B4 Magazine Berkshire Issue 5

BERKSHIRE EDITION

B4

Magazine www.b4-business.com

ISSUE 5 SPRING 2013

ADVICE P R

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CON F ER ENCE

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EDUC ATION

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Gardner Leader Roundtable The legal challenges facing our businesses in 2013

Haslams Celebrates 175th Anniversary Past, Present and Future

The Business of Education Spotlights the increasingly vital relationships between the education sector and business

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New rates coming 1st May, Call now to book at these starter rates

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So What is B4?

B4 is the fastest growing business to business network, providing over 500 businesses in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire with four great platforms to promote and connect their businesses. It's a business network with a difference where we facilitate face to face contact with other Members at B4 events held in iconic locations.

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New rates coming 1st May, Call now to book at these starter rates

4 Effective Platforms to Help You Connect 1

B4 Magazine - Packed with great features, news and promotional articles mailed free to 3,000 business decision makers (separate circulation of 3,000 in each county)

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B4 Website - Upload press releases direct to the site and promote forthcoming events and seminars. All B4 articles printed are uploaded to the business directory on the site.

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B4 Events - Meet other B4 members at high quality B4 events in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire...Why not even bring a guest?

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B4 Workshops - Promote your business to other B4 members at our workshops, a great way to get your message across.

Why Become a Member?

Memberships are specific to one area, not all, and gives your business a listing in the back of your chosen area B4 Magazine. A listing on the business directory of the relevant B4 website but access to all B4 events in all areas (restrictions may apply due to capacity limitations and we do have some Platinum Ambassador only events). Members can also promote their status on company e-mails and websites with our new B4 Member icons

Why Not Upgrade to an Ambassador?

Becoming an Ambassador gets a face to represent your business in the B4 community. Your chosen Ambassador will feature alongside your listing in the magazine directory, on your on line business directory listing and also in the Ambassadors’ section on the B4 website. Being an Ambassador gives you something in common to approach other B4 Ambassadors throughout the network.

The rate to become an Ambassador is £250+VAT per annum.

Become a B4 Member in less than 24 hours Here's what we need to get you started: 1. Your Logo - high quality is a must and in one of the following formats: jpeg, eps, pdf, ai 2. Between 50 and 300 words about your business - See the website for some great examples 3. Basic contact details - Basic contact details e.g. Address, telephone number, email address Our system will automatically generate a user name and password (which you can change) and you are ready to put up your first Press Release. But Don't Worry! There's a helpful online guide to assist you and we're always at the end of the phone.

Join B4 for as little as £150+VAT per annum B4 Membership is based on your number of employees and not the number of staff who could attend events: Rates start at just £150+VAT for sole traders and other single person entities.

Rates increase to £250+VAT for 2 to 5, £375+VAT for 6 to 20 and so on. See www.b4-business.com for full details.

What about Editorial in the Magazine?

Looks complicated? Well it's not! We can set you up to have your picture taken at our associate's studio. We can get one of our freelance PR or Editor to interview you. You have Full Editorial Control so, nothing's printed without your agreement. Editorial pages start at £500+VAT and we can do almost all of it for you! Just ask!

Get Connected to our Growing Community Now:

Call Us Now - 0118 317 7183 B

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An inspired choice of venue The Oakley Court Hotel has vast experience of hosting major conferences in stunning surroundings making it an inspired choice of venue. Hold your conference at Oakley Court and you’ll impress, captivate and inspire your delegates.

We guarantee the very best in service standards offering conference suites and executive boardrooms within a prestigious location. Our unique rooms range from original rooms in the Mansion House which are over 150 years old with high ceilings and original features, to a purpose built function room called The Boathouse on the banks of the River Thames.

It’s not only the picturesque riverside setting that creates the wow factor; extensive leisure facilities, fine dining and impeccable service all play their part in creating a memorable conference.

At A Glance UÊDedicated Meeting and Conference Coordinators UÊ virence facilities for up to 170 UÊExecutive boardrooms for 4 – 30 UÊExtensively equipped to meet your requirements

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The Oakley Court, Windsor Road, Water Oakley, Windsor SL4 5UR. 01753 609988 www.principal-hayley.com/theoakleycourt

www.b4-business.com Contacts If you want to contact B4 Magazine Telephone: 0118 317 7183 E-mail: info@b4-business.com Publisher B4 Magazine is published by Designs On Ltd, The Firs, Headington Hill, Oxford OX3 0BT Chairman Colin Rosser colin@inoxford.com

Welcome to B4

Meet The Writers

Welcome to Issue 5.

Editor Richard Rosser editorial@b4-business.com

in all three editions of B4 – Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. Over the past two years,

Events Director Tina Rosser

the link between these establishments and the local business communities in which they are located

Client Services Director John F Kennedy john@b4-business.com Art Editor Rob Scotcher rob@b4-business.com Assistant Editor Lorna Dodson assistanteditor@b4-business.com

This issue of B4 sees the first of a series of integrated supplements in the magazine which appears

having interviewed some of the Thames Valley’s leading educational establishments, I have seen

increasingly work together for the ultimate benefit of their pupils and students. Hence, we have published The Business of Education which shines a light on some of the initiatives already in place

17. BDO

and exciting plans for the future.

Featuring Simon Brooker Also in this issue we feature a fascinating Roundtable discussion hosted by Newbury based solicitors, Gardner Leader where local businesses talk about the legal challenges they face in 2013. We also reflect on the fantastic B4 Ambassadors’ event at The Racecourse Newbury in January where almost one hundred B4 Ambassadors, Members and their guests from the B4 network of over six hundred members were

Proofreader Sue Rosser

wonderfully looked after and entertained – a really fabulous day out for all.

Editorial Contributors

We welcome Haslams to this issue of B4, celebrating a phenomenal 175th Anniversary this year – one of

Jackie Jarvis Kelly Stroud Louise Esplin Lucy Holmes Tracey Jefferies B4 Photography

Berkshire’s oldest established businesses – so well done from the entire B4 community to all of you, past, present and future. A warm welcome also to new B4 contributors, Pareto Lawrence and Hennerton Golf Club. We also meet BDO’s new man at the top, Simon Brooker.

This issue also sees the results of a Lingo Telemarketing survey which many of you will have kindly participated in, the launch of B4TV and the Seven Minute Success Interviews and the B4 Events Diary.

26. Reading 107 Featuring Sir John Madejski

Richard Shymansky Studio 8 www.studio-8.co.uk 2013 sees a fantastic series of events lined up at some fabulous locations including The Vineyard, Studio Photography Richard Shymansky of www.hillsandsaunders.co.uk

Buckinghamshire New University, Rhodes House, Aylesbury College, The Oakley Court, The Forbury Hotel, The Manor Hotel, Hawkwell House Hotel, The University of Oxford Examination Schools and Blackwell’s.

Subscriptions

For members, please make sure you register for these events as soon as possible – see the B4 Events tab

For free Subscription, please contact: Telephone: 0118 317 7183 E-mail: info@b4-business.com

on the B4 website and the Diary Page in this issue – and for those of you thinking about joining B4, why

Each business with a Berkshire post code is entitled to one free copy per issue. For additional copies and for businesses outside of Berkshire, there is an annual subscription charge of £25. © 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.

not come along to see what B4 is all about? We’re also currently looking at the B4 membership structure and so those of you who are on the verge of joining might be advised to do so sooner rather than later!

Enjoy B4

32. Grant Thornton Richard Rosser Editor

About

Written by Tracey Jefferies

Magazine

B4 Magazine was established in 2006 to provide Oxfordshire businesses with a clear voice to raise their profile and to help businesses connect. With B4 Berkshire, we hope to achieve greater success now that the model has been established and refined. Direct mailed to three thousand business decision makers in Berkshire every quarter, and with a further four and a half thousand copies circulated to key outlets, featured businesses and made available at B4 events, we hope to make a mark in Berkshire businesses.

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 connect with our networks in Oxfordshire and Berkshire. See more at www.b4-business.com which will give you access to both Oxfordshire and Berkshire networks, and now also Buckinghamshire.

WHY NOT FOLLOW B4 MAGAZINE ON

90. Blenheim Palace Written by Kelly Stroud

20 LEAD

20 Gardner Leader Roundtable : Companies across Berkshire and Buckinghamshire joined representatives from Gardner Leader to discuss legal challenges and concerns

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SPOTLIGHT 24 The Racecourse Newbury: B4 Members enjoy first class hospitality and racing 28 Haslams Celebrates 175th Anniversary: Past, Present and Future 45 If You Have to Think‌.It's Too Late: With British motorsport legend Robb Gravett 55 The Business of Education: Our new supplement looks at the interaction between the education sector and the local business community 80 Is B4 Speaking Your Lingo?: The findings of Lingo Telemarketing's B4 member research

17 ADVICE

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11 B4 News

36 Oxford Innovation: The Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub is open for business

NEWS

15 Newbury Racecourse 19 Institute of Directors 51 B4 Diary Page

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PROPERTY

48 New Year Inspiration at Johnsons Buildbase: Fancy a bit of DIY? Buildbase get you in the mood

17 Simon Brooker of BDO: Talks to B4 about the forthcoming PKF merger and the future 31 Manches LLP: The Pryce of revenge how not to divorce 32 Adding Value as Standard: How Grant Thornton add value to their customers 42 The Pareto Lawrence Principle: How to focus on your business and get more out than you put in

www.b4-business.com

B4 contents 82 WIDER B4

82 Your Manor: B4 enjoyed a simply divine stay at The Manor Hotel, Weston-on-theGreen, the new home of The Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards 86 Destination Blenheim Palace...: A role to play on the global stage 88 Exciting Times: Claire Stiles talks to B4 about the forthcoming changes at WILA and the company's 20th birthday

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MARKETING 78 A Great Time to Talk Turkey!: B4 Platinum Ambassador, Phil Strachan, talks to B4, hot off the press!

84 B4TV - 7 Minute Success Interviews: B4 are moving into video and we spotlight our interview with Simon McCrum of Darbys

46 R&R

46 Mal on Sunday: Malmaison launch the ultimate Sunday brunch menu 52 Reading FC: The stadium that never sleeps

27 SERVICES

27 Reading 107fm: Sir John Madejski takes to the airwaves

www.b4-business.com

38 HEALTH

38 Hennerton GC: A young, progressive club at the forefront of change 40 The B4 Bike Ride from Edinburgh to Blenheim Palace: Join in, sponsor us, donate - find out how to here

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CONTACTS 7

BU CK IN GHAM SH IRE

BERK SH IRE

B4 Platinum Ambassadors We would like to thank our B4 Platinum Ambassadors for supporting B4 Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

To find out more about joining them and over five hundred B4 Member companies, please call us on 0118 317 7183.

OX FO RDSH I RE

D E S I G N P R I N T P U B L I C A T I O N S

O X F O R D

Residential Letting · Property Management

D E S I G N

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P R I N T

meet oxfordshire

With annual memberships starting at £150+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.

Members are also invited to events in all B4 areas, up to 12 per annum. Call us now on 0118 317 7183 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 single person businesses. Rate increases for 2 to 5 employees to £250+VAT, 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. The Ambassador scheme is separate and subject to a different charge.

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B4 news Grundon sets new standards across Oxfordshire and Berkshire Grundon’s operations across Oxfordshire and Berkshire have played a major role in helping achieve a company-wide certification system, thought to be the first of its kind in the waste management industry.

The company’s BSI-approved Integrated Management System is the result of a two-year programme to raise standards across the three key areas of health and safety, environmental management and quality management.

The project was spearheaded by Benson-based compliance manager Toni Robinson and IMS manager Nicola Currant.

“We’re thrilled to have completed the IMS programme and, thanks to some terrific teamwork, we passed the BSI audit with flying colours,” said Robinson. “Lots of people talk about an integrated approach to improving standards, but not many companies are able to actually achieve it.

“We have worked hard to achieve improvements and deliver real benefits for our customers.”

In Oxfordshire, the company has operations in Banbury, Benson and Ewelme; plus Beenham, Colnbrook and Knowl Hill in Berkshire.

Sale Of Vision Vehicle Solutions To Markerstudy Group Wilson Partners Corporate Finance continues to make its mark in the Thames Valley as the “go to guys” for maximising shareholder value following a very busy 2012 with the sale of specialist accident management company Vision Vehicle Solutions Ltd. Martin Wills Joint MD of Vision says, “Our sale has enabled us to fulfil our exit strategy whilst at the same time given us the opportunity to grow the business and be an important piece in a much larger group. We see it as an ideal fit with enormous synergies”.

At times I look at my web site and enjoy its layout and at other times consider how it is communicating.

My opening statement is ‘Bbite provides business improvement coaching and mentoring together with business intelligence research services which enable companies to capitalise on change and convert opportunities more efficiently.’

A bit fluffy. Too high a fog index (in linguistics, the Gunning fog index measures the readability of English writing) or in other words not straight – talking enough

Markerstudy Group is the £1Billion turnover, diversified insurance group, led by Kevin Spencer, employing more than 2000 staff and provides comprehensive and accessible personal lines insurance solutions to over 350,000 policyholders.

Wilson Partners Corporate Finance advise dynamic owner managed businesses on Exits, Acquisitions, Management Buy Outs, raising Debt or Equity.

Contact Adam Wardle T: 01628 770 770 adam.wardle@wilson-partners.co.uk www.wilson-partners.co.uk

Maybe I should aim to create a dialogue and trend it on Social media using popular # hashtags something like #Bbite #Biz #Coach #Mentor #BI #Research #Change #Opportunity #Efficiency Or maybe LinkedIn or Facebook or telephone or face to face.

As ever the customer is always right. So communicate to their preference and taste. Build communication, clarity and commitment through dialogue whatever your customer’s preference. www.bbite.co.uk

To get your news in the next edition of B4 Magazine, contact the news desk on 0118 317 7183

www.b4-business.com

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B4 news 2013 B4 Events and Membership 2013 sees a formidable line up of events with one venue still to confirm.

House Hotel, The University of Oxford Examination Schools and Blackwell’s.

We started the year in fine style at The Racecourse Newbury in January, but have a further ten events to look forward to. All events are open to all B4 Members as part of their membership (at no extra cost). Berkshire locations include The Oakley Court Hotel, The Vineyard and The Forbury Hotel; Buckinghamshire locations include Buckinghamshire New University, Aylesbury College and The Compleat Angler; Oxfordshire locations include Rhodes House, The Manor Hotel, Hawkwell

See below for an announcement about our new membership packages, but for now members can take advantage of our membership rates from as little as £150+VAT per annum, which includes a magazine listing, access to all of these events and web presence including unlimited access to the website for press release and event uploads. I think you’ll agree that joining B4 makes great sense and will help you to connect with over 500 of the Thames Valley’s leading businesses.

From 1st May we will be launching new membership packages. Existing members will continue to enjoy the benefits of their membership until renewal, but new members will be offered a different range of options. We are also excited about a value added package of benefits which will be a new addition to the B4 Membership – subscribe to the B4 e-Newsletter at www.b4-business.com to be kept up to date about these developments or call us in the office for more information on 01494 373183.

Clifton Ingram Solicitors Help Young Apprentices Kick Start Their Career Clifton Ingram LLP solicitors is pleased to support the West Berkshire Training Consortium (WBTC) by taking on another young apprentice.

Remie Twist now works in Clifton Ingram’s Reading office 4 days a week and spends the remaining day at College learning the necessary key skills she can apply in the office. This is the second apprentice Clifton Ingram has taken on as part of the WBTC scheme. In 2010, Daisy Randall joined the firm as apprentice and having finished her training is now employed with Clifton Ingram as a legal secretary.

Tim Read, Partner at Clifton Ingram said “We really enjoy helping our apprentices progress their career and in return we get a keen member of staff at economical cost.”

For more details on the apprentice scheme please contact Rachel Eaves at WBTC on 01635 35975.

WTBC awards Clifton Ingram a Certificate of Excellence for training. From Left to Right: Tim Read, Remie Twist, Andrea Wood (WTBC) , Jim Paterson, Daisy Randall

Slate - Limestone - Marble - Travertine - Granite We help our clients avoid expensive mistakes by sourcing the right stone for their project, on time and on budget.

Our experienced and friendly team of fitters can see your project through to completion and our stone masons are on hand to produce any bespoke pieces such as vanity-tops, staircases, fire-surrounds, feature panels and book-matched slabs.

you will need including Mapei adhesives and grouts; Fila stone sealers, waxes and cleaners; Marmox construction boards and wet-room products and Varme electric under-floor heating systems.

Call us on 0845 260 80 70 (local rate call from a UK landline) and we will be happy to provide you a no-obligation quote or simply chat through the options with you.

We can also supply all the quality ancillary products

B4 Berkshire Member, Amarestone, launches new Stone Design Studio On 14th March experts from The Stone Federation, Fila and Marmox helped us launch our new Design Studio by presenting 3 CPD seminars to an audience of local Architects and Interior Designers: ‘The Importance of Correct Cleaning and Sealing of Natural Stone’ ‘Selecting the Correct Stone’ ‘Overcoming problems associated with tiling in bathrooms’ (Summaries are available at info.amarestone.com/blog)

and expert technical advice on the use, installation and maintenance of Natural Stone for domestic and commercial interior and exterior projects.

The Amarestone Stone Design Studio is a unique resource where local professionals can access an extensive range of stone samples, stone-masonry

Steve and Denise Turner B4members@amarestone.com 0845 260 8070

www.b4-business.com

You can register your interest in future events at info.amarestone.com/cpd_signup Alternatively, if you have any specific queries relating to current or forth-coming projects, call or email and we will be happy to help.

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news

The Racecourse Newbury Sees Stars

Christmas Parties

1,500 budding astronomers travelled to The Racecourse Newbury and were seeing stars of a very different kind when BBC Stargazing Live took up residency for one evening in the Grandstand and around the stunning grounds.

Don’t miss out on booking your company the ultimate Christmas extravaganza for 2013.

The BBC transformed the venue into three interactive floors dedicated to hands on workshops including teaching people how to use thermal imaging cameras, inflatable planetariums, talks from astronomy experts and a web chat with a NASA astronaut.

The Racecourse is already taking bookings and enquiries for its Winter Wonderland spectacular which will bring the glamour and beauty of a traditional white Christmas to the Royal County.

To register your interest please email events@racecoursenewbury.co.uk

Chef Tables launch B4 Business members were the first to taste the new Chef Tables menus at The Racecourse Newbury, when the venue hosted us at one of their race days.

The chef team has drawn inspiration from around the globe for a new menu offering, with shared food options themed to different styles of cuisine.

These can be incorporated as part of the day delegate rate for meetings and conferences or ordered separately.

The American Table featured mini beef burgers with tomato salsa and fresh salad; the French Table, mini baguettes roast tomato and brie, tuna provincial, bayonne ham and cornichons; the Italian Table encompassed toasted bruschetta and an antipasti selection of ham, salami, olives and a fresh Italian style breads and the Eastern Table had delicious Asian spiced wok noodle stir fry and spiced rice salad with fresh mango and sultanas.

Royal weddings with The Racecourse Newbury Following the flurry of engagements during the most romantic month of the year, the Racecourse Newbury has launched a selection of ceremonies to suit all budgets and tastes. For each the happy couple can work with the chef team to create a menu of freshly prepared, beautiful dishes.

The ‘Royal’ wedding allows people to get married in the prestigious Royal Box, which has a civil ceremony licence and can seat up to 45 people theatre style, with a dining room, bar and private entrance.

www.b4-business.com

For larger weddings, the ‘Grand’ wedding taking place in the Grandstand holds up to 550 people and features a blank canvas of 1059.55m² pillar free space, enabling couples to create a ceremony and reception in one space or utilise draping to reveal a dance area.

Couples can also take elements from each with the ‘Create Your Own’ wedding, choosing their favourite setting and bringing in external caterers.

To arrange tour of the different spaces please call 01635 39671 or email amanda.ellis@racecoursenewbury.co.uk

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The Perfect Location‌ for exhibitions, conferences, product launches, meetings, awards dinners, Christmas parties or why not combine business with pleasure at a raceday...

Contact our Events Team 01635 40015 events@racecoursenewbury.co.uk

B4 ADVICE

“Businesses are

getting used to the difficult environment… and we are seeing some positive growth in business confidence, despite its fragility

”

SIMON BROOKER OF BDO As their new merger with PKF approaches, coupled with the transfer of three partners from BDO’s London office, Danny Dartnaill, Philipp Prince and John Dennison, BDO Thames Valley is going from strength to strength. B4 talks to Simon Brooker about his new role as Lead Partner, business confidence and how BDO achieve some pretty enviable statistics.

BDO's latest Thames Valley Business Barometer has revealed that businesses need to ensure that they are properly prepared when they are looking for funding.

From recent interviews with Thames Valley based businesses BDO discovered that those who need to re-finance can do so successfully and remain profitable and successful. What is essential to this process is preparation; Simon explains their concern for unprepared businesses in similar financial situations: "The banks ask questions that are easily dealt with if you are sufficiently prepared.

If you're not prepared and you go to a bank without a business plan, your results are a little weak and your current lender isn't interested, then it will be a difficult time for you. In this type of situation it is essential to be advised early - and that is why we are keen to help those businesses who are having trouble".

There is most definitely light at the end of the tunnel then. We are, as Simon explains, exceptionally lucky to be living and working in the Thames Valley area. "There are so many tremendous businesses around us with some fantastic success stories and we've got many clients that are growing very confidently, despite the recession". BDO Reading itself is also growing at the steady and respectable pace of 10% p/a. Yet perhaps hinting at the formula to their continued success, Simon proposes that what they really want is for growth to be at 12%.

In terms of business confidence there are, according to Simon, two things currently happening: “The first, is that businesses are getting

www.b4-business.com

used to the difficult environment that we work in, so there are a lot of businesses that have put off decisions and are now saying: ‘We’ve waited long enough and although the time isn’t perfect now, it probably won’t be perfect for the next five years, so let’s do it now’. The second aspect is that we are seeing some positive growth in business confidence, despite its fragility”. When combined, these two crucial elements lead to businesses, as a whole, performing better and with more confidence.

This view is bolstered by the fact that BDO has noticed a shift away from continued cost cutting, and an increase in productivity. Most of the ‘easy’ cost cutting has already been achieved and further cost cutting naturally leads to a fall in productivity.

The increase in productivity is tied to an increase in efficiency, aided by the growing importance of technology based business activity in the Thames Valley area.

With the compelling statistic that 95% of BDO’s clients say that they will still be with the firm in two years (a figure that has been independently measured by Lighthouse Global, Client Listening Programme), it is no secret that BDO’s success is down to their quality of service. The firm’s consistent focus on providing an exceptional service to customers is of course, largely down to the staff at BDO. “We’re very proud of our staff.

When you are selling the quality of a service it is the people delivering it who are key. We are very careful how we choose our staff and have had some fantastic success with school leaver programmes. The proportion of people entering accounting from schools has grown enormously –

we’ve had some really great young talent coming straight from school as well as university”, says Simon.

The success of the team at BDO is partially reliant upon the enthusiasm that Simon has for his new role, “I just love it, and the staff here know I love it and this really gives you the opportunity to make your mark on the business a little bit more”.

BDO has recently agreed a deal to merge with PKF. This merger has been met with keen enthusiasm on both sides: “We had some partner meetings at BDO and PKF and there is overwhelming support… I didn’t hear any dissenting voices at all”.

However, despite the excitement that the merger has caused, it does not distract from the reality that it is a challenging task. “These are two really big businesses to bring together. You’ve got to go into these things with your eyes open – there is lots of detail”. Post-merger PKF will operate under the BDO LLP brand, “We are very proud of the fact that the two firms create a financially strong business with leading mid-market sector and geographic coverage.” As part of BDO’s international network, with revenues of $6bn across 138 countries, Thames Valley businesses will also greatly benefit from deeper expertise and international reach at a local level.

So, with such bourgeoning success and the excitement of BDO’s merger with PKF on the horizon, it seems there is a lot to look forward to for BDO LLP. www.bdo.uk.com, simon.brooker@bdo.co.uk 0118 9254488

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news A taxing time …… Words from the IoD Berkshire Chairman For many of us, preparing statements of our business performance over the past twelve months is also a natural time to refine our goals and plans for the coming year. Will we realistically hit our short-term objectives and are they still aligned with our medium term plans and what of the longer view? How do we develop ourselves and our teams for the challenges ahead, ensure we don’t repeat mistakes and cascade positive actions and outcomes around the organisation?

It’s puzzling why we tend to undertake these tasks so infrequently when common sense suggests that

development and sharing of best practice are things we should do on an on-going basis. If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re in business and as such you will be in an extended group of directors and senior managers all going through similar planning processes.

Being an IoD member gives you access to information and advisory services (legal, tax, business information etc.), extensive facilities in Pall Mall, regional IoD hubs etc. but remember that your local IoD branch is a focal point for development, inspiration, education and more. We run a wide variety of events to support this and most include

an opportunity to network and meet with likeminded business people at breakfast business meetings, dinner meetings, social gatherings or business supported events. If you haven’t been to an IoD event why not come along to one soon (for further details on IoD or branch events please email admin.berks@iod.net ) and let’s see what we can do to help you reach your aims.

Good luck with your plans.

Barry Lewis Chairman, Berkshire Branch

IoD Berkshire Events Sailing Regatta – Fun competitive racing for teams or individuals Date: 6/06/13 Venue: Sunsail, The Port House, Port Solent, Portsmouth Price: £170 + VAT Members & guests, £180 + VAT Non members Join us for an exhilarating day of sailing on the Solent with Sunsail & their matched fleet of Sunsail F40 yachts. Challenge your customers, colleagues or just yourselves! This is our 12th successive year. For individuals or teams.

L’ortolan Breakfast Workshops - Digital Economy Date: 20/06/13 Venue: L’ortolan Restaurant, Church Lane, Shinfield, Reading, RG2 9BY Price: £26 + VAT Members & guests, £36 + VAT Non members These events are opportunities to network with other members, gain knowledge on the discussion topics which will be useful for your business and help other members with your thoughts and ideas.

Finals Day at Henley Royal Regatta Date: 07/07/13 Venue: Leander Club, Henley on Thames, RG9 2LP Price: £175 + VAT Members & guests, £200 + VAT Non members A unique opportunity to share the ultimate Henley experience with colleagues or family on the final day of the 2013 event.

BOOKINGS MUST BE MADE BY 10 MAY

Henley Music Festival, 2013 Date: 10/07/13 Venue: Leander Club, Henley on Thames, RG9 2LP Price: TBC We are organising a special IoD package for the Henley music festival starting with Dinner at Leander Club followed by Beach Boys concert in the main enclosure, please contact Juliet Rushent for further details admin.berks@iod.net

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Meetings at the Forbury A luxury five-star hotel in the heart of Reading, the Forbury is a beautiful 23 bedroom hotel designed for both business and pleasure. Our four meeting rooms boast the latest technology and are both stylish yet functional providing the ideal location for meetings and events. All our meeting rooms are fully air conditioned with natural day light, all also offer complimentary Wi-Fi. We offer a range of bespoke packages for both day and residential meetings, full details of which can be found on our website, www.theforburyhotel.co.uk. Whether you are looking for a meeting space for a couple of hours or a couple of days, our beautifully appointed meeting rooms can be tailored for all.

Any of our other public rooms can be used for meetings also.

The Lounge is available for impromptu meetings while the Library is ideal for more formal events.

For larger events our Eden room is ideal, hand painted flowers cover the walls of what was the original council chambers along with the original fire place. Ensuring your meeting is memorable for all the right reasons.

For presentations, lectures or film screenings, we can offer our own private Cinema. A maximum of thirty guests can be seated in Italian leather seats ensuring their comfort and attention is focused in the right direction.

The Cellar provides the perfect venue for business meetings, a boardroom style table and luxury chairs that present you in the perfect position, suitable for meetings for up to twelve guests.

www.theforburyhotel.co.uk events@theforburyhotel.co XN ‡ Tel: 0118 9527 770 The Forbury Hotel, 26 The Forbury, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 3EJ

B4 LEAD

GARDNER LEADER ROUNDTABLE Companies across Berkshire and Buckinghamshire joined representatives from Gardner Leader solicitors to discuss legal challenges and concerns. Around the table were founders of Wilson Partners Limited, Laudis Business Advisers, 100 Percent IT, Three Step Consulting, Vici Language Academy and Eyes Wide Open (see separate panel).

A range of subjects were covered including the complexities of employment law particularly; unfair dismissal claims and flexible working.

Issues were also raised around the Bribery Act and what may be seen as bribery versus hospitality, as well as questions around the legalities behind online and social media communications. The merits of monthly legal retainers, to help businesses become more preventative rather than reactive with regards to legal problems, were also discussed.

The Bribery Act “The biggest challenge on the legal front has to be The Bribery Act. There are a number of businesses that have almost survived on providing an introductory fee or commission to win business. Be this tickets to an England sporting fixture or general hospitality of some sort. The Bribery Act is a grey area and it’s difficult for some businesses who have been reliant on hospitality. This heightens if a business is exporting where different rules and regulations come in to play.”

For Derek Rodgers, The Managing Partner of Gardner Leader and Chair of the Roundtable, the meeting was vital to help the firm understand the real issues facing businesses. “We want to provide a broader service to help people achieve their objectives. We want to share experiences of challenges that businesses have faced recently or are expecting to face in the future, and hopefully garner some ideas as to how we can face those challenges and help our clients. For that reason we're pleased to invite a wide range of businesses to attend this Roundtable session.”

Derek explained that the Act's definitions of what constitutes bribery can be confusing for businesses and Malcolm Wicks of Three Step Consulting commented. “There are a number of businesses in the UK that have had a certain way of conducting themselves over the years. I’ll give you the example of the construction industry where questions are now being asked as to what they can and can’t do and that’s a disruption to business. I also see some companies taking a risk with marketing campaigns which could be interpreted as sailing close to the wind. From a legal point of view it’s a massive disruption.”

Derek opened the discussion by asking Ross Wilson, as a supporter of growing businesses, what he feels are the key commercial problems facing businesses today.

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Greg Humphreys, a Partner and Head of the Gardner Leader Commercial Team added, “there is a bit of a concern about this – you almost need to

do a risk assessment yourself. The introduction of The Bribery Act reminds me a little of the Health and Safety Act – a lot of people were over-egging what people had to do and there was a massive reaction to it. As it settled down, people realized the obligations weren’t as onerous as they originally thought.”

Owen Hughes of Eyes Wide Open raised the issue of respecting the country and culture you are attempting to win business in. “You have to bear in mind what market you are operating in. If you do business in the Middle East, ‘gifts’ are all part and parcel of doing business. It’s an accepted part of doing business and if you don’t do it, you will be offending the party you are trying to do business with. It’s their culture, and if we recognize The Bribery Act over culture, then we are not being competitive. It’s easier to define what is right and what is wrong here in the UK, but, if you take ten customers to Twickenham and feed them in one of the restaurants, is that hospitality or is that bribery? That’s the grey area. Giving a customer a Rolex is fairly cut and dried.”

Ross Wilson: “My biggest concern is that Directors are aware of their responsibilities but don’t know enough about it to articulate it to their staff.

Malcolm mentioned the construction industry and

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“My biggest concern is that Directors are aware of their responsibilities but don’t know enough about it to articulate it to their staff

”

I am involved with a fast growing company who specialize in fit outs and most of their business is conducted through agents and if you cut that supply off, where does the business come from?”

is a tendency for people to sit on problems rather than flush them out. I think a lot of businesses will become very worried about discrimination claims and need to be better prepared to deal with them.”

Unfair Dismissal and Discrimination Nathalie Danon-Kerr of Newbury based company, The VICI Language Academy, commented, “this is another area of concern and significant importance for me which needs legal advice. I had an experience with having no confidence in a member of staff who happened to be from another country, which added a potentially racial element to the problem. We had to seek legal advice to deal with this very sensitive issue.”

Julie: “Discrimination is a very difficult area but ultimately the employee would need to put a case that their dismissal was for an unlawful reason such as age or race. It’s also important when taking someone on to build in a review process to ensure that the new employee is meeting expectations so there becomes a clear and justified case against that person if they are not performing. This will also help to assess whether they are able to help you take your business forward.”

Julie Taylor, an Associate in Gardner Leader’s Employment Team, commented, “there are measures to follow in such a case – it’s not a conclusion which is reached overnight and it’s important to follow the right procedure. It’s also important to make sure there are no racial motives for dismissal and to ensure that the reasons for dismissal are fully justified.”

Malcolm: “Is the onus on the individual to prove unfair dismissal or the company to defend itself?”

John Panczak of Laudis Business Advisors explained how it is important for businesses to address problems in advance, through appraisals, rather than sit on them and let them fester. “There

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Julie: “It depends on the type of claim, but usually it’s for the employee to prove that they have been dismissed and then for the employer to show that they had a fair reason and followed a fair procedure and then the tribunal will decide if it was fair in all the circumstances.”

Derek: “The media is suggesting that employee rights and the accompanying red tape is a key area of concern for businesses.”

Ross: “I haven’t been an employee since I was 27, but I am on the side of the employees. I remember what it was like to be a member of staff and I just think that there are so many tools at the disposal of the employer whether it's before they take on a new recruit, during employment or if they decide to dismiss someone. The onus has to be on the business to get it right. It’s all too easy to say it’s someone else’s fault, i.e. the under-performing employee. But it has to be down to the employer to follow the right procedures and ensure that if and when the day comes to let someone go, they have played by the rules and there is no comeback from the employee.

“My plea to businesses is that quick decisions should be slowed down a bit. Do more research into who you are employing because a quick fix can often lead to a long term problem.”

John: “I’m a big believer in aligning the interests of employees with the employer. One key way to do this is motivating them with share options – they are then interested in the long term prosperity of the business. When you are growing, it’s a great way to get everyone on the same page.”

Owen: “Share options are great but you have to also create loyalty amongst your employees. Just

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treat your employees well, act decently and your staff will be on side. Communicate well, and be fair, then your staff will be loyal to you. Maybe it’s a naïve approach, but if you treat others how you would like to be treated, then 99% of the time you should have a loyal workforce.”

Julie: “I agree completely. If you can discuss issues at an early stage, this can often turn a negative situation into a very positive one.”

Nathalie comments that staff are key for her business and it’s crucial to be on top of what she can and can’t do when it comes to employment law. “For me it’s all about staff. When you have a small company like ours, we have to take on staff as we have done over the last 12 to 18 months.

Employment law is scary for us, and this is heightened when you go out networking and people tell you that you can’t do this or do that. It becomes very confusing.

“If someone takes me to court one day will I have to produce lots of detail about what has been said and what has happened? If so, when is this information documented? When do we have time to do this?

“I had a court claim against me for someone I didn’t even employ, someone I was talking to about working for us who I took to two meetings with prospective clients. I didn’t like her approach in the meetings and although one of the clients wanted to work with us, I decided not to employ the person. I was summoned to attend an employment tribunal to face the case against me.

In the end, this person backed down as I stood my ground and knew she didn’t have a case against me, but that was sleepless nights, energy and a massive disruption to my business which I could have done without. For small businesses, who are apparently great for the economy, these sorts of disruptions are not at all helpful.”

Julie: “The Government is looking at lots of proposals to help businesses in cases like this such as imposing fees on the claimant to make a claim which will hopefully prove as a deterrent. I have acted for a couple of businesses recently which had quite legitimate reasons for acting as they did but still had claims made against them. In both cases, we advised the client to spend a bit of time clearly outlining why they weren’t in the wrong and that they had followed proper procedures which was sufficient for the claimant to stand down.”

Flexible Working John: “I believe this can be a very motivational way of working. Fit in with your staff and this can help increase productivity.”

Nathalie offers her staff considerable flexibility but this has caused problems in the past. “I offer my staff a lot of flexibility and allow them to work as it suits them to work. They can work from home, they can work independently. A lot of my staff like the fact that we are flexible. You do have to be careful because you need to treat everyone the same. I allowed one employee to work from home at half 22

term as she has children plus other benefits to help her work around the family. Another employee said to me that she didn’t have this flexibility because she didn’t have kids. In a way she felt discriminated against.”

Ross: “Smoking is another area where non-smokers feel discriminated. Why should smokers get extra breaks? We have one person who smokes who is now feeling so isolated that they are giving up – the smell of smoke in the office is anti-social and although you can’t discriminate, you either have to live with it or the smoker has to, voluntarily, give up.”

Monthly Legal Fees Ross: “I spend most of my life chairing Board Meetings. In this privileged position I can see what is going on across the board and, as a result, I am able to give out so much work to my network of contacts. I see all of the problems coming up in board meetings and, more often than not, I can provide a contact to help solve that problem. I often wonder whether a lawyer should get themselves involved in retainers to attend board meetings of SME’s on a monthly basis and pick up work from the problems that will inevitably come out of that meeting. They could raise their hand when issues arise – health and safety, terms and conditions,

“I think social media is dealt with if you just understand it in the first place and adopt common sense”

Bribery Act, the whole gambit of legal issues which will come up.”

John: “That’s what a professional service provider should be, a trusted partner who is invited to key meetings to help problem solve and find solutions for their client. 90% of the conversation may well be irrelevant, but you could have a massive impact on the 10% which is relevant.”

Nathalie: “The idea of having a professional sit in on meetings on a monthly basis would be great for me. Thinking about large solicitor’s bills is very scary, but I would definitely pay a monthly fee to have legal representation at a monthly meeting, as a form of insurance. Our insurance costs and accountancy costs are already very expensive but these are dwarfed if a large legal bill comes in so any sort of prevention would be most welcome.

Even if it was just a retainer so that I could pick up the phone whenever anything major happens in our business. For example, we recently took on five new staff so if I could just pick up the phone and ask what I needed to make sure I was doing in light

of this change, that would be fabulous. I would see it as another insurance policy.”

Ross: “I also wonder whether solicitors do enough on the health check side of businesses. A quarterly check up would be great and save a lot of the ‘reactionary law’ which inevitably has to happen when things go wrong. A quarterly health check would help prevent a lot of problems and save on fees. It then makes businesses think more about what they are doing, do more due diligence before taking someone on, think about the implications of working with a supplier from overseas.”

David Blundell of 100percent IT Limited added, “We are paying our accountants a fixed monthly fee and I would definitely do the same with a solicitor.”

Greg: “We do operate like this already for some clients. A retainer relaxes the client and doesn’t stop them from calling us when there might be a problem.”

Derek: “It’s better for us when the client does contact us more regularly – it gives us a better handle on their business and we can both then prevent the problems in advance rather then deal with them after they have arisen.”

The Use of Social Media Ross: “What does everyone think about social media? Is this an area you are having to give much advice on? What do we allow our staff to do? How are they allowed to use Facebook in a manner which doesn’t conflict with the brand and the ethos of the company?

Derek: “It is certainly a big issue but it’s also an area where you have to reach a balance. The whole point of social media is that it is instant, it is accessible, spontaneous and it’s personal. If you were to approach it on a strict legal basis you would constantly be seeking permission to do everything connected with social media and that takes you away from all of the key benefits of social media.

“You do see some social media polices which run for pages and pages. You either take that approach or you take another approach which was summarized to me as putting yourself in the position that you are in a pub with a local journalist, the vicar, your mother and your wife all in earshot and you’ve just got to be careful what you say!

“I think social media is dealt with if you just understand it in the first place and adopt common sense.”

Malcolm: “It’s not just social media, it’s lots of different technology that just keeps coming in waves. For example, how should we use Dropbox?

There’s so much to consider, so much is constantly changing and that increases the risk of everything we do.” www.gardner-leader.co.uk

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Derek Rodgers Chair Person & Managing Partner, Gardner Leader As well as managing partner of Gardner Leader, Derek acts for businesses of all sizes, helping them to achieve their objectives. This might be the formation, acquisition or sale of a business or the handling of venture capital and private equity transactions. Derek also prepares shareholder agreements and commercial contracts including confidentiality agreements, agency & distribution agreements and terms of business.

John Panczak Laudis Business Advisors John trained as a Chartered Accountant with PwC, and has many years’ experience at Finance Director (FD)level in entrepreneurial fast growth high technology companies. He was co-founder of a biotechnology company which raised £3m in first round finance, and FD at a technology licensing company. John is now joint owner of LAUDIS Business Advisors with Nick Richards . Together they offer Non-Executive Director services and Exit Planning services to businesses across the Thames Valley.

Julie Taylor Associate in the Employment Team, Gardner Leader Julie deals with all areas of employment law. She offers straightforward advice to individual clients on their employment rights as well as to small and medium sized companies on ways to reduce the risk of employment litigation as a consequence of crucial business decision. Julie also ensures that businesses are appropriately protected with effective contracts and policies.

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Ross Wilson Business Advisor Ross Wilson has built a career centred on offering advice and support to entrepreneurs from start-ups through to maturity and exit. Having sold his previous business, Williams Allan Group in late 2000 he took up the role of Chairman, RSM Tenon Thames Valley for six years.

He then joined his two sons as a fellow director and business advisor in 2008 to launch Wilson Partners Limited, which is a firm of chartered accountants, tax and business advisors. Wilson Partners has grown 35% every year, employs around 20 people and was voted ‘Best General Tax Practice in the UK’ in 2011.

Greg Humphreys Partner and Head of the Commercial Team, Gardner Leader Greg specialises in all aspects of Corporate Commercial Law - advising businesses on corporate and commercial matters and commercial property matters. This ranges from the sale and purchase of shares and business assets, company restructuring and corporate governance to preparing shareholder and business partnership agreements.

Owen Hughes Eyes Wide Open With over 20 years’ experience in developing strategies and programmes for brands such as BAT and BMW, Owen specialises in developing CRM strategies. This focused understanding of customers and their behaviour is integral to Eyes Wide Open's approach with each client to develop the best marketing strategy for their business.

Nathalie Danon-Kerr Vici Language Academy Nathalie specialises in Modern Foreign Languages - Teaching - Cultural Training - Communication Leadership. Her goal is to inspire individuals and companies to adopt modern foreign languages as part of their communication strategy. She has created The VICI Language Academy, which serves businesses who appreciate the value of speaking to European and global customers in their native tongue.

Malcolm Wicks Three Step Consulting Malcolm is a Marketing professional with 20 years experience in helping businesses understand more about their customers. He has managed marketing teams for CRM, Business Intelligence, Customer Experience and Data Warehousing and has implemented hundreds of marketing programs and strategies. For the last 10 years Malcolm has been a marketing consultant working with clients such as Tesco and HP to the Zambian Ministry of Health and Dennis the fire engine maker. His company, Three Step Consulting, works with companies whose marketing is not meeting their expectations.

Malcolm has also lectured at Henley Business School and was Vice Chairman of IoD Berkshire.

David Blundell 100 Percent IT Cambridge graduate, David Blundell is the founder and Managing Director of 100 Percent IT, an Internet Service Provider that provides Internet connectivity and server resources to SMEs across UK and Europe.

David enjoys creating robust, cost effective IT solutions that enable his customers to grow their business. He is a technology expert and advises other ISPs on building secure, reliable networks.

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B4 SPOTLIGHT

THE RACECOURSE NEWBURY The Racecourse Newbury launched its Chef Tables food offering at the B4 Ambassadors networking event on 16th January. These are platters themed to different styles of food which can be incorporated as part of the day delegate rate for organisers or ordered separately.

chef Darren Fairminer, we aim to set ourselves apart from other conference venues by making the food served at corporate events an experience that people can look forward to, just as you would on a raceday when dining in The Hennessy, our fine dining panoramic restaurant.”

These include the American Table featuring mini beef burgers with tomato salsa and fresh salad; the French Table with mini baguettes roast tomato and brie, tuna provincial, bayonne ham and cornichons; the Italian Table encompassing toasted bruschetta and an antipasti selection of ham, salami, olives and a fresh Italian style breads and the Eastern Table with Asian spiced wok noodle stir fry and spiced rice salad with fresh mango and sultanas.

Guests at the event enjoyed the hospitality in the Fred Winter Suite which was theirs exclusively for the day. With a balcony overlooking the finishing line of the racecourse, this is the ideal place to still be a part of the action. A tour of the racecourse’s other facilities was also available for those looking for inspiration when organising their next meeting, conference or awards ceremony, with capacity across the venue ranging from as few as 2 – 1,000 people. The Grandstand has three floors of event space with 1000m² of pillar free floor space perfect for larger conferences while the exclusive Royal Box is ideal for board meetings of up to 50 people.

Amanda Ellis, Conference and Event Business Development Manager commented: “All food is prepared by our own chef team freshly on site, allowing us to control and monitor the quality of everything produced. Working with head

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www.racecoursenewbury.co.uk

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B4 SERVICES

SIR JOHN MADEJSKI TAKES TO THE AIRWAVES ON READING 107 Reading 107 has launched a new radio programme ‘The Sir John Madejski Interviews’ on Sundays at Noon.

The new series started at the end of January and is sponsored by Hays, the leading recruiting experts.

In each of the 60 minute programmes, Reading Football Club Chairman and owner of Reading 107 Sir John Madejski talks to some of the Thames Valley’s most successful business people and community leaders. The programme takes the form of an informal conversational interview between Sir John and his guests, giving listeners some interesting and inspirational insights into their varied lives and careers. Guests are also asked to choose three of their favourite songs to be played during the programme.

With such an abundant array of successful figureheads of enterprise and community endeavor in the Reading area, Reading 107 has not been short of suitable candidates to take part. Guests have included Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading; Mark Sheldon, Managing Director, Home Counties, Hays; Chris Carter Keall, Vice President of Oxford Properties Group; Kevin Byrne, Founder of Checkatrade; Chris Sykes, Chief Executive of Volume; Charles Brims, High Sheriff of 26

the Royal County of Berkshire; Paul Bampton, Managing Director of Sansome & George; The Hon Mary Bayliss JP, The Lord Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire; Steve Fawke, Manager of Broad Street Mall, and many more planned for the rest of the year.

Sir John Madejski is enthused by the challenge of becoming a host on the air: “I’m pleased to be interviewing so many interesting people who make a great contribution to the wonderful community in which we all live. These stories are incredibly inspiring and I’m sure Reading 107’s listeners will find them as fascinating as I have.”

Much of the content of 'The Sir John Madejski Interviews' relays some compelling personal stories of career and business building from a huge range of different backgrounds and disciplines, and Reading 107 was extremely pleased to secure Hays plc as the sponsor. Hays plc is a leading global professional recruiting group and is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. As at June

last year, Hays plc employed almost 8,000 people worldwide, operating from 245 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialism’s. Mark Sheldon, Managing Director, Home Counties, of Hays, who himself has been interviewed for the programme, is delighted to sponsor 'The Sir John Madejski Interviews': “We have been recruiting for the region’s employers for over 20 years and know first hand that the individuals behind these organisations have many interesting stories to tell, so these interviews with successful business figures promise to be both inspiring and insightful.”

The programme really is worth a listen, so be sure to tune into Reading 107 every Sunday at noon, either on FM, online, or via the Reading 107 app, to hear some of these stories. But don’t fret if you’ve missed an interview that’s already been broadcast, all interviews are available as a podcast on the Reading 107 website!

Support your truly independent local radio station and become part of the Reading 107 community. www.reading107.com

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B4 SPOTLIGHT

HASLAMS CELEBRATES 175TH ANNIVERSARY PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 2013 marks an exciting year for Haslams Chartered Surveyors in that it celebrates its 175th anniversary making it one of the oldest firms in Reading, and indeed one of the oldest surveying practices in the UK.

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PAST

Haslams was established in 1838 when two farmers, brothers James and Charles Haslams teamed up to provide advice to their peers on the valuation of agricultural land in Reading and the surrounding areas that had become subject to compulsory purchase by the Great Western Railway.

The following year, the pair set up offices in Broad Street, now part of the site occupied by John Lewis.

In the late 1890’s, the founders’ descendent Dryland Haslams was admitted into the Partnership and the firm became “Haslams & Son”. Dryland’s brother was responsible for designing the building of 156 Friar Street, where the firm was to be based for more than a century.

Haslams’ portfolio of clients has included a variety of recognisable names over the years, such as Suttons Seeds, Huntley and Palmers, Heelas Department Store (now John Lewis) and the University of Reading. Many of these, or their successors, are still represented by the firm to this day.

In 1986 the firm was renamed “Haslams Chartered Surveyors” and lately in 2009 the firm became an LLP, Haslams Surveyors LLP. The practice moved in to its modern headquarters at County House, Friar Street in 2007.

schedules of dilapidations. The firm also has a particular specialism in residential and commercial development land working closely alongside both land owners and developers.

• Following detailed negotiations with the Valuation Office, reductions were negotiated in all of the appeals submitted resulting in substantial savings for the University.

We pride ourselves on a Partner led approach ensuring all our clients receive professional, precise and commercial advice on their property issues.

Roc Search – Office Search and Acquisition

To demonstrate the breadth of our expertise, over the past 12 months we have dealt with the following: Development Sale of Former Reservoir Site, Bath Road, Reading • On behalf of Thames Water, we sold a site of 5.5 acres suitable for residential development.

• The property was placed upon the open market and Bewley Homes Plc was selected as the successful purchaser.

• Thames Water and Bewley Homes Plc jointly achieved planning permission for the development of 80 new dwellings and the sale completed at the agreed price.

Planning Appeal on a development of 126 new dwellings with 2% affordable housing provision • We were instructed by the University of Reading to act as an Expert Witness in giving evidence on development viability at Planning Inquiry.

• We acted on behalf of Roc Search, a growing recruitment consultant who wanted new grade A office space in Reading.

• We were asked to undertake a search of the market for suitable offices which offered them the correct image and room for expansion.

• We then negotiated on their behalf and the final choice was 7th Floor, The Blade which was secured on competitive terms with Roc Search’s desired timescales.

Pre Let of 208,000 sq ft Distribution Centre to Brakes Bros on behalf of Standard Life • As part of on-going instructions to market the 53 acre Suttons Business Park in Reading, we negotiated leasehold terms (on a pre let basis) with Brakes Bros in respect of a temperature controlled distribution centre of 208,000 sq ft.

• We provided commercial advice together with Standard Life’s other development consultants throughout the legal process.

• The unit was successfully completed in Spring 2012 within the required timescale and on terms which provided Standard Life with an attractive investment.

For further details or to meet members of the team, visit our website at www.haslams.co.uk.

FUTURE

So what does the future hold?

With such a strong team of focused and dynamic individuals, the practice has a very exciting future and indeed there are already several high profile instructions in the pipeline for 2013. The firm also places a strong emphasis of succession planning as demonstrated by its young Partnership age profile and active graduate recruitment program.

PRESENT

Fast forward 175 years and Haslams are now one of the leading independent firms of Surveyors serving the Thames Valley and beyond. With a team of eight focused and dynamic Partners specialising within the General Practice, Commercial Agency and Building Surveying sectors the firm provide property advice to a very wide range of clients.

The Practice offers a full range of property consultancy services including; property valuations, rent reviews, lease renewals, business rates appeals, building surveys, asbestos reports and

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• The Council’s requirement was for a 40% affordable housing provision but we successfully argued that planning permission should be granted for the proposed development with just 2% affordable housing provision.

Managing Partner Conrad Hill commented “We are extremely proud of our history and delighted to be celebrating such a milestone. 2013 looks to be a very exciting year and we are holding a series of events to mark the occasion and to say a particular thank you to our clients, past, present and future.”

• A partial Costs Award was granted in favour of our client.

If you would like to get in contact, Conrad’s details are below.

Aberystwyth University Rating Appeal

Conrad Hill Tel: 0118 921 1524 Email: conradhill@haslams.co.uk

• We were instructed by Aberystwyth University to investigate various rating assessments on its three campuses and other University buildings in the town and submit appeals where appropriate.

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B4 ADVICE

“The Huhne and

Pryce verdicts demonstrate that divorce can be a cruel journey often involving revenge and strong emotions of bitterness

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THE PRYCE OF REVENGE HOW NOT TO DIVORCE Kerry Fretwell, Family Law Partner at Thames Valley law firm Manches LLP, outlines lessons to learn from the Pryce divorce and recent Family Law Ombudsman report findings After Vicky Pryce's marriage to Chris Huhne broke down in 2010, she disclosed to newspapers that her former husband had lied about swapping his speeding points in 2003.

Distressed at her husband leaving her for his political advisor, Carina Trimingham (who had been in a civil partnership); Vicky Pryce's disclosures led to two guilty verdicts for herself and Chris Huhne of perverting the course of justice and then to two immediate custodial sentences of eight months.

Aside from the issue of swapping speeding points and attempting to pervert the course of justice, there is another lesson to be learnt here, in particular for anyone contemplating divorce proceedings. Tempting as it may be to wreak revenge as a scorned spouse, the consequences of so doing, can be calamitous. The Huhne and Pryce verdicts were preceded by a report from the Legal Ombudsman into family law which happens to be titled "The price of separation: Divorce related legal complaints and their causes".

Mr Justice Sweeney found that Vicky Pryce had been motivated by an implacable desire for revenge with little consideration for the wider family. He said that she had a controlling, manipulative and devious side to her nature.

Chris Huhne commented that revenge eats you up. "It does worse things to you than to the person you are attempting to attack". He went on to say that Ms Pryce's decision had meant that money that might have been put aside for the kids had instead gone on paying their large legal bills.

Mr Huhne has found himself estranged from his three children and experienced the humiliation of his son's critical texts to him being read out in court.

The children now find themselves with two parents in jail whose careers have been wrecked and who have suffered public humiliation.

The report confirms that there are some obvious reasons why divorce gives rise to complaints against divorce lawyers commenting that even the most consensual separation is likely to involve feelings of sadness, disappointment and guilt and noting that separation may be non consensual, involving allegations of betrayal, abuse and infidelity.

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The report discloses that a lot of the complaints involved costs and issues concerning the quality of the advice given. Several case studies are appended as examples including one study where very sound advice was given but the client had unreasonable expectations and had not listened to that advice.

As the Pryce family has experienced, a good family lawyer ought to be able to take the heat out of the acrimony that there may be, and put the needs of the children first. They should also be able to advise on the best process option for that particular family, whether it be mediation, collaborative law, a roundtable meeting, private arbitration or the Court process.

The Huhne and Pryce verdicts demonstrate that divorce can be a cruel journey often involving revenge and strong emotions of bitterness and disappointment for all concerned, including children. The Berkshire public should, in the unfortunate event of having to instruct a family lawyer on divorce or separation, look to engage a specialist, and ideally a family lawyer who is a member of Resolution, as members subscribe to a code of conduct to be conciliatory where possible.

The Legal Ombudsman’s report also reminds us that listening to the advice of the appointed family lawyer is paramount.

Kerry Fretwell, Family Law Partner, Manches LLP Reading: 0118 982 2658 or email kerry.fretwell@manches.com www.manches.com

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ADDING VALUE AS STANDARD Asked the question, most businesses would like to think they add value to their customers and clients in some way. Grant Thornton enjoys an enviable reputation in the technology sector for doing just that. Article

by Tracey Jefferies

Grant Thornton’s Technology sector Corporate Finance Team continued to be the mid-market adviser of choice in 2012, across the Thames Valley and beyond, working with clients on 30 transactions during the year, reaffirming their position the go-to UK financial adviser.

Transactions included work on behalf of Tessella and 8el.

The sale of Tessella Ltd to its management team, backed by Mobeus Equity Partners The Thames Valley team advised the shareholders of Tessella on the sale of the business to management. The transaction enabled the founder, Kevin Gell, to move away from day-to-day

Technology and Corporate Finance Partner at Grant Thornton, said, "We are very pleased that our long association with Kevin and the Tessella team has culminated in a deal which is so tailored to their circumstances and aspirations. Tessella is a high quality business with significant potential, built on solid intellectual foundations. I have no doubt that with Mobeus's support and Kevin's sage advice, the management team will take the business onward and upward. We wish them well and very much hope we can continue to work alongside them on their journey."

Tessella Founder and Non-Executive Director Kevin Gell added: Grant Thornton have been my business advisors and auditors for over 12 years,

This acquisition strengthens Selection Services’ managed communication expertise and results in a combined entity generating revenues of over £35 million and with more than 400 staff helps the group pursue its strategy of building a substantial business that offers a full suite of IT services. Grant Thornton has a strong relationship with both Palatine and Selection, having advised on the original MBO in 2011. This relationship combined with technology sector expertise allowed Grant Thornton’s team to work closely with them, providing corporate finance and corporate tax advice. Commenting on the deal, Duncan Lamb, Partner in Grant Thornton’s Corporate Finance team said, “We are very pleased to have supported Palatine and Selection in successfully completing

“Grant Thornton have been my business advisors and auditors for over 12 years, so when I came to consider selling the business, our longstanding relationship and their credentials in the sector made them the logical choice

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management while retaining a key position within the business and on the Board.

Tessella is an IT services business, based in Oxfordshire, which provides outsourced software development capability to large research and development projects within the public sector and commercial organisations. It boasts an impressive client list including the British Library, the JET project, GSK and Akzo Nobel. Tessella is a global business with offices in the UK, US and the Netherlands. It recruits its staff, the majority of whom have PhDs from the best universities around the world, equipping them to utilise their predominantly science and mathematics backgrounds into software development projects for commercial and research environments. The transaction values the business at £18 million.

Grant Thornton took the deal opportunity exclusively to Mobeus, recognising both a cultural fit and the advantages of a tried and tested Mobeus deal structure for the circumstances of Tessella and its stakeholders.

so when I came to consider selling the business, our longstanding relationship and their credentials in the sector made them the logical choice. They seamlessly worked across departments including corporate finance, audit, tax and financial planning, to provide me with the best advice to maximise my returns and get the deal done. Their hard work, dedication and flexibility ensured the transaction was completed in what continue, clearly to be difficult market conditions. I also look forward to continuing our relationship with Grant Thornton during the next stage of Tessella’s growth.”

Selection Services’ acquisition of 8el Grant Thornton advised Palatine Private Equity and Selection Services Limited on its acquisition of Aggregated Telecom Limited (trading as 8el).

Selection Services, based in Kent, is an IT managed services provider, working within the SME market, delivering a broad array of managed services and solutions, bespoke projects and expert strategic advice.

their second bolt-on acquisition. This leaves the business well positioned to strengthen its service offering and build on its successes to date. We look forward to working with them on future transactions.”

Palatine Private Equity Partner Tony Dickin added: “We are delighted to have concluded our second acquisition since the original MBO of Selection. The acquisition of 8el brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in managed communications, access to new customers and additional geographic reach.

Overall, it strengthens our position as we continue to become the leading IT services provider to the SME market. We will be looking to make further acquisitions to complement our business. Grant Thornton has been a trusted adviser since the Selection deal and we look forward to working with them to achieve our objectives.” www.grant-thornton.co.uk

Commenting on the deal, Wendy Hart, Head of

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www.b4-business.com

B4 ADVICE

“We will be looking to make further acquisitions to complement our business. Grant Thornton has been a trusted adviser since the Selection deal and we look forward to working with them to achieve our objectives

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BR ROW OW N S R E A D I N G Unit R7, The Oracle Centre, Reading, RG1 2AG T Telephone: elephone: 0118 950 3137 Email Email:: reading@brownsreading@browns-restaurants.co.uk restaurants.co.uk ww www.browns-restaurants.co.uk w.browns-restaurants.co.uk

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Open: 10.00am Close: 11.00pm (Fri & Sat close at 12am) L a s t F o o d O rrd der: 10.00pm (Fri & Sat 10.30pm)

B4 PROPERTY

THE BRACKNELL ENTERPRISE AND INNOVATION HUB IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS Recently benefitting from an extensive refurbishment, the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub at Ocean House is now open and providing a professional and secure base for businesses. With existing Oxford Innovation customers already moving in and more state of the art development on its way, the Hub offers young and growing companies a buzzing, proactive working environment from which to run their business.

Located on the 12th floor of Ocean House with stunning panoramic views of the surrounding area, the hub offers various office solutions for start-up,

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growing and established businesses. Office space, shared office space, hot desking and virtual offices can all be rented on flexible terms, allowing occupiers to be free of any long-term commitments.

The Hub also offers a dedicated service providing business support in a number of key areas including business planning, raising finance, tax and national insurance, and trading standards. With such a proactive approach to support provision and a broad range of office space options, the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub ensures that it has the perfect solution to help every business thrive.

March this year will see the Bracknell team open a brand new Club b Business Lounge at the Hub, supported by Bracknell Forest Council and B-Line Business Supplies. The Club b lounge will be a thriving base for business training workshops and networking events; as well as providing an openplan shared co-working environment and creating opportunities for inter-business collaboration. With free access to Wi-Fi, tea and coffee, the Club b Lounge is set to become a valuable addition to the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub. Colin Chambers of Solus Micro Technologies, has been an Oxford Innovation customer for over

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“ We are so

pleased to welcome the companies that have recently made the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub their base for business ”

twelve years and has just relocated to the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub. He explains, “I decided to continue my working relationship with Oxford Innovation because I have always been extremely happy with the service they provide and the staff are always professional, welcoming and friendly. With a comfortable, stylish interior and panoramic views for miles around Bracknell, the Hub really is the perfect work environment.”

Packard and BMW. With the M3 and M4 motorways close by and the train station just a short walk away, the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub is ideally located for business, allowing travel to the capital in just under an hour.

Other companies that are already benefiting from basing their business at the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub include Content Keeper, IDM and JHP Training.

Jo Willett, Regional Director for Oxford Innovation, adds, “We are so pleased to welcome the companies that have recently made the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub their base for business. The Hub is now a hive of activity and we are looking forward to welcoming many more companies in the next few months. I am particularly delighted to be launching the Club b lounge, which will provide a unique space for young companies and entrepreneurs in Bracknell. We will have an exciting events programme starting in April and with membership of the lounge free to any business, I am looking forward to it being a really lively space within the Hub.”

About Bracknell Enterprise & Innovation Hub Bracknell Enterprise & Innovation Hub provides office space, virtual offices and meeting rooms in a serviced environment. Located on the 12th floor of Ocean House in Bracknell and with a dedicated onsite centre management team to greet your visitors, manage your calls and take care of the facilities management, companies can focus on running their business. Offices vary from 110 sq ft to 450 sq ft, which can accommodate between 1 and 6 people, but multiple offices can also be taken if more space is required. For more information, visit www.bracknell-hub.co.uk.

Ocean House is situated in the centre of Bracknell, an area currently known as the Technology Capital of the Thames Valley and home to many major international brands such as Dell, Waitrose, Hewlett

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.

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The company also provides innovation services to entrepreneurs, including business planning advice, coaching and mentoring.

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: www.oxin.co.uk Oxford Innovation is part of SQW Group. Other divisions and associated companies include SQW, a leading provider of research, analysis and advice on sustainable economic and social development solutions to the public and private sectors, and SQW China, which operates from Hong Kong providing economic and management consultancy services to China and the international market. For more information: www.sqwgroup.com For further information please visit www.bracknell-hub.co.uk or contact Janet Humphrey, Centre Manager on 01344 388000 or j.humphrey@oxin.co.uk

37

B4 HEALTH

A YOUNG PROGRESSIVE CLUB AT THE FOREFRONT OF CHANGE IN THE ESTABLISHED WORLD OF GOLF Hennerton Golf Club is a true joy to play, whatever your age or your handicap. As you discover this hidden gem in Berkshire, you will be rewarded with a warm welcome that is not easily replicated at older and more established Clubs. Hennerton Golf Club in Wargrave was conceived by Peter Hearn whose family has lived on and farmed the same land where the Club now lies since the early fifties. With the Club now coming to the end of its first 20 years, and after much celebration, Zara Hearn, Peter’s daughter and now General Manager of the Club, met with B4’s Richard Rosser and took time to reflect on what has been achieved in the two short decades since the Club was established.

In October 1992, Bernard Gallacher declared Hennerton open by hitting the first drive down this picturesque, yet intimate course, sitting high on the hills overlooking Reading and Henley-on-Thames. The then Ryder Cup Captain was captivated by the beauty of the countryside and the advantages made by sculpting the course into the natural undulations of the hills and valley.

The mature surrounding landscape had the benefit of making the course feel already bedded-in, avoiding the “converted field” feel that many newly developed courses of the 1990s tended towards; here the course rolls with the land, showcasing panoramic views across the Thames Valley.

Peter was inspired to develop Hennerton after seeing the magnificence of Augusta and Wentworth. His vision was to create an equally 38

beautiful course at Hennerton and to open up the beauty of the extraordinary countryside and share it and its vistas with as many people as possible.

Where previously there stood cattle and prize pigs, the rolling countryside was transformed and presented as one of the best 9-hole courses in the region.

But of course, Peter’s dream didn’t stop there. In 2006, after much planning and a not inconsiderable investment to purchase adjoining land, Hennerton evolved into the unique and challenging 18 Hole Par 65 course it is today.

The resulting 18 holes have been imaginatively designed into the chalk valleys, dropping down from terraced tees into peaceful secluded countryside and rising up onto raised contoured greens where the views take in the surrounding horizons dotted with Lebanese cedars.

As a consequence of the course being tucked within protected woodland, Hennerton is a course that demands and rewards a high degree of judgement and accuracy rather than relying on mere big hitting. It is unique in being an excellent test of one’s short game and also unique in that on average you can finish a round in under four hours – perfect for those of us with busy lifestyles.

Peter still overseas the maintenance of the course and his sensitivity to the land shines through with the course gently cushioning the surrounding wildlife – conservation, always a high priority, is tantamount here with, for example, ponds specifically developed for the Great Crested Newt.

The 9th hole winds gently by “Badgers Bank” and now a plethora of wildlife take advantage of the day-to-day tranquillity of the course. Naturally shy creatures are often found here, including fallow and muntjac deer, green woodpeckers and the not so www.b4-business.com

A home from home The way the Club is run engenders a totally nonelitist and homely feel, without any divisions between the management, staff and members.

There is certainly none of the slow moving inner workings of endless committee involvement but instead a fast-paced small committee who rapidly work through any potential issues and make decisions. Hennerton is a Club that is only ever slowed down by the weather!

As a small Club, Hennerton always has had one big intention: to be at the forefront of the new era of golf and to provide an equitable playing field for players of all abilities and to help each player become involved at any level. The Club has moved with the times and has leapt at the opportunity to become involved with a scheme that endorsed

What Hennerton does best is to provide a relaxing club and inviting atmosphere People come to Hennerton for different reasons; for the love of the game as well as for the social feel of the Club - but they always return because of the friendly inclusive atmosphere. Our members have a packed social calendar and the Clubhouse and our facilities, the bar, restaurant and meeting room are used throughout the year by the local community for all sorts of parties and occasions.

The Clubhouse is a very popular venue with golfers and non-golfers alike for celebrations and Sunday lunches and the Clubhouse team, ably led by Clubhouse, Restaurant and Bar Manager, Paul Deaney, will ensure that all your wishes are catered for at the budget agreed. Everything, from formal dining to cocktail parties and less formal barbecues - including the ever popular hog roast - are held at the Club, all with the benefit of the beautiful backdrop of the surrounding views.

these same ideologies. England Golf developed the national scheme of GolfMark in 2007 to award to Clubs with certain established standards for coaching & playing, club environment, child protection and duty of care. Hennerton took no time in taking up the scheme and was proudly accredited with GolfMark in 2008.

With a modern, purpose-built and flexible meeting and training room capable of catering for business meetings of up to 60 individuals, Hennerton provides the perfect venue for presentations and networking. It is the ideal off-site business venue, particularly if you want to round off a day with a quick round of golf.

happy to discuss all golf-related matters with you or arrange individual or group lessons.

Our ethos at Hennerton, which all our members understand and actively support, involves welcoming newcomers to the Club and to the game of golf. It is not often that a visiting golfer truly feels at home at a Club other than their own, but here at Hennerton that welcome comes from the members as well as the staff - and it’s an atmosphere that encourages visiting golf societies to return year after year.

However, at the end of the day, what Hennerton does best is to provide a relaxing Club with an inviting atmosphere for families and friends to play golf, whether mixing together in competitions or simply unwinding on the driving range. Despite being set in such an affluent area, the club provides the opportunity to join a welcoming Golf Club at an affordable price to fit in with people’s individual lifestyles – for example, children have free membership when their parents or grandparents join.

common huge red kites that often settle along the 12th fairway in a faux menacing stance.

Our ethos is to welcome newcomers to the club and to the game of golf As a relatively young Club, Hennerton takes its duty to progress the game of golf very seriously. This was never intended to be a Club to compete with the established grande dames of Reading, Sonning or Henley because the vision was to go beyond such hallowed institutions and to provide something completely different.

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But don’t just take our word for it. Come along and find out for yourself what Hennerton is all about, perhaps initially for Sunday lunch or to visit the Clubhouse bar and drink in the welcoming atmosphere and breath-taking views. Try out our driving range or visit our well stocked Pro-Shop where our PGA Professional, Glenn Johnson or our Club Professional’s Assistant , Warren Harris, will be

We are confident that when you drive through Hennerton’s gates that first time and see what we have to offer, you will find it just as hard to resist as so many others have in the course of our first 20 years.

Call Zara on 0118 9401000 or email zara@hennertongolfclub.co.uk if you would like to find out more about one of Berkshire’s best kept secrets.

See www.vouchoffers.com which has great deals for Hennerton Golf Club.

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The B4 Bike Ride - Edinburgh to Oxford May 24th to May 27th, 2013 The B4 Bike Ride launched in 2012 with our 270 mile trip from Paris to Blenheim Palace. The 2013 challenge sees the group cycle from Edinburgh to Blenheim Palace, a 411 trek over four days.

With five great charities to raise money for, why don’t you get involved…or even join us?!

How To Get Involved Shirt Sponsor Get your company logo on the team shirt from just £50 – contact the office to book.

Come on the Ride Want to really get involved? Why not join us. We have 5 spaces remaining and would love to have you on the ride with us. Contact the office to find out more.

Make a donation

We have five fabulous charities that we are riding for. Log in to the donation page below and make your donation today!

http://virginmoneygiving.com/team/teamb4

Communication Partner

Media Partner

Support Vehicle Partner

Fitness Partner

Hotels Restaurant Partner

Banking Partner

Accommodation Partner

Finish Line Partner

Cheque donations can be made payable to 'B4 Bike Ride' – please send your cheques to B4 Charity Bike Ride, The Firs, Headington Hill, Oxford OX3 0BT

JOIN THE 2013 B4 BIKE RIDE - WE HAVE GREG BARNES

Craig Aston

Darren Aston

Jackie Jarvis

Breckon & Breckon

Aston & James

Aston & James

Marketingco

“I want to be challenged and this is a big one – really looking forward to it. It’s a long way but I am sure as a team we will pull eachother through. Heard great things about the Paris ride so can’t wait for the trip from Edinburgh in May!”

“First, it will be great to raise money for the very worthy charities we are riding for and secondly it will be great to ride alongside my brother and build some good business relationships as well as friendships”

“I was impressed with the effort the team put in last year! It really did sound like something I wanted to be a part of this year. I like a challengeand I am very much looking forward to it”

“I do always what I can to support the cancer charities. My father died of cancer 5 years ago and I feel that it is important to do all we can to help other sufferers. He would be very proud of our efforts.”

Nigel Pursall

Stuart Palmer

Rupert Reid

James White

Orangestripe

Bower & Bailey

Security Exchange Ltd

Intouch CRM

“I really enjoyed the camaraderie last year. It was superb and looking forward to it again with some of the 'Paris 12' plus some new faces. I can’t wait to take part in this ride! there will be the feeling that another large challenge has been achieved!”

“I am taking part in the B4 Charity Bike Ride to challenge myself. It provides a great opportunity to really get to know my fellow participants.My wife’s mother died of cancer and my parents have luckily both survived cancer in recent years so this is a chance to do something positive”

“No-one who has witnessed Helen and Douglas House’s work in helping both children and their families deal with the last few precious days of their lives can fail to be moved. I am riding to raise funds so that they can continue their fantastic work”

“We have extended the distance this year as well and so riding 130 miles in 1 day is going to be a real challenge, but I am up for it.

It will be great to raise money for charity and also for a personal cause that I am supporting here in Somerset where I live”

Rob Scotcher

Richard Rosser

Tim Spittles

John F Kennedy

B4 Magazine

B4 Magazine

Hawkwell House Hotel

Wildbore & Gibbons LLP

“I really enjoyed the ride from Paris to Oxford last year. Not only was it a great experience, but the team were a fantastic support and we really gelled as a unit, both on and off the road. Can’t wait for this year.”

“Last year was quite a mountain to climb but we got there – the rest of the team were a massive support and helped me up more than one tough hill! This year we’ve raised the bar again – it will be a real test.”

“I have always thought about getting involved in more organised rides connected to charity, and this seemed an ideal way to combine getting involved with B4 and doing something that I enjoy. The sense of achievement will be a real buzz for me, the group and for Helen and Douglas House”

“The B4 Team is always a great group of people to cycle with and the camaraderie from doing such a challenge is a wonderful experience. I am glad to be part of a really diverse team who will all work together to achieve the joint goal – getting to Blenheim and raising as much money as possible!”

Ciaran Cullen

Graham Upton

Mark Attwood, Gavin Smith and the team

intouch crm

High Sherfiff of Oxford

“Last year I took part in the Great North Run and decided I wanted a different challenge this year. I have never really cycled any great distances I believe this will be the toughest challenge yet! I’m actually looking forward to getting stuck into the training and the ride itself.”

“I've done a lot of long rides including Land's End to John O'Groats, C2C and even Newcastle to Edinburgh but mainly on my own or in very small groups and I'm looking forward to riding with a big group with fullback up. The route looks great and should be a brilliant ride.”

Browns Oxford

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US ON THE RIDE, PLEASE CALL RICHARD NOW TO BOOK YOUR SPACE – JUST 5 SPACES REMAINING!!!!

Call 01865 742211 or see oxfordshire.b4-business.com

YOU?

B4 ADVICE

THE PARETO LAWRENCE PRINCIPLE: HELPING YOU TO FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN ORDER TO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR BUSINESS THAN YOU HAVE TO PUT IN. Getting the full potential out of your business is not easy. The sheer amount of work involved on a daily basis in order to run a business can seriously limit your vision of the true potential of that business. It can also prevent you from getting the best out of it. Ray Best talks to B4’s Richard Rosser about the proven value of a comprehensive planning approach using the Pareto Lawrence Total Planning System™ for business growth and wealth creation.

At Pareto Lawrence, we work with business owners who have achieved a measure of success with their business, having attained good levels of turnover and profitability. It is often the case, having invested years in building their businesses up, that these business owners quite reasonably expect certain levels of “payback” and consequently often take high levels of remuneration.

Over the past 3 or 4 years, we have been able to help a number of relatively small but nonetheless extremely successful businesses to achieve very substantial levels of growth and profitability which we don’t believe that they would have achieved without our assistance. As a direct result of this, over this same period, our Total Planning System™ has provided the basis for no less than four feature articles in Tax Adviser magazine.

What we notice very often is that the close circle of advisers who assisted the incorporation and start of a business have been retained as advisers. This is despite the fact that in many cases the growth of the business and the increased tax liabilities may require advice that is on a different level. Acting on the same sort of advice year in year out may allow the business to survive but not necessarily to thrive.

Business Owners should seek a second opinion and a fresh perspective The combination of the burden of the day to day running of a business and the time demands of attending to the increased complications of dealing with a business’s financial demands and levels of taxation, often means that businesses stop growing.

As a result, after several years of stagnation, many business owners simply but wrongly accept that this is as good as it gets for their type of business.

It can all seem like too much hard work for too little reward.

It is precisely at this critical point of impending stagnation that business owners should seek a 42

second opinion and a fresh perspective on what can be achieved with their business in order to revitalise it and even more importantly, to provide a fresh perspective on what can be in it for them!

understanding of how to add value to their business and personal lives but of course every Client is very different and the level and nature of the support they require differs accordingly.

One of the problems facing business owners is that they obtain advice from a variety of sources, much of which is ‘well meaning’ but based on limited knowledge. Far too often, these advisers do not take into account the vitally important personal financial planning aspect (or lack of it) and the important longer term personal aspirations and goals together with the personal values of the business owner. If you stop to think about it, how can anyone possibly properly motivate a true entrepreneur without knowing this?

One example that immediately comes to mind is two enthusiastic Clients who really were working far too hard on their business. So, as well as doing our normal planning for these Clients, we spent a great deal of time persuading them to delegate and take a great deal more time off. As a result of following our advice, their business has achieved remarkable growth and they have recently had a very attractive offer for their business and a sale has now been agreed. Now they can sit back and really enjoy the fruits of their labour.

At Pareto Lawrence, we offer a complimentary ‘discovery’ meeting to prospective clients and it is during this initial informal exploratory meeting that Clients make us aware of the details of any existing financial arrangements. It is at this point that they also often provide us with fundamentally important information relating to their aspirations in terms of what level of personal wealth they want to achieve in life – and by when.

Another example was the Client who, despite having a very successful business, had had weak advisory input and the business was in danger of failing to the point that the business owner was losing sleep over it. Too many of the ‘advisors’ to that business only were mindful of their own interests and even his bank had done him a disservice. However, after a great deal of work over two years to reverse the substantial financial damage done, we are now starting to see some very positive results. Our Client’s stress level is down, the business is going from strength to strength and next year’s profits are looking very healthy indeed. All part of the overall financial planning we put in place, and in a considerable reversal of fortunes, our Client’s wealth creation plan is also healthily back on track.

Every Client is very different and the level and nature of the support they require differs accordingly During these ‘discovery’ sessions, we often find a substantial disparity between the financial arrangements that they have in place and the type of financial arrangements they should have in order to realise their aspirations. Given that there is often a very large financial gap to make up, it is our role to find the money or the strategic options that will enable them to get back on track. That we will fulfill our planning role properly is clearly very important for the business owners themselves as they will want to identify and then achieve their full potential in terms of wealth creation.

After the ‘discovery’ meeting, we will have a good

Clients often retain us to protect the wealth that they have created through the generations ahead Another business we assisted and advised was profitable but the profits were divided and there was an agreement in place relating a large financial settlement to one of the Directors. Initially, it seemed as if there was no way forward for this business, but that was until we applied tools and www.b4-business.com

“As a result of following our advice, their business has achieved remarkable growth and they have recently had a very attractive offer for their business and a sale has now been agreed.

”

creative concepts from our Total Planning System™.

This enabled them to avoid or eradicate a number of financial issues and simultaneously enabled them to make significant tax savings. We were able to provide the strategies to pay off and retire one Director. This business is now owned 100% by our Client and with pre-tax profits now up at £400,000, the business is entering into a new phase of growth.

Then there is the Client we first met four years ago who had little spare cash and seven credit cards and who is very complimentary about our service.

We provided his business with a reasonable amount of cash at the inception and provided a more strategic approach to the financial planning of his business and his profits have grown steadily.

He has informed us that we have taken (almost all) the financial stress out of running that business, allowing him to focus on his various businesses (he has several now and is about to achieve a massive leap forward) and achieve the growth that he has.

It would be nice to claim that this was all the result of our planning but mostly what the application of our well-proven Total Planning System™ has done is to allow this business owner to realise his true entrepreneurial potential.

Of course, it is all very well accumulating wealth but research clearly indicates that however wealthy one is, within three generations, 92% of that wealth will be dissipated due to the impact of taxation and divorce or separation. That’s the reason why often even after accumulating wealth, clients often retain Pareto Lawrence to protect the wealth that they have created through the generations ahead.

For details on how Ray Best’s Total Planning System™ connects all the dots essential to delivering business growth and wealth creation for business owners or to arrange for an initial complimentary ‘discovery’ meeting, please contact him on 0845 241 0207.

Ray is a published author of “Partnership and Shareholder Protection” and “Inheritance Tax Simplified” and is a regular contributor to Tax Adviser magazine. www.paretolawrence.co.uk

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43

B4 SPOTLIGHT

“Ultimate Car Control is now the emerging leader in its field and is setting new standards in driver training and road safety”

After completing a hugely successful international motor-racing career Robb has used the experience he gained on track to develop the most effective driver training platform in existence. Having won over a hundred races and eleven championships in a professional career spanning sixteen years Robb founded Ultimate Car Control in 2001.

Driver Encoded Knowledge Having spent more than five years developing and trialling the programmes that now make up the company’s core offering, Robb is confident that Ultimate Car Control is now the emerging leader in its field and is setting new standards in driver training and road safety.

From the company’s operational base at the world famous Transport Research Laboratory in Crowthorne, Ultimate Car Control runs regular courses for people of all ages, both genders and all demographics aimed at improving the driver’s ability and saving the lives of people of Berkshire and the rest of the country.

With a fleet of new Volvo and Jaguar cars, Robb and his team of highly trained professional instructors deliver bespoke driver training courses to

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IF YOU HAVE TO THINK...

IT’S TOO LATE

Berkshire born resident, and British motorsport legend Robb Gravett has spent a decade creating what today is the only fully compliant, track based advanced driver training company in the country.

individuals and companies at any of twelve sites across the country.

Courses available include: DEK – Driver Encoded Knowledge: Superior car control for drivers of high performance motor cars EPD – Excellence in Professional Driving: The most innovative educational fleet driver training programme in existence DEK Inspiration: The ultimate dynamic driver training experience in the country DX – Drive Xtra: The shape of things to come for young and inexperienced drivers Ultimate Car Control also has a series of specialized courses focusing on the needs of high profile people and their families, for overseas visitors and diplomats, for chauffeurs and close protection officers and will tailor courses to suit the specific needs of the individual.

Audited accident reduction rates of nearly 50% are justification that what Robb has created really works! This coupled with reduced insurance premiums, a reduction in vehicle running and repair costs means that Ultimate Car Control is having a profound effect on business in these difficult economic times.

B4 Berkshire As an active B4 member Ultimate Car Control is delighted to offer its services to our fellow B4 colleagues for all their driver training and business compliance needs.

A complimentary risk assessment audit for B4 members will identify the issues that need to be addressed by each individual company.

Thereafter Ultimate Car Control will provide a full service offering at special discounted rates available exclusively to B4 members.

ACT on the ACT Are you concerned about your exposure to the Corporate Manslaughter Act? If so act on the act today and call Ultimate Car Control for advice.

Robb Gravett and his team are ready to speak to B4 Members about their driver training needs and invite you to call us for advice and assistance.

Contact us on: 0845 459 1002 or email: enquiries@ultimatecarcontrol.com or visit our website: www.ultimatecarcontrol.com

45

B4 R&R

MAL ON SUNDAY Malmaison Reading has launched the ultimate Sunday brunch menu, ‘Mal on Sunday’

Firstly, diners are invited to start with a tasty selection of hors d’oeuvres from the Chef’s Table, which boasts a generous selection of cold meats including cured hams and salamis, artisan cheese, crackers, chutneys and delicious terrines. A tasty array of freshly prepared salads are on offer, alongside crusty baked breads and delicious freshly baked pastries.

If you’re craving something to satisfy a sweet tooth, Chef can prepare pancakes or waffles accompanied by your choice of delicious toppings, including fresh berries, chocolate sauce, maple syrup or crunchy M&Ms. A selection of heartwarming mains are up next, including huevos rancheros with pancetta, black pudding, peas, spicy tomato sauce and eggs served in its very own frying pan. Also available is Mal steak frites, wild mushroom risotto with tarragon and mascarpone, grilled swordfish with roasted vegetables, Mal burger with bacon, Gruyere and fries, corned beef hash topped with a fried duck egg or salmon and cod fishcake with spinach and herb sauce.

Mal on Sunday is the perfect way to while away a Sunday afternoon with family, friends or the weekend papers, and it’s also great for people with sore heads or those who are allergic to washing up too.

For the more traditional Sunday luncher the menu also features a half roast Normandy chicken or roast prime rib of beef, both served with all the trimmings.

The menu boasts three courses with dishes to suit all tastes for just £19.95 per person. Kids under 12 are also invited to join the party for £7.95.

The decadent desserts, include traditional sticky toffee pudding with pecan caramel sauce, Crêpe Suzette prepared to order by Chef, classic crème brûlée

46

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with spiced madeleine, artisan cheese, cracker and chutney or the Mal hot chocolate with marshmallows, white chocolate and vanilla ice cream is the perfect treat.

Diners in need of a pick me up can choose from a selection of cocktails including a Chase Marmalade Martini, Maple and Vanilla Bellini, Screwdriver, Hemingway Martini, Tequilla Sunrise, Mimosa, Coco Caipirinha or Virgin Mal Shirley Temple.

There’s also an extensive Bloody Mary menu with traditional favourites such as a classic Bloody Mary or for the more adventurous a Bloody Murder with Bombay Sapphire Gin, brown vinegar, wasabi and cherry tomatoes.

To make your reservation for Mal on Sunday at Malmaison Reading call 084469 30660. Mal on Sunday is available at the hotel from 12pm - 4pm.

Malmaison Reading is located within a Grade 2 listed building, just a few steps from Reading railway station. Its 75 rooms and suites are the perfect place to rest your head, whether you’re visiting Reading for business or pleasure.

rooms comes with a fully stocked mini bar including serious wines and naughty nibbles.

Other little luxuries include same-day laundry, exclusive toiletries that you're encouraged to take with you, 'vroom' 24 hour room service, fast and free WiFi, hairdryers, ironing board and iron and complimentary tea and coffee making facilities.

The hotel’s seductive bar serves smooth strong beers, astounding wine and dangerously good cocktails. A cosy brasserie, located on the ground floor, boasts delicious dishes, passionately prepared with ethically produced, locally source ingredients.

Boutique hotel group Malmaison has 12 perfectly placed properties across the UK, including; Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and Reading. It will also be launching a new 91-room property in Dundee, slated to open Summer 2013. www.malmaison.com/locations/reading

Each room has the complete set of Mal ingredients including great beds for sleepy heads, moody lighting, en-suite bathrooms with baths, power showers and super fluffy towels and digital TVs. Plus if you’re feeling peckish, each

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47

NEW YEAR INSPIRATION AT

JOHNSONS BUILDBASE

At this time of year everyone’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of home improvement. After the harshness of winter, this is the season when people take a long, hard look at their homes and gardens – and find them wanting.

As birds begin to nest and snowdrops poke their heads through the soil, many of us decide our own habitats could do with brightening up too. With this in mind, builders’ merchant Johnsons Buildbase Oxford will launch its 2013 landscaping catalogues on 1 March 2013, aimed at attracting both the professional tradesperson and the DIY enthusiast.

Named National Builders Merchant of the Year 2012, Buildbase is one of the UK’s fastest growing builders’ merchants with 130 branches nationwide. Its flagship Oxford branch was the first to open and has its roots in the local firm founded by the Johnson family more than 120 years ago.

One of Oxfordshire’s oldest and most wellknown businesses, the company’s five-acre site in Cowley holds extensive stocks of all the principal timber and building materials needed to make the most of our living spaces. All products are backed up with first-class customer service provided by experienced and helpful staff.

Kitchens, bathrooms and tiles Since nothing improves the look – and value – of a property more than a revamped kitchen or bathroom, Johnson’s Buildbase is currently running a winter sale, which ends on 28 February.

There are tempting bathroom offers galore, from complete suites, shower sets and enclosures, to quality bathroom furniture. In addition, the sale includes accessories such as taps, mirrors and tiles – the important finishing touches that can turn a tired bathroom into a stylish one.

In the kitchen department, selected kitchen carcasses have been reduced, as well as 48

worktops, hob and oven packs, and waste disposal units, among other items.

Stumped for design ideas? A wander through the extensive kitchen, bathroom and tiles showrooms at Watlington Road or a talk with a knowledgeable member of staff should inspire you. The variety of high quality kitchen and bathroom collections on display ranges from modern to traditional, and can fit most budgets.

“Since the showroom refurbishment was completed in time for Christmas 2012,” says Buildbase Branch Manager, Craig Tarrant, “we are happy and encouraged by customers’ responses to our new look. Our comprehensive range and services cater for all budgets. We are pleased to be able to offer 0% finance and look forward to the coming year.”

Garden landscaping With the kitchen and bathroom spruced up and looking good, it’s time to head outside to give the garden a make-over. Here again, you are in safe hands. Buildbase prides itself on being able to supply everything for the garden but the plants – although it does stock topsoil, turf and pre-planted sedum matting.

Attractive landscaping can greatly increase the appeal of the garden and is another way of adding to the value of property. The Oxford branch stocks a wide range of timber and stone products, as well as fixing products, including sand and gravel, and preservative and cleaning products.

Hard landscaping materials available include stone, slate and tile paving, decorative aggregates, walling, edging, fencing and gates.

Timber garden products are another area of expertise. If you have a yen for creating a quiet corner in your garden, you’ll find a range of www.b4-business.com

B4 PROPERTY decking, arches, arbours, gazebos, pergolas, sheds and garden furniture to choose from.

Unsure about tackling a job? Buildbase can provide information on construction and information, or direct you to a website where you’ll find help. If you are not intending to do the work yourself, branch staff can use their local knowledge to put you in touch with contractors in the area.

“Johnsons Buildbase is one of the most respected companies in the Oxford area, trusted and relied on by both trade professionals and DIY enthusiasts alike

”

As for completing the job, Hirebase, the plant, tools and equipment hire division of Buildbase, offers a wide variety of products to hire on a short or long-term basis.

Hirebase can supply hand and power tools and equipment, as well as safety equipment and protective clothing. Whether it’s a shovel or a circular saw, a concrete mixer or a sledgehammer, having the right tool makes all the difference.

Going green Environmental awareness is high on Buildbase’s agenda and the company has taken a number of green initiatives. It is committed to responsible sourcing and wherever possible products are sustainably sourced and ethically traded. Most timber products, for example, are obtained from sustainable, well managed forests and woodlands, and carry FSC and PEFC certification.

Continuing the green theme, Johnsons Buildbase stocks the latest in rainwater harvesting systems to assist gardeners in coping with unpredictable weather conditions. 2012 might have been one of the wettest on record but who knows what summer 2013 might bring?

Wise gardeners are prepared for anything.

In addition, ‘green areas’ in the kitchen, bathroom and tile showrooms display sustainable products to help consumers cut their household heating and energy bills.

Long established With a trading history that can be traced back generations and a current reputation for providing outstanding customer service, Johnsons Buildbase is one of the most respected companies in the Oxford area, trusted and relied on by both trade professionals and DIY enthusiasts alike.

Johnsons Buildbase Oxford is in Watlington Road, Cowley, where there is plenty of parking and easy access. www.buildbase.co.uk 49

We will help your business go from strength to strength and make your Managers feel like Superheroes Free HR health check worth £200, offer ends 31st March 13

Highly qualified and experienced HR Consultants offering bespoke solutions

Our Services Virtual HR Director Virtual HR Department Payroll Services HR Policies and Procedures Redundancy Management Performance Management

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For more information about how we can help you, call 07789 7 711997, 11997, email info@hr2you.co.uk or visit ww www.hr2you.co.uk w.hr2you.co.uk

B4 diary Event Organiser

OXFORDSHIRE

Venues

Date

Time

Event Details

Blackwell’s Examination Schools Rhodes House The Manor Hawkwell House

11th Apr 4th Jul 12th Sep 2nd Oct 21st Nov

6.00pm “ “ “ “

B4 Members & Guests’ Networking Events

Bucks New University, Aylesbury College The Compleat Angler

25th Jun TBC TBC

6.00pm TBC TBC

B4 Members & Guests’ Networking Events

Oakley Court Hotel The Vineyard The Forbury Hotel

TBC 28th Aug 17th Oct

6.30pm 6.00pm 5-8pm

B4 Members & Guests’ Networking Events

Royal Berkshire Conference Centre

16th Apr

9.00am

TVT&D will be exhibiting at ‘The Future of Berkshire Business’ Expo

9.00am

‘Barclays Cashflow Challenges Clinic’ in partnership with Buckinghamshire Business First - Aimed at helping small businesses understand the importance of managing and forecasting cashflow and how to do it successfully.

To book please visit: cashflow-challenges-clinic.eventbrite.com

11.00am

Undergraduate open day - find out more about Bucks New University's great range of undergraduate courses. Full details at bucks.ac.uk/opendays

5.00pm

Postgraduate and professional open evening this event offers a great opportunity to find out about Bucks New University’s postgraduate and professional courses. Full details at bucks.ac.uk/openevenings

6.30pm

Buckinghamshire Ambassadors Enterprise Awards - Dedicated to recognising the achievements of companies in Bucks.

Honouring leadership, vision, innovation and strategic accomplishments. To book please visit: buckinghamshire-ambassadors.org

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

B E R K S H I R E

The Clare Charity Centre, Saunderton

Bucks New University, High Wycombe Campus

Bucks New University, High Wycombe Campus

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

27th Apr

27th Apr

1st May

23rd May

B4 Members can feature their events on this page, subject to availability – please get in touch for your complimentary listing.

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51

B4 R&R

THE STADIUM THAT NEVER SLEEPS As another football season nears its climax this May, Madejski Stadium will continue to host multitude of events and activities throughout the summer sporting break.

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Tournaments and events are scheduled to take place on the pitch, including a star studded music concert featuring Jessie J and JLS. Madejski Stadium also houses the Royal Berkshire Conference Centre, with exhibitions, meetings and conferences taking place all year round, making the Stadium one of the most versatile facilities in the Thames Valley.

This summer you have the opportunity to take advantage of these world class facilities here at Madejski Stadium.

Enter your company for the Royals Cup The first event to take place at the stadium this summer is the Corporate 6-a-side Tournament, the Royals Cup, which takes place on takes place on Saturday, May 25th just one week after the climax to the football season.

As the Reading FC players depart for the summer break, the Royals Cup is a great opportunity to grace the turf of Madejski Stadium. You and your company can be part of this great event with bookings now being taken.

The Corporate 6-a-side competition has been running for over 10 years and has cemented itself as one of the stand-out corporate events of the year in Reading. The 2012 Royals Cup saw over 30 teams from local companies battle it out on the hallowed turf of Madejski Stadium.

This is your chance to showcase your skills in front of family, friends and colleagues who all get free entry to the stadium on the day. The Royals Cup is a six-a-side competition with entries of up to eight per squad. For the eighth year running, the price for entry has been held at £590 + VAT per team.

The 2013 Royals Cup Package includes: • The opportunity to play at least four games on the Madejski Stadium pitch • A commemorative photograph of your team in the stadium • A half page placement in the tournament programme, featuring company details and team line-up • A food and drink voucher for each player • Complimentary admission for company colleagues, friends and family • Trophy presentation for the winners and runners-up To enter your company’s team into the tournament please contact: Jake Wood, 0118 968 1303 royalscup@readingfc.co.uk Play on one of the best surfaces in the Thames Valley!

As an alternative to the Royals Cup tournament, Reading FC also takes bookings for the Madejski Stadium pitch and its fantastic facilities throughout May and June. Dates are filling fast so if you want to play on one of the best surfaces the Thames Valley has to offer, get booking now.

group of colleagues.

Madejski Stadium offers your company a unique entertaining experience ranging from facility hire to bespoke event organising.

Pitch Hire Options Include: • Play on the hallowed turf in a tournament or full 90 minute format • Access to changing rooms and media facilities • Variety of catering facilities available • Combine a fun football event with conferencing • On-site 4 Star Hotel • Limited hire slots are available for May and June 2013 To enquire please call Liam Royden on 0118 968 1132 or email lroyden@readingfc.co.uk World Class Conferencing Facilities As well as pitch hire you can also take advantage of the fantastic Royal Berkshire Conference Centre, the largest conference facility in the Thames Valley housed within the Madejski Stadium complex.

The conference centre, with its 40 Conference rooms, can cater for any type of event from conferences of 500 through to one to one interviews. The centre's largest room, the Princess Suite, is ideal for dinner dances and when using this room you gain the Windsor Lounge. This spacious area overlooks the Millennium Madejski Hotel, and is ideal for drinks receptions.

The 201 bedroom Millennium Madejski Hotel which is linked to the conference centre, offers 4 star deluxe accommodation for residential courses and boasts two new restaurants; Le Café and the fine dining restaurant, Cilantro. The hotel also has a gym and a swimming pool, as well as a spa which offers relaxing treatments. To contact the Royal Berkshire Conference Centre, call 0118 968 1333 or e-mail rbcc.events@compass-group.co.uk There’s plenty going on before the end of the Season!

Before we know it the 2012/13 football season will be drawing to a close. With just four matches remaining at Madejski Stadium prior to the summer recess, be sure not to miss out on the action whilst enjoying VIP Royals Hospitality.

Hospitality places are selling out fast as local rivals Queens Park Rangers and Southampton as well as reigning Barclays Premier League Champions Manchester City travel to Madejski Stadium between now and the end of May. The fixture against Five times European Cup Winners, Liverpool is totally sold out throughout the Stadium and Hospitality.

Reading FC caters for all tastes and budgets with hospitality packages ranging from three-course meals to relaxing and informal bar options.

For your chance to watch fantastic football in VIP style, call one of our Reading FC Sales Team on 0118 968 1010 or e-mail your enquiry to hospitality@readingfc.co.uk.

Hiring the pitch is a fantastic way to entertain your clients, reward employees or just have fun with a www.b4-business.com

53

l a u n n A h t The 7 p u C f l o G p u o r G M / 4 B

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4-business.com b @ lin c co l ai m e r o 1 01865 74221 Ring Colin Rosser on ů Ɛ ƌƵůĞ ƚ ƌƵ ĂŵĞŶƚ ƌŶĂŵ ƌŶ Ƶ Ž ƚ ƚŽ

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THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION I N

A S S O C I A T I O N

W I T H

B 4

M A G A Z I N E

Thames Valley Training & Development Professional Training is key to future career success

SAE Institute Oxford The world’s largest creative media college

Oxford & Cherwell Valley College Brave New World - OCVC leads a fresh approach to education

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THE BUSINESS OF EDUCATION I N

A S S O C I A T I O N

W I T H

B 4

M A G A Z I N E

58 Intro by Sally Dicketts

59 Intro by David Podger

60 Thames Valley Training & Development

62 Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking

64 SAE Institute

66 Pegasus Theatre

67 Cokethorpe School

68 Bloxham School

70 Buckinghamshire New University

See The Business of Education on line as a separate supplement. Want to feature in next year’s edition?

Call us now on 0118 317 7183.

From the producers of B4 Magazine

74 Reading College

76 Oxford & Cherwell Valley College

OXFORD & CHERWELL VALLEY COLLEGE MAKING THE MOST OF OPPORTUNITY You don’t need to be an employment expert to know that today’s young people face a very different jobs market than their parents did.

The economic downturn and a shift in employment culture means it is unlikely that people starting out today will enjoy long careers with a single organisation.

Just last month the media declared that Britain could be on course for its third recession in four years, following news that the economy shrank 0.3% in the last three months of 2012.

Youth unemployment is at an all-time high, having exceeded the one million mark, and the prospect of a further recession will do little for employer confidence.

However, whilst there are undoubted challenges, today’s young people also face immense opportunities.

We are living through a time of unprecedented technological change and this generation is at the cutting edge of a revolution in the way that we communicate and engage.

The Government is investing in funding and support for new business start-ups, for young people in particular, as a means of stimulating economic growth. For these new business builders, the routes to their customers and markets are more direct than ever before thanks to the technology at their fingertips.

What these changes require are new approaches to teaching, learning and assessment that help our young people to navigate the challenges and make the most of the opportunities that surround them.

To thrive in this new landscape our students will need skills of teamwork, resilience, creativity and problem solving. They will need to be adaptable to change and be prepared to collaborate beyond the boundaries of traditional employment sectors.

As a provider of post-16 education and training we are working locally and nationally to drive educational reform, using entrepreneurial principles to help our students succeed in the 21st century workplace.

We are helping students to develop the enterprise-related skills that will give them the best chance of success, whether they launch out on their own or go on to work for an SME or big business.

This approach recognises that the learning experience must be rooted in commercial environments that teach real-world skills. Students must have the opportunity to put what they learn into practice every step of the way, and to take risks in safe environments where they can learn, grow and develop.

Partnerships with local employers and business leaders are central to helping us develop meaningful programmes that go far beyond the simple work experience placements of the past.

Find out more about our approaches on page 22.

Sally Dicketts is Chief Executive and Principal of Oxford & Cherwell Valley College

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THAMES VALLEY TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT I am delighted to have taken up the challenge of starting an entirely new training and development business for the region, the result of a Bucks New University initiative to provide services to the wider business community.

Although closely associated with educational institutions and a subsidiary of Bucks New University, Thames Valley Training & Development has very much a commercial focus. We are tasked with engaging with businesses to address some of the skills gaps that exist in the region. One striking example of this is that, despite being the national hub for entrepreneurial development in digital technology, local employers find it difficult to recruit enough ICT technicians. We are helping to fill this gap by offering entrancelevel industry ICT certification from HP and Cisco from our state-of-the-art facilities in High Wycombe.

Similar gaps exist in the provision of training for support staff to the professions, most notably the accountancy and legal professions. In association with our partner, Aylesbury College, we are developing courses for professional qualifications from bodies such as the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx), and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). These will be available from September of this year.

A major catalyst for growth in the regional economy is sales expertise – often neglected in vocational training. We are launching an Institute of Sales and Marketing Management Level 3 Certificate in Sales and Marketing this April to develop the skills needed to drive increases in orders.

Thames Valley Training & Development may be new, but it draws upon a wealth of experience derived from the excellence of its long-established parent, Bucks New University. Because of our close links with the University, we can also provide alternative pathways towards academic awards for those who wish to complement their professional training with University qualifications.

Contacts C: David Podger, info@tvtd.co.uk A: Thames Valley Training & Development, Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe, HP11 2JZ T: +44 (0)1494 603060 W: www.thamesvallleytraining.com

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PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IS KEY TO FUTURE CAREER SUCCESS A wholly owned subsidiary of Bucks New University, Thames Valley Training & Development was officially launched in mid-2012 and offers a wide variety of IT, business and management courses taught by professionally qualified and accredited instructors.

Heading up the organisation is David Podger, a training and development professional with more than 20 years’ experience at a senior level.

“We can offer the best of both worlds because we have the benefits of the University, such as the excellent facilities and support services, but at the same time we are an autonomous organisation

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with complete independence in the way we operate and the courses we provide,” he said.

gain the relevant skills they need for their working careers.”

“We work very closely with different professional bodies to ensure our qualifications are accredited, and all our trainers or instructors come from the commercial world. They bring real-life workplace experience to enable our course participants to

“Research shows that across the wider Thames Valley area, there is a requirement for more people at support levels, particularly in the IT sector where good technicians are in short supply. The entry level IT qualifications that we offer such as HP ATA or

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“We work very closely with different professional bodies to ensure our qualifications are accredited, and all our trainers or instructors come from the commercial world.”

Cisco CCNA, make a very good starting point for someone to fill those gaps,” he said.

David says the qualifications can also stand participants in good stead if they want to continue their studies. For some, he says, gaining an introduction to higher education via professional qualifications can provide a vital stepping-stone to a future degree course, and the company’s unique links with the University mean the team is able to support them throughout the process.

For businesses and individuals with specific training requirements, he has this message: “We stand by our strapline, professional training, delivered professionally. Our offering is very much professional, practical training that is designed to improve performance.”

“The real benefit is that our links with the University mean we are here for the long term. Bucks New University has made a substantial commitment in setting up this business and our ongoing association means there are many ways we www.b4-business.com

can help to equip the region with the skills and qualifications it needs for sustained economic growth.”

deliver training in-house at your premises and would be happy to discuss your training requirements with you.

About Us Thames Valley Training & Development exists to provide an alternative vehicle for employers and individuals to engage in professional development.

Our promise is ‘professional training, professionally delivered’. All our instructors are subject experts with extensive professional and commercial experience and relevant training qualifications.

Facilities On-site training is delivered from the iconic Gateway building on the Bucks New University High Wycombe campus. Winner of a Royal Institute of British Architects award, the Gateway building contains a learning resources and technology centre and boasts state-of-the-art facilities. ICT training is delivered in specially designed labs, supported by designated technical staff.

It is a measure of the confidence placed in us by industry that we are proud to have been selected as one of the very few organisations globally to offer the new HP Accredited Technical Associate certification, and the only organisation in the UK to be able to deliver this training to those from outside academia.

Participants on Thames Valley Training & Development courses have access to the University’s learning resources centre and qualify for a discounted membership for the superbly fitted out gym on the ground floor of the Gateway building.

Courses are offered in a variety of formats, either extensively as part-time evening classes or more intensively as full-time courses. We also

Instruction is delivered in comfortable, purposedesigned teaching spaces equipped with the latest learning technology.

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SUPPORTING THE EDUCATION SECTOR IN OXFORDSHIRE From its world famous university down to its primary schools, Oxfordshire has always been proud of its education system. At Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking, we work hard to ensure we support this system as much as possible.

With several routes for schools to choose, from independent schools to academies, it is more important than ever that educational establishments have the support they need to manage their finances properly.

At Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking, alongside the National Association of School Business Management (NASBM), we have developed an accreditation programme to make sure our Education Relationship Managers have a thorough grounding in the sector.

Martin Warren, who is one of these Relationship Managers in Oxfordshire, said: “We know that as running a school day-to-day is such a demanding job, it can be a challenge to balance this with effective financial management. That’s why we aim to become an integral part of a school’s support network to help them manage their money properly.

“As part of this, we offer a dedicated education bank account, which is suitable for both state funded schools and academies, as well as other services such as ParentPay to allow easy, online payments for items such school dinners, field trips and extra-curricular clubs.”

This is alongside our other services for schools, such as a high interest deposit for any surplus funds and even the arrangement of cash collections for you by our authorised security company.

One of the biggest changes that the education system across the country has seen in recent years is the introduction of academies. Since the programme was introduced in 2000, there are now over 1.25 million pupils across the UK receiving an academy education.

highest regarded benefits to converting – the freedom from local authority control – can also become one of the biggest burdens if not properly researched and managed.

This highlights the importance of proper budgetary and financial control for academies. Many choose to employ a School Business Manager in recognition of the fact that education professionals may need support with the financial responsibilities of managing an academy.

“We know that as running a school day-to-day is such a demanding job, it can be a challenge to balance this with effective financial management. That’s why we aim to become an integral part of a school’s support network to help them manage their money properly.”

We can work with management teams to provide full banking facilities. Also, as independent schools may have ambitions of growth to help them thrive in such a competitive sector, we can also provide funding packages to help support expansion projects.

Loans can be secured up to a 25-year term, and through the Government-backed Funding for Lending scheme schools can benefit from up to a one per cent reduction in the interest rate.

Peter Rogers, who is an independent schools specialist at Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking, said: “Those management teams in charge of independent schools are custodians and plan for the long term success of their school, and we aim to support them in providing the best education for the next generations.

“We understand that independent schools face all the challenges of education as well as business, so our Relationship Managers work hard to become an integral part of their support network to help them overcome these hurdles.”

No matter what the status of your school, the Oxfordshire-based Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking team is here to help you achieve your ambitions. For more information, please contact Peter Rogers (07836 618 323) or Martin Warren (07921 548 532). Alternatively, you can visit businesshelp.lloydstsbbusiness.com/industryfocus/education Any property given as security which may include your home, may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or other debts secured

Martin Warren added: “It can prove challenging to take budgetary control from the local authority and this really brings home the importance of a strong financial support network.”

In Oxfordshire, ten per cent of primary and secondary schools have converted to academy status with more potentially looking to make the change. This goes to show that while the academy programme continues to court controversy, it looks set to feature on the educational landscape for years to come.

At Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking, we also offer support to the independent schools sector, which presents a very different set of opportunities and challenges to those of state schools.

The aspects of school life affected by the change to academy status are wide reaching. One of the

With independence from Government in terms of finance and governance comes the need for

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management and control more akin to that of a business. As a result, we have a team of Relationship Managers who are fully immersed in the independent schools sector to enable them to help achieve their ambitions.

on it.

All lending is subject to a satisfactory credit assessment.

Lloyds TSB Bank plc Registered Office: 25 Gresham Street,

Independent schools

London EC2V 7HN. Registered in England and Wales no.

2065. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

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SAE INSTITUTE OXFORD Your chance to study for a creative media degree – in 2 years!

In schools and the world of Higher Education, SAE Institute Oxford is firmly established as a dominant player when it comes to teaching creative media technologies.

They have gained a global reputation for preparing students to become professionals, laying the foundation for their chosen career in the creative media industries.

SAE’s Littlemore Park facility (33,000 square feet) is not only a state of the art creative media campus offering bespoke teaching facilities; it is also the world headquarters to 55 campuses in 27 countries. HRH the Duke of York accepted an invitation from SAE Institute to attend the official opening as guest of honour and unveil a plaque declaring their new global headquarters officially open.

The Institute was the first to pioneer a combination of practical hands-on training with a solid theoretical grounding creating world-class professionals

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specialising in audio production, 3D animation, digital filmmaking, games programming and web development.

Now, 37 years on, they are the world's largest creative media college and immensely proud of their fast track 2-year BA/BSc (Hons) degree programmes, validated by Middlesex University.

Such is their standing within the creative media industries; they are able to attract the top industry names to speak at their distinguished guest lectures, sharing their experiences and knowledge with students.

Visit the campus and you will see that support is always on hand; putting their students first and at the very heart of everything they do, providing excellent resources and exceptionally high standards of teaching that include one-to-one tutoring. oxford.sae.edu

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TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH PERFORMING ARTS Magdalen Road has been home to Pegasus, one of Oxford’s most exciting arts venues for the past 50 years. Following our major building redevelopment in 2010, the iconic copper cladding has housed a modern interior of world-class standards with its bar and cafe, theatre space, dance studio, dressing rooms, meeting rooms and workshops.

Fundamental to Pegasus is our belief that young people are our future and we strive to engage, inspire and equip them for their lives ahead. We are justifiably proud of our national reputation for youth activities and opportunities. Last year alone, we held over 2,000 workshops and worked with more than 9,000 young people, 137 artists and 87 volunteers.

And at Pegasus, it is about so much more than ‘just’ the performance. Throughout their time here, young people find that as their confidence and social skills develop, so they discover an aspiration to aim higher in life outside of Pegasus. We absolutely believe in empowering the young and never cease to be impressed at how well they rise to the challenges of the leadership roles and responsibilities we offer them.

Recently we sent a young representative to the United Nations in New York to take part in an international presentation of a performance called the Gaza Mono-Logues that we had staged here in Oxford.

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And during MESH, our international festival of youth arts, our Youth Theatre members not only perform alongside groups from all over the world but are involved on the Planning Committee where their responsibilities range from attending meetings, to organising advertising and PR to fundraising in order to host the visiting groups.

Pegasus are now in the second year of our exciting Create for Change project which aims to use the arts as a vehicle for young people to explore global issues. Working with OXFAM, the Youth Theatre are examining the topic: ‘Food, Poverty and Justice’ and will perform in two unique shows and tour local schools, leading workshops and discussion on the issues raised. They are also busy behind the scenes designing costumes and sets and will take on technical roles for the shows, gaining hands-on experience of stage-management, lighting and sound.

Through their involvement at Pegasus, the young acquire a myriad of skills. Not just technical or performance skills. Not just social and interpersonal skills as they work as part of, or lead, a team. But more than all of this, by their engagement in the whole process of showcasing the performing arts, they are exploring who they are and who they have the potential to be.

Rosanna, aged 18, has been a member of Pegasus for 8 years. She has leant technical, leadership and teaching skills and even travelled to France and

Russia with the Youth Theatre Group. She now works as a Youth Assistant for the Design and Making Group, leads sessions and is herself delighted now to be ‘playing a part in building the confidence of other young people.’

Will joined Pegasus’ Youth Theatre Group at 8 years of age. He describes how he found an immediate home and how members of staff quickly became ‘ mentors and role models.’ He chose to pursue a degree in theatre, which led to an MA in Theatre at the University of Exeter. He is now applying for a PHD. Will says ‘Institutions like Pegasus are part of the life blood of Great Britain, not just artistically, but socially as well.’

Pegasus would like to warmly thank all the companies who have supported us, including Dragon School, Finders Keepers, HMG Law, Henmans Freeth, John Wiley & Sons, Lucy’s Properties, MINI plant Oxford, Oxfam, Oxford Bus Company, Rotary Club Oxford, Roundtable, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford University Press, Torpedo’s and Unipart among many others.

If you would like to find out about the partnership opportunities that your business could enjoy with Pegasus, contact Bel Crewe 01865 812 173 or email bel.crewe@pegasustheatre.org.uk www.pegasustheatre.org.uk

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COKETHORPE SCHOOL About Cokethorpe School Cokethorpe is a thriving and energetic coeducational day school that offers the full 4 to 18 age range with distinct but inter-dependent Junior and Seniors Schools on the same site. It is a member of HMC, IAPS and The Society of Heads. Founded in 1957, it is situated in 150 acres of inspirational Oxfordshire parkland, two miles from Witney, ten from Oxford. We operate 22 bus routes, which encompass a large area, and over 70% use this service exclusive for Cokethorpe pupils. There are a variety of scholarships and awards on offer and means-tested bursaries (financial assistance) are also available.

What are Cokethorpe’s Strengths?

We strive for academic excellence without being a hothouse and we encourage our children to champion their strengths and challenge their weaknesses in a friendly, supportive and productive environment. There are a lot of families with more than one child in the school, catering for their sons and daughters of differing ages. This contributes to our family atmosphere and we are proud of our reputation for being a happy, stimulating and caring community where children will flourish and excel.

How would you define a Cokethorpe pupil?

We look for rounded individuals with enquiring minds who are open to learning with interest and enthusiasm and who achieve in as wide and varied a way as you can possibly imagine. Our pupils are encouraged to test and learn about themselves, to develop a concern for others and to grow intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally.

They are purposeful, happy and unpretentious and

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we encourage our pupils to understand that learning is a lifelong endeavour.

Tell us more about the Junior School The size of the Junior School is such that there is a perfect balance between being large enough to provide a lively, diverse and enriching atmosphere with opportunities for trying many different things, sport fixtures, music ensembles and healthy academic competition, and small enough for an intimate and caring environment where the dedicated and enthusiastic staff know the children as individuals and there is a distinct sense of belonging and wellbeing. The Junior School retains its distinct character whilst benefiting from being linked to the Senior School. Children get to know older pupils through shared activities and feel part of a wider community and they gain enormously from having access to the Senior School facilities and the academic and sporting specialist staff.

Whilst the independence of the Junior School ensures a real sense of progress as children move into Year 7, the continuity in education means they will benefit from knowing many of the Senior staff and the School site.

What about pastoral care?

We take seriously the business of looking after our children and value our reputation for outstanding pastoral care. The House system, personal tutoring, year-group specific social and health programmes, and a joint Anglican and Roman Catholic foundation create a positive support structure. All focus on development of the whole person, encourage loyalty and participation, and instil a sense of personal responsibility. Having pupils aged

four to 18 on the same site fosters an atmosphere of mutual support, where everyone knows everyone else and looks out for each other.

What about academic matters?

Through a process of target setting and progress review evenings we aim to challenge our pupils to consistently produce the very best they can. 2012 saw our most successful GCSE and A Level examination results to date, with 41% achieving A*As grades at GCSE and 73% achieving A*-B grades at A Level. Nearly all students go on to Higher Education, enrolling on a variety of degrees and foundation courses, many at Oxbridge and Russell Group universities.

What kinds of extra-curricular activities are on offer?

In addition to the wider curriculum (trips, workshops and visiting lecturers) there are many clubs and societies that extend the work of academic departments and encourage a diversity of interests. An hour at the end of each day and extended Friday lunchtimes are for an extensive range of over 50 ‘AOB’ activities, from yoga to American Football, and public speaking to Japanese culture. In addition, a flourishing programme of music, drama, art and sport provide numerous opportunities for pupils to get involved in concerts, performances and competitions of all kinds. Other activities include the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, Young Enterprise, language exchanges, ski trips, sports tours and cultural trips abroad and there is a World Challenge expedition to Thailand in the summer of 2013.

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BLOXHAM SCHOOL Bloxham School has lined up an impressive team to jointly present its Annual Careers Fair to its 5th and Lower 6th form pupils at the school in early March.

Representatives are drawn from the school’s alumni, parents past and present and, teachers and governors and will offer advice and specialist knowledge on a rich diversity of future careers including Brewing, Design, Engineering, Fashion, Charity Sector, Journalism, Management Consultancy, Market Research, Marketing, Media and Film, Medicine, Aviation. Police, Public Relations, Law, Surveying, Teaching (Secondary and Primary) and Financial Services Industries.

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This invaluable fair gives Bloxham pupils the chances to hear directly from local business and industries the skills that are being sought in the age of digital media and electronic communications.

That the information is often coming from people who one wore the Bloxham blazer makes the whole experience so much more real and has been appreciated by generations of Bloxhamists.

The Careers Fair complements other career work being carried out throughout the senior school.

Bloxham is fully committed, for example, to the ISCO ‘Inspiring Futures’ programme and ‘Futurewise’ which sees pupils receive personalised career guidance and planning following on from

the paper-based Morrisby psychometric profiling.

‘Future Focussed’ Training, which involves 1 week off timetable at end of L6th develops Leadership, Presentation, Management and Communication Skills in an intensive body of work. (www.isco.org.uk) Further practical business acumen can be picked up by those who decide to join Bloxham’s ‘Young Enterprise’ schemes each year. Although the school’s popular Business Studies department spearheads the Young Enterprise Scheme the places are by no means limited to those following the Business Studies A level course. This scheme has been very successfully run at Bloxham over a

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number of years and has seen the School successfully winning awards and even going abroad as one of the UK’s choisen representative teams.

The pupils gain hugely from the experiences, from the failures as well as the successes. Coming up with a product concept from scratch and involving themselves in the product design ,manufacturing and pricing, marketing and sales processes is a steep learning curve as is the face to face contact with the general public at one of the many trade fairs where they try to sell their ideas and products to the unsuspecting shoppers! It makes business come alive and provides them with many important lessons for life.

A high percentage of Bloxham pupils will be looking to extend their education at Universities and Colleges post A Level and the options open to youngsters has never been greater. Clearly the financial impositions on students in recent years has made choosing the right course and the right

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university even more important than ever and working hand in hand with the other careers advice is guidance on plotting their way through the very complex and ever changing maze of higher education and career options.

Further inspiration for Bloxham pupils (and their parents!) will come at the Founderstide celebrations in May when the guest key-note speaker will be Melody Hossaini, a contestant in the 2011 series of ‘The Apprentice’ on BBC TV. Although Melody was ultimately not the one hired

by Sir Alan Sugar she did leave with his accolade ‘a woman of exceptional ability, ringing in her ears.

She is now putting those considerable abilities to driving her own Social Enterprise company ‘InspirEngage International’. It is her inimitable inspiration and drive that Melody will be delivering to the Bloxham pupils this year as she offers her support in building confident, work-ready and enterprising youngsters.

The life skill set that pupils need to leave formal education with has never been more important than it is today in a modern and global job marketplace. The ability to show flair, flexibility, imagination and to be prepared to go not just the extra mile but the extra 5 miles is key Bloxham is confident that it will continue to turn out young men and women fit for purpose for the world that awaits them and that they will be a generation that will become used to hearing the expression ‘You’re Hired!’ as they enter the world of business and enterprise.

(The photo below shows the BloxhamYoung Enterpise Stand at the Cowley trade Fair 2013) www.bloxhamschool.com

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SHAPING EDUCATION FOR BUSINESS Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe has made a positive impact on the tricky educational roadmap that students are required to navigate in order to gain and remain in employment.

With Professor Ruth Farwell at the helm as Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, the University benefits from strong leadership coupled with a distinct clarity of vision to shape education through addressing the needs of students as well as businesses in Buckinghamshire. By Kelly Stroud.

“When I first came on board, the University was split between three campuses.

The majority of facilities were not fit for purpose. For example, our marketleading courses in the area of music production didn’t provide students with access to the equipment they would be expected to use in industry.”

Buckinghamshire New University earned full university status in 2007, just one year after Ruth Farwell left London South Bank University to take up the role at Bucks, with an objective of converting it from a university college.

“We debated various estates strategies and eventually took the decision to sell off two sites and to consolidate. We also took on a new site at Uxbridge, where our nurse education is based, in a strategic decision to strengthen the relationship with NHS London in order to ensure our students are based closer to the hospitals where they undertake placements and will eventually work.”

The University currently has around 9,000 students enrolled on a combination of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, in addition to work-based foundation degrees. Keen to develop those already in employment, Bucks also offers a wide variety of professional and short courses.

Bucks New University has achieved success in its short history and has developed a good reputation for its industry-linked courses. Ruth explains what attracted her to leave the bright lights of London for a county with a unique entrepreneurial spirit that boasts the most start-ups in the UK. “I was appointed to the position of Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive in 2006 with the initial aim of achieving university status, but it was about more than just that,” explains Ruth. “The college already offered degrees, the challenge was to provide a vision centered around its strengths and identifying what those strengths were in the first place.

“It was important to determine what kind of university we wanted to be. There is now a clearly established vision of employer-focused education which has been developed around Bucks’s early culture with its essence still shining through. We operate a friendly and supportive environment for students and staff.”

Bucks was shortlisted for a 2012 Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Award for the Estates Team’s role in managing a £62 million campus redevelopment programme which has been at the core of Ruth’s strategy.

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The University has invested heavily in its centralisation with the consolidation of its previously divided Wellesbourne and Chalfont campuses into a renovated and expanded High Wycombe campus.

In addition, the Uxbridge campus provides students with healthcare simulation facilities that are state-of-the-art and enable a much more hands-on learning approach. These include a full sized ward and a fully-equipped operating theatre and recovery room/high dependency unit, which together feature all of the essential clinical learning environments to ensure simulated learning experiences with the latest interactive manikins are both realistic and accurate for students and for NHS employees.

Ruth explains: “We invested returns from selling two campuses, borrowed money and used reserves, not only in nurse education but across the board covering music production and drama performance too. When we have visitors, for example from hospitals to Uxbridge, and from a UKTI delegation from around the world to High Wycombe, they’re extremely impressed with our facilities.”

The investment has paid off in more ways than one. In September 2012, Bucks became one of the largest providers of adult nursing training across London following NHS London’s higher education allocations for the next three years.

In addition, the University has gained contracts with NHS South of England to provide nursing education programmes for the NHS in the Thames Valley.

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“There is now a clearly established vision of employer-focused education” Prof Ruth Farwell

These partnerships are going from strength to strength with Bucks training more than 350 nurses each year.

The state-of-the-art Gateway building in High Wycombe also boasts a learning resource and technology centre, events hall, gym, sports science laboratory, dance, drama, music and video production studios, library and meeting rooms. In 2010 the building was the proud winner of a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award for architectural excellence.

Forming alliances to increase visibility Ruth established a clear vision for Bucks New University from the outset with the full support of a strong team around her. The aim is to ensure Bucks is a leading professional and creative influence, shaping higher education for the benefit of people and employers.

In order to achieve this, Ruth has developed a clever and impactful personal strategy, effectively implemented to strengthen the University’s proposition. This is focused around three areas to ensure the University gains increased visibility by forming strategic alliances.

1. The national and higher education sector Ruth is in the middle of her second term as Chair of GuildHE, one of two recognised representative bodies for higher education in the UK. The organisation is involved with lobbying to persuade the Government, politicians and official groups on issues around higher education and also provides

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members with an abundance of support through information, networking and events.

successes, for example, our campaign for superfast broadband,” explains Ruth.

Ruth is also on the board of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), which is responsible for distributing public money for higher education to universities and colleges in England, and ensuring it is used to deliver the greatest benefit to students and the wider public.

“My aim is to work with the local business community to identify missing skill sets that we and our educational partners, as providers of education, can help to fulfill by providing businesses with direct access to students that have developed the skills required to help business prosper. By identifying the current employment gaps, we can help businesses to plan, grow and evolve.”

2. Educational partners Bucks has strong partnerships with local colleges in the region to help provide students with an option to study closer to home. This includes Aylesbury College, Amersham and Wycombe College, and the University is also a major partner in the new Buckinghamshire University Technical College (UTC) which is soon to be built in Aylesbury and will provide 14-19 year olds with the opportunity to take full-time, technically-oriented courses of study specialising in construction and IT. 3. Local businesses The University is locked into the local business community and was one of the first investing members of Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF).

Ruth also sits on the board of the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP).

“The BTVLEP is a real success which I believe is due to the commitment from the outset to ensure we have an equal number of business people and local authority as part of the board. It is a real meeting of minds and we are genuinely seeing real

“The University is committed to Buckinghamshire’s contribution to economic growth by helping businesses to recruit the right people now. We also aim to ensure that in five years time, there are not the same skills gaps as there are at present. Our aim at Bucks is to prepare a pipeline of people with the right kind of skills and attitude.”

Lost in translation It isn’t uncommon to hear employers complain of recruitment issues. The terms: ‘good people are hard to find’ or ‘we just can’t find the right person’ would have been experienced by most of us in the business community.

Ruth says it is all down to lack of communication: “Through my work with local businesses, I know that employers often don’t know where to look for the right kind of employees. Equally, young people who are trying to get into work are saying they don’t know what employers want. They read a job description and still ask what the job is about. The two need joining together and that’s how BTVLEP and its educational partners can really help.”

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It is no secret that the county has a lower proportion of 20-29 year olds. Despite its proud claims to be the most entrepreneurial county in the UK, the profile of a typical start-up is often somebody older, perhaps in their 40s, potentially coming back to the county or starting a second career.

much emphasis on readying students for employment but we also need to look at how that is facilitated. It isn’t just about equipping people with the correct skills, students need to consider becoming a rounded professional which includes developing important capabilities such as networking.

providers, are fundamental to the delivery of the University’s strategy.

Ruth champions the need to lower the age demographic in Buckinghamshire and it can only be achieved by providing young people with greater opportunities that will in turn reflect the needs of employers:

“There is a real chance for prospective employers to take an interest in students at an early stage. By investing in an individual’s education, through part sponsorship or funding, it is possible to ensure that person fits with your organisation developing the right business acumen in addition to skills from the outset.

Ruth concludes: “In year six of my role, I’m hugely pleased with what we have been able to achieve.

Everyone at the University has really been supportive of me since day one.

The University’s partnership approach keeps Bucks relevant and up-to-date and ensures students are prepared for the real-life challenges of the 21st century workplace.

“Moving forward, we are very clear about what we want to be. The aim, as it has been since I arrived, is to look after students in addition to links with employers to provide employer-focused education.

We will continuously try to develop this area as it really does serve the higher educational purposes of today.”

“The demand from students for courses isn’t necessarily in the areas where job vacancies exist.

An emphasis needs to be placed on getting messages to people who are making choices about what to train for. For example, we know there is a recruitment need for engineers, which recently hasn’t been a popular subject for students to take.

We therefore need to work on actively selling those roles to present them as an attractive career with great prospects.”

“Awareness of business now starts in school with students opting for business studies. It is important that awareness is facilitated early on but with that comes additional responsibility of ensuring young people are well-rounded individuals. Students need to be encouraged to engage with higher education, further education or schools in order to contribute to society later on in life.”

Through her work with BBF, Ruth is currently involved in establishing a virtual employers group.

The aim is to generate an exchange of information about businesses and industry providing people with a useful resource in one place for recruitment needs.

The future Bucks New is a leading modern university, driving professional and creative excellence. The courses offered are intended to prepare graduates for employment as well as enhancing professional competence for those already in employment.

Equally, with the thriving and prosperous business community that Buckinghamshire has to offer, those students who fled the nest to study elsewhere at 18, may even come to realise that life a little closer to home most definitely has its perks.

Ruth explains: “There are gaps to be filled on both sides, for job seekers and recruiters. There is so

Externally, partnerships with employers, public sector commissioners and other educational

Contact: 0800 056 5660 or advice@bucks.ac.uk or see bucks.ac.uk

Through Ruth’s forward-thinking attitude, Bucks hopes to retain some of the 20-29 year olds that graduate each year to seek employment within the county.

PARTNER WITH BUCKS Bucks New University is keen to develop alliances with businesses across the Thames Valley and would like your input in shaping education to suit employer needs.

The University also offers business support services, conferencing facilities, consultancy services, knowledge transfer partnerships, production services and recruitment services.

To find out more about the services and training available at Bucks New University, please contact the For Business team on 01494 522 141 ext.

4022, or email: forbusiness@bucks.ac.uk

There is the chance to improve knowledge and expertise within your business or workplace by offering training to employees whilst in work, with a range of short courses and continuing professional development opportunities on offer.

With an ‘open door’ policy, the team is happy to discuss services for businesses, individual entrepreneurs, public and voluntary sector organisations.

If you would like to explore the opportunities for educational partnerships, please contact Sally Skea on 01494 605253, or email: sally.skea@bucks.ac.uk

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IN PRINCIPAL

Reading College students Gloria Arias and Jack Phillips met with their Principal, Lesley Donoghue, to find out more about the College’s ethos and future plans. This article was written and designed by Gloria and Jack.

Principal Lesley Donoghue is a big part of the on-going change at Reading College and, having worked in Further Education for twenty fi ve years, Lesley’s passion and commitment are still at their maximum today. She recognises what is happening all around her and knows what needs to be done to achieve the excellence that she knows Reading College and its students are capable of.

Lesley has been the Principal at Reading College since its change from Thames Valley University to the much improved educational facility that it is today; she has given the present and future students more choice for their chosen careers with courses that will give a wide range of paths to select from. Implementing courses that range from Level 1 to Level 4, the College has opened up new doors to allow in students from all backgrounds because, as Lesley puts it, “it is a challenge to break that cycle and to move into employment and to get ready for employment”. Reading College is doing its level best to help students from disadvantaged families where, historically, qualifi cations are rare and unemployment more frequent, to improve their quality of life.

The college wants people to ‘get their fi rst foot on the ladder’ and have helped them do this by developing short programmes that will enable them to work effectively within the college and be able to move on quickly into employment. As Lesley states ‘direction is all and achievement is all’ and these ‘short and sharp’ programmes enable them to progress quicker which is especially useful for people who can’t or don’t feel like they could stay in education for a full year.

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Education is a key institution necessary for our society to grow both in knowledge and awareness of the expanding opportunities of the world, not just in Reading. There is so much out there for students, whether they are from state school or public school education and Lesley is quite obviously aware of that. “Sometimes, further education colleges tend to do their own thing and don’t always take account of what’s happening around them, but certainly we, in this college, intend to do that and are doing that.”

Lesley continues to build strong links with local businesses for work experience and apprenticeships to help both staff and students obtain a vital understanding of the skills needed and what businesses want from their employees. Reading College provides students with the training needed to successfully excel, in part, due to these close links and the insider knowledge provided from the employers.

The joining of Reading College with B4 Magazine has enabled the college to obtain a strong tie with outside employers. Aiding students by giving them more opportunities to thrive within their courses, whether it be Media, Graphic Arts, English or Maths, there are options available for everyone that will give them something more; if they apply to university or go into full time work - whatever path they choose- having real working-life experience is invaluable. “The opportunity to work with B4 has been incredible. Giving students a taste of real life business is invaluable for them. We recently had a student photograph Sir John Madejski at Reading FC and others have presented their ideas to B4 about design improvements. We are now welcoming B4 clients to the College to have

professional photographs taken for the magazine and this is all gold dust for the students and reinforces our links with the business community.”

Commented Lesley.

It is hoped that in 2012, Reading College’s University Technical College will be opened as a fantastic addition to Reading itself. Reading’s UTC has been recently approved by the Government’s UTC nationwide programme and intends to produce highly qualifi ed staff for specialised roles within cutting edge technological companies.

As tuition fees rise for universities, colleges like Reading College are going to be in more demand due to the increased opportunities available, such as the Level 4 courses which provide pre-degree learning and compliment any further education.

At Reading College there is currently one Level 4 Art and Design Foundation course and two more to be added next year which will be 2 year programmes; one in Business and Enterprise, the other in Childcare which will ‘give students more opportunities to stretch’ and it can be seen that Reading College is a ‘great stepping stone’ for university. But Lesley has made it clear that Reading College ‘gives the best opportunity of increasing student’s life chances’ and that’s what any student would want from an educational institution; where they feel they have an opportunity to do more, to be more. www.reading-college.ac.uk

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MISSION To help local people maximise their talent, knowledge and skills through a stimulating learning experience which gives them the edge to compete in Reading’s enterprising global economy.

• 1955: Opened as Reading College of Technology • Later became Reading College and School of Arts and Design • 2004: became part of Thames Valley University • 2010: Re-launched as Reading College • 6000 local learners • 900 further education courses • Wide range of Entry Level to Level 5 courses • Curriculum includes: IT, engineering, hair and beauty, health and social care, construction, accountancy, business, creative arts and media, catering and A-levels • Wide range of apprenticeships with local businesses • Varied higher education programmes • University Technical College (UTC) specialises in computer science and engineering • Industry partners of the UTC include Microsoft, Cisco, Peter Brett Associates, Network Rail and University of Reading

“A teacher

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Photography Carolina Soler Gomes

affects eternity, he can never tell where his influence stops.”

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BRAVE NEW WORLD An enterprise academy, business incubation scheme and commercial operations led by teams of talented students.

It may not sound like your typical further education college, but Oxford & Cherwell Valley College is leading a fresh approach to education that equips young people for success.

Spend any time at Oxfordshire’s largest provider of vocational training and you are likely to be asked to part with some cash.

That’s not because Oxford & Cherwell Valley College is short of funding, but because its students are busy developing the business acumen needed to succeed in today’s workplace.

Whether it’s the craftsmen in residence producing bespoke commissions at the prestigious National School of Furniture, fashion students selling jewellery and tote bags, or hospitality and catering students promoting the restaurant’s special offers, a commercial approach comes through loud and clear.

Of course it’s not just about making money. Walk into any learning environment and you are likely to find students engaged in projects with a real-world flavour – whether it’s business students pitching their marketing assignment to a Dragons Den-style panel of experts or creative media students developing the brief for an external filming project.

It’s an approach which has already caught the attention of Ofsted, which visited last year as it sought to identify best practice in promoting enterprise-related skills and the entrepreneurial capabilities of 16 to 19-year-olds.

The focus is also forging closer links with local businesses, many of whom came along to the college’s first ‘conference season’ last October to find out how students were being made ready for employment.

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Sally Dicketts, Chief Executive and Principal of Oxford & Cherwell Valley College (OCVC), said: “In today’s marketplace it is not enough for students to achieve a qualification alone. We need to equip our students with the transferrable skills that employers demand and that could also help them to succeed as one of the increasing number of new business start-ups.

“Employment has changed radically in a generation, and the way that we educate and train our young people must also adapt so that they can thrive. We want to provide an environment where students can develop real-world skills in commercial environments, where they can take risks and develop their curiosity and resilience through independent learning.”

The college is working at a local and national level to promote grassroots enterprise as a member of the Gazelle Colleges Group, a cluster of further education colleges using entrepreneurial principles to drive educational reform. The network has attracted some big names, including original Dragon’s Den panelist Doug Richard who will speak at OCVC in March. As a founder member of Gazelle, OCVC students also get access to initiatives such as the Start-Up Britain bus tour, which brought a host of young entrepreneurs and business advisers to the Oxford campus last year.

OCVC recognises that to promote an enterprising culture, it needs to walk the talk. To this end it has set up its own Community Interest Company, SweetFE, which operates as a social enterprise and

is able to generate income for social good. SweetFE is connecting a group of around 50 ambassadors – drawn from the local business community and from the college’s own staff team. These ambassadors act as mentors for new student businesses (through an incubation scheme) and also meet to develop ideas that will generate income or improve ways of working. Among the success stories have been SweetFE Learning, an online resource where students can have their work published, and the Oxford campus car parking scheme which generated £70,000 in its first year.

Sally said: “We realise that we need to embody the behaviours and principles that we are helping our own students to develop. SweetFE has helped us to achieve a cultural shift which is now being felt across the sector and which is also improving links with the local business community.

“In the year ahead we will be further developing our approach by establishing learning companies, which will provide students with employment as well as a qualification and enable us to build on the work to date.”

If you are a local business and would like to find out more about SweetFE or other ways to get involved in the work of Oxford & Cherwell Valley College, contact info@sweetfe.co.uk. www.ocvc.ac.uk

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Phil Strachan

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B4 MARKETING

A GREAT TIME TO TALK TURKEY! Hot off the press - some topical food for thought and something to chew over in the year ahead to ensure that you keep abreast of latest thinking in Branding, Identity and Graphic Design - Phil Strachan of Strangebrew shares his recipe for success with B4’s Richard Rosser.

It happened again! Sad news really – but the results of research just recently conducted and published have indicated that over 95% of Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Marketing Directors and Marketing Managers who commission Branding, Identity and Graphic Design projects, ended up with a turkey at the end of last year. Sad news all round except perhaps for Bernard Matthews!

But it didn’t have to be this way- if only they had gone to and worked with Strangebrew for all their Branding, Identity and Graphic Design needs. The fact is that despite good intentions and stout resolutions (plug for Guinness there!) made at the start of the year, they all just fell into the trap of failing to break with tradition, failing to be different and therefore ended up just like everyone else – headless chickens who had cooked their goose, almost certainly heading for a real roasting. Put very simply, they failed to think brand - not bland!

Bad news all round for all – except perhaps for Paxo!

To crown it all, the research very clearly concludes that all businesses and brands behaving in that manner will never rule the roost. It goes on to note that by choosing to follow the flock and operate on a wing and a prayer, such businesses and brands will simply be left without a leg to stand on, left to fight for the leftovers and destined to end up totally plucked and well and truly stuffed. Bad news all round for all – except perhaps for Paxo!

Without wishing to make a meal of these findings and at the same time attempting to cut through the inevitable gobbledegook, the research makes it very clear that it is time to ruffle some feathers. Some basic fundamental truths, some of which may at first seem totally unpalatable, need to be

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brought home to roost if businesses and brands are to have any chance of carving out a real opportunity for themselves and getting a decent slice of the action.

The research concludes that business and brand owners should never duck their responsibilities and that they should take great care not to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.

Taking a quick gander at the topline results, it is all too clear that what is sauce for the goose isn’t necessarily sauce for the gander and that every business and brand requires its own individual recipe that is both creative and original. It is also manifestly clear that all high-flying business and brand owners

“The research goes on to say that if they don’t like the heat, they really should get well and truly out of the kitchen” need to understand their businesses and brands better. They should therefore give free range to the strategic and creative strengths of their chosen Branding, Identity and Graphic Design partners rather than simply relying on growing their businesses and brands organically. They quite simply need to think brand - not bland!

Bold, frank insights and a generous helping of mirth

brand owners who fail to keep abreast of the latest Branding, Identity and Graphic Design thinking, might turn tail and take flight at the very idea of sticking their necks out too far and running fowl of established conventions.

The research goes on to say that if they don’t like the heat, they really should get well and truly out of the kitchen. The research strongly recommends that they should appoint a really good Branding, Identity and Graphic Design partner such as Strangebrew who can make sure that they think brand - not bland and won’t end up with a turkey at the end of the year - and will help add to their festive cheer in 2013 with an injection of bold, frank insights and a generous helping of mirth.

If they don’t, it will probably just be tough turkey all round again at the end of 2013.

And the moral of this story is that if you don’t want to end up with a proverbial turkey at the end of 2013, leave the production of turkeys to Bernard Mathews and leave the stuffing to Paxo. Instead, place your trust in Phil Strachan and Strangebrew for all things Branding, Identity and Graphic Design related – and let him help you to dish up success on a plate by helping you to think brand - not bland.

To make sure that you don’t end up with a turkey at the end of 2013, please call Phil on 07770 753 975 for an initial no charge meeting to find out how an injection of Business and Brand Alchemy from Strangebrew could really benefit your business or brand this year. www.thinkbrandnotbland.co.uk

Finally, the research notes that many thickskinned and chicken-livered business and

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IS B4 SPEAKING YOUR LINGO? We asked B4 members, Lingo Telemarketing, to hit the phones and ask our B4 members where we were going right but, more importantly, where we could make improvements. After all, the only way to keep everyone happy is to keep moving forwards. Lingo also took the opportunity to ask our members how they would be winning new business in 2013. With thanks to Su, Penny and Antonia.

The Brief B4 and Lingo Telemarketing partnered to create a survey of 313 B4 members with certain aims in mind, to include; 1. To check that the B4 membership is happy, 2. To find out what other features / activities they would like from the B4 membership and 3. Within their own businesses, B4 members were asked what sales and marketing activities were most popular in 2012 and what they will be focusing on in 2013.

The market research campaign took place over several days in late December 2012 and early January 2013.

Campaign Outcomes – see Figure 1 Of the 313 customer records on the B4 database, 51 scripts were completed in total (16%).

Of the 51 completed surveys, 6 (12%) were completed as a result of the online B4 Newsletter link and 45 (88%) as a result of telemarketing interaction.

36 (70%) were completed over the telephone with a telemarketer and 9 (18%) were completed online as a result of the telemarketer conversation followed by an emailed link to the survey. These figures demonstrate the value of telemarketing and follow up.

Companies Contacted From the 51 companies that completed the survey, a high proportion (39%) of these companies are in the business and professional services industry sector. Business efforts were focused either nationally or internationally for 35% of the companies whilst the remaining companies’ focus was in southern counties only.

Areas where B4 is most valued B4 members were asked to rank the major reasons for continuing membership as either Strongly Agree, Agree, Somewhat Agree and Don’t Agree. The responses were as follows:

Aspect

Strongly Agree Somewhat or Agree Agree

Don’t Agree

B2B Networking Opportunities

76.5%

17.6%

5.9%

Raises Your Company Profile

82.4%

11.8%

5.9%

Local Business & Community News

70.6%

17.6%

11.8%

Mix of Business Sectors / Industries

76.4%

17.6%

5.9%

Quality Events

76.5%

19.6%

3.9%

Quality Magazine

86.3

13.7%

0%

Website Features

58.8%

27.5%

13.7%

E-Mail Newsletter

49%

27.5%

23.5%

q COMPLETE SURVEY BREAKDOWN 18%

In more detail, with the focus on networking in 2013, 10 people said they would like to see a change of format including an increase in networking events. Holding networking events in a wider range of local areas was also requested by 10 people. Some people asked for introductions at events and a list of attendees, although it is a B4 policy not to give out a list of attendees.

Every respondent agreed, to some degree, that the quality of the magazine was a reason for their membership – 39% strongly agreeing. 35% of people strongly agreed that the B2B networking opportunities were a reason for their membership. However, some members are beginning to complain of a lack of focus in the magazine – what they’d like is more concentration on new companies, and more focus on themes, although few suggestions were made.

We would like direct examples from our members.

The email newsletter was least valuable, with 23% of people disagreeing that this was a reason to continue the membership. It is interesting that one of the companies who said that they did not agree that the email newsletter was of significant value to them, did complete the survey via the online newsletter.

B4’s areas for focus are therefore the website, which is being revamped in 2013 with some great new features enabling members to communicate with each other and their staff more easily, and the e-mail Newsletter which is now being sent out each week rather than on an ad hoc basis.

Focus for 2012 – see Figure 3 When asked where they had focused their new business activity in 2012, 96% of companies said via their company website and through networking and memberships. 70% of companies said they used PR (such as editorial and newsletters) as well as social media.

When asked to rank these activities as 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice, the most popular first choice was networking, with 27% of companies putting this activity top and 19% of companies putting networking as their most popular second choice.

It is interesting that telemarketing (21%) came out below direct mail - email and post - (56%) as an activity focus for 2012 as this survey statistically proves that telemarketing is significantly more successful than direct mail in achieving results. In this survey, 88% of the completed surveys were a direct result of telemarketing activity opposed to 12% from email activity.

Focus for 2013 – see Figure 4 When asked which business development activities they plan to focus on in 2013, the majority of companies (72%) are focusing on networking and memberships, followed by company website (66%) and social media (62%).

If you'd like to comment on these findings or provide us with more feedback on your membership, please contact us on: 01865 742211.

w AREAS WHERE B4 IS MOST VALUED

12% 8% Emailed Newsletter Link (B4) 70%

Telephone Survey Telephone Call, Email link sent

Networking & Events

6% 4% 34%

16%

The Magazine Other

32%

Website, Email & Newsletters Referrals Workshops & Seminars

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www.b4-business.com

B4 SPOTLIGHT

e LOOKING BACK ON 2012, WHICH ACTIVITIES DID YOU USE TO GENERATE NEW BUSINESS? Direct Mail (Email & Post)

56.9% (29) 37.3% (19)

Field Sales Activities Telemarketing

21.6% (11)

Events / Roadshows

58.8% (30)

Networking / Memberships

96.1% (49)

Advertising (e.g.

Magazine, Radio)

58.8% (30)

PR (e.g. Editorial, Newsletters)

70.6% (36)

Company Website

96.1% (49)

Social Media

70.6% (36)

Digital

37.3% (19)

Other (specified)

37.3% (19)

0

10

20

30

40

50

r WHICH BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES DO YOU PLAN TO FOCUS ON IN 2013?

72.5% (37)

Networking / Memberships

66.7% (34)

Company Websites Social Media

62.7% (32)

PR (e.g. Editorial, Newsletters)

47.1% (24)

Direct mail (Email & Post)

43.1% (22)

Events / Roadshows

39.2% (20)

Other (specified)

35.3% (18)

Field Sales Activities

33.3% (17)

Advertising (e.g.

Magazine, Radio)

33.3% (17)

Digital

25.5% (13)

Telemarketing

17.6% (9)

0

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10

20

30

40

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B4 WIDER B4

YOUR MANOR Undergoing a major refurbishment, The Manor at Weston-on-the-Green is enjoying not only a facelift but a complete rejuvenation. Under the expert stewardship of General Manager Christian Kaberg and his more than able team, the new owners are creating a gem just five miles from Oxford.

It’s the little touches which make the difference.

The clever shaping of the entrance drive centrepiece hedges into sheep as you drive in to The Manor, the hotel’s new signature logo, is ingenious and has instantly provided The Manor, formerly Weston Manor Hotel, with an identity which relaxes its guests and adds a touch of humour.

Overseeing the transformation, Christian Kaberg has a background steeped in quality establishments including The Goring, Great Fosters, Le Meridian Piccadilly, London Hilton Park Lane and The Lanesborough, and he is certainly relishing in his role at The Manor. “We decided that, as we were starting with a blank sheet of paper, we would give the hotel a new name and anew identity.

Hence, the sheep. The real ones which reside in the grounds, were to be our signature and we have used them across everything – our smart new brochures, menus, dressing gowns, everything – and they have been very well received. With over twenty four years of experience within hotels, restaurants, contract catering and a private members club, I have managed to create a very broad knowledge of our industry. I am now implementing these skills by turning The Manor into a luxurious retreat, a haven for the more discerning guest where service, excellence and quality are taken for granted.”

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It’s a project Christian and his team can rightly be proud of. Under the former owners, I was never shown past the front reception but ever since our first meeting back in September, Christian has outlined to me what was to be done to what has now been completed and it has been a pleasure to see the overhaul step by step, to see his and the new owner’s vision come to fruition. Although there are still changes in the pipeline, the results to date are stunning.

Prior to checking in, I was to meet Christian and his Executive Chef, Tyrone MacConnell, for a meeting about the 2013 Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards which are taking place at The Manor on 1st October. We were meeting in the new Snug, the old hotel’s offices, which provide a light and airy space in which to have private meetings or afternoon tea – we did both! The adjacent morning room has had a similar makeover, with sumptuous furnishings and tasteful décor. These are sophisticated spaces which have really elevated the property to five star status.

Tina was to meet me later at the hotel so I took the opportunity after the meeting to check in and relax in our beautifully appointed room. It was a real home from home room, with everything you might need, most importantly an amazingly comfortable bed which became too hard to resist after a long

week – an hour later I was awoken by a knock at the door after falling into a deep slumber.

Tina was ready so I quickly changed and we made our way to the bar for a pre dinner drink. A first! We were actually early for a review and it gave us time to enjoy the property and take our time with a much anticipated drink, my first of 2013! We took to our high chair seats at the bar of Bertie’s, a stunning hotel bar with a spectacular drinks display, rich green walls and dark wooden furniture, adorned by hunting art and fabulous equine sculptures. This was a bar, a real bar and Vito, the attentive Italian bar tender, was on hand with my medicine and an astonishing mind of information about our drinks, his homeland and life generally.

It was a wonderful way to start the evening.

Francisco, our attentive maître d’, showed us the menus so we could prolong our stay in our new favourite bar, so we deliberated over the mouthwatering choices for a good fifteen minutes before making our way to The Baron’s Hall, accompanied by the hotel’s resident dog, Holly, a beautiful golden retriever who never left our side in the communal spaces of the hotel but who knew the restaurant was a no go zone.

Dating back to the 11th century, the Baron’s Hall has been carefully restored to show its linen fold www.b4-business.com

MORE ABOUT

THE MANOR The Manor at Weston-on-the-Green has 28 beautifully appointed rooms, all with en suite bathrooms. With only the finest bed linen, pillows and beds to ensure you have a night of sweet dreams. Enjoy the range of luxury bath & body goodies, and wrap up in a fluffy dressing gown.

Settle in and enjoy the view from your windows. Help yourself to a glass of complimentary sherry as you unwind. Room service is available for a more private evening, or for a relaxing breakfast in bed.

In the grounds of The Manor you will find much to please: discover the hidden knot garden – scene of many secret trysts over the years. Pick up a mallet and enjoy a game of croquet on the lawn. The team of gardeners plant and tend for all seasons. Languidly or energetically, revel in the heated pool. Enjoy a drink and a snack on one of the beautifully appointed terraces and watch the sun set over the fields beyond.

The gardens at The Manor at Weston-on-theGreen are designed to celebrate the changing seasons. Stroll along the scented lavender walk in summer, or wander through the woodlands during autumn and listen to the birdsong.

oak-panelling to ensure an unsurpassed dining experience. Above the Baron’s Hall is the original Minstrel’s Gallery where private dining parties up to sixteen take place. The five course tasting menu changes daily, and Tina went for this whilst I chose from the full à la carte menu, accompanied by a glass or two of chilled Macon Villages, whilst Tina plumped for a glass of champagne. Our scallops, pigeon, honey roast duck and beef, plus a few more courses for Tina, not to mention the rhubarb

Francisco and Holly and enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep and woke to snow on the lawn – a magical sight!

Discover the secret Wedding garden, perfect for a summer celebration. Slip through an opening in the yew hedge and you will find the heated outdoor swimming pool, where you can relax with a drink after your dip.

We showered and returned to The Baron’s Hall for breakfast, where naughty Danish, egg’s benedict and scrambled eggs and salmon were our choices.

Once again, attentive and polite service and a first class breakfast to set us up for a day out.

The south and west facing terraces invite you to linger as the sun sets, and lights the warm stone of the beautiful Manor.

“We decided that, as we were starting with a blank sheet of paper, we would give the hotel a new name and anew identity. Hence, the sheep” and custard we shared for desert were all presented immaculately and the tastes were spectacular. We couldn’t find fault in any way and our waiter was attentive throughout, offering an excellent knowledge of the food we were enjoying.

The Manor provided us with a real ten out of ten experience. Great food, excellent service and a wonderful room. If this is part way through the refurbishment, well, we’ll just have to check out the finished article, won’t we!

We were so enchanted with the bar that we made our way there for an after dinner drink and more inspirational chit chat with Vito, by now our favourite bar tender in the world! But that bed was soon calling and we said our goodnight’s to Vito,

http://themanorweston.com

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Celebrate the seasons at The Manor at Weston-on-the Green with changing menus to reflect the best in local, seasonal produce. The kitchen brigade is led by Executive Chef Tyrone MacConnell. Take your time to enjoy the fabulous five-course tasting menu in the oak-panelled Baron’s Hall; relax in Bertie’s Bar with a sandwich made with the finest Montgomery cheddar. Soak up the sun on the Topiary Terrace and indulge yourself with freshly cooked fish and chips, or treat your loved one to a Champagne afternoon tea in the elegant Morning Room. The Manor can cater for all your requirements, from breakfast to a midnight snack. http://themanorweston.com Visit The Manor for the B4 Event on 2nd October - sign up at the B4 website.

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B4TV – 7 MINUTE SUCCESS INTERVIEWS

Something new from B4 – the first in a new series of 7 Minute Success Interviews starting with the man behind the success of one of Oxfordshire’s leading firms of solicitors, Simon McCrum of Darbys. So why video? We talk to B4’s very own presenter and B4 member, Jackie Jarvis, who helped B4 come up with the idea.

“I initially approached B4 about a series of coaching videos, but we soon realised this would be time consuming, costly and there would be no guarantee that we’d generate the web traffic. Attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter these days, so Richard and I decide to focus on what B4 is good at, delivering good news. We felt that by packaging an interview into a specific time period, on an interesting subject, would be the way to go.

“And so the B4 7 Minute Success Interviews were born and we had the opportunity to interview the charismatic Simon McCrum, Managing Partner of Darbys at the fantastic new Conference Annexe at the Said Business School. It 84

was the perfect setting, and with the expert skills of Sander Aben and XXXX at Shining With Productions we put the first interview together.

“Through the series of B4 7 Minute Success Interviews I aim to get to the heart of what ambitious business owners have actually done to really make something great happen in their business. I believe that we can learn a lot from those who have overcome challenges, have a real passion for what they do and have taken brave and positive action to make their businesses work well.

There are a lot of really interesting, inspiring people in businesses of all types and sizes who have a story to tell and have implemented strategies that achieve positive results www.b4-business.com

B4 MARKETING

“I believe that we can learn a lot from those who have overcome challenges, have a real passion for what they do and have taken brave and positive action to make their businesses work well” owners who want to share their insights to inspire others. I will help you to capture this through our relaxed video interviews and you just have to tell us www.b4-business.com

how you have made it happen!

So if you think you’ve got what it takes to be the star of the show, get in touch with B4 now. Packages for the B4 Success Interview start at £1,750+VAT and include a double page spread in B4 Magazine, use of the video for your own website and other media and our promotion through B4 on Twitter, eNewsletter and the magazine. If you want to make your interview part of a more in depth company video, we can arrange for this alongside the Seven Minute Interview so you have the complete package to promote your business.

Call us now on 01865 742211 and if you’d like to see the results of our interview with Simon, log on to www.b4-business.com and click on Video and Photo.

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Photography: Rob Scotcher

“I want the B4 Success Interview series to capture the best of what has made a ‘real difference’ when growing a business. We are looking for business

B4 WIDER B4

DESTINATION BLENHEIM PALACE...

A ROLE TO PLAY ON THE GLOBAL STAGE 2013 is the year that Blenheim Palace starts to realise its full potential, according to Paul Liczbinski, Head of Sales, as he explains ambitious plans for ‘Britain’s Greatest Palace’ to B4 Magazine, writes Kelly Stroud.

From high-end weddings with guest lists that could often rival most celebrity newspaper columns, through to James Bond themed team building events, exquisite fine dining experiences, and a strong British heritage, Blenheim Palace has it all.

But all isn’t enough for the team behind Blenheim Palace who have bigger plans in mind. As Head of Sales, Paul Liczbinski’s challenge is to transform his vision into reality, enabling surrounding businesses to benefit from the success of Blenheim Palace in addition to supporting Oxford internationally.

with a destination marketing strategy that spans Europe, Middle East and African markets (EMEA).

“Our marketing and sales plans include exhibiting at international shows to ensure that Blenheim Palace and Oxford are noticed, pushing us to the forefront of event organiser’s minds. This will include taking a stand at IMEX in Frankfurt.

“Last year, we were

in-hand with a fruitful partnership Paul Liczbinski is developing with a business a little closer to home.

“Oxford Airport share similar ambitions to us and our offerings most definitely complement each other. The airport has authorisation to fly people in from Lagos (Nigeria) and Moscow. People from high-end markets now have the opportunity to fly direct to Oxford presenting a perfect opportunity for a Blenheim Palace meet and greet.”

very much focused on our home market, but Blenheim Palace has a far greater reach and appeal than that”

According to Nigerian newspaper, Punch, the acquisition of private jets is a luxury trend which rose by 650 per cent between 2007 and 2012, an industry worth a sum of $6.5bn in the last five years. With this in mind, Paul Liczbinski continues:

“Last year, we were very much focused on our home market, but Blenheim Palace has a far greater reach and appeal than that. The Olympics provided a strong showcase for the UK as a destination to host events and it is now time for businesses to ensure they profit from that success.”

We will also target conference and event organiser’s defined by sector, for example, oil and gas, banks and insurance companies. We are working closely with Visit Oxfordshire to ensure the county is showcased on a global stage.”

Paul Liczbinski is looking further afield than the UK

International plans for Blenheim Palace go hand-

Blenheim Palace is already one of the UK’s most sought after wedding venues. This enables Paul Liczbinski to present a strong case to hold four weddings per week, including Thursday and Sunday, whilst ensuring that high standards are maintained with only one wedding held at one time.

“I joined Blenheim Palace in November 2011 so I’ve had a good 12 months here to put ground roots down, and in that time I’ve built a strong team who have proven their experience and capability of delivering a busy calendar of high-end and bespoke events,’ explains Paul Liczbinski.

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“We would like to provide African events from fine dining through to African weddings. I would like to do the same for Russian and Chinese events and weddings and have plans to strengthen ties in those markets.”

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Conferences that wow To support its expansion into other markets, Blenheim Palace is about to launch a new meetings and conference offering. The Palace presents a choice of seven impressive conference and meeting rooms that have recently undergone a facelift.

Blenheim Palace offers a number of conference packages and have the staff and capability to provide bespoke events delivered to an extremely high standard with options available for a wide range of budgets.

The Palace has also recently formed a partnership with nearby Heythrop Golf Course, which can now be extended to delegates.

Scope for new events Visitors to Blenheim Palace can already experience a vast array of events from The Blenheim Triathlon through to Sunday Jazz Brunch and there are plans to introduce a series of food entity based events later this year with themes such as canapé making, defined champagne tastings and cocktail making, to name a few.

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Paul Liczbinski still has ambitions to add more to an already busy calendar: “We are Britain’s Greatest Palace and in terms of event venues in the UK, I would place us in the top five for quality, size of event and flexibility. We have 2,100 acres and could easily host a client event for up to 12,000 people.”

“We are Britain’s Greatest Palace and in terms of event venues in the UK, I would place us in the top five for quality, size of event and flexibility” “The Palace is only just starting to realise its full potential and we are now bringing the right people together to ensure it happens. Whether it is a wedding, fine dining event or conference, our events will always be tailored to suit our clients’ individual needs and treated with utmost confidentiality.

“One thing is for sure, we can absolutely guarantee that Blenheim Palace has the ‘wow factor’ that guests will always take away with them,” concludes Paul Liczbinski.

Blenheim Palace is home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. The Palace was created a World Heritage Site in 1987, in recognition of its architectural importance.

Set in over 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown parkland in the heart of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, Blenheim Palace is a world-renowned visitor attraction and a superb venue for weddings, banqueting and conferences. Blenheim Palace is “Britain’s Greatest Palace”.

If you are interested in hosting an event at Blenheim Palace, contact 01993 813874 or email sales@blenheimhospitality.com. To keep up to date with Blenheim Palace news and events, visit www.blenheimpalace.com

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B4 WIDER B4

“Trust, honesty, integrity and respect are essential ingredients to ensuring our continued success as a profitable business unit”

EXCITING TIMES

In February 1993 Mike Collett joined the then WILA Leuchten GmbH, Iserlohn, Germany and the UK operation of WILA Lighting Limited was formed in September of 1993. The WILA business was started in Mike’s home with some garden furniture that was used for a desk and chair, a mobile phone and a fax machine and one other member of staff.

2013 is a BIG year for WILA in the UK for more than one reason; It is not just the 20th year of trading, but WILA will also be celebrating the launch of the NEW WILA Vision and Strategy, the NEW architecturally led website and the introduction and launch of the NEW and exciting alphabet range in the coming months, whilst maintaining a lean operation here in the UK.

WILA moved into its Didcot offices in September 1993, before relocating to its current offices in Grove, Wantage 7 years later, and November 2010 saw the opening of WILA UK’s manufacturing facility in Abingdon. Claire explains, "As the business grew in size and success we always retained the family feeling mentality with the people we employ, and this now forms part of the company culture. She continues “We are a very close knit team and believe in and understand our values. Trust, honesty, integrity and respect are essential ingredients to ensuring our continued success as a profitable business unit. WILA boasts a large company ethos through our means of recognition and remuneration. We are proud to have been accredited with IIP since 1997. This in itself is a huge achievement following the dramatic changes within the standard, the demise of funding and support networks such as Business Link, and the fact that we remained accredited as an Investor in People during our own period of change and through the MBO process”.

Claire goes on to say “WILA currently employs 33 members of staff across the two sites in the UK and an additional 100+ in Germany”. Claire proudly tells us that out of the 33 employees, 6 have been with the company over 10 years, including herself and a further 10 over 5 years. As much as we would like this to be higher we recognise and understand the changing industry and markets we operate in.

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Claire explains that WILA has introduced an Apprenticeship Scheme this year, with apprenticeships available within administration and technical Sales support.

The successful individuals will be placed on a two year training plan and will work in each department for a 3 month period whilst continuing to improve their knowledge and skills further. They will do that initially via the NVQ route and if successful they will have the opportunity to go on to do professionally recognised qualifications. In previous years WILA has supported numerous employees on apprenticeships, NVQ trainee schemes and

professionally recognised qualifications such as CIM Marketing Diplomas, MSc in Light & Lighting, Management & Leadership qualifications and an MBA. Claire and the management team are passionate about how all departments at WILA pride themselves in delivering exceptional service and support whether that be from a sales inquiry, quotation, through to an order, product development, purchasing, assembly, post sales support if required or an accounts or systems query. All departments are cross trained where possible to ensure that systems and processes are in place to meet all eventualities.

Claire goes on to say, “Oxfordshire itself has seen many changes in recent years and although Oxford itself has a large number of people employed in universities and the public sector, it also has significant jobs in other sectors including publishing, tourism, hospitality and a growing hi-tech sector fuelled by a highly-qualified workforce. Whether those positions be full time permanent, temporary or part time it is difficult to get a real feel of the employment statistics”. Claire is confident that WILA will continue to be strong in a very competitive market as the team it has is highly skilled and talented and is the vital ingredient to its continued future success. www.wila.com

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Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

Photography: www.studio-8.co.uk

Claire Styles talks to B4 about the forthcoming changes at WILA and the excitement surrounding its 20th year of trading here in the UK.

Oxfordshire is guaranteed to get everyone thinking Meet Oxfordshire is the first point of contact for anyone considering the county for a meeting, conference or event. Our services include free venue finding and accommodation bookings.

www.meetoxfordshire.com contact us now call 01608 731802 Follow us on Twitter @meetoxfordshire

B4 contacts P

CONTACTS DIRECTORY Advice..................................................................................................................................................91 Business Services....................................................................................................................91 Charities & Government Organisations.............................................93 Conference, Events & Venues........................................................................................93 Event Managment Technology..........................................................................93 Education........................................................................................................................................93 Finance..............................................................................................................................................93 Health & Leisure.......................................................................................................................93 Travel........................................................................................................................95

ADVICE

A M B A S S A D O R

A

HR..........................................................................................................................................................95 IT & Telecommunications.................................................................................................95 Marketing & Design...............................................................................................................95 Printing.......................................................................................................................95 Public Relations...............................................................................................................95 Media......................................................................................................................95 Property & Building...............................................................................................................95 Restaurants & Bars............................................................................................................95 Retail....................................................................................................................................................95

LEGAL

Wilson Partners 01628 770 770 www.wilson-partners.co.uk

Clinical Professionals 0118 959 4990 www.clinicalprofessionals.co.uk

Pitmans LLP P Christopher Avery Managing Partner 0118 958 0224 www.pitmans.com

Ardhurst Accountants Limited 0118 925 3286 www.ardhurstaccountants.co.uk

Pace Equity Ltd 01491 577889 www.paceequity.com

Berkshire Accountants Ltd 07794 510499 www.berkshireaccountants.com

id-choices 0845 519 6237 www.id-choices.co.uk

Chariot Tax Services 0118 986 3738 www.chariot-tax-services.co.uk

Agenda for Change 01453 731 773 www.agendaforchange.net

Gardner Leader LLP A Derek Rogers Managing Partner 01635 508080 www.gardner-leader.co.uk

Pareto Lawrence Ltd 0845 241 0207 www.paretolawrence.co.uk

Bbite 07836 205262 www.bbite.co.uk

BUSINESS ADVICE

Morgan Cole LLP A Michael Stace Partner 0118 955 3000 www.morgan-cole.com

Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP 0118 959 7222 www.crowehorwath.net

Support Star Limited 07739 459469 www.mysupportstar.co.uk

Field Seymour Parkes A Penelope Garden Associate 0118 951 6312 www.fsp-law.com

Rickerbys LLP 0118 925 6100 www.rickerbysthamesvalley.com Belinda Knight 0118 900 1712 www.belindaknightsolicitor.co.uk Clifton Ingram LLP 0118 957 3425 www.cliftoningram.co.uk

The FD Group 0118 948 1080 www.theFDgroup.co.uk Parfitt Cresswell 01753 271640 www.parfittcresswell.com Strategic Finance Director Limited 07967 681774 www.strategicfd.co.uk

ACCOUNTING

Thomas International 01608 659910 www.thomasinternational.net

BDO LLP A Julian Frost Lead Partner 0118 925 4400 www.bdo.uk.com

BUSINESS SERVICES

Grant Thornton A Jim Rogers Assurance Partner 0118 955 9114 www.grant-thornton.co.uk

Direct 2 PA A Emma Watts Executive PA 0118 932 6698 www.direct2pa.com

Wilkins Kennedy 0118 951 2131 www.wilkinskennedy.com

The Business Growth Show 0121 632 2300 www.thebusinessgrowthshow.co.uk

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BUSINESS CONSULTANTS

JFP Strategic Planning 01344 872230 www.jfpstrategic-planning.co.uk

BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS Institute of Directors, Berkshire Branch A Barry Lewis Chairman, Berkshire Branch 0118 942 9608 www.iod.com FSB A Richard Knight East Berkshire Branch Chairman 01256 767837 www.fsb.org.uk Click Berkshire A Harriet Slingo Owner 07725 740311 www.clickberkshire.co.uk The Business Wealth Club 01869 278900 www.thebusinesswealthclub.com Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group 01753 870500 www.thamesvalleychamber.co.uk

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Refreshing levels of quality

Lime Blue Solutions is an independent full service venue finding and event management agency, established in Maidenhead in 2004.

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B4 contacts Bracknell Business Club 01256 767837

BUSINESS SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT Archway Business Solutions Ltd 0118 324 0135 www.archwaybusiness.com

Fredrick’s Hotel, Restaurant & Spa 01628 581 000 www.fredricks-hotel.co.uk The Forbury Hotel 01189 527 770 www.theforburyhotel.co.uk

VENUES INSURANCE Coversure Insurance 0800 093 57 80 www.coversure.co.uk

The Vineyard P Hayden Bowl General Manager 01635 528770 www.the-vineyard.co.uk

Vision Vehicle Solutions Ltd 01628 780011 www.vision4accidents.com

EVENT MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY

SECURITY RISK Management Security Services 01494 469189 www.riskmanagementsecurity.co.uk

TRANSPORT EMT Jets Global Aviation 08453 888248 www.emtjets.com

CHARITIES & GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS Berkshire Community Foundation 0118 930 3021 www.berkshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk Connect Reading Clare Wright Managing Director 0118 959 1236 www.connectreading.co.uk

The Active Network A Banks Holcombe Senior Manager Emerging Markets 0207 313 5744 www.activenetwork.com Lime Blue Solutions 01628 780211 www.limebluesolutions.com

EDUCATION Reading College P Lesley Donoghue Principal 0118 955 4300 www.reading-college.ac.uk Reading University 0118 987 5123 www.reading.ac.uk

Handelsbanken 0118 959 5444 www.handelsbanken.co.uk/reading

TAX PLANNING Your Money Friend A Ted Yeates Founder 0208 123 1193 www.yourmoneyfriend.co.uk

HEALTH AND LEISURE ARTISTIC & CULTURAL Stanley Spencer Gallery 01628 471885 www.stanleyspencer.org.uk

BEAUTY Electric Hair A Alan Short Director and Salon Manager 0118 957 1010 www.electric-hair.com

FITNESS Berkshire Fitness 07825 259612 www.berkshirefitness.co.uk

SPORT Reading FC Limited P Sir John Madejski Chairman 0118 968 1100 www.readingfc.co.uk

BANKING

Bearwood Lakes Golf Club A Martyn Norris Head of Marketing 0118 979 7900 www.bearwoodlakes.co.uk

Lloyds TSB Commercial P 01442 233261 www.lloydstsbbusiness.com

Hennerton Golf Club 0118 940 1000 www.hennertongolfclub.co.uk

CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES

RBS Corporate Banking A Donald MacDonald UK Head of Deposits & Director, Professionals 07768 427379 www.rbs.co.uk/corporate.ashx

Newbury Racecourse P Amanda Ellis Conference & Events Business Development Manager 01635 40015 www.racecoursenewbury.co.uk

Malmaison P Paul Watson General Manager 0118 956 2300 www.malmaison.com

Santander Corporate Banking A Paul Robinson Relationship Director 0118 921 1621 www.ukcorporatebanking.com

Oakley Court Hotel P Richard Smith Sales Manager 01753 609988 www.principal-hayley.com/theoakleycourt

Coutts Reading A Tim McInerney

The Bird in Hand Country Inn 01628 826622 www.birdinhand.co.uk

Barclays Corporate 07766 362053 www.barclayscorporate.com

Daisy’s Dream 0118 934 2604 www.daisysdream.org.uk Child Matters 07788720612 www.child-matters.co.uk

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FINANCE

0118 373 3513 www.coutts.com/locations/reading

Magnolia Park P 01844 239700 www.magnoliapark.co.uk

LEISURE ACTIVITES Team Activity Group 0845 130 2248 www.tag-events.com Bedlam Paintball 08453 707571 www.bedlampaintball.co.uk

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Bulk Deliveries of B4 Magazine Would you like copies of B4 Magazine for your establishment?

Great for office receptions, hotels and conference venues.

Join Malmaison, The Forbury Hotel, Reading FC, Reading College, The Vineyard, Newbury Racecourse and more Contact us now on 0118 317 7183

Individual Copies

If you would just like to receive a copy to your address in the main mailing, please send your full name, company and postal address to us at editorial@b4-business.com

Magazine

Contact us now on 0118 317 7183 or email editorial@b4-business.com

B4 contacts The Lookout Discovery Centre 01344 354400 www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/lookout

Voyage Design 01189 835510 www.voyagedesign.co.uk

PROPERTY & BUILDING

Nirvana Spa 0118 989 7500 www.nirvanaspa.co.uk

MARKETING

Haslams Surveyors LLP P Conrad Hill Managing Partner 0118 921 1500 www.haslams.co.uk

TRAVEL Momentum Hub A Andrew Riley Chairman 0800 0726075x www.momentumhub.com Livingstone’s World of Travel Ltd 0844 888 8383 www.livingstonesworldoftravel.com

HR HR2YOU P Sarah Morris Managing Director 07789 711997 www.hr2you.co.uk

IT & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Strangebrew Brand Alchemy P Phil Strachan Proprietor 07770 753975 www.thinkbrandnotbland.co.uk The Social Media Café A Amanda Hill Founder 0844 3305679 www.amanda-hill.org.uk Glooo Robin Parker Partner 01865 595707 www.glooo.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM PRODUCTION Hills & Saunders A Richard Shymansky Photographer 07878 162452 www.hillsandsaunders.co.uk

IT SERVICES

Take One 01494 898919 www.takeonetv.com

In Touch CRM P James White Managing Director 0800 056 6452 www.intouchcrm.co.uk

PRINTING

TELECOMMUNICATIONS Everything Everywhere P Mike Tomlinson Small Business Marketing Director 07968 107671 www.everythingeverywhere.com

MARKETING & DESIGN ADVERTISING B4 Magazine P Richard Rosser Managing Director 01865 742211 www.berkshire.b4-business.com Focal Point Advertising Solutions 01256 767837 www.focal.co.uk

DESIGN Clever Little Design 01628 627853 www.cleverlittledesign.co.uk Blink Design & Print 01865 742211 www.on-the-blink.com

Dartnell UK Ltd 01635 278568 www.dartnell.co.uk

PROPERTY SERVICES

Synergy Facilities Ltd A Liz Maloney Managing Director 0844 800 2823 www.synergy-facilities.co.uk

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY SERVICES Oxford Innovation Ltd P Jo Willett Marketing and IC Development Director 01865 261400 www.oxin-centres.co.uk Berkshire Centres at: Crowthorne Enterprise Centre 01344 751 600 www.crowthorne-ec.co.uk Lily Hill House 01344 317 900 www.lilyhillhouse.com Quintons Specialist Commercial Property Advisors 01635 551441 www.quintons.co.uk

INTERIORS Amarestone 0845 2608070 www.amarestone.com

PUBLIC RELATIONS Esplin PR A Louise Esplin Freelance PR Consultant 01235 850115 www.esplinpr.co.uk Morgan PR A Nigel Morgan Founder 0845 00 33 666 www.morganpr.co.uk

RESTAURANTS & BARS Browns A General Manager 0118 950 3137 www.browns-restaurants.co.uk/locations/reading Island Bar and Restaurant 0118 9479530 www.islandbar.co.uk

RETAIL MEDIA Reading 107fm P Tony Grundy Acting MD 0118 986 2555 www.reading107fm.com

Buildbase A Tim Felton Regional Director South 01635 573716 www.buildbase.co.uk The Vintage Affair 07855 951825 www.thevintageaffair.co.uk Vintagenie www.vintagenie.com

B4 is designed by Blink Design & Print e: studio@on-the-blink.com t: 01865 742211

www.b4-business.com

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We know how important time is when you are dining with clients or when you simply want a quick, light lunch with friends.

So dine with us until the end of March in our California Bar and enjoy a one course lunch from a selection of dishes paired with one glass of wine in one hour for just £15.

However, if you’re not short of time, we’d love you to stay longer!

Please call 01635 898463 to book Discover more: www.the-vineyard.co.uk The Vineyard, Stockcross, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 8JU *Available Monday to Friday between 12pm and 3pm.