serious about their tennis or who just wants to relax and holiday in this lovely environment."

James stresses how those that benefit from La Manga’s tennis facilities aren’t necessarily at the top of their game. “The range of skills at the club is incredible. We’ll have a five year old holding a racket for the first time on one court alongside a seasoned pro on the next, which is really great for the development of the children, to see the pros in full flight. It’s a great carrot to them and they really do rise to the occasion.” Lorenzo adds that tennis is just one of the many magnates for all

groups, from families to corporates, and he will do what he can to tailor a package to your requirements. “We have fun putting packages together for our clients. It can be a family of four wanting a soccer course and some tennis, as you have done this week, or it can be a corporate group looking for conference facilities, golf and tennis coaching. We have a huge amount of repeat custom, and it’s nice to see the same faces coming back year after year. We are even starting to see the children who came here in the 1980’s coming back with their children!”

Although we’d had an early flight from Gatwick, the flight and subsequent collection of the car were painless and the short thirty minute journey to the resort meant that door to door, we’d spent little over five hours in transit. As we entered the outskirts of La Manga Club, we were greeted by literally hundreds of cyclists, joggers and walkers, in the height of the mid-day sun. Glistening brown, were they mad or just enjoying the life this place

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B4 R&R

breathes into you? Most certainly the latter. We passed one of three golf courses, eight professional football pitches, (which got Ed’s heart racing - La Manga recently played host to Scotland before they succumbed to World and European Champions, Spain), two cricket and twenty eight tennis courts on our way to the management office.

We’d arrived ahead of schedule and had to have a spot of lunch in one of the attractive squares whilst the maid finished preparing our villa. Four tortillas and some ‘essentials’ shopping later, we had our keys to the villa which was less than a minute’s drive from the management offices. It’s normally the case that you see something on the web and

up! But no, Ed spotted an open gate and we were in – sorry Lorenzo, I should probably have left this bit out!

You know what it’s like when you get a new ball and boots (well, maybe a few years ago for some of us now!) You can’t wait to try them out. But the reality, in England, is that you often only get (or used to get before new boots and balls came as regularly as a new tube of toothpaste) them at Christmas when the temperature is at rock bottom and the pitches frozen ice rinks. So imagine the glee with which a fourteen year old took to a deliciously spongey green turf and hammered his new ball into the back of a ‘proper’ goal. The forty

training base. Remember when Gazza was left out of the 1998 World Cup Squad by Glen Hoddle? He found out in La Manga and made headlines worldwide as he trashed his former manager’s hotel room, cutting himself in the process.

In terms of facilities, there really is little reason to venture out, unless you’re a beach lover. We ate at resort restaurants most nights, with the exception of our first evening which we spent at a fish restaurant in the local port of Cabo de Palos, which I would highly recommend. We seemed to be the only tourists there! One evening we stayed in and cooked, at last count, sixty prawns, but otherwise we enjoyed a variety of Italian, Spanish and Thai

“I grabbed a towel and got into the holiday spirit. The sun was still beating down at 4pm and Ed was desperate to have a kick about. ” the reality is a world apart. In the case of our villa, we were amazed. The web pictures showed a clean decent property, but not the superbly furnished, immaculate property which we drove up to.

The kids were delirious and whilst we unpacked and caught up with a bit of sleep, they plunged into the pool. Sleep could wait. I grabbed a towel and got into the holiday spirit, joining the kids for some dunking and Frisbee. The sun was still beating down at 4pm and Ed was desperate to have a kick about. Shiny new ball and boots in hand, Abi joined us for a trip to the pitches which were….. all locked

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five minutes with Ed and Abi having a kick around made the holiday for me and we’d not even been there five hours.

We continued the sporty theme throughout the week, with Ed attending a football course from 4pm to 5.30pm every night from the Monday to the Friday and after each session we all played tennis, on a mixture of concrete, clay and artificial grass surfaces. After less than a couple of hours football a night, Ed’s confidence and ability were transformed no end – no wonder Barcelona, Real Madrid and the Spanish and English national squads have previously chosen La Manga as their

meals. If I had to recommend one restaurant, however, it would have to be La Cala. On the periphery of the resort, down a windy, dirt track. La Cala nestles on a rocky outcrop with spectacular views out to sea. Unbelievable fish! A must.

It’s easy to overdo it when reviewing a holiday, but there’s no end of positives to report on for La Manga. Incredible weather, superlative hospitality, excellent food and first class facilities. What more could you wish for? That’s easy – at least two weeks next time! www.lamangaclub.com

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Classical looks - Modern facilities n A wide range of function rooms to suit any event type. n Outstanding catering in the traditional dining hall or classically designed new dining room. n Flexible and affordable accommodation in 300 delegate rooms (185 of which are en-suite) n A tranquil setting in beautiful gardens extending to the river and bordering the University Parks. n On site car parking. n Excellent IT, AV and conference support facilities. n A range of leisure facilities, including punts, tennis courts, and gym. n A secure site with 24 hour access via an electronic key system. n Disabled access and accommodation. n Laundry, ATM, snack and change machines. n Easy access (only 15 minutes walk) to the city centre. n A College with a unique place in the history of the University of Oxford with elegant, classical and neo classical buildings

For further information contact t: 01865 611079 or e: conferences@lmh.ox.ac.uk

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B4 SERVICES

TRANSFORMING FAMILY VALUES INTO COMMERCIAL SUCCESS Running a successful company for 25 years is one thing, factor in the idiosyncrasies of individual family members and you’re looking not only at a superb business achievement, but also testimony to the drive, enthusiasm, support and respect of a family who have always pulled together.

B-Line Business Supplies was started in 1986 by Dave Beesley; a serial entrepreneur who can’t help but see opportunity at every juncture. A natural salesman, Dave built the B-Line brand from scratch: “I made the decision to go self-employed to have more control over my life and to be able to spend some time with my family. Working hard comes naturally and is something I see in my children, Kay and Phil”, said Dave.

If working hard were all it took, we’d probably all be running highly successful businesses. What Dave has is foresight, the ability to identify an opportunity and develop it quickly into a lucrative business proposition. In the early 1980’s businesses were struggling to survive, with many seeing bankruptcy as the only route out. Dave bought their bankrupt stock and started what he calls, “a good old fashioned second-hand business”. Adding business stationery and printing to the company offering was a natural progression. Some 25 years later, the business has developed into a thriving concern selling the full range of business supplies, including a bespoke print and design service, although the furniture is now new and personally designed to fit your workspace.

In such a competitive arena, how does a family-run SME survive? Dave explained, “Our core family values have never changed. We value and respect each other, our staff and our customers. There have been huge highs and lows over the years and we always find a way through. Our customers trusted us in the early days to deliver only the very best service and at a competitive price.

The way we do business today is no different.”

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Managing Director Phil Beesley (Dave’s son) now runs the business. A different personality in many ways, but with the same keen eye for emerging trends.

“We indentified opportunities via the Internet very early on and have invested significant time and money into our online offering. This investment is continuous; we are constantly looking at ways to take advantage of technology and of exploiting new marketing avenues like social media’, Phil explained. “In everything we do, we never lose sight of the customer and their needs. All our efforts are designed to make the customer experience a good one. Many

“We indentified opportunities via the Internet very early on and have invested significant time and money into our online offering” people like the flexibility of ordering online, but if you’d rather speak with a real person from our customer service team, that’s fine too.”

Surviving in the current economic climate is to be admired, to have developed and grown a successful business through two recessions – and not fallen out with your family - is to be applauded! www.b-line.co.uk

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JORDAN & CO Jordan & Co, part of the Air Business group, pave the way for local businesses in the Oxfordshire area to benefit from the most comprehensive range of service options available in the market.

The Air Business group has established itself as the UK’s leading global distribution, fulfilment and integrated subscriptions management bureau.

Established in 1986, the company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of An Post, the Irish Post Office, since 2002. Their strategic objective stated simply by Jonathan Middleton, their Group Business Development and Marketing Director is ‘to provide a combination of competitive pricing with consistently superior service levels through cost-effective, on-time global fulfilment and delivery solutions. We are committed to maximising value and making our business work harder to ensure the

Business group has successfully maintained its financial stability, with forecasted revenues of £56 million for 2012. In these uncertain times possessing such strong foundations to work from gives exactly the kind of reassurance clients have come to expect from a supplier.

The Air Business group now operates from four locations in the UK; St. Albans which is also the UK head office, a pick and pack warehouse facility in Colchester, a further production site in Witney and the recently acquired integrated publishing services bureau Quadrant (formerly part of the Reed Elsevier Group) in Haywards Heath.

quality driven, offering a variety of direct mail fulfilment services including postage, bespoke data processing and poly-wrapping solutions to a diverse group of clients such as Private Eye and Reed Elsevier. The inclusion of their substantial UK wrapping capacity has effectively doubled that of the group as a whole and also serves the dual purpose of providing a perfect business continuity and disaster recovery contingency plan in light of Witney and St Albans site employing an identical workflow structure and machinery. This enables them to adapt smoothly to unforeseen circumstances and guarantee failsafe delivery of customer items.

“Our success as the leading global fulfilment and integrated subscriptions management provider can be linked directly to us providing our customers with real benefits such as cost

”

effective services, high operational performance and excellent account management highest possible standards of customer and operational service and provide benefits to clients through a consistent programme of investment and market leading innovation.’

Jordan & Co, the Witney site, is a 30,000 square foot, high capacity mail fulfilment and distribution management facility that was acquired by Air Business group in 2009.

This is no idle boast, as in addition to being the fastest growing company in the market, Air

Originally a family run business established in 1983, Jordan & Co are customer-focused and

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Well known in local circles for its swift, efficient, and cost effective service, the Witney site counts many local businesses amongst its regular customers including (but not limited to) the Oxford University Press, Ashmolean Museum, the Four Pillars Hotel group, Windrush Printers and BGP (Benhamgoodhead Print Group).

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B4 SERVICES

In fact, B4 magazine also counts itself among their clients, enjoying all the benefits of a premier international distribution facility has to offer, practically on our doorstep, thereby greatly reducing our overall costs.

In recent years The Air Business group has been dedicated to establishing itself as a ‘complete provider’ for a variety of clients spanning the publishing industry, retail, manufacturing and direct mail sectors, creating a unique suite of services designed with quality, flexibility and excellent customer services as the driving force behind their efforts.

"Our success as the leading global fulfilment and integrated subscriptions management provider can be linked directly to us providing our customers with real benefits such as cost effective services, high operational performance and excellent account management.” says Jonathan Middleton.

“As result we have attracted a great customer base, dramatically expanded our product selection, and added more value on every level. Furthermore, this is only the beginning; we have many more improvements that we will bring to market in 2012."

All of the services across the group are provided in-house, with components that can be tailored and implemented individually or in any combination, to provide customers with global distribution, fulfilment and integrated subscriptions management solutions that fall inline with your individual requirements.

These services include; Mail Distribution, Fulfilment, Data Management, Subscription Management, Circulation Audits, Courier Services, Exhibition Handling and Digital Fulfilment.

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In regard to the broad range of expertise available from the company, Adam Sherman, Group Managing Director commented, ‘If you were to press me as to where Air Business specialise… I would have to say that we don’t really specialise anywhere. We handle anything that moves from A to B.’ For time sensitive publications though, Jonathan assures us that there is no one better at getting them where they need to be, quickly and dependably irrespective of their final destination.

‘Take for example Lloyd’s List. Now this is a daily publication with an extremely tight turnaround, and frankly, is a job that Air Business has the expertise to fulfil on time. Usually we don’t receive copies until around 8pm at night in St Albans, and we have to deliver it all over Europe, on the desk, by 7am the following morning. To achieve this it is vital we have an excellent, efficient and fast operation for this job. Less than 12 hours from receipt to wrap it, fly it, retrieve it and deliver it.’ Said Jonathan Middleton.

Their Business Development team assigns dedicated account coordinators to manage every stage of job from inception to completion, ensuring a smooth work flow between departments and timely despatch. Even after the despatch of a customer’s items, the team is still on hand to supply information on quality of service monitoring mechanisms put in place and the subsequent reports generated from the data received.

Jonathan explains: ‘One such instance where the value of this process was most telling, resulted in Air Business group securing the international and domestic distribution of The Guardian newspaper mid contract after their subscribers had been experiencing particularly poor service from the

incumbent supplier. Within the first 3 weeks of a trial mailing we were inundated with 2,438 positive responses from subscribers detailing how much swifter and reliable delivery was with an Air Business solution.’

Soon after, The Guardian switched to Air Business and remains a happy customer, trusting them with the continued distribution of The Guardian, The Guardian Weekly and the Observer newspapers.

‘After-service care and analysis is a big part of what we do. Many clients who have moved to Air Business were delighted to find a level of attentiveness and customer service beyond their expectations. We provide the necessary peace of mind for customers, enabling them to focus on their core strengths of writing and selling, while we handle the rest.’

Without a doubt it is the strength of their service that has enabled Air Business to nurture an enviable client base that boasts an impressive list of major brands such as The Informa Group, Emap, IPC, Reed Elsevier Group, Guardian Newspapers, Dennis Publishing and Tesco.

To take full advantage of promotional rates offered to local Oxfordshire based businesses, please call 01727 890620 or email our team at sales@airbusonline.com quoting ‘B4’.

Alternatively if you would like to explore any other aspect of the services available from the Air Business group please do not hesitate to contact us via the telephone number or email address listed above. www.airbusonline.com

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Regina Hotel Baglioni, Rome

Luxury with an Italian touch A stay at any Baglioni hotel comes with the promise of Italian hospitality tailor-made to suit your every need and more.

milan, venice, florence, punta ala tuscany, rome, london, aix-en-provence, saint paul-de-vence, champillon-epernay, mirambeau, bort l’etang-auvergne www. b agl io ni hot e l s . c o m

news West Oxfordshire Business Awards 2012

West Oxfordshire businesses and organisations of all sizes and across a multitude of industries are being encouraged to enter the 2012 West Oxfordshire Business Awards. Now in their second year, The Awards recognise and reward the achievements of organisations based in West Oxfordshire and acknowledge the accomplishments of those businesses that drive the corporate success of the region.

The Awards offer an exceptional platform for local businesses in the area to celebrate their success and raise their profile. Last year’s winners of the Charity

and Community award was SpecialEffect, a Charlbury-based charity that helps disabled young people play computer games. They have said that winning has had a “huge impact” on their organisation over the last year. Founder and Director Dr Mick Donegan commented, “We’ve had some very tangible benefits, including increased numbers of volunteers and ‘in-kind’ donations since winning the award.” Andrew Hammond from Oxford Products in Witney, who won the Large Business Award last year, believes that their achievement “has given the staff more pride in their work, knowing that their efforts are contributing to an award-winning company.”

2012 Categories The West Oxfordshire Business Awards span a diverse range of categories, including two new ones for 2012. The winner of each category will be considered for the overall West Oxfordshire Business of the Year Award and the 3 finalists in every category will automatically be entered into the Oxfordshire Business Awards (www.oxfordshirebusinessawards.co.uk). y Bloxham Mill Small Business Award y Ridgeway Large Business Award

y y y y y y y

Owen Mumford Innovation Award Strategic Mentors Business Person of the Year Award Floremus New Business Award Heythrop Park Resort Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Award Abacus Events Green Business Award Cloud 9 Charity and Community Award New for 2012: Blenheim Palace Rural and Land-based Award

Information & Sponsors The West Oxfordshire Business Awards open for entries on 1 November 2011 with a closing deadline of 5pm on 31 December. The finalists will be announced in February with the winners celebrated at the Gala Dinner at Heythrop Park Resort in March.

For more information, or to enter the awards, please visit: www.woba.co.uk

www.b4-business.com

The West Oxfordshire Business awards are kindly sponsored by: Abacus Events, Owen Mumford, Bloxham Mill, Ridgeway, Cloud 9, Heythrop Park Resort, Floremus, Blenheim Palace, Beautiful Chair Covers, Scotts Photography, Fineprint, B4 Magazine, Cotswold Life, Witney TV, The Southill Partnership, WODC, Marketing Sense, Olamalu, Strategic Mentors, Red Core Marketing, Abingdon and Witney College, BB Administration and Devotion PR.

www.woba.co.uk

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B4 SERVICES

DELIVERING THE DREAM The team from Johnsons Buildbase, whose designs have featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs and with several celebrities among their clients, talk about how they turn dream kitchens and bathrooms into reality.

By Sarah Airey.

Dean Ridgway, Kitchen Manager; Kevan Price, Bathroom and Tile Manager; and Craig Tarrant, Branch Manager (Lightside) might not look like typical Fairy Godmothers, but they can make wishes come true! With huge expertise, they can take your dream kitchen or bathroom and make it happen.

Dean says, “Come to us for inspiration – You’re not be disappointed.” Johnsons will arrange a home visit and then produce detailed CAD drawings. They take care of the complete job, from start to finish including design, installation, tiling, glazing, flooring, plumbing and electrical works.

The dream starts with a ‘wish list’. Dean, Kevan and Craig have a huge amount of experience having overseen thousands of successful designs and installations. This means that you can depend on them to know what works, with attention to detail so that nothing is overlooked, and guide you

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through the minefield of regulations to ensure compliance and safety.

“Other features becoming more popular include wine coolers, steam ovens, pull-out drawers, induction hobs and the Teppan Yaki cooking surface

”

Dean says, “For ideas, clients come into the showroom to see the very latest in contemporary

design and technology.”

Talking about trends he says, “In kitchens people are moving away from tiling and there is a lot more glass and granite. Other features becoming more popular include wine coolers, steam ovens, pull-out drawers, induction hobs, and the Teppan Yaki cooking surface.”

He points out the new hot water tap, which delivers water at 100˚C for drinks and cooking.

Johnsons’ eco products include a pull out four-compartment bin sorter for recycling as well as water saving baths, taps, showers, and cisterns.

Kevan, says, “Kitchen design has influenced bathroom design, and the biggest change we have seen is in furniture. Most bathrooms are having storage units and work tops fitted to hide the pipe work and keep them clutter free. There are more curves, different surface levels, and plenty of tiling,

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with a lot of new bathrooms being completely tiled.“ “We offer a huge variety and choice of tiles and customers are becoming more adventurous with textures. We also supply a wet wall tile panel, which is easier to install. “ Kevan tells me that the trend has moved away from saunas and steam rooms. “Instead, money spent on lighting delivers the designer look.” He explains, “Good design is more important than ever as the bathroom has become an antidote to the stress of modern life.”

Other trends include under tile heating, heated mirrors and high-pressure systems for showers. The days when anyone settled for a poor quality shower are long gone. And, if you want a wet room, “We guarantee the quality of design, fitments and installation to ensure there are no leaks.”

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The colour for the bathroom is, “Still predominantly white for the fittings with colour added using furniture, lighting or accessories.”

“Good design is more important than ever as the bathroom has become an antidote to the stress of modern life” Kevan points out that Johnsons specialise in easy access bathrooms. “Design is perhaps even more important to make sure that they don’t look ‘hospital like’. We can design a bathroom with

raised WC pans, grab handles, shower enclosures, and make sure it still looks good.”

Craig adds, “Looking good is what Johnsons is about. We are a design led business. We have over 110 displays in our showroom including 5 wet rooms. This is also where we can show you our 3D visualisation of your kitchen or bathroom on screen.

We can work with you changing colours and styles before making the final decisions. Five weeks later the dream can be delivered, installed, and made real.

Johnsons Buildbase is open 7.30 am – 5 pm weekdays and 8 am - 4 pm on Saturdays. See Website for more details: www.buildbase.co.uk www.oxford-kitchens.co.uk www.oxford-bathrooms.co.uk

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B4 PARTNERSHIPS

Photograph from left to right: Kelvin Thomas, Chairman of Oxford United Football Club and Tim King, Fredericks client manager

A UNITED PARTNERSHIP

Oxford United Football Club (OUFC) is pleased to announce a partnership agreement with microfinance organisation, Fredericks Oxfordshire. Claire Thompson reports for B4.

Launched three months ago, Fredericks Oxfordshire is a local loan fund for people looking to start or grow their business with small loans when they are unable to get traditional finance. What makes these loans different from other finance is that they come with a package of support and mentoring, to ensure the best possible future for their business.

Fredericks client manager, Tim King and Chairman of Oxford United Football Club, Kelvin Thomas have

the community.

Kelvin Thomas said: "We are happy to partner with Fredericks to the benefit of the local community and hope our on-going relationship will provide the impetus for businesses to succeed in such difficult economic times."

Tim King, Client Manager at Fredericks Oxfordshire states: “We are delighted that Oxford United has taken the decision to support Fredericks - a great new partnership has come to life. There are many

the Business Development Officer for West Oxfordshire District Council explains: “Fredericks Oxfordshire isn’t just about lending money, it is about helping local businesses succeed. The success of this project has been a great team effort and is a splendid example of what can be achieved by working together and being committed to making things happen.”

“Fredericks Oxfordshire has not just appeared or happened by accident. It is the result of a lot of hard work and determination by a group of

“The key driver for OUFC’s involvement with Fredericks lies in the clubs on-going drive to help benefit the local community” established an alliance to promote Fredericks to the OUFC supporters and corporate members.

The key driver for OUFC’s involvement with Fredericks lies in the clubs on-going drive to help benefit the local community.

The club supports numerous charities and has community officers with the sole responsibility of promoting healthy living programmes in schools.

This agreement to support Fredericks Oxfordshire further underlines the clubs strong commitment to

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ways people can get involved with the scheme ranging from fundraising, investors to mentoring, sitting on lending panels, and referring new clients.

It provides an excellent opportunity for corporate businesses to develop their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy to maximum effect.

Investors can also benefit from the Governments Community Investment Tax Relief (CITR) scheme which is available to both individuals and companies and is worth up to 25% of the value of the investment.”

Fredericks Oxfordshire Chair, William Barton who is

committed people. Significant funding and excellent support for the project has been gained from many organisations including: Beard Construction, Critchleys, Jennings, Torpedo creative marketing, Four Pillars Hotels, Blenheim Palace and Cornbury Park to name a few. We are delighted to be adding Oxford United Football Club to our long list of local supporters, yet another example of local business people and entrepreneurs giving a helping hand to those less fortunate.” www.fredericksoxfordshire.org www.oufc.co.uk

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THE CRAZY CRAZY BEAR

Checking in to a double decker bus and being driven to your hotel room in a golf buggy in advance of your Christmas meal in October? It could only be The Crazy Bear.

The words flamboyant, surprising, lavish and sumptuous aren’t really sufficient to explain the Crazy Bear experience. If you have a special occasion looming or just fancy treating yourself to a great night out, then visit, arguably, one of the country’s most spectacular and unique hotels with a choice of two stunning restaurants. And the best bit? It’s less than a ten minute drive from the centre of Oxford.

We arrived on a chilly October evening to sample The Crazy Bear’s Christmas Thai Party Menu (available to all throughout December and January) and, yes,

we were ready to venture back to the main building which housed the English and Thai Restaurants. I’d been pre-warned that we were, indeed, to enjoy the Christmas Thai menu, and had visions of Thai Green Curry with mistletoe and Satay Chicken a la Santa. But what we enjoyed was a cracking Thai meal with all the trimmings, if you like! (see inset for full menu). We felt the Christmas Pudding would be a bridge too far and felt if the children couldn’t open their presents on Christmas Eve, how on earth could we explain eating Christmas Pudding in October!

“This is very much a venue to celebrate in and parties are The Crazy Bear’s forte. You can revel in one of the series of combined Christmas party nights throughout December, for groups from 4 up to 450

”

we did check in to a double decker bus. Strange, but true, this was the reception! We were then driven in a buggy the two hundred or so yards to one of the buildings on what has turned into a mini resort, a house converted into five majestic suites. Our room was called Deep Purple, complete with Jacuzzi, humungous wide screen TV and ultra comfortable four poster bed.

After a quick shower / bath – I should have guessed the water would have come out of one of the ‘lights’ in the ceiling, how stupid of me, so ignorant! – 116

We retired to our room after a belt-busting meal and watched an in-house movie on our very own cinema screen – well with eyes to eat that much food, the screen seemed to have doubled in size by the time we got back to the room.

It was bliss to have a lie in, until I remembered that England were going to win the World Cup Rugby semi against France, or so we had been led to believe.

Breakfast couldn’t come soon enough after a disappointing defeat, which soon www.b4-business.com

B4 R&R

CHRISTMAS

THAI MENU STARTERS TO SHARE Crispy Vegetable Roll, hoi sin dip Satay Chicken, ard-jard sauce, peanut sauce Soft Shell Crab, lime, wasabi mayonnaise erased the previous night’s claims that we ‘wouldn’t eat for a week’! Duck eggs Benedict, home oak smoked Scottish salmon and scrambled hens eggs, plus cereals, toast, juice… …we were back in full swing and, were stuffed again. What a superb breakfast!

So what do you do when you’ve had two great meals and had the most wonderful night’s sleep in a one of a kind room? You go and buy some more food. Obvious! The Crazy Bear Farmshop is an Aladdin’s Cave of fresh meats, cheeses, naughty but nice pastries, vintage wines, cakes, incredible spices and an unbelievable range of delicacies.

You can also buy vouchers for anything from meals and stays for two, to clay pigeon shooting and afternoon champagne teas.

This is very much a venue to celebrate in and parties are The Crazy Bear’s forte. You can revel in one of their combined Christmas party nights throughout December, comprising a bellini www.b4-business.com

cocktail reception and lavish Christmas feast.

Entertainment will include London guitar and vocal duo The Rise, spectacular burlesque performances, magicians, a DJ and dancing.

Braised Smoked Pork Ribs, sticky braising juices, crispy leeks

For a more traditional, intimate meal, the English menu features delights such as home smoked salmon with caper berries, horseradish and lemon cream, foie gras and chicken liver parfait, roasted Cotswold orchard-reared turkey with all the trimmings and seared fillet of sea bass.

Green Chicken Curry, thai & pea aubergines, bamboo shoots, basil, chilli, coconut milk

The hotel will be open over the entire Christmas and New Year period. See the website for party and special Christmas and Boxing Day menus, as well as details of the legendary New Year’s Eve party (with a Moulin Rouge theme).

MAINS TO SHARE

Beef Sirloin, mushrooms, onions, capsicums, oyster sauce Crispy Sebream Fillets, hot & sour sauce, thai basil Wok Fried Mixed Vegetables and Steamed Jasmine Rice DESSERTS

Just try not to enjoy yourselves….too much!!!! www.crazybeargroup.co.uk

Traditional Homemade Christmas Pudding served with brandy sauce and clotted cream Fresh Tropical Fruit Salad with mango sorbet £34.50 per person - minimum four people

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E X H I B I T I O N & D I S P L AY AY G R A P H I C S P U L L - U P B A N N E R S P O P - U P D I S P L AYS A Y S P VC VC B A N N E R S P O S T E R P R I N T I N G VA M O D U L A R PA PA N E L S O U T D O O R S I G N A G E C A N V AS PRINTS F I N E A RT R T P R I N T I N G P H OTO OTO G R A P H I C P R I N T I N G

01993 892360 w w w. b l u e p r i n t i m a g i n g . c o m

news Events and exhibitions Since the beginning of September, Visit Oxfordshire and its conference bureau, Meet Oxfordshire has been busy promoting all that the county has to offer visitors at a number of trade events and exhibitions. The month began with Meet Oxfordshire attending the Event Summit in London, where they showcased the county to conference and event organisers.

Following this a familiarisation trip will be organised in the autumn to convert a number of enquiries into bookings for conference venues across Oxfordshire.

Meanwhile, Jo Butler, Visit Oxfordshire’s Tourism Manager, organised a stand at the Group Leisure Show at the NEC in Birmingham with Blenheim Palace, Oxford Castle and Waterperry Gardens to increase awareness of all that Oxfordshire has to offer groups throughout the year, from lunch stop and visits to itineraries lasting one day or longer.

The level of interest shown in Oxford and Oxfordshire by group organisers is growing, as we work with our partners to better promote the variety of product across the county, and demonstrate how

it can be easily put together to create a great day out or longer stay for groups of all sizes.

The month ended with a Visit Britain trade workshop for US and Canadian tour operators in New York. It was the first time Oxfordshire had a county presence at the workshop, which is a showcase for destinations and attractions across the UK to the key North American market. There was great interest in not only the county’s traditional highlights but also in the events and festivals throughout the year, and Oxfordshire’s easy access to other key destinations such as London and Stratford, which makes it an ideal base from which to explore the rest of Britain!

Visit Oxfordshire worked in partnership with the districts across the county, in particular the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, as attendance was part of a two-year county plan for international tourism marketing to promote Oxfordshire to a wider audience, more of which below.

in London where all their overseas offices are represented, and which is an ideal opportunity to talk about all that’s up and coming for 2012 in Oxfordshire, such as the Tree of Light and Alice’s Day as well as national events like the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Moving into October, we were at a VisitBritain event

Oxfordshire on Film As mentioned above Visit Oxfordshire has been working with its district partners on an international tourism marketing plan. One of the key activities has been to work with VisitBritain and Tourism South East on

producing editable film footage, available free of charge to overseas media in the run-up to the London 2012 Games to help promote Oxfordshire.

In addition, a short countywide promotional film has been produced, which can be seen on Visit Oxfordshire’s website as well as YouTube (tinyurl.com/3u94ddf) and is also available for businesses to use.

Building up to Christmas Now that the summer is over, Visit Oxfordshire is already looking ahead to Christmas! With Christmas Light Night taking place in Oxford on 2nd December information on Christmas and winter festivities and events across the county can be found on our website.

We are also introducing a new range of Christmas presents and corporate gifts from decorations and gingerbread Santas to crystalware and beautiful books, all of which are available online and from the Tourist Information Centre in Broad Street, for visitors and residents alike.

Partner focus - Christ Church Have you ever wondered what treasures may be found on the shelves of Christ Church’s elegant library? Wished you could step into Alice’s Wonderland? Imagined how it would feel to dine at High Table in the magnificent Hall? In October, a small group of visitors were able to do just this by spending a day behind the scenes in the various departments at Christ Church college.

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This unique opportunity was the first ‘Behind Closed Doors’ event of this kind organised by the college. Christ Church will be holding a limited number of similar events on selected dates in 2012, further information and prices can be found at: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/conferences/ chch-events/treasures-revealed.

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intouchcrm

news Oxfordshire businesses raise £43, 000 towards a bumper Centenary year for Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan’s 100+ Club, is an initiative run by Macmillan Cancer Support, where Oxfordshire businesses have been encouraged to raise £1000+ each for the charity during Macmillan’s Centenary year.

A special thanks to B4 magazine for hosting the 100+ Club on their website, having us as their charity of the year and enabling us to promote our initiative to so many of their members.

Oxfordshire businesses have raised over £43,000 so far and with three months left of the year, the team at Macmillan are hoping that the club will raise over £55,000, enough to fund the equivalent of one Macmillan nurse for a year.

Julian Knowles, Fundraising Manager for Macmillan in Oxfordshire says: ”We’re particularly heartened by the imaginative ways our 100+ Club members have devised to reach their targets. We’ve been amazed at the passion, energy and sheer ingenuity companies are using to raise their quotas. Leading the pack with the highest total so far are Chancellors Estate Agents who have already raised £4,700 and are planning further activities later in the year to lift their total to £10, 000.”

Marie O'Callaghan of the Chancellors Group comments: “Our challenge (to get fit and run the Macmillan 10K Hyde Park Run) has allowed us to energise our teams and provide really positive morale across our network of 45 branches.

We’ve had an excellent response from staff members willing to take part in the challenge who are now very committed to their fundraising task. Our team of 50 runners across Oxfordshire and the South East vary in age and athletic ability but nonetheless, the shared goal of raising as much money as we can as a team has generated a great atmosphere and a high degree of competitiveness amongst staff.”

Julian continues: “The Gap store in Oxford organised a midnight sponsored walk in August to reach their total in one simple, contained event. Other companies have used a mixture of different fundraising efforts; ZigZag used their office swearbox to kick-start their fundraising! They augmented this solid foundation (which was helped by the office printer malfunctioning!) with other varied activities including collecting tins, a treasure hunt and the Blenheim triathlon.”

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Macmillan have recently provided funding for a new Macmillan nurse on the children’s ward at the John Radcliffe Hospital, this post is for a ‘Teenage and young adult clinical nurse specialist’. This nurse will specifically help young cancer survivors deal with the lifelong effects of both their cancer and the treatments they received. The role is designed to help these vulnerable teenagers and young adults achieve good outcomes and good quality of life during this crucial period of their lives.

Posts like these can only be supported by fundraising activities like the 100+ Club, which is why Macmillan will be continuing this initiative into 2012 so if any B4 members would like to get involved then please call 01869 322279 and ask for Julian or email JKnowles@macmillan.org.uk and we’ll send you a fundraising pack which has everything to get you started.

“...Our challenge has allowed us to energise our teams and provide really positive morale across our network of 45 branches” One in three of us will get cancer. Cancer is the toughest fight most of us will ever face. But you don’t have to go through it alone. The Macmillan team is with you every step of the way, from the nurses and therapists helping you through treatment to the campaigners improving cancer care.

When the time is right, you can do something to help. We can all be part of the team. We are Macmillan Cancer Support. Please get involved and join our 100+ Club Business Challenge today where you can make a difference.

JKnowles@macmillan.org.uk

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M a g a z i n e s

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the cream of british printing since 1826

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F i n a n c i a l

news Help us Double-dip in a recession Now is the chance to make your generosity stretch even further by taking part in The Big Give Christmas Challenge.

The Oxford Cancer Centre is one of the chosen charities in this year’s Challenge, a fantastic initiative from The Big Give that allows your donations to be doubled.

Please do not miss this unique and exciting opportunity for us to raise important funds - your participation is hugely valued and appreciated.

The first step for any companies or generous benefactors who would like to make a donation is to register their pledge. To make a pledge, fill out a form

by October 31, 2011 at: www.theBigGive.org.uk/pledge/cancer_centre If you’ve missed the October deadline, simply go online from December 5. For more information or to register for a December reminder, contact Marianne Julebin on 01865 231523 or at Marianne.Julebin@orh.nhs.uk

It was the perfect match when a top image consultant laid on a glitzy event to raise funds for imaging equipment for the Oxford Breast Screening Unit.

Louise Martinez, co-owner of Electric Hairdressing, hosted a pamper evening where guests paid £15 a ticket to enjoy nibbles supplied by Malmaison and glasses of bubbly, while picking up tips on colour and cut.

All proceeds from the evening, which also featured demonstrations from Karen Fredrick of House of Colour and manicures courtesy of Cannelle Beaute, went towards the hospital unit’s appeal for a digital scanner.

Photograph by Mark Spooner

It’s all about the image at Electric event Jane Baldwin, consultant radiologist and director of Oxfordshire Breast Screening Services, said: “About 28,000 women a year are invited in for a mammogram and that number is increasing all the time.

“With digital scanners it is quicker to read images and easier to store and transfer them.

“Things show up better, which is good because we can treat it at an earlier stage and outcomes are better.

“It’s fabulous having an event that’s fun for women but where they can find out what we are doing to improve the diagnosis of breast cancer.”

Electric’s Louise Martinez (standing, left) with Debbie Austin of Wellers Accountants and Mark Woolley of Electric

Strictly Come Darbys Take 2 Trophies, sequins and frocks are back in the spotlight as law firm Darbys announces the return of Strictly Come Darbys.

are coached in a ballroom dance before appearing in front of a live audience and panel of judges who score and critique their dancing.

Following the success of the first event earlier this year, Strictly Come Darbys Take 2 will raise funds for The Purple Garden at The Oxford Cancer Centre.

Darbys colleagues, family, friends and supporters

This great team-building and fundraising event is on Friday 4 November at the Oxford Conference Centre in Park End Street, Oxford and now includes a Corporate Challenge.

It costs £25 to enter, while audience tickets cost £15, including a free bar between 6.30pm and 9pm, the competition, a cold buffet and disco till late.

For more information, contact Mari-Louise Barker on 01865 811769 or mbarker@darbys.co.uk

Going out on a limb The 75 brave supporters who took on a 100ft-abseil challenge in September raised more than £20,000 for the Children’s Hospital.

Individuals, families and groups from local businesses took part including four colleagues from Evotec who raised more than £500.

COMING UP: Sunday 30 October - It’s Not Just a Walk in the Park, 10.30am Oxford University Parks A gentle three-mile sponsored stroll around University Parks to raise funds for the Oxford Cancer Centre and Oxford Heart Centre. Enter online at www.orhcharitablefunds.nhs.uk

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Penny Hambridge, Children’s Development Officer at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charity Foundation, said: “This was a wonderful total raised for the hospital and it’s marvellous that local businesses get involved with these events. It’s great team building and helps thousands of youngsters at the same time.”

Our team is always eager to hear from anyone who has fundraising ideas and we work hard to make sure that businesses that support us find the experience positive and enjoyable. So do get in touch: www.orhcharitablefunds.nhs.uk, 01865 743444, campaign@orh.nhs.uk

You can text a donation to the Cancer Centre right now. Donate between £1 and £10 by texting OXCC12 to the number 70070 (you will be prompted to say how much you want to give.) Thanks!

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MAGDALEN: Great School,Great Venue Located in the heart of Oxford, with stunning facilities and ample parking to host conferences, corporate events, wedding receptions or parties, Magdalen College School is the perfect choice for your next event.

Call Emma Bellenie on 01865 242191 or email ebellenie@mcsoxford.org to find out more or to arrange a no obligation visit. www.mcsoxford.org

news Christmas Light Night 2011 Friday 2 December 2011 5.00pm – 10.00pm On the evening of Friday 2 December, Oxford will celebrate the arrival of Christmas with a spectacular evening that combines the switch on of the city’s lights with an exciting programme of processions, dance, art, live music and performance. From 5pm onwards, the historic centre of the city will come alive as thousands of revellers gather to enjoy the festive activities on offer to them both indoors and out.

Over the course of the evening, the public are invited to explore some of the city’s best loved cultural venues, as they throw open their doors for one-off late night viewings of their exhibitions and displays, enhanced by special performances.

Visitors will have the chance to discover festive delights in fifteen city centre venues, including the Pitt Rivers Museum, the Ashmolean Museum, the Bodleian Library, the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford Playhouse, Oxford Castle, the Museum of Oxford and Town Hall, St Michael at the North Gate, St Ebbe’s Church, the Old Fire Station, Modern Art Oxford, the Story Museum, the O3 Gallery and the Jacqueline du Pre Music Building. OCM, OFVM, OVADA, Creation Theatre Company and Oxford Improvisers will also be taking part in the celebrations.

Lantern Procession 2010. Photo: Greg Smolonski

On The City Streets On the streets, singers and dancers will entertain the crowds with high-energy performances, while Christmas markets, festive food & drink stalls and children’s rides will also be close by to add that extra bit of seasonal sparkle to the evening’s proceedings.

Lantern Procession Lead Sponsor

Lantern Procession 6.15pm – 6.45pm From 6.15pm, visitors to the city will also have the

chance to catch a glimpse of the magical Christmas Lantern Procession, which will see twelve primary schools and four secondary schools, alongside community groups from across the city, winding their way through the centre of Oxford. The procession will showcase the groups’ own handmade puppet-style lanterns, each representing one of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Follow their route, which starts and ends at the Old Fire Station, through the city streets and catch the spectacular switch on of Oxford’s Christmas lights at 6.30pm.

This year’s procession is once again being supported by MINI Plant Oxford. Plant Associates will provide support during the lantern making workshops as well as on the evening itself- helping to ensure that the procession is a fantastic success for all those involved.

Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night 8.15pm – 9.00pm (meet at 8.00pm at Radcliffe Square) Another highlight of the evening will be Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night promenade, which makes a welcome return after last years inaugural performance. Oxford Contemporary Music invites you to bring your portable stereos and join composer Phil Kline’s free outdoor participatory sound sculpture; recorded on cassettes, CD’s and mp3’s and played through a roving swarm of ghetto blasters, this moving sound sculpture uses shimmering bells, chimes and grand chorals to transform the streets into a winter wonderland. To take part, contact OCM for a copy of the music: 01865 488369/ info@ocmevents.org.

For more information about Christmas Light Night and the many activities taking place during the course of the evening, visit www.oxfordinspires.org.

Christmas Light Night is being co-ordinated by Oxford Inspires, Oxford City Council and Ian Nolan Events Ltd on behalf of communities and cultural organisations across the city. The key partners for the event are the Ark-T Centre, OCM (Oxford Contemporary Music), Oxford Castle and the University of Oxford.

www.b4-business.com

www.oxfordinspires.org

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0845 241 7772 - enquiries@orangestripe.co.uk - www.orangestripe.co.uk

B4 contacts MOTORS Chrysler, Jeep & Dodge Tim Keatinge Managing Director t: 01865 376000 w: www.chrysleroxford.co.uk

Sci Net Duncan Ferguson Managing Director

White & Black Legal LLP t: 0800 035 2656 w: www.wablegal.com

t: 01869 349949 w: www.sci-net.co.uk

Morgan Cole t: 01865 262600 w: www.morgan-cole.com

The Clarkson Alliance t: 01865 355580 w: www.theclarksonalliance.com

ADVICE ACCOUNTING Wenn Townsend Tony Haines Partner t: 01865 559900 w: www.wenntownsend.co.uk The MGroup Richard Clayton Partner t: 01865 552925 w: www.themgroup.co.uk Shaw Gibbs Peter O’Connell Partner t: 01865 292200 w: www.shawgibbs.com Wellers Stuart Crook Partner t: 01865 723131 w: www.wellersaccountants.co.uk Grant Thornton Wendy Hart Managing Partner t: 01865 799899 w: www.grant-thornton.co.uk

myFD Recruitment t: 01869 354041 w: www.myfdrecruitment.co.uk Concise Training t: 01865 522658 w: www.concisetraining.net Unique Business Strategies t: 01280 844966 w: www.uniquebusinessstrategies.co.uk Risk Management Security Services Louise Wilson Business Development Manager

ARCHIVING AND STORAGE Ardington Archives Janet Gibbons Director t: 01367 718710 w:www.ardingtonarchives.co.uk

AUDIO VISUAL City Audio Visual Peter Gunn Director

LEGAL

t: 01865 722800 w: www.cityaudiovisual.co.uk

Darbys Solicitors Simon McCrum Managing Partner t: 01865 811700 w: www.darbys.co.uk BrookStreet Des Roches LLP Paddy Gregan Partner t: 01235 836655 w: www.bsdr.com

V J Hancock & Co. t: 01993 822817 w: www.vjhancockandco.com

t: 01865 781000 w: www.henmansllp.co.uk

BUSINESS ADVICE

Manches Richard Smith Managing Partner t: 01865 722106 w: www.manches.com

Oxford Professional Consulting Alison Haill Managing Director

Hedges Law t: 01491 839839 w: www.hedgeslaw.co.uk

t: 01865 436 791 w: www.oxfordprofessionalconsulting.com

Withy King Mark Emery Partner

The Business Wealth Club Paul Avins Founder & CEO

BUSINESS SERVICES

t: 01494 535830 w: www.riskmanagementsecurity.co.uk

Henmans LLP Julia Iball Managing Partner

Jamesons Insolvency & Business Recovery t: 01993 707860 w: www.jamesons.co.uk

Charles Russell LLP t: 020 7203 5000 w: www.charlesrussell.co.uk

t: 01865 792300 w: www.withyking.co.uk

Bang & Olufsen t: 01865 511241 w: www.bang-olufsen.com

BUSINESS AWARDS West Oxfordshire Business Awards t: 07772 085578 w: www.woba.co.uk

BUSINESS CONSULTANTS The Profitable Hotel Company Stuart Harrison Owner t: 01993 706632 w: www.profitablehotelcompany.co.uk Kelly Associates t: 01865 761738 w: www.kellyassociates.co.uk Advanced Stress Consultancy t: 07884 353628 w: www.advancedstressconsultancy.co.uk Thinking Business t: 07703 129821 w: www.thinkingbusiness.org Insight Oxford t: 01865 596 771 w: www.insightoxford.co.uk

t: 01869 278900 w: www.thebusinesswealthclub.com

www.b4-business.com

127

B4 contacts BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS Institute of Directors Ian Wenman Chairman t: 07770 893834 w: www.iod.com The Business Growth Show t: 0121 698 2370 w: www.thebusinessgrowthshow.co.uk OTCN t: 01865 893354 ext 464 w: www.otcn.co.uk

BUSINESS SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT B-Line David Beesley Chairman t: 01865 594550 w: www.b-line.co.uk Aston & James Office Supplies Limited Director t: 01993 706900 w: www.aston-james.co.uk Bayswater Framing Simon Beesley Managing Director

Oxfam Joss Saunders Legal Advisor

Bridle Insurance Neil Fox Chief Operations Officer

t: 0300 200 1292 w: www.oxfam.org.uk

t: 0845 0349648 w: www.bridleinsurance.co.uk

Oxfordshire Community Foundation Jayne Woodley Chief Executive t: 01865 798666 w: www.oxfordshire.org

Osbornes Insurances t: 01844 214316 w: www.osbornesins.co.uk

ROBIN Grant Hayward Local Business Partnership Coordinator, Oxfordshire t: 01865 251946 w: www.ocva.org.uk/robin

West Oxfordshire District Council William Barton Business Development Officer

The Ley Community Steve Walker Programme Director t: 01865 378600 w: www.ley.co.uk Footsteps Foundation t: 01865 858382 w: www.footstepsfoundation.com CLIC Sargent t: 03003 300803 w: www.clicsargent.org.uk

t: 01865 351000 w: www.bayswaterframing.co.uk

Ucare t: 01865 767777 w: www.ucare-oxford.org.uk

CLEANING SERVICES

DEBT COLLECTION

Pinewood Cleaning Services t: 01993 862866 w: www.pinewoodcc.co.uk

Total Credit Management Clive Taylor Director

CHARITIES

t: 01993 832266 w: www.totalcreditmanagement.co.uk

Macmillan Julian Knowles Fundraising Manager t. 01869 322279 w: www.macmillan.org.uk

DISTRIBUTION Air Business Ltd Adam Sherman Group Mamanging Director

Oxford Inspires Tony Stratton Chairman

t: 01727 890 620 w: www.airbusonline.com

t: 01865 815525 w: www.oxfordinspires.org

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds Graham Brogden Head of Community Fundraising t: 01865 743442 w: www.oxfordradcliffe.nhs.uk

www.b4-business.com

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

w: www.westoxon.gov.uk/business

NETWORKING GROUPS B4 Magazine Richard Rosser Editor t: 01865 742211 w: www.b4-business.com Opendoorz Cathy Dunbabin Director t: 01865 339434 w: www.opendoorz.biz Witney Bigger Breakfast t: 01608 811533 w: www.witneybigbreakfast.co.uk Advantage Business Network t: 0800 093 4111 w: www.advantagebusinessnetworking.co.uk

TRANSPORT Chiltern Railways Rob Brighouse MD t: 08456 005 165 w: www.chilternrailways.co.uk Isis Chauffeurs t: 01993 709023 / 07545 601515 w:www.isischauffeur.co.uk Hilltop Chauffeurs Nathan Thomas Owner

PAVY Ltd t: 01865 349014 w: www.pavy.co.uk

t: 07825 500852 / 01865 595262 w:www.hilltopchauffeurs.co.uk

INSURANCE

TRAVEL

CETA Insurance Ltd Sandie Schofield Managing Director

City Sightseeing Jane Marshall Transport Manager

t: 0845 4583071 w: www.lowerpremium.co.uk

t: 01865 790 522 w: www.citysightseeingoxford.com

129

RMD BUILDERS LTD

“Uncompromising care in construction is the key to lasting use and enjoyment”

We are an established family run business based in the heart of Oxfordshire.

We have over 40 years experience in the Design and Build Industry.

We employ local highly skilled tradesmen who work on all our projects.

We promote the use of sustainable construction techniques.

We are a member of all the main construction professional bodies, part of our commitment to maintaining the highest level of health and safety standards.

“I am writing to express my thanks on behalf of the Diocese of Oxford for RMD’s work in constructing the new Rectory at Stonesfield. The completed house and surrounding landscaping has been completed to an excellent standard. I would have no hesitation in recommending RMD to other potential clients and look forward to working with you again in the near future”.

Statement from: Surveyor for Diocese of Oxford.

We use a local and competitive supply chain whenever possible.

We are continually developing our skills and technical knowledge to provide our clients with a focused and professional package.

We have a dedicated aftercare service.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS I EXTENSIONS I RENOVATIONS I REFURBISHMENTS Tel: 01993 868000 | Fax: 01993 868111 Unit B1 New Yatt Business Centre | Witney | Oxon | OX29 6TJ Email: info@rmdbuilders.co.uk | Web: www.rmdbuilders.co.uk

B4 contacts London Oxford Airport James Dillon-Godfray Head of Marketing and Development

Magdalen College School Emma Bellenie Events Manager

Fly to the Past t: 01865 516124 w: www.flytothepast.com

t: 01865 290 600 w: www.londonoxfordairport.com

t: 01865 242191 w: www.mcsoxford.org

Visit Oxfordshire Joanne Butler Tourism Team Leader

Malmaison Mark McSorley General Manager

Abacus Events James McIntyre t: 07976 073186 w: www.abacuseventsgroup.co.uk

t: 01865 252200 w: www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com

t: 01865 268400 w: www.malmaison-oxford.com

CONFERENCE, EVENTS & VENUES CONFERENCES Conference Centre Oxford Alexandra Stardelova Marketing Executive t: 01865 797979 w: www.conferencecentreoxford.co.uk Pembroke College Daren Bowyer Home Bursar t: 01865 276484 w: www.pmb.ox.ac.uk/Conferences Ashmolean Museum Bénédicte Montain Head of Commercial Events

VENUES

Meet Oxfordshire Julie Archer Managing Agent T: 01608 659900 W: www.meetoxfordshire.com

Eynsham Hall t: 01993 885200 w: www.eynshamhall.com

t: 01865 282599 w: www.rhodeshouseoxford.com

The Oxford Union t: 01865 241353 w: www.oxford-union.org

EQUIPMENT HIRE

Cotswold Wildlife Park Reggie Heyworth Managing Director

t: 01865 276905 w: www.examschools.ox.ac.uk

t: 01993 823006 w: www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk

Heythrop Park Resort t: 01608 673470 w: www.heythropparkresort.co.uk

Egrove Park Jill Grievson Conference Manager

De Vere Milton Hill House t: 01235 831474 w: www.devere.co.uk/our-locations/milton-hill-house

t: 01865 422757 w: www.sbs.oxford.edu/conferencing

Exeter College t: 01865 279600 w: www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/conferences/

Kassam Stadium Rachel Harwood General Manager t: 01865 337602 w: www.thekassamstadium.com Lady Margaret Hall Bill Kemp Head of Conference Services t: 01865 611079 w: www.lmh.ox.ac.uk

www.b4-business.com

Oxford Castle Jean-Pierre Morilleau General Manager t: 01865 201657 w: www.oxfordcastle.com

The Examination Schools Kay Hogg Events Manager

t: 0800 374 692 w: www.four-pillars.co.uk

t: 01993 810501 w: www.blenheimpalace.com

Williams F1 Conference Centre Brendan Caffrey Conference Centre Manager t: 01235 777900 w: www.williamsf1conferences.com

t: 01865 288364 w: www.ashmolean.org

Four Pillars Hotels Chris Green Group Marketing Manager

Blenheim Palace John Hoy Chief Executive

Rhodes House Isabelle Barber Events Manager

Oxford Event Hire Kieran Lynch Owner t: 01865 760158 w: www.oxfordeventhire.co.uk

EDUCATION COLLEGES

Worton Park t: 01865 882644 w: www.wortonfarms.co.uk Howbery Estates t: 01491 822305 w: www.hrwallingford.co.uk The King’s Centre t: 01865 297400 w: www.kingscentre.co.uk

Magna Carta College David Faulkner Dean t: 01865 593131 w: www.magnacartacollege.org

OXFORD UNIVERSITY Begbroke Science Park Peter Dobson Managing Director t: 01865 283700 w: www.begbroke.ox.ac.uk

FURTHER EDUCATION EVENTS Oxford Fashion Week w: www.oxfordfashionweek.com

Oxford & Cherwell Valley College Sally Dicketts Principal t: 01865 550550 w: www.ocvc.ac.uk

131

HILLTOP CHAUFFEURS P R I VAT E

H I RE

WHY NOT GET DRIVEN TO THE CHRISTMAS PARTY IN STYLE THIS YEAR? SERVICE RELIABILITY STANDARDS m: 07825 500852 t: 01865 595262 e: hilltopcars@live.co.uk w: www.hilltopchauямАeurs.co.uk

B4 contacts 6TH FORM DAY AND BOARDING COLLEGE St Clare’s, Oxford Paula Holloway Principal t: 01865 552031 w: www.stclares.ac.uk

SCHOOLS Bloxham School Nick Irvine Marketing Director t: 01295 724332 w: www.bloxhamschool.com Tudor Hall Boarding School t: 01295 756276 w: www.tudorhallschool.com d'Overbroek's College Sami Cohen Principal t: 01865 302637 w: www.doverbroecks.com

TUITION Oxford International Study Centre t: 01865 201009 w: www.oxintstudycentre.com

HEALTH AND LEISURE FITNESS Esporta Andy Wheeler Sales Manager t: 01865 318300 w: www.esporta.com TLA Fitness t: 07554 400 401 w: www.tlafitness.com Bainton Bikes t: 01865 311610 w: www.baintonbikes.com

GOLF The B4/MGroup Golf Cup t: 01865 742211 w: www.b4-business.com Frilford Heath Golf Club Alistair Booth Director t: 01865 390864 w: www.frilfordheath.co.uk North Oxford Golf Club Bob Harris Managing Director

FINANCE

t: 01865 553977 w: www.nogc.co.uk

BANKING

The Oxfordshire Golf Club Tim Pettifer General Manager

LloydsTSB Commercial Dave Atkinson Area Director w: www.lloydstsb.com Coutts and Co t: 01865 389039 w: www.coutts.com Barclays t: 07775 542467 w: www.barclayscorporate.com

IFA’s Optimum Wealth Management t: 01865 511098 / 07836 572467 w: www.optimox.co.uk

MORTGAGE ADVICE Mortgage Choices t: 01993 862888 w: www.mortgage-choices.com

t: 01844 278 300 w: www.theoxfordshiregolfclub.com Studley Wood Golf Club Ken Heathcote Managing Director t: 01865 351122 w: www.studleywoodgolfclub.co.uk

t: 01865 337505 w: www.oufc.co.uk Oxford University Rugby Football Club Tim Stevens Club Administrator t: 01865 432000 w: www.ourfc.org

WELLBEING Helen Money Nutrition Helen Money Owner t: 01865 339672 w: www.helenmoneynutrition.com

LEISURE Enstone Flying Club www.enstoneflyingclub.co.uk 01608 678204

HR RECRUITMENT The Career Boutique Katherine Dales Managing Director t: 0845 5204010 w: www.thecareerboutique.com

HR CONSULTANT HR2You Sarah Morris Owner t: 07789 711997 w: www.hr2you.co.uk

HEALTHCARE Monica Franke t: 07970 119721 w: www.monicafranke.com Oxford Radcliffe Private Healthcare Alex Barnes Assistant Director, Private Patients t: 01865 221033 w: www.oxfordradcliffe.nhs.uk/ privatehealthcare

SPORT North Oxford Lawn Tennis Club t: 01865 513560 (Clubhouse) w: www.northoxfordltc.org.uk

www.b4-business.com

Oxford United Football Club Kelvin Thomas Chairman

TRAINING Sandler Training t: 01608 611211 w: www.uk.sandler.com

IT & TELECOMMUNICATIONS DATABASE MANAGEMENT InTouch CRM James White Managing Director t: 0845 310 9973 w: www.intouchcrm.co.uk

133

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B4 contacts IT SERVICES Nominet Lesley Cowley OBE CEO t: 01865 332211 w: www.nominet.org.uk Oxford Knowledge Company Mark Salisbury Director

t: 01865 322100 w: www.oxford-knowledge.com Oxford Home IT Support Richard Hilsdon Managing Director t: 01865 594020 w: www.homeitsupport.biz Floremus t: 01993 702 300 w: www.floremus.com

MOBILE PHONES Everything Everywhere Martin Lyne SME Marketing Director w: www.everythingeverywhere.com

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Surefire Digital Rob Jones Director t: 020 3239 8055 w: www.surefiredigital.co.uk

TELECOMMUNICATIONS Orange Stripe Telecommunications Nigel Pursall Managing Director t: 0845 241 7772 w: www.orangestripe.co.uk

Torpedo Group Limited Iain Lewis Director t: 01865 733710 w: www.torpedogroup.com Olamalu Christoph Corvin Director t: 01993 764566 w: www.olamalu.com Momentum Solutions t: 01865 793520 w: www.momentumws.co.uk

WEB OPTIMISATION Oxford Digital Marketing Simon Wallace-Jones Co-Founder t: 01865 600 508 w: www.oxforddigitalmarketing.co.uk Studio8search Nicola Wiseman Director t: 01865 842525 w: www.studio8search.com Zest Alex Minchin Director t: 0843 289 0161 w: www.zestdigital.co Glooo Chris Jones Director t: 07814 046747 w: www.glooo.co.uk Evucan Web Solutions t: 0845 862 4400 w: www.evucan.com SEOptimise t: 01865 784128 w: www.seoptimise.com

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

EMAIL MARKETING

Blink Design Keith Simpson Senior Designer

ClientMailer t: 01865 339406 w: www.clientmailer.com

t: 01865 742211 w: www.on-the-blink.com Chris Fulton Design Chris Fulton Owner t: 07745 033707 w: www.chrisfultondesign.co.uk

www.b4-business.com

KITCHEN APPLIANCES Miele Company Ltd Zoe Naylor Financial Controller t: 0845 365 6600 w: www.miele.co.uk

MEDICAL GOODS Owen Mumford Jarl Severn Director t: 01993 812021 w: www.owenmumford.com

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE Science Oxford Dominic McDonald Head of Public Engagement and Business Networks t: 01865 728953 w: www.scienceoxford.com Mirada Medical Simona Nita Digital Marketing Manager t: 01865 261410 w: www.mirada-medical.com

MARKETING & DESIGN ADVERTISING In Oxford Magazine Colin Rosser Chairman t: 01865 742211 w: www.inoxford.com

CORPORATE IDENTITY Recognition Express Andy Olejnik Managing Director t: 01295 257611 w: www.re-oxfordshire.co.uk/

DESIGN

MANUFACTURING LIGHTING WILA Group Ltd Mike Collett Chief Executive Officer t: 01235 773500 w: www.wila.com

ADS t: 01993 885122 w: www.adsoxford.co.uk Orchadis Media t: 01865 339 429 w: www.orchadis.com

135

B4 contacts FREELANCE COPY WRITING AND EDITING

PRINTING

Stoneleigh Associates Erica Conlan Proprietor t: 07837 480 432 e: erica.conlan@ stoneleighassociates.com

Lynx DPM Dee Patel Managing Director

Wordsmith TM t: 01993 811579 w: www.wordsmithtm.co.uk

Print, Design and Focus Sue Carter Director

MARKET RESEARCH / TELEMARKETING

t: 01993 774543 w: www.printdesignfocus.co.uk

Lingo Su Copeland Manging Director

The Goodhead Group David Holland Chief Executive

t: 01865 886340 w: www.lingotelemarketing.com

t: 07773 316 204 w: www.bgprint.co.uk

PROPERTY & BUILDING

The Oxford Duplication Centre t: 01865 457000 w: www.oxfordduplicationcentre.co.uk

ARCHITECTS

MARKETING The Project Managers Peronel Barnes Director t: 01865 751531 w: www.the-project-managers.com ClientMailer t: 07788 677512 w: www.clientmailer.com

t: 01865 891989 w: www.lynxdpm.com

Blueprint Imaging Martin Matthews Managing Director t: 01993 892360 w: www.blueprintimaging.com Banbury Litho t: 01295 220488 w: www.banburylitho.co.uk

Syncro PR Claire Thompson PR Director t: 01865 886344 w: www.syncropr.com

WEB PERFORMANCE Studio8search t: 01865 842525 w: www.studio8search.com Obergine t: 01865 245777 w: www.obergine.com

Riach Architects Douglas Riach Principal t: 01865 553772 w: www.riacharchitects.com John Hallam Associates John Hallam Director t: 01608 646969 w: www.johnhallamassociates.co.uk

Marketing Initiatives Business t: 0845 116 2347 w: www.themib.co.uk

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Kai Communications Hazel Scott Towers Director

Bottle PR Claire Cairns Managing Director

t: 07966 234757 w: www.kaicommunications.co.uk

t: 01865 882988 w: www.bottlepr.co.uk

AWM Marketing t: 01367 244996 w: www.awm-marketing.com

GB PR Gail Buckle Owner

PHOTOGRAPHY

t: 01865 742940 w: www.gbprconsultancy.blogspot.com

Studio 8 Clark Wiseman Managing Director

The Buzzworks Sarah Airey Proprietor

t: 01865 787763 w: www.buildbase.co.uk

t: 01865 842525 w: www.studio-8.co.uk

t: 01993 813848 w: www.thebuzzworks.co.uk

BUSINESS PARKS

Lyon Photography t: 01865 481550 w: www.lyonphotography.co.uk

Tracey Jefferies Tracey Jefferies Founder

Grove Technology Park Robert Lamplough Chairman

Tamara Taboas t: 07909018654 w: www.tamarataboas.com

t: 01865 820183 w: www.traceyjefferies.co.uk

t: 01235 772992 w: www.grovetechpark.com

Barbara Richardson Barbara Richardson Managing Director

Jennings Mike Jennings Managing Director

t: 07949 011203 e: barbara.alchemy@gmail.com

t: 01865 893303 w: www.jennings.co.uk

PS Unlimited t: 01865 930167 w: www.psunlimited.co.uk

www.b4-business.com

PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS Ridge and Partners David Walker Partner t: 01993 815000 w: www.ridge.co.uk

BUILDERS MERCHANTS Buildbase David Robertson Central Regional Director

137

minoli

Four stunning new brochures now available from Minoli, for 2012 twentytwelve@minoli.co.uk

THE

GREEN BOOK CONTEMPORARY ESSENTIALS

C O R E ESSENTIALS THE SURFACE WITHINTM

THE SURFACE WITHINTM

THE SURFACE WITHINTM TM

THE SURF SURFACE FA ACE WITHIN

CONTEMPORARY ESSENTIALS ‘Exclusive, luxurious - Essential’

CORE ESSENTIALS ‘Beautiful, stylish - Essential’

SURFACE

MINOLI ‘Developments and Projects’

THE GREEN BOOK ‘Ecolabel and Environmental Ranges.’

Celebrating 50 years of Minoli

M AC D O N A L D R A N D O L P H H OT E L , OX F O R D

FESTI V E PART Y N IG HT S

RAN RANGES GES WITH EC ECO O LLABEL ABEL AND OTHER OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIAL CREDENTIALSS

MARKETING

DISTRIBUTION

The B 4 Christmas Dinner

Wednesday 21st December, 2011 The B4 Christmas Dinner at Pembroke College Whether with family and friends, or colleagues from work, the Macdonald Randolph Hotel has party nights, festive menus, and special events to help celebrate the Festive season.

Festive Restaurant Menu from

New Year’s Eve Ball Packages from

£24

£135

PER PERSON

PER PERSON

Quote booking reference B4 Call 0844 879 9132 to book your party now! or email events.randolph@macdonald-hotels.co.uk www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk/Randolph

C H R I S T M A S PA RT Y N I G H T S F RO M

£32

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It’s only 5 months away!

Book Now - Tickets £50+VAT Book by calling 01865 742211 or e-mail events@b4-business.com Capacity 190 Call 01865 742211 for more details or e-mail richard@inoxford.com

Getting yourself noticed Want your organisation to stand out from the crowd? Printed banners, pop-up panels, posters and point-of-sale material are the way to go.

But with large format printing like this, pin-sharp quality is more important than ever. After 30 years in the print business, we are experts in managing projects to produce the best possible results. With some of the most experienced staff and up-to-date technology in the business, you know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in safe hands.

So relax. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a print run of 1 or 100, you can rely on us to deliver, to time and to spec â&#x20AC;&#x201C; every time. Take the easy option and give us a call.

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Banbury Litho always go the extra mile to ensure that not only the finished job is perfect, but that the whole process is as smooth and easy as possible - which is essential to a company like Maclaren.

- Maclaren Europe Ltd

Litho Print

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Large Format Print Banbury Litho Ltd., Unit 1 Vantage Business Park, Wykham Mill, Bloxham Road, Bloxham, Banbury, OX16 9UX

The colour print supplier of choice

Tel: 01295 220 488 www.banburylitho.co.uk

High achievers?

Our clients think so...

In our independent 2011 client survey we scored (out of 10): v IRU RYHUDOO VHUYLFH DJDLQVW D ODZ oUP DYHUDJH RI v 8.31 for interest in/knowledge of their business v 8.36 for our expertise v 8.84 for personable people

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Do your business systems leave you in the dark?

Let us guide you in the right direction At Sci-Net we understand that it’s not enough to just provide you with a piece of software from a box. We know that to make your business run smoothly, we need to review how your business currently operates, then look at how we can improve it using technology. By doing this we can really improve the efficiency and profitability of your business, as we have with so many others.

We also know that for some companies it is hard to know where to start.

Whether you are starting afresh or looking to replace existing software that isn’t living up to your expectations, we can guide you through the entire process. We will work with you to decide which software will be most appropriate for your business, then design, develop, tailor and maintain it, enabling you to manage information and streamline your organisations services.

We specialise in implementing and supporting Accounting, Finance and Enterprise Business systems. As partners for leading providers, such as Sage and Microsoft Dynamics NAV, we can provide you with the perfect solution for your business.

Phone us on 01869 349949 now to receive specialist advice

and a demonstration of the best solutions for your business.

• ERP systems

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01869 349949 www.sci-net.co.uk

• Business Intelligence & Analytics • Document Automation

B4 contacts COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AGENTS VSL and Partners Richard Venables Director t: 01865 848488 w: www.vslandp.com Carter Jonas Scott Harkness Partner t: 01865 511444 w: www.carterjonas.co.uk Oxford Innovation Ltd Jo Willett Sales and Marketing Director t: 01865 811127 w: www.oxin.co.uk Meeson Williams Ltd t: 01865 349011 w: www.meesonwilliams.com

DEVELOPMENT The Trevor Osborne Property Group Trevor Osborne Chairman t: 01225 832302 w: www.topgroup.co.uk

ESTATE AGENTS Breckon and Breckon Keith Stacey Managing Director

Minoli Tiles Jonathon Minoli Managing Director t: 01865 778225 w: www.minoli.co.uk Lucy Properties Ian Ashcroft Managing Director t: 01865 559973 w: www.lucyproperties.co.uk Marriotts t: 01865 316311 w: www.marriottsoxford.co.uk

LETTING AGENTS Breckon and Breckon Greg Barnes Director t: 01865 201111 w: www.breckon.co.uk Finders Keepers Frank Webster Director t: 01865 302308 w: www.finders.co.uk Intelligent Property t: 01865 920107 w: www.intelligent-property.co.uk Kemp and Kemp t: 01865 510000 w: www.kempandkemp.co.uk

t: 01865 244735 w: www.breckon.co.uk

scottfraser t: 01865 761111 (Headington office) w: www.scottfraser.co.uk

Penny & Sinclair James Penny Director

Bluestone Letting and Management t: 01869 327577 w: www.bluestonelm.co.uk

t: 01865 318013 w: www.pennyandsinclair.co.uk

College and County t: 01865 722722 w: www.collegeandcounty.biz

scottfraser (Witney) t: 01993 705507 w: www.scottfraser.co.uk

INTERIOR FURNISHING AND DECORATION Jill Treloggen Interiors Jill Treloggen Owner t: 01993 700515 w: www.jilltreloggen.co.uk Lewis Building Technology t: 01865 782424 w:www.lewisbt.co.uk

The Letting Centre t: 01865 759930 w: www.thelettingcentre.com

PROPERTY SERVICES Chris Lewis Fire & Security Chris Lewis Managing Director t: 01865 782444 w: www.chrislewisfs.co.uk frontdoorz Sonia Kearns Director t: 01865 339444 w: www.frontdoorz.co.uk

www.b4-business.com

The Homebuyer Centre t: 01865 589 529 w:www.thehomebuyercentre.com

R&R ACCOMMODATION Macdonald Randolph Hotel Michael Grange General Manager t: 0844 879 9132 w: www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk Apartments in Oxford t: 01865 254000 w: www.oxstay.co.uk The Royal Oxford Hotel Tom Crampton-Smith Owner t: 01865 248432 w: www.royaloxfordhotel.co.uk Westwood Hotel t: 01865 735408 w: www.westwoodhotel.co.uk The Burlington House t: 01865 513513 w: www.burlington-hotel-oxford.co.uk/ Conifers Guest House t: 01865 763055 w: www.conifersguesthouse.co.uk Malmaison Reading t: 0118 956 2300 w: www.malmaison.com The Vineyard t: 01635 528 770 w: www.the-vineyard.co.uk The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield t: 01494 673086 w: www.crazybeargroup.co.uk The Crazy Bear t: 01865 890714 w: www.crazybeargroup.co.uk La Manga Club t: +34 968 1755 77 w: www.lamangaclub.com

RENTAL ACCOMMODATION Lower Mill Estate t: 01285 869489 w: www.lowermillestate.com

ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL Henley Festival t: 01491 843400 w: www.henley-festival.co.uk

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B4 contacts Oxford Playhouse Russell Souch Marketing and Information Officer t: 01865 305313 w: www.oxfordplayhouse.com Oxford Philomusica t: 07775 904626 w: www.oxfordphil.com Modern Art Oxford t: 01865 813826 w: www.modernartoxford.org.uk/ New Theatre t: 01865 320760 w: www.newtheatreoxford.org.uk/

GALLERIES Wiseman Gallery Sarah Wiseman Owner t: 01865 515123 w: www.wisegal.com

CORPORATE ENTERTAINMENT Sam Strange Magic Sam Strange Owner t: 01865 742211 w: www.samstrangemagic.co.uk Bedlam Paintball t: 0845 370 7571 w: www.bedlampaintball.co.uk

ENTERTAINMENT Pegasus Theatre Dominique Cadiou Development Director t: 01865 812160 w: www.pegasustheatre.org.uk

RESTAURANTS 4500 MIles From Delhi Nav Kandola Owner t: 01865 244 922 w: www.milesfromdelhi.com/oxford Cherwell Boathouse Restaurant t: 01865 552 746 w: www.cherwellboathouse.co.uk Le Manoir t: 01844 278881 w: www.manoir.com Saffron t: 01865 512211 w: www.saffronrestaurantoxford.co.uk The Mission Mexican Grill Jan Rasmussen Owner t: 01865 202016 w: www.missionburritos.co.uk Old Swan & Minster Mill t: 01993 774441 w: www.oldswanandminstermill.com Spice Lounge Ali Aktar Owner t: 01865 510071 w: www.spiceloungeoxford.co.uk Browns t: 01865 511995 w: www.browns-restaurants.co.uk In Oxford Magazine Restaurant Awards t: 01865 742211 w: www.inoxford.com

BARS O’Neill’s Oxford w: www.oneills.co.uk/

RETAIL FOOD & DRINK SUPPLIES LM Champagne t: 07919 133476 w: www.LMchampagne.co.uk Adlestrop Kitchen t: 01608 658 070 m: 07714 765 571 The Oxford Wine Company t: 01865 301144 w: www.oxfordwine.co.uk

WHY NOT JOIN THEM? 400 members and rising.

SHOPPING University of Oxford Shop t: 01865 247414 w: www.oushop.com

Become a B4 Member or Ambassador and in return, we’ll give you: • Presence in the B4 online and magazine directories • Access to the B4 site to upload unlimited press releases, event details, offers and jobs • Invites to the first B4 Ambassador Event of 2012 at The Ashmolean Memberships for just £250+VAT per annum for companies with up to five employees*

It’ll be the smartest move you’ve made this year! www.b4-business.com for full details NOW! *rates increase as employee numbers increase: 6 – 20 employees £375+VAT, 21 – 50 £500+VAT, 51 – 100 £900+VAT, 100+ £1200+VAT Ambassador rate £500+VAT per annum.

Please call us for Platinum Ambassador rate details.

VAT at 20%.

Tel: 01865 742211.

Bicester Village t: 01869 323200 w: www.bicestervillage.com Witney Shopping t: 01865 742211 w: www.witneyshopping.co.uk

B4 Is Designed by

Walton Street Cycles t: 01865 311610 w: www.spoke.co.uk E-mail: studio@on-the-blink.com Telephone: 01865 742211

www.b4-business.com

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