C&W in Business January 2022

Issue 87 January - February 2022 This edition is delivered in partnership with

Conference brings businesses together

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Foreword

Contents

Dear Chamber of Commerce Member, Can I start by wishing you all well for 2022, my hopes and prayers are that you stay safe and that your organisation or business, where possible, remains resilient, strong and looks to the future.

I have been reflecting on our latest quarterly economic survey results and I am pleased to see that, here in Coventry and Warwickshire, business confidence remains fairly upbeat with many businesses reporting that they do expect their turnover and/or profits to improve, but that does not, in any way, detract from the challenges that we all face in continuing to navigate our lives and businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic and, particularly for our manufacturing sector, through the new and complex trading arrangements with Europe.

by Louise Bennett OBE DL Chief Executive Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce

For most of us, rising costs are, of course, a worry, including utility prices, wage pressures, increases in interest rates due to heightened inflationary pressures and many other issues, not least supply chain disruptions.

Despite this, it is warming to see that staffing levels (employment) remains strong and, if anything, many businesses are struggling to recruit.

As we begin another year, this is a good time to think about the future, consider the various scenarios that will (both positively and negatively) impact on our businesses and 'plan', "a plan being better than no plan at all".

We are all so busy in our day-to-day lives, but I would urge us all to 'take time out', reflect, be creative, be upbeat and learn from others as we put together our strategy and plans for the future.

Coventry and Warwickshire and, indeed, the wider region, has lots of organisations and people who are there to support our business base, our Local Authorities (who, in our patch, have very ably distributed huge sums of money to support businesses during the Covid pandemic); our Growth Hub; our amazing Colleges and Universities; and, of course, your Chamber of Commerce. We are here to support your business so please do get in touch on 02476 654321.

In terms of supporting business, I am heartened to see the numbers of individuals stepping-forward to set up their own business; or the high number of businesses keen to export for the first time or increase their export potential; or those leaders who engage enthusiastically with our great team of Membership and Business Advisors; and the many, many businesses who access apprenticeship programmes and other learning support via our Coventry Warwickshire Chamber Training.

As a black-country girl at heart, who lives in Worcestershire, but works here in Coventry and Warwickshire, I can say we are truly a dynamic and resilient local economy and one which, for the here and now, will continue to benefit from our Coventry City of Culture and can look forward to being part of the Commonwealth Games 2022 and, in June, join in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

On 5th December 2021, I was immensely proud as your High Sheriff of the County of the West Midlands to bring the Annual Justice Service to Coventry. With an audience of circa 375 eminent and wonderful individuals, we showcased the City, Drapers Hall, our beautiful Cathedral and invited everyone to be part of celebrating our City of Culture year with a special viewing of the Turner Prize at The Herbert. A special 'thank you' to Coventry Cathedral and to Coventry University for hosting our visitors at 'The Courtyard', a great venue.

If you want your business and your community to be part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, please drop me a line on louiseb@cw-chamber.co.uk as, working to support our Lord Lieutenants office, we have an easy online 'toolkit' to help you look at how you can engage and be part of this wonderful celebration.

I would go further and suggest that our businesses in hospitality and retail should definitely get involved and use this unique occasion to bring-in footfall into our towns and City.

Here's to a good (better!) 2022.

January - February 2022 City of Culture

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News

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QES

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Business Talent

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Annual Conference

Business Engage Profiles 12-13 Chamber Training

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News

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Profile

20-21

Economy

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Business Support

Louise, Mrs L Bennett-Bayliss OBE, DL Chief Executive Chamber of Commerce

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News

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Around the region

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News

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Education & Training

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Environment President & People

Kind regards,

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New Members

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Members Offers

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Earlsdon Park 53-55 Butts Road Coventry CV1 3BH www.bandhattonbutton.com info@bandhattonbutton.com 024 7663 2121

putting imagination to work www.cw-chamber.co.uk

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Focus on Coventry 2021 The official publication of the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce ••••

CONTACTS At the Chamber News desk Members are encouraged to send any news about their firm - new orders, staff, new products, expansions or relocations for publication in C&W in business.

Whilst every effort will be made to publish submitted articles, we cannot guarantee inclusion.

Send them to: news@cw-chamber.co.uk Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Chamber House Innovation Village Cheetah Road Coventry CV1 2TL T: 024 76 654321 F: 024 76 450242

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The Reel Store Opens with an Exhibition from acclaimed Media Artist and Director Refik Anadol The UK’s first permanent immersive digital art gallery is opening in Coventry as part of the UK City of Culture.

The Coventry City of Culture Trust has announced that The Reel Store, will open at the former Coventry Telegraph building in Spring 2022, becoming a permanent new visitor attraction in the heart of the city.

Following on from the huge popularity of immersive art spaces around the world, this new state-of-the-art space will feature innovative experiential art commissions and will be a prominent feature of the City of Culture programme in spring/summer 2022.

The Reel Store is located in the former home of the Coventry Evening Telegraph newspaper, a distinctive post-war building in the heart of the city. Works are currently underway to transform the old reel store, which was once home to the rolls of paper, onto which the city’s stories would be printed.

It follows on from the successful opening of the Telegraph Hotel on the same site.

T: 0151 236 4141 Advertising Contact Karen Hall karen@benhampublishing.com T: 07801 788880 Production Manager

The main 800m2 exhibition space will house a large projection mapping canvas with multiple high quality video projectors and an immersive sound system.

The first major exhibition will be Machine Memoirs: Space, by internationally acclaimed artist Refik Anadol.

Mark Etherington Accounts Director Joanne Casey Media Number 1880 © Benham Publishing 2022 C&W in Business is produced on behalf of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce by Benham Publishing Limited and is distributed to members free of charge.

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in C&W in Business, neither Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, nor the publisher can accept responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies it contains. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Chamber.

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UK’s first permanent immersive Digital Art Gallery ‘The Reel Store’ to open as part of Coventry UK City of Culture Celebrations

The product of a long-term collaboration with NASA, this exhibition uses artificial intelligence (AI) to reimagine two million publicly available images of space taken by NASA satellites and telescopes, and the International Space Station, capturing the deepest regions of outer space. Through machine learning, the computer sorts and categorizes these photographs ultimately developing an understanding of them.

Then, it creates stunning new digital interpretations of space that exist only in the mind of the machine.

Machine Memoirs: Space provides a 360-degree cinematic experience of rich and futuristic visuals accompanied by 3D audio, allowing audiences to encounter the beauty and spectacle of space science, created entirely through AI.

Refik Anadol is a pioneer in the aesthetics of data and machine intelligence. His work intersects at the crossroads of art, science, and technology. He uses cutting-edge technology and big data advancements to creatively speak to the most pressing challenges of our time, and what it means to be a human in the age of machines.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: "Coventry's year as UK City of Culture is an excellent demonstration of the power of the arts in enhancing and enriching communities. Coventry's programme is making a real difference – and The Reel Store, a new immersive digital art gallery in the heart of the city, will help to make sure that it leaves a lasting legacy.

Refik Anadol’s projects have been shown in over 50 cities, spanning six continents, and experienced by millions of fans. In 2021 alone work has been exhibited at Art Basel Miami Beach, COP26 in Glasgow, ARTECHOUSE in New York, Abu Dhabi, China, Japan and South Korea, as well as major cities across Europe including Istanbul, Milan and Venice.

"As the first of its kind in the UK, I am sure that this exciting gallery will be a hit with visitors, and I can't wait to see it for myself."

The Reel Store has been made possible by the generous support of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, Coventry City Council via the Council’s Cultural Capital Investment Fund, the Government’s Getting Building Fund through the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), The Patrick Trust, The Linbury Trust, Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust and Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive of Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “The Reel Store is a hugely exciting venture, with Coventry becoming home to the UK’s only permanent truly immersive digital art gallery, a major draw for Coventrians and visitors. We are delighted that our partners have backed the vision for this permanent new visitor attraction, transforming old media into new media, as part of the legacy of our year as UK City of Culture.”

Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “Having experienced some truly magical immersive art shows in Tokyo, Paris and London, I am delighted that Coventry, a youthful and pioneering city is launching The Reel Store with Machine Memoirs – a new way to experience the wonder of art. Right now, Refik Anadol is leading the way in this field and we are proud and excited to be collaborating to deliver his first long running UK show.

In 2021 Coventry has hosted the Turner Prize, the world’s leading art prize. In 2022 Refik Anadol and Machine Memoirs will truly cement Coventry’s status as a major destination for groundbreaking visual arts experiences.”

Cllr David Welsh, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Arts at Coventry City Council, said: “The digital gallery will be a great addition to the city’s cultural offer. We are investing in many cultural assets in the city, bringing in more than £40m of funding, and I can’t wait to visit it when it opens.

“The key for me is that although we know it will be a fabulous attraction for visitors, all of our communities in Coventry will also have a completely unique arts venue on their doorstep.

“The fact that it is located in a building that housed the Telegraph newspaper for 50 years makes it the perfect location – highlighting the shift from print to digital media.”

Sarah Windrum, Chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Leading innovation is one of the key priorities of CWLEP’s Strategic Reset Framework and this fascinating digital art gallery initiative emphasises our area’s strengths in the creative sector. The Getting Building Fund was set-up for projects which would immediately make a difference and this will help to attract visitors from across the UK and boost our economy.”

Refik Anadol, said: “Machine Memoirs: Space invites us to dream of an alternative universe where machines collaborate with humans to speculate our existence and create an alternative future. This is a hopeful future where machines and humanity, in combination, are agents for healing. A collaborative relationship with machines can give us new insights, knowledge and the power to not only dream, but create a better world.”

Tickets will go on sale for The Reel Store in early 2022 at www.coventry2021.co.uk. www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Focus on Coventry 2021

Coventry is getting its own collectable Scalextric car to mark its year as UK City of Culture – inspired by a very special model that was made in the city A Jaguar XJ-S touring car that qualified for pole position in the 1982 24-hour Spa-Francorchamps European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) race – and won the 1984 edition – has been reimagined as a 1:32 scale Scalextric car emblazoned with Coventry City of Culture 2021 livery and will soon be available for keen collectors to buy.

It is the first time that this model, made famous by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) for its appearances at the famous Belgian circuit, has been memorialised in the form of a Scalextric car in an extremely limited run of just 1,000 models.

It features a carefully arranged skin design to reflect Coventry City of Culture Trust’s core message: Coventry Moves.

A bird’s eye view of the car, originally a 5.3 litre V12 manufactured from 1975 until 1996, reveals the letters, C, O and V, with arrows on the wings and doors to mirror the city’s forward momentum and the Coventry 2021 brand.

It also includes references to Coventry’s Two-Tone culture and its transport heritage, with black and white tiles on the side and a spoked wheel emblem figuring as the O in “Cov”. The number plate also reads COV 2021.

Laura McMillan, Director of Audience Strategy at Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “It’s been fantastic to work with Hornby to design a car that signifies the city that moves.

“Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture will be one to remember and I hope that whether you’re a keen Scalextric collector, or someone who wants to own a piece of Coventry history, you can get your hands on one of these limited-edition pieces before they sell out.”

The limited-edition Coventry 2021 TWR Jaguar XJ-S Touring Scalextric can be pre-ordered at https://shop.coventry2021.co.uk/ products/scalextric-car and will be delivered in early 2022.

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A bird’s eye view of the car, originally a 5.3 litre V12 manufactured from 1975 until 1996, reveals the letters, C, O and V, with arrows on the wings and doors to mirror the city’s forward momentum and the Coventry 2021 brand.

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Array Collective

Win Turner Prize 2021 Array Collective, Black Obsidian Sound System, Cooking Sections, Gentle/ Radical and Project Art Works.

The Turner Prize 2021 has been awarded to Array Collective, it was announced this evening at a ceremony at Coventry Cathedral, in partnership with Tate and Coventry UK City of Culture 2021. The £25,000 prize was presented by Pauline Black, the lead singer of 2 Tone pioneers, The Selecter, during a live broadcast on the BBC. A further £10,000 ws awarded to each of the other nominees.

This year the Turner Prize exhibition is being held at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry as a highlight of its City of Culture year.

The jury awarded the prize to Array Collective for their hopeful and dynamic artwork which addresses urgent social and political issues affecting Northern Ireland with humour, seriousness and beauty.

The jury were impressed with how

Belfast-based Array Collective were able to translate their activism and values into the gallery environment, creating a welcoming, immersive and surprising exhibition. The jury commended all five nominees for their socially engaged artworks, and how they work closely and creatively with communities across the breadth of the UK. The collaborative practices highlighted in this year’s shortlist also reflect the solidarity and generosity demonstrated in response to our divided times.

One of the world’s best-known prizes for the visual arts, the Turner Prize aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. For the first time, this year's Turner Prize jury selected a shortlist consisting entirely of artist collectives and artist-run projects:

The members of the Turner Prize 2021 jury are Aaron Cezar, Director, Delfina Foundation; Kim McAleese, Programme Director, Grand Union; Russell Tovey, Actor; and Zoé Whitley, Director, Chisenhale Gallery. The jury is chaired by Alex Farquharson, Director, Tate Britain.

The exhibition is a highlight of Coventry’s UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations. Herbert Art Gallery and Museum champions Coventry’s culture, city and arts and is one of the UK’s leading regional museums.

As part of its preparations for City of Culture 2021, the museum underwent a major redevelopment of its gallery spaces in anticipation of the Turner Prize exhibition. In parallel to the Turner Prize exhibition, Coventry also hosts ‘Coventry Biennial 2021: Hyper-Possible’ across Coventry and Warwickshire.

The exhibition of the five shortlisted collectives at The Herbert Art Gallery

& Music continues until 12 January 2022. Entry is free.

Established in 1984, the prize is named after the radical British painter JMW Turner (1775-1851). Originating at Tate Britain, the Turner Prize regularly travels to other venues in the UK. It has previously been shown in Liverpool in 2007, Gateshead in 2011, Derry in 2013, Glasgow in 2015, Hull in 2017, and Margate in 2019. In 2022 it will be held at Tate Liverpool to mark 15 years since the prize was first held in the city as part of the European City of Culture celebrations.

The members of the Turner Prize 2022 jury will be Irene Aristzábal, Head of Curatorial and Public Practice, BALTIC; Christine Eyene, Research Fellow, School of Arts and Media, UCLAN; Robert Leckie, Director, Spike Island; and Anthony Spira, Director, MK Gallery.

The Turner Prize 2021 is supported by the AKO Foundation, Avanti West Coast and Arts Council England, with additional support from ArtAV, The John Browne Charitable Trust and Lance Uggla.

SIGN UP to the City of Culture Trust's newsletter to receive regular updates on Coventry 2021 at www.coventry2021.co.uk www.cw-chamber.co.uk

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News

PET-Xi to deliver the new Restart Scheme in Warwick and Kenilworth A leading national training provider will be working alongside a prominent further education college in Leamington to help people in the area out of unemployment and into meaningful work.

PET-Xi has set up a new office at Royal Leamington Spa College – part of WCG – to deliver the government’s Restart Scheme on behalf of Jobs 22 for unemployed people in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth.

Sean Farnell, Partner, Burgis & Bullock

Free financial training for local firms A Warwickshire-based accountancy firm is strengthening its commitment to supporting the regional business community with 12 weeks of free financial training next year.

Burgis & Bullock, which has offices in Leamington, Nuneaton, Rugby and Stratford-upon-Avon, is offering the programme to boost the regional economy after the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit on businesses.

The sessions will aim to support the development of sustainable and profitable businesses, resulting in a positive impact on the local economy.

It is designed for ambitious business owners and senior managers and will cover seven key growth drivers for business over the three months, with the first session taking place on Thursday, January 13 and the final session on Thursday, March 31.

The Financial Management for Business Owners (FIMBO) programme is being delivered in association with Virtual Finance Director.

Topics in January and February will include: how to grow your business, key performance indicators, quick-win cash strategies, improving cashflow, margin/ cost control, customer attrition and gap analysis/cross selling.

For the final month, Burgis & Bullock will lead on sessions around transactions/ transaction value, customer acquisition, know your number, becoming exit ready and performance versus plan.

The office was officially opened by the High Sheriff of Warwickshire, Min Willoughby de Broke, with a ribbon cutting.

The Restart Scheme provides tailored support to individuals who have been claiming Universal Credit for 12 to 18 months.

This would include many people who had lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic, with the first major lockdown happening in March 2020.

Jobs 22 won the contract to run the Restart Scheme with local employability partners across the East Central region and subsequently enlisted PET-Xi for its work in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth.

PET-Xi will not only help unemployed people with things like upskilling, interview technique and CV writing – it can also assess whether they would be suitable to take adult learning courses at WCG. Simon Fitzgerald, Head of Funding at PET-Xi, felt it was a great example of two organisations with excellent local knowledge coming together to help hundreds of people in the area.

He said: “We are delighted to be providing the Restart Scheme for Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth after WCG agreed for us to have an office on their Leamington campus.

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“Thanks to our local expertise and connections, we are best placed to deliver the Restart Scheme and get as many people into meaningful work as possible.”

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, said: “We are pleased to be supporting PET-Xi in the delivery of its new Restart Scheme in the area.

Fleur Sexton, founder of PET-Xi, added: “This is a real opportunity to help those requiring support to get back into work after COVID-19 has impacted on their lives.

“PET-Xi is excited about working with Jobs 22, based from its new WCG site location in delivering the Restart Scheme in Leamington Spa and ensuring each individual engaged has access to our highly skilled and committed team.”

"PET-Xi will not only help unemployed people with things like upskilling, interview technique and CV writing – it can also assess whether they would be suitable to take adult learning courses at WCG."

Christopher had been homeless and unemployed for over a year when he was referred onto the Restart Scheme. Without a permanent address employers were not giving him a second look. As a result of the hardship he had endured, Christopher was at rock bottom and feeling increasingly hopeless.

Sean Farnell, partner at Burgis & Bullock, said: “We are committed to supporting our local economy and in recent years have provided a range of free advice services for businesses to help them grow. This includes our work with the Peer Networks initiative and our business mastermind groups.

To find out more, visit www.burgisbullock.com/training

“We have been providing training for people in the area for many years now, so we have excellent connections with local employers and have extensive knowledge of the job market in the area.

“Royal Leamington Spa College has an existing comprehensive adult learning programme but through this scheme we will be able to expand that provision while reaching more people in a range of different communities.”

From homeless to employed thanks to the Restart Scheme

Businesses can attend single sessions or commit to all 12 weeks of training.

The sessions will be delivered virtually via Zoom.

“We hope that by delivering these free sessions it will give business owners and senior managers the knowledge they need to thrive in 2022 and, as a result, help the regional economy to rebuild.”

“The timing of the Restart Scheme could not be better, as many people may have remained unemployed after losing their jobs at the start of the pandemic.

The vicious cycle of homelessness is one that is notoriously hard to break, and with the average Brit just two pay cheques away from homelessness, anyone can suddenly find themselves in this situation.

To get Christopher back on his feet, his Serco Job Coach, Vicky, quickly got to work helping him to find accommodation and access benefits.

With an address and financial support, his chances of gaining employment had been massively improved as well as making him feel more positive.

After getting to know Christopher’s skills and experience, Vicky found a factory operative job at a large food production company. Christopher couldn’t quite believe his luck when

was offered an interview, but he realised he had no smart shoes or any way of getting there. Not prepared to let this hold Christopher back, Vicky quickly sourced him some shoes and arranged to cover his travel costs.

Being offered the job on the spot took Christopher by surprise and he was amazed at how quickly he had been supported to completely turn his life around.

He said: “I’m so pleased with my new job and I’ve never been so happy.

I was in the gutter and I’m now proof things can work out for anyone.

Without the support of the Restart Scheme, I wouldn’t be in the situation I am. I’m so grateful for the help.”

Find out more about the Restart Scheme and how it could benefit your business: www.serco-ese.com/restart-scheme

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

President pays visit to Coombe A four-star Warwickshire hotel is feeling optimistic about the future after seeing business bounce back strongly since Covid restrictions lifted.

Coombe Abbey Hotel has welcomed a range of staff back from furlough and has hired many more as the events and hospitality sector has begun to recover from 18 months of restrictions.

And now the hotel is also looking to improve what it can offer to visitors with exciting new plans on the horizon.

Sales Director Stephanie Taylor, who recently joined Coombe Abbey Hotel after working in hospitality for more than 10 years, said demand was on the rise.

She said: “We’re in a much better position after restrictions were eased than we previously anticipated.

Obviously when everything locked down in March 2020, no one knew what the outcome was going to be.

“But since restrictions have eased, we have come back strongly. We have held lots of weddings that we had to cancel originally, afternoon teas have sold well every day.

“What’s particularly great is that we’ve been able to attract a lot of new staff and have seen many return from furlough.

We take great care in ensuring our staff are well-looked after and are valued here, and there is also the attraction of working in such a beautiful hotel.

“Alongside this, I think businesses that have done well during Covid are those that have diversified. We have the hotel and grounds, but we also have Go Ape, our cafes, play area, and florists too.

“We’re also soon to be adding more attractions in the very near future, which should give visitors even more reasons to come in and stay for longer.”

Stephanie was visited at Coombe Abbey by Tom Mongan, president of the

Tom Mongan, Hazel Pilling, Stephanie Taylor

Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, along with Hazel Pilling, Membership Manager at the Chamber.

The pair heard how Coombe Abbey was planning to build on the recovery.

Hazel said: “We help Coombe Abbey Hotel maintain its high profile through regular sharing of its events through our own social media channels and promotions, and we will continue to do so as it holds new events and opens new attractions.

“We’ve also been in regular contact with the hotel throughout the pandemic and beyond and have been able to get Stephanie on some fantastic networking events where she’s already made some very useful business connections in her short time with the business.

“The hotel has been a wonderful destination in our region for many years now, and with Stephanie and the team driving the business forward, it is likely to remain that way for many more years to come.”

Getting ready for the Commonwealth Games 2021 saw a huge amount of activity on Coventry canals as part of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021, and we expect that 2022 will continue with a raft of activities from creative arts and culture, through to fishing, cycling, kayaking and much more, giving people a chance to experience their local canal in a whole new perspective.

In late 2021, the five-and-a-half-mile route from Coventry Canal Basin in the city to Hawkesbury Junction celebrated receiving a Green Flag Award from Keep Britain Tidy. This award, now into its third decade, is awarded to spaces that boast the highest possible environmental standards, are beautifully maintained and have excellent visitor facilities.

This wouldn’t have been possible without commitment from local groups including The Big Clean – Coventry, Coventry Mercia Lions Club, Canal & River Trust volunteers and colleagues, The Good Gym, Crisis (Coventry) and many more local groups and residents that have made this space exceptional.

Canal & River Trust will be working with Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 when further events will be taking place in the basin and on the canal as we play host to ‘Pirates of the Canal’, ‘Hand, earth, gesture, return’, ‘Kraft Haus’ and the ‘Smartphone Orchestra’ in the spring. For more information visit: coventry2021.co.uk We will then be looking forward to involvement in the city as part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, when the Coventry Building Society Arena plays host to leading sports stars as they host Rugby Sevens, Wresting and Judo.

The Canal & River Trust is part of the United

by Birmingham 2022 community brand for its Community Activity and Wellbeing programmes.

The community brand enables local, regional and non-commercial projects, events or initiatives to be acknowledged by, and work with, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on community activities.

To find out more and how to get involved visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/commonwealth-games-2022

WMCA secures £1.1m funding boost for nine more digital bootcamps The funding will allow another 300 West Midlands residents to take part in skills bootcamps covering cybersecurity, coding, digital marketing, TV and film production, AI and machine learning, and more.

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has received an additional £1.1 million from the UK government to roll out nine more digital skills bootcamps across the region.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

The nine new bootcamps made available through the new funding will be run by BritAsia TV, Generation You Employed, Netcom, NIYO Enterprise and The Development Manager.

The industry-led skills training is complemented by links to

local employers that provide guaranteed interviews and job opportunities for bootcamp participants.

WMCA’s bootcamps are free of charge for learners, equipping West Midlands residents with vital digital skills. They support the unemployed and those seeking a career change, as well as employed people looking to gain the digital skills required to secure more responsibility or a promotion with their current employer.

To date, WMCA has received £7 million in funding, with which it has piloted over 30 digital bootcamps, training around 2,000 adults, who were unemployed or in low-paid jobs, with vital tech skills. Over the next three years, WMCA aims to support over 4,000 people through its bootcamps. Its latest round of bootcamps began in November, with the nine additional courses commencing in January 2022.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of

the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “The sector offers new, exciting, and futureproof jobs, and digital bootcamps are a great way of helping local people to get involved. Our bootcamps have been a great success and provided a clear pathway for people to move into work. I’m delighted that we can now continue our great work and get more residents the skills they need to move into the high-quality, well-paid jobs of the future.”

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QES

Economic outlook Confidence among businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire took a tumble at the end of last year – despite sales and order books looking healthy in the final quarter, a new survey has revealed.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) showed that fewer firms were looking ahead with confidence in the final three months of the year compared with the previous quarter, however the majority of business were still positive about the future.

Both sectors reported an uptick in both domestic and overseas sales but the survey suggested ongoing issues with Covid-19 as well as rising prices remain a drag on business optimism and the overall economic outlook.

The survey, which is delivered in partnership with Prime Accountants Group, is analysed by the Economy & Skills Group at Warwickshire County Council. Its analysis uses a similar score to the national Markits Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) where 50 is the balance and anything above means the majority feel positive and anything below means the reverse. As well as giving a barometer for the local economy, the results are fed into the British Chambers of Commerce’s national QES. In Coventry and Warwickshire, business confidence in the service sector dropped from 83.8 in the third quarter to 71.3 in the final quarter, while in manufacturing it fell from 62.9 to 55.8.

The rise in overseas and domestic orders was offset by a fall in investment and cashflow as 94 per cent of the manufacturers responding to the survey said that they expect price pressures to intensify.

Overall, it meant the outlook for Coventry and Warwickshire slipped from 59.7 to 57.9, crucially remaining above the 50 mark which means economic growth is still anticipated.

Sean Rose, head of policy at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s not surprising that confidence took a dip towards the end of 2021. With each passing quarter,

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it is important to remember what was happening in the previous three months to provide context.

“In the summer months, the economy was fully open for the first time after more than a year of restrictions so confidence was on the up. However, as we approached the end of the year Covid began to play a part in business sentiment and while restrictions haven’t impacted majorly, the rising number of cases has had an effect.

“Throw into the mix the major concerns around inflation and the rising costs of doing business, it’s little wonder that companies have started 2022 slightly more subdued than they were three months ago.

“However, the fact that the economic outlook is still on the positive side suggests that the economy in the region will continue to rebound in the coming weeks and months.”

Steve Harcourt, director of Prime Accountants Group, said: “Whilst it is disheartening to see a drop in confidence amongst businesses across the region in Q4, it is one that is not surprising, with most sectors of our economy encountering a challenging business environment.

“We are faced with strained supply chains, over inflationary increases in some raw material costs, fuel and energy cost spikes, teamed with skilled worker recruitment shortages, notwithstanding the Omicrom variant now spreading quicker and affecting more people daily. It is inevitable that with a percentage of the workforce in isolation businesses may now face ongoing economic and Covid related issues coming in to 2022.

“However, the positive signs we can see are rises in domestic and overseas orders across the service and manufacturing sectors, with businesses predicting increasing turnovers in 2022.

“This suggests that current and advance orders are still coming in as a result of the improvement in economic conditions both nationally and globally.

The positivity with increased orders will be greatly appreciated by those employers still recovering from the impact of Covid-19 on their businesses.

“On the basis that the results of this survey represent the outlook prior to the new variant taking hold, it is important that businesses work safely to reduce the likelihood of further restrictions to the economy being implemented by central Government.

“The final quarter of 2021 was dominated once again by a difficult operating environment for the manufacturing sector as inflationary pressure continued to mount, supply chains were strained and businesses experienced hiring difficulties.

“Overall, locally, most figures in the Q4 survey remain above the 50 mark which is still optimistic through the various sectors of our economy. As most businesses are still remaining confident and are tackling business challenges head on, the call to remain agile and reactive to change remains important for business leaders to consider through the coming year.”

“Contrastingly, the local service sector remained upbeat with an escalation in new orders both domestic and overseas, driven mostly by improved market conditions because of a sustained lifting of restrictions and a loosening of limits on international travel.

Sunny Parekh, of Warwickshire County Council, said: “The results from Quarter Four’s QES presents a mixed bag of results leading to a slightly weakened picture of the economic and business landscape within Coventry and Warwickshire.

“The overall economic outlook index in Q4 fell for a second consecutive quarter last year, signifying a slowing in the pace of expansion and optimism amongst the local business community.

“As we begin 2022, we find ourselves in a familiar situation with Covid-19 case rates rising due to the emergence of the Omicron variant and another bout of restrictions being put in place to curb its spread.

“This will undoubtedly raise concerns amongst local businesses on how rising case rates (domestically and overseas), could impact demand levels, exacerbate any current labour/ supply shortages and further price pressures. However, the impacts could be short-lived if the new variant is efficiently brought under control.”

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We are faced with strained supply chains, over inflationary increases in some raw material costs, fuel and energy cost spikes, teamed with skilled worker recruitment shortages, notwithstanding the Omicrom variant now spreading quicker and affecting more people daily.

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Summary of 2021 Q4 Key Numbers: Economic Outlook

Overall Service Sector Manufacturing Sector

Domestic Sales

Service Sector Manufacturing Sector

Overseas Sales

Service Sector Manufacturing Sector

Employment

Service Sector Manufacturing Sector

Investment & Cashflow Service Sector Manufacturing Sector

Business Confidence

Service Sector Manufacturing Sector

57.9, down from 59.7.

61.3, down from 63.2.

49.2, down from 51.0.

66.3, up from 59.7.

54.2, up from 50.5.

50.9, up from 44.8.

40.5, up from 39.7.

59.5, down from 59.9.

49.3, up from 45.5.

53.7, down from 56.1.

44, down from 49.7.

71.3, down from 83.8.

55.8, down from 62.9.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Business Talent

Business Talent Coventry and Warwickshire’s business talent can take advantage of a programme of events geared at making them leaders of the future.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Business Talent has been working with young business professionals from across the region over the past two-and-a-half years to help support their career development.

The group has 60 members from a range of businesses across the city and the county and is now recruiting for more ahead of its first event of 2022 on February 23 where they will hear from a broadcast professional on the communication skills required to ‘Be Your Authentic Self.’

That will be followed by a networking event on April 28 at the returning Assembly Festival Gardens which proved to be hugely popular during the summer as part of the Coventry UK City of Culture events programme.

The blend of training and networking will continue across the year including sessions on communicating to influence

and strategic thinking as well as a summer barbecue and a Christmas social.

Sean Rose, who heads the programme for the Chamber, said: “It has been great to see so many of our young professionals growing and developing with the programme since its launch in 2019.

“We have many success stories and we want that to continue by bringing in new members who can benefit from the training we offer but also from networking with their peers which is proven as a great way of helping business talent to develop.

“We have a wonderful, packed programme of activity for 2022 that offers a perfect blend of business expertise alongside the social aspects.

“I’d encourage young professionals to come forward themselves and would also urge businesses to put forward members of their team who they think could flourish with this kind of support.”

For more information on becoming a Business Talent Member, please contact 024 7665 4321 (Opt 1)

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We have many success stories and we want that to continue by bringing in new members who can benefit from the training we offer but also from networking with their peers which is proven as a great way of helping business talent to develop.

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We are excited to launch our Business Talent 2022 programme of events and training sessions for our members to engage, network and develop.

Training Session

Be Your Authentic Self 23rd February 12.00pm - 1.30pm

This programme has been designed to strengthen your voice and help you to promote your Authentic Self in many mediums of communication

Networking Event Coventry Big Tent Networking 28th April 5:30pm - 7.30pm

This workshop is set to follow the skills developed in our first session Communicate to Influence to assist you in your communication with the focus of influencing those 5th June 12:00pm - 1 :30pm you connect with.

Networking Event

A workshop designed to aid in your strategic thinking, planning and decision making. To think about things on a big and small scale, long and short term.

Networking Event

Training Session

Training Session

Strategic Thinking 19th October 12.00pm - 1.30pm

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Summer Rooftop BBQ 23rd August Telegraph Hotel Coventry 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Christmas Social 7th December 5:00pm - 7.30pm

An opportunity to look back on Coventry's year of being City of Culture 2021 in one of the trusts iconic venues the Assembly Festival Gardens and network together.

A networking event not to be missed! Exclusive rooftop access to the Telegraph Hotel. Join us to connect, eat & enjoy a cold beverage on a summers night.

A Christmas networking event to share some festive cheer and look back on all we have done and achieved together in 2022

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Annual Conference

The speakers at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Conference

Conference brings businesses together to address key issues

Business and civic leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire have come together – in person and online – to address the key issues facing the regional economy as it rebounds from the Covid-19 crisis.

T

he Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Business and Economic Conference at the IXL Events Centre in Southam in front of an audience of 150 in the room with a further one hundred joining online.

Jeremy Wright MP told the room that the hybrid model being utilised for the conference was ‘here to stay’ and that businesses’ contribution to society was vital for the good of the region before the keynote address from Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE.

The event, which was headline sponsored by Prime Accountants Group with WCG as supporting sponsor, was based on a theme of ‘Against All Odds.’

He said: “It was great to speak to businesspeople in Coventry and Warwickshire at the Chamber’s Annual Economic Conference at a time when companies are looking to rebuild after such a difficult couple of years.

It heard from a range of businesspeople from a variety of sectors as well as regional MPs and the Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street.

The conference heard how the economy is recovering from the pandemic but also discussed a range of issues that are holding back growth, including inflation, skills and recruitment problems and supply chain issues.

The event was hosted by Dr Adam Marshall CBE and heard from Chamber president Tom Mongan and Atul Lakhani, the managing director of the IXL Events Centre.

An economic and social landscape panel included Mark Berrisford-Smith, Head of Economics at HSBC UK; Martin Reeves, Chief Executive of Coventry City Council; Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Council; Declan Allen, Managing Director of HORIBA MIRA; Angela Joyce, Principal & CEO Of WCG; and Steve Harcourt, Director of Prime Accountants Group.

There were also video contributions from Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive of Coventry City of Culture Trust; Andy Street, West Midlands Regional Mayor; and Nadhim Zahawi MP.

“There are massive comparisons between business and sport. It is important to have a vision of what you want to achieve, a team that buys into that vision and is focussed on delivering success.

“Winning Olympic gold medals always grab national and international headlines but some of the processes behind achieving that success can be replicated in business.

“I wish all of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce members the very best in achieving their business goals over the coming weeks, months and years.

“Their success will help to drive economic growth in their region, which will be good news for everyone.”

Louise Bennett OBE DL, Chief Executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and High Sheriff of the County of the West Midlands, said: “It was great to be able to bring businesses across our region together face to face and, also, to be able to host our conference online.

“It was a chance to reflect on the fact that businesses and individuals have faced an incredibly difficult year-and-a-half and have, against all odds, survived and are now looking to grow again.

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It was great to be able to bring businesses across our region together face to face and, also, to be able to host our conference online. It was a chance to reflect on the fact that businesses and individuals have faced an incredibly difficult year-and-a-half and have, against all odds, survived and are now looking to grow again.

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“That growth, however, is being held back by a number of issues that need addressing as a matter of urgency and we were fortunate to have such a distinguished group of contributors from the public and private sector to explore what is needed to move our economy forward.

Dr Adam Marshall, Tom Mongan, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Louise Bennett

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“We also heard about some of the opportunities for the region – from digital through to sustainability – and that Coventry and Warwickshire is in a prime position to lead in those areas which will benefit our economy and wider society.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Annual Conference

Tom Mongan, Jeremy Wright and Louise Bennett

Regional figures explore social and economic challenges for Coventry and Warwickshire The links between the public, private and education sectors in Coventry and Warwickshire can help the region overcome the challenges it is facing – but central Government must play its part too.

That was the overring message from a group of six experts during a social and economic landscape panel session at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Economic and Business Conference at the IXL Events Centre in Southam.

The event, which was headline sponsored by Prime Accountants Group and supported by WCG, heard from a range of business and civic leaders as well as from Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE. The economic and social landscape panel included Mark Berrisford-Smith, Head of Economics at HSBC UK; Martin Reeves, Chief Executive of Coventry City Council; Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Council; Declan Allen, Managing Director of HORIBA MIRA; Angela Joyce, Principal & CEO Of WCG; and Steve Harcourt, Director of Prime Accountants Group.

It explored a range of challenges that are being faced socially and economically in the region some of which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Steve Harcourt, director of Prime Accountants Group, said: “I deal with many SMEs across the region and their major concerns are around skills, costs and supply chain.

“On skills, there has to be a rethink nationally in the way education interacts

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

with business so we can accelerate young people into the roles that are out there in the economy. That will help to drive growth.

“But businesses are also really concerned about price inflation. Some manufacturers have reported a rise of 50 per cent on certain commodities compared with pre-pandemic levels.

That is just not sustainable.

“There is also the issue around supply – which has not been helped by the pandemic or Brexit – and this is another factor that is driving up costs.

“Coventry and Warwickshire has a strong partnership between the public and private sectors that will put us in a strong position but these issues exist nationally and will need solutions from Central Government too.”

Angele Joyce added: “Collaboration between business and education is essential. We have that at a regional level and we now have a Government that recognises it.

“However, there was nothing in the recent Budget with regards to ‘levelling up’ education when it comes to the 16 to 19-year-olds.

“It’s crucial to get the supply and demand right between what businesses need and the skills we are equipping our young people with.

“We continue to work with businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire to deliver the skills required and it’s vital we maintain the levels of collaboration we have in this region.”

11

Business Engage Profiles

AMCO launches training academy AMCO Park, AMCO’s flagship distribution centre in Redditch

A specialist logistics and warehousing service has launched its new apprenticeship programme which has seen it welcome five trainees to the business.

AMCO has launched the ‘AMCO Academy’ and has welcomed five new apprentices to its human resources, finance, European, transport and warehouse departments.

The apprentices will receive a range of on-the-job training and theory-based learning, and there are plans to welcome even more to the business in the future.

AMCO, founded in 1983, provides specialist logistics and warehousing services across a wide range of industry sectors and markets.

Since its inception, the company’s service offering has changed in-line with market demands and an ever-changing global landscape.

Today, AMCO delivers a number of tailored service offerings to better serve its customers, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

These are time-critical logistics, UK logistics, European logistics, international logistics, customs clearance, bonded warehousing, packaging solutions, storage and distribution, and supply chain consulting.

The services are delivered through a range of transportation modes including air, rail, road and sea, each with their own benefits based on customer time constraints, budgets and cargo type.

AMCO Park, AMCO’s flagship distribution centre, is based in Redditch and utilises a state-of-the-art Warehouse Management System (WMS).

Its fantastic location, 245,834 sq ft of space and its HMRC approved Bonded warehouse capabilities provide AMCO customers with a range of additional value-added features and benefits.

These include convenient transport links, specialist storage options and bonded warehousing, meaning AMCO customers do not pay duty or VAT on imported goods until they are sold or removed from the warehouse.

Speaking more than 15 languages, many of AMCO’s UK, European and international team members have previously worked within the sectors it serves, from

automotive, manufacturing, utilities and oil and gas, to fast moving consumer goods, retail, healthcare and technology.

AMCO continues to build trust in today’s Retail Supply Chain with its BRCGS (Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards) AA Accreditation.

This means that AMCO is certified to undertake logistics operations to store and distribute food and consumer products to the highest of health, safety and hygiene standards.

More and more businesses are also seeing the real benefits of AMCO's 'China Road Freight' service.

Launched in reaction to the continued disruption and delays in sea freight operations as a result of the pandemic and worldwide container shortages, AMCO is successfully moving customers’ goods from China to the EU and UK by road.

AMCO’s China Road Freight has proved more reliable and quicker than transportation by sea, keeping AMCO customers’ operations running

smoothly, which in-turn has kept their customers happy.

Don Mucci, AMCO’s Managing Director, said: “We are very pleased to have launched our new apprenticeship programme.

“We have always been proactive when it comes to training so this is a natural progression for AMCO, providing skills and vocational training to all of our teams.

“Launching the AMCO Academy with an initial intake of five apprentices is just the beginning, there’s more to come.

“Our skills and long-term experience, together with an understanding and appreciation of geographical complexities, makes us perfectly placed to train the next generation of industry experts.

“It also enables AMCO to provide its customers with the very best advice and service levels in global logistics.”

Further information about AMCO can be found at https://www.amco-group.co.uk/

"AMCO continues to build trust in today’s Retail Supply Chain with its BRCGS (Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards) AA Accreditation."

Awards success for leadership coaching business A leadership coaching business has seen its client base expand after winning an award which celebrates the outstanding achievements of companies across the West Midlands.

The Leadership Coaches has received the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Start-up of the Year Award in recognition of its success since launching in 2020.

The accolade has seen the business receive an increase in recommendations and enquiries, resulting in it welcoming two new coaches to support with the growing demand.

The business is striving to continue this success in 2022, and is set to exhibit at the Festival of Work 2022 in June.

It will also continue to place its ethical values at the heart of what it does, and after supporting Mind in 2021 with £7,000 worth of coaching and a £1,000 cash donation, the company is set to join 1% for the Planet which gives one per cent of turnover to help tackle the planet’s most pressing environmental issues.

The Leadership Coaches was launched by Zoe Lewis who has more than 20 years of experience in leadership and management development.

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The business provides a range of services including one-to-one leadership coaching for executives through to frontline managers.

It also provides bespoke leadership and management training courses, bringing a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience to design, deliver and evaluate solutions that accelerate clients’ leadership and management capabilities to help them deliver results.

The business is focused on spotting industry trends, and after seeing a shift from team development to team coaching, it invested in training and now has a number of specialised staff members in this area.

The Leadership Coaches team

Team coaching helps teams to define their purpose and objectives and look at how to work together more collaboratively and efficiently to achieve their goals whilst enjoying their roles.

The Leadership Coaches has a number of clients across the Midlands and worldwide, including Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) and Edwards Vacuum.

Zoe said: “We are extremely pleased to have received the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Start-up of the Year Award.

“The success of the business is thanks to the hard work of the team and the exceptional service they provide, and it’s been fantastic to receive a number of enquires on the back of this."

“The success of the business is thanks to the hard work of the team and the exceptional service they provide, and it’s been fantastic to receive a number of enquires on the back of this.

“As we look ahead to 2022, we will be continuing to increase our customer base and grow the team to ensure we deliver the same level of service to our clients.

“We will also continue to focus on industry trends such as team coaching, something very different to training as it helps clients identify their own path and is proven to deliver long term change.

“We look forward to exhibiting at the Festival of Work 2022. We had initially planned to launch the business at the festival in 2020, but the pandemic meant the event was cancelled, so we’re very excited to finally attend with a bigger stand which can showcase our success.”

Further information about the business is available at https://www.theleadershipcoaches.co.uk/ or by visiting The Leadership Coaches LinkedIn page.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Business Engage Profiles

Successful year leads to Kopek expansion A local security firm which started life in Nuneaton has experienced its busiest year for local events to date and has expanded to open a new head office in Coventry thanks to its success.

Kopek Security provides a wide range of services including manned security guards and stewards, security dogs, mobile CCTV units, keyholding, asset protection, high value vehicle escorts, maritime security, void property inspection, emergency response and close protection.

Last year saw the firm work closely with Coventry City of Culture Trust, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry BID (Business Improvement District) and other businesses and venues to provide security services for some of the city’s largest and most highprofile events.

One of Kopek Security’s biggest contracts was providing security services for the Assembly Festival Garden, based in Coventry city centre, which hosted a series of productions alongside locally-sourced food and drink between July and October last year.

It also provided services for events in Coventry including Terry Hall presents

Home Sessions, the Turner Prize event and afterparty, RISING Global Peace Forum, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Awards, the Proud Freedom Festival and Ed Sheeran performing at the HMV Empire as well as security for sports events at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Most recently, the team has worked at Coventry’s Christmas lights switch-on and the Coventry Glides ice rink.

The company’s success has seen it launch a new office in Coventry and take on a number of new staff members to cope with growing demand.

From 2022, it will also be offering security training at both its Coventry and Nuneaton sites including Security Industry Authority (SIA) training, close protection, first aid, mental health awareness and traffic management.

Anthony Johnson, of Kopek Security, said: “2021 was a fantastic year for us at Kopek Security, and it was a pleasure to be part of some of Coventry’s biggest events.

“We’re extremely proud to be a Coventry City of Culture 2021 preferred supplier and play our part in the celebrations.

Members of the Kopek Security team at Terry Hall presents Home Sessions held at the Coventry Cathedral Ruins

“We’ve provided everything from CCTV towers, SIA guards and stewards to drugs dogs, close protection services and overnight asset protection.”

Kopek Security is owned by Sue Yildiz and Gennie Cope.

Sue added: “Although we can’t give too much away, we have a number of upcoming events in the diary and there’s certainly more exciting things to come for Coventry in 2022.

“As a business, our success has meant we’ve been able to expand and open our Coventry site and also take on additional members of the team.

“Covid meant we had to diversify and expand our offering to ensure we could provide a one-stop-shop for security services for our clients.

We’re now going one step further and are launching our very own training arm of the business in early 2022.

“It’s a very exciting time for the business, and we look forward to being able to offer these additional services to our clients.”

Further information about Kopek Security can be found at https://kopeksecurity.com/

“We’re extremely proud to be a Coventry City of Culture 2021 preferred supplier and play our part in the celebrations.”

Manufacturer set to expand services in 2022 A leading manufacturer and supplier of power transmission products and bulk material handling components and systems based in Warwickshire is set to expand its machine shop capabilities in 2022.

Martin Sprocket & Gear launched a facility in Spa Park, Leamington, in 2021 to complement the company’s global footprint.

The business is now looking to expand its machine shop capabilities at the site in areas including flame hardening and heat treatment services as well as creating specific sprockets, individual bores, keyways and setscrews.

Martin Sprocket & Gear was founded in 1951 by Joe Martin Sr, and has grown to include manufacturing and sales facilities strategically located worldwide.

Over the decades, the company has expanded through machining, fabrication, forging, casting, powdered metal technology and machined and injection moulded plastic of power transmission components, material handling products and industrial hand tools.

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It works on projects in wide variety of industries throughout the world including agriculture, food processing, mining, cement and aggregate, waste management and more.

It employs leading experts in each industry and continually innovates to deliver value-added solutions that minimize downtime, reduce maintenance costs, and solve countless other daily operations challenges.

Sharron Fox, General Manager EMEA at Martin Sprocket & Gear, said: “We were extremely pleased to launch our state-of-the-art facility in Leamington in 2021 where we are able to supply and support the whole of the EMEA market.

“We have an extensive multimillion US dollar stock holding at the 43,000 sq ft facility, ensuring a high level of service and delivery times.

“With our own in-house machine shop, we are constantly adapting and improving our production capabilities, and we are now looking forward to the year ahead when we will be expanding

our machine shop capabilities even further to cater for the needs of our clients.

“We pride ourselves on making a quality product, having plenty of stock and being easy to do business with, accomplishing this by combining the convenience of local facilities along with the strength of our distributor networks.

“We manufacture what we sell, meaning we control the quality, inventory levels and deliveries, helping to ensure a competitive pricing structure for our strategic partners.

“We also like to provide a personal approach to our customers, and when calling Martin Sprocket & Gear UK one of our helpful UK-based colleagues will answer the call and support throughout the enquiry.”

For further information about Martin Sprocket & Gear UK or for sales enquiries, visit http://www.martinsprocket.com/ or contact the company on 01926 962161 or at EMEASales@martinsprocket.com

“We pride ourselves on making a quality product, having plenty of stock and being easy to do business with, accomplishing this by combining the convenience of local facilities along with the strength of our distributor networks."

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Chamber Training

Skills support grants for SMES in Warwickshire

Apprenticeships which add up to success An award-winning firm of accountants believes that apprenticeships are an effective way of equipping their team with the right skills. Following significant business growth, Burgis & Bullock has expanded the firm’s apprenticeship programme in partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training.

Two of Burgis & Bullock’s apprenticeship stars are Sam Brindley and Morgan Hill, who have both successfully progressed through their assistant accountant apprenticeship at level 3 and are currently working towards higher-level study as professional accounting technicians at level 4.

Commenting on his success, Sam Brindley who joined Burgis & Bullock in April 2021 said: “Rather than going to university, I chose the apprenticeship route as a way of earning whilst training in my chosen profession.

I am enjoying the diversity of the role in both accounts and audit and if I have any queries or questions the team at Chamber Training are always on hand to support and guide me. “ Morgan Hill added: “Taking an apprenticeship has been really beneficial for me. My course at Chamber Training one day per week helps me to apply what I have learnt into my working day and I have received fantastic support and guidance.”

Sean Farnell, a partner at Burgis & Bullock, commented: “Across the company, we are firm believers in apprenticeships. Personally, I’d rather take on an apprentice than someone who has maybe gone to university.

There are a number of reasons behind that; one being that I believe it’s right that people can earn at the same time as they train. It’s better for the employee and it’s better for the employer because it attracts people who are keen to learn, understand the world of work and are able to do things in the Burgis & Bullock way.

It’s definitely a win-win.”

Nicky Cheshire, Training Manager at Chamber Training, added: “We are delighted to work with Burgis & Bullock. An apprenticeship is the first stepping stone towards becoming a qualified accountant.

An accountancy apprenticeship means you can kick start your career path straight from school.

“For businesses who are looking to recruit an apprentice or train new staff, we would love to hear from you. At Chamber Training, we are currently working with a number of accountancy firms to provide tailored and structured learning pathways to support businesses to develop qualified staff. For businesses who are looking to recruit an apprentice or train new staff, please get in touch.”

Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training work with businesses to develop tailored apprenticeships across a range of business types and jobs. For further information call 024 7623 1122 or enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk

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Working in partnership with Warwick District Council (WDC), Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training (CWCCT), has developed a package of targeted training for SME businesses which is being financially supported by WDC for businesses in the Warwick

District. The grants will focus on helping businesses and individuals to upskill and reskill to raise productivity and support the recovery journey post COVID-19.

Commenting on the opportunity, Sally Lucas, Executive Director at CWCCT remarked: “Eligible businesses will need to act quickly as courses must be booked by the end of March 2022. This is a fantastic opportunity for SMEs in Warwick, Leamington Spa and Kenilworth to access skills support with grant assistance.

“We are offering a wide variety of training options in topics such as leadership and management, supervisory skills, customer care and digital development,

including Excel, everything from half day seminars to longer accredited programmes.

We can also offer short, bespoke programmes of skills development that are designed around specific business needs.

“At CWCCT, we can design flexible courses that are delivered by experienced trainers to provide individuals and businesses with the latest skills and knowledge to contribute to business success.

“Courses turn theory into workplace practice and can

make a real difference to performance. Our 2022 course directory has just been released which is a useful starting point, along with our experienced advisors who are adept at identifying the right skills solution to meet business needs.

“Although the grants can be used for courses scheduled post March, the deadline to book places is the end of March 2022.

SME’s in the WDC geographical patch should get in touch with our Business Development Team to check their eligibility and secure their skills grants.”

To find out more about the funded training options, please call the Business Development Team at Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training on 024 7623 1122 or enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk

Advent calendar donation to support local children

The team at Chamber Training are seen with the collection of advent calendars.

Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training (CWCCT), a leading provider of apprenticeships and businessto-business training, is supporting an advent calendar appeal to help the children of Coventry who are living in hostels, domestic violence units and temporary accommodation.

According to Child Poverty Action Group, a UK charity that works to alleviate poverty and social exclusion, there are more than one in four children in the UK growing up in poverty.

The Government has focused on making work pay, but two in three children who are in poverty have a parent who is in work.

Commenting on the appeal, Sarah Williams, Training Manager at Chamber Training said: “For a number of years, we have been collecting advent calendars for children in poverty with great success.

“This year we have managed to collect nearly 50 calendars, which will added to the 2,000 calendars already collected by organiser Toni Marie Anderson for the charity appeal.

“The advent calendars will be hand delivered around Coventry to lots of children who are living in poverty. We are delighted to help them with these donations and each

calendar will bring a smile to a child’s face.

This is just one of the events that Chamber Training gets involved with to support the community around us.”

To find out how Chamber Training can help you, please contact Sarah Williams at Chamber Training on 024 7623 1122 or enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk

Sarah Williams, Training Manager at Chamber Training who organised the collection.

Training Courses 2022

Chamber Member Price + VAT

NonMember Price + VAT

Duration

Jan 22

ILM Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management ILM Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management ILM Level 3 Certificate in Leadership and Management Manage Customer Expectations Key Account Management Managing Change Successfully Microsoft Excel - Basic to Intermediate (Fully Booked) ILM Level 2 Understanding Sales Communicating Assertively Complaint Handling First Aid at Work (HSE Recommended) ILM Level 2 Award in Leadership and Team Skills Time Management Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Problems Level 2 Accredited Website Optimisation Microsoft PowerPoint - Getting Started - New Microsoft Word - Selected Intermediate and Advance Features - New Microsoft Excel - Basic to Intermediate - Additional Date Social Media Advertising - New Effective Communication Building the Team Emergency First Aid in the Workplace (HSE Recommended) Understanding Workplace Stress - New Resolving Workplace Conflict - New Dealing with Under Performance - New Motivating the Team - New Microsoft Excel - Intermediate to Advanced Social Media Analysis

£1700.00 £2400.00 £1500.00 £110.00 £110.00 £220.00 £130.00 £300.00 £110.00 £110.00 £240.00 £600.00 £220.00

£1700.00 £2400.00 £1500.00 £135.00 £135.00 £245.00 £160.00 £300.00 £135.00 £135.00 £265.00 £600.00 £245.00

16 Days 37 13 Days Half Day - AM Half Day - PM 1 Day 1 Day 1 Day Half Day - AM Half Day - PM 3 Days 4 Days 1 Day

7 7 10 12 12 19 19 21 26 26 28

£450.00

£450.00

3 Days

8, 15, 22

£220.00 £70.00 £70.00 £130.00 £220.00 £110.00 £110.00 £135.00 £110.00 £110.00 £110.00 £110.00 £130.00 £220.00

£245.00 £90.00 £90.00 £160.00 £245.00 £135.00 £135.00 £160.00 £135.00 £135.00 £135.00 £135.00 £160.00 £245.00

1 Day Half Day - AM Half Day - PM 1 Day 1 Day Half Day - AM Half Day - PM 1 Day Half Day - AM Half Day - PM Half Day - AM Half Day - PM 1 Day 1 Day

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Please note: All courses will be held face-to-face at Chamber Training (unless otherwise informed) * Plus registration. Prices subject to VAT.

Feb 22

Mar 22

Contact Chamber Training for full list of dates

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Chamber Training

Apprenticeship Talent within the NHS this knowledge to her current role. Her increased confidence has meant that she communicates in a positive way and some of the ideas she has shared have now been put into practice within her team. This has resulted in improvements in the way the team works.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION Get Lean – reduce your waist line and reduce your waste!

A happy healthy and prosperous New Year to all of my readers!

“I feel very proud of how Kirsty has matured over the last couple of years and the grades she has achieved in her final presentation and examination are a testament to how hard she has worked.

It is something she can be truly proud of.”

L-R: Helen O’Brien congratulates Kirsty McKelvie on her success as an apprentice at CWPT.

Taking an apprenticeship with Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber Training (CWCCT) is proving to be a winning formula for apprentice, Kirsty McKelvie, whose career in the NHS is flourishing.

As a stepping stone into working for the NHS, Kirsty joined The Princes Trust in 2018 and enrolled on an employability course at Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT), which provided a valuable insight into the roles and opportunities in the NHS. After completing the course, Kirsty was offered an apprenticeship with CWCT and is loving the mix of working at CWPT, learning new skills and knowledge through a combination of on and off the job.

Kirsty achieved her business administration apprenticeship at level 2, before progressing to advanced learning at level 3. Her role as a Clinical Systems Support Officer enables Kirsty to assist clinical staff over email and telephone when they have technical issues with clinical systems.

Commenting on Kirsty’s success, Helen O’Brien, Head of Clinical Systems and RA Manager said: “As Kirsty has moved through her apprenticeship, she has widened her knowledge of how organisations work and has applied

Kirsty added: “I have really enjoyed the mix of working, learning and earning during my apprenticeship. Christine Cusick, my Training Advisor at Chamber Training, was very supportive and helped me with the challenges I faced whilst working from home during the pandemic.

I’m very grateful for her support.

I also volunteer for Talent for Care which involves helping at events, schools and writing articles to help other apprentices and my next step will be to apply for a post as an Apprenticeship Ambassador.”

Christine Cusick from Chamber Training commented: “We are delighted to have worked so closely with Kirsty. She has grown and is thriving in her role. It’s wonderful to see her being able to help new apprentices coming into the NHS.” Chamber Training is reminding employers not to miss out on the Government financial incentives available to support businesses to create new jobs and Apprenticeships. Employers can receive £3,000 for new apprentices of any age who join their organisation before 31st January 2022. This is in addition to the £1,000 employers already receive for hiring an apprentice aged 16-18 years old or ages 19-24 with an education, health care plan or who have been in care of the local authority. The team at Chamber Training are on hand to provide guidance and support to make the apprenticeship journey easy.

To further information about Chamber Training’s Apprenticeship Programme, call 024 7623 1122 or enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk

“As Kirsty has moved through her apprenticeship, she has widened her knowledge of how organisations work and has applied this knowledge to her current role. Her increased confidence has meant that she communicates in a positive way and some of the ideas she has shared have now been put into practice within her team."

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

By Graham Freakes hg technology ltd

A

nd now back to the grindstone after proper Christmas and New Year celebrations. Many of us will be contemplating a diet for January to reduce the waistline expanded by overindulgence and become leaner for Spring.

You could also consider making your business leaner by reducing some of the 7 wastes that exist in your workplace and processes. Familiar to all that have worked in the automotive sector, the 7 wastes are just as relevant to your business whichever sector it's in – it's all about eliminating anything that doesn't add value from the client perspective.

Traditionally these 7 wastes are; • Transportation • Inventory • Motion • Waiting • Overprocessing • Overproduction • Defects and I shall tackle them over the next three issues.

Transport can be interpreted as any external (to the premises) movement of people or material. Over the past 18 months we've seen how many people have been wasting their time and money commuting unnecessarily.

A real old saw – sales reps – used to be scored by number of visits, but now who wants to see a rep?

Would a phone call or email be as cost effective?

If stock of raw materials – beer, bricks or widgets – are moved between sites or within a large site it's a waste – they should have been delivered to the location where they are required originally.

Inventory of raw materials or partly processed materials should be minimised. Bulk buying may appear to be a money saver but then you need storage space and be mindful of shelf life and cash flow impact. Despite recent supply chain concerns overstocking should be avoided! Ask yourself how much stock did you write off last year?

Overstocking also masks other inefficiencies like poor planning, poor supply chain management and poor production control.

I can assist you identify and interpret these wastes in your business to help you reduce waste and improve productivity and customer value just contact me.

❛❛Despite recent supply chain concerns overstocking should be avoided! Ask yourself how much stock did you write off last year? ❜❜

email: graham.freakes@handgtechnology.co.uk call: 07774 200321 www.handgtechnology.co.uk

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News

PET-Xi praised in Ofsted report Fleur Sexton, managing director of PET-Xi, said: “Achieving a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted is wonderful recognition for our whole team.

It’s a rigorous inspection which scrutinises every process, and this demonstrates that the quality of learning provided at PET-Xi is consistently good.

“Our learners are at the heart of everything we do. We work with people from all different backgrounds to provide them with a personalised pathway which meets their needs.

“We are also working incredibly hard with authorities like the West Midlands Combined Authority to help get adults back into work and education and rebuild communities post-COVID. Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street joins members of the PET-Xi team and adult learners on one of the training provider’s fully funded courses

Leaders at a Coventry-based national training provider have been praised for their ambition to support those with significant barriers to learning in the business’s very first Ofsted report.

PET-Xi, which has been operating for 26 years, has achieved a ‘good’ rating after receiving its first full Ofsted inspection. The training provider received an Ofsted inspection as it now delivers several funded programmes to learners, including adult learning and employability programmes as well as apprenticeship qualifications.

In the report, PET-Xi was praised for its structured and focused lessons, its work with employers to ensure that apprentices understand how theoretical concepts relate to practical work, prioritising the safety of learners and staff, and its effective governing body.

The report also states: “Leaders are ambitious for their learners and apprentices and have a clear purpose and strategy to support those who have significant barriers to learning and employment, such as previously poor experiences of education.”

It also notes that the majority of learners who follow courses and have interviews with employers move into employment.

“I’d like to say a huge well done to everyone in the team. Every single person has a very important role to play and works incredibly hard to help achieve the best outcomes for our learners.”

“Achieving a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted is wonderful recognition for our whole team.

It’s a rigorous inspection which scrutinises every process, and this demonstrates that the quality of learning provided at PET-Xi is consistently good."

College group announces new university centre at college group WCG, which includes six colleges across Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

The new university centre follows on from WCG becoming the first college group in the UK to be granted both bachelor degree awarding powers by the Office for Students, alongside the foundation degree awarding powers already in place.

Prospective students that now apply to study a higher education course with WCG can now be enrolled on Warwickshire College awards under the new Warwickshire College and University Centre banner.

A Midlands college group has launched a new university centre to operate its growing higher education provision.

Warwickshire College and University Centre (WCUC) will oversee the degree-level education

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This includes Royal Leamington Spa College, Evesham College, Rugby College, Moreton Morrell College, Pershore College and Warwick Trident College. Degrees taught at Moreton Morrell continue to be awarded by Coventry University.

Degree courses will also be run from Malvern Hills Centre for Digital & Cyber Technology.

Students are able to study and complete either a foundation degree or an honours degree awarded

directly by Warwickshire College and University Centre. It is registered with the Office for Students and meets the requirements for course quality, academic standards, student support and student protection.

Steve Taylor, dean of higher education at Warwickshire College and University Centre, said: “For prospective students looking to study with us in 2022, they will now be applying through UCAS to Warwickshire College and University Centre.

Warwickshire College and University Centre degrees have a strong technical focus and are designed to support the government’s drive to develop skilled individuals who can make an immediate positive impact on the economy after graduation.”

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, added: “The launch of Warwickshire College and University Centre is a major step in the continued growth and development of the higher education provision at the college group.”

To find out more, visit www.wcuc.ac.uk

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

West Midlands leads manufacturing recovery as exports surge The West Midlands is leading the post-pandemic manufacturing boom, according to new analysis from the Manufacturing Technology Centre, the organisation bringing world-leading manufacturing technologies from research to reality.

HMRC trade statistics show that manufacturing exports from the West Midlands rose 65% in Q2 2021 compared to the same period a year earlier, the biggest increase of all the UK regions. It was followed by the North West and East of England, which saw gains of 62% and 58% respectively. The national average was 32%.

The West Midlands exported manufactured goods, machinery and transport, and miscellaneous manufactures worth £5.4 billion, up from £3.2 billion in the previous year. However, the West Midlands manufacturing sector is yet to bounce back fully from the pandemic, operating at 82% of pre-pandemic exports.

The pandemic has highlighted the UK’s reliance on global supply chains, and the need to re-shore our manufacturing capabilities. The Manufacturing Technology Centre is calling on the government to promote the reshoring of manufacturing – returning the production of goods back to the UK – by bringing development spending in line with research spending in the West Midlands, and across the UK. This move will enable the manufacturing sector to raise exports back to pre-pandemic levels,

boost the economic recovery and become a manufacturing and scientific superpower once again.

Clive Hickman, chief executive of the Manufacturing Technology Centre, said: “As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s excellent to see that the West Midlands manufacturing sector is bouncing back. Given the world-class people, expertise and facilities, it’s no surprise that the region has seen the biggest increase in manufacturing exports over the past year.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s excellent to see that the West Midlands manufacturing sector is bouncing back. Given the world-class people, expertise and facilities, it’s no surprise that the region has seen the biggest increase in manufacturing exports over the past year."

“However, COVID-19 has illustrated the UK’s reliance on global supply chains. To protect our economy from shocks in the future, the government must do everything in its power to enable the reshoring of manufacturing.

One vital step would be to bring government development spending in line with research spending to boost economic growth and deliver manufacturing jobs.”

Coventry University academic launches innovative project A Coventry University academic has launched a project to investigate how the shift to working from home impacts people with disabilities and neurodiversity.

Dr Grant is leading on the Remote4All project and says the aim is to use the findings to help design policies and practices for inclusive work environments.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of people across the UK to work from home. Nine out of ten disabled office workers surveyed by YouGov for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) want to continue working from home some of the time once the COVID crisis eases, with many fighting for the right before the pandemic began.

She said: “During the COVID-19 pandemic home-working increased rapidly, with 46% of working adults working from home by April 2020.

As we emerge from lockdown, many employers are looking to continue remote e-working, permanently or in combination with an office-based arrangement.

Now Dr Christine Grant, a researcher in the Centre for Healthcare Research at Coventry University, is working with the NHS in the South East of England, telecommunications company Vodafone, Coventry City Council, Leonard Cheshire, Dyslexia Box, SEND and other disability charities on the Remote4All project in a bid to fill a gap in understanding the impact of home-working.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

“These new work arrangements might be ideal for some but not all.

Therefore, evaluation of remote working is essential to implement adjustments to accommodate all workers’ needs, while ensuring both productivity and wellbeing are maintained.

“There is a considerable lack of scientific knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of remote e-working for individuals with

disabilities. People with a disability and specific needs might be overlooked by employers, feel invisible and not valued as members of their work community.

“We believe information is needed, to give an in-depth understanding of the lived experience of people with disabilities or neurodiversity, and to gather insightful information for the design of policies and practices for inclusive work environments from employers and key stakeholders.”

For more information visit https://digit-research.org/research/innovation-fund/

“There is a considerable lack of scientific knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of remote e-working for individuals with disabilities. People with a disability and specific needs might be overlooked by employers, feel invisible and not valued as members of their work community."

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News

MP visit showcases manufacturing innovation Members of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee visited the Manufacturing Technology Centre to hear how research and innovation is creating new jobs and boosting economic growth across the West Midlands.

more than 11,000 ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also saw how the MTC is working to help modernise the construction sector through new manufacturing approaches and technologies, as part of the Construction Innovation Hub.

The committee met with Clive Hickman, chief executive of the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, and Katherine Bennett CBE, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. The group toured the MTC’s Antsy Park campus to see first-hand the advanced research and development (R&D) work taking place across the site.

MPs heard how the MTC's worldbeating facilities are helping the UK become a world leader in green manufacturing and construction, with its expertise of turning ideas developed through research into a reality. The West Midlands technology sector is the fastest growing in the UK and is set to add £2.7 billion to the economy by 2025, along with 52,000 jobs.

MPs were shown the MTC’s work to support a consortium of UK manufacturers in helping produce

As part of the evidence session held during the visit, the committee discussed opportunities for economic growth

created by technology, research and innovation, and measures needed to support and accelerate R&D in the UK as the country recovers from disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clive Hickman, chief executive of the MTC, said: “We’re delighted to have hosted the Science and Technology Select Committee to showcase our proud manufacturing heritage, record of attracting business investment, and

specialist talent and expertise. The MTC is helping manufacturers adopt cuttingedge technology, delivering growth, skills and jobs. It’s vital that the government continues to invest in research and innovation to spearhead our economic recovery and accelerate the growth of our industrial heartlands.”

For more information visit www.the-mtc.org

"MPs heard how the MTC's world-beating facilities are helping the UK become a world leader in green manufacturing and construction, with its expertise of turning ideas developed through research into a reality."

Influential educator scoops prestigious award A Coventry educator has picked up a global prize for representing women in the video game industry.

Shoubna Naika-Taylor, curriculum lead for digital and esports manager at Coventry College, has been named top educator in the rising stars category at The*gameHERs Awards 2021.

Of the 37 global winners across six categories including charity, content creation, esports, game development, marketing and rising stars, Shoubna is one of only three from the UK. The*gameHERs Awards states that its top educator accolade is “for the woman and/or femme identifying educator that has worked relentlessly to bring new and exciting voices into the gaming space through education, leadership and mentorship to our next generation of the gaming industry”.

Shoubna, who is esports team manager for Coventry Crosshairs, was named North American Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) Scholastic Fellow in September, working with colleges across the region to implement esports into their curriculum.

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The organisation helps students around the world use esports as a way of connecting learning and play.

Shoubna has overseen the success of Coventry Crosshairs since its launch in 2019. The team is hugely popular with students and considered one of the best in the country, with esports now offered as a level 3 diploma at the college.

She said: “I’m honoured to receive this award and I’d like to thank the Coventry Crosshairs community, current members and alumni, the staff and students at Coventry College and my friends and family who have supported me along the way. I’ve been motivated by each and every one of them.”

Gemma Knott, vice principal for business growth, engagement and partnerships at Coventry College, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and we’re extremely proud of Shoubna for the work that she does raising the platform of esports at the college and across the region.”

Shoubna Naika-Taylor, Curriculum Lead for Digital and Esports Manager at Coventry College

“I’m honoured to receive this award and I’d like to thank the Coventry Crosshairs community, current members and alumni, the staff and students at Coventry College and my friends and family who have supported me along theway. I’ve been motivated by each and every one of them.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

Ambitious rebrand set to disrupt an industry Few companies can boast the enviable expansion that CTT Group has had in recent years. However, the growth of several corporate entities had transformed the business into a mythological being.

Keder Greenhouse manufactures market-leading greenhouses and has looked to Glued to support its sustainable future.

Formerly known as Countrywide Tax & Trust Corporation, the company had initially tasked Warwick-based digital marketing agency Formation with a redesign for its website. However, it quickly became apparent that the business required more than a freshcoat of paint on its digital walls.

Martin Gordon of Formation said: “At the start of this process, we delivered a value proposition session where we asked Countrywide’s directors to describe what the company did and who their clients were. This identified two very distinctive customer bases with different needs.”

Firstly, the professional adviser community looked to them for advice and support across a range of disciplines.

Secondly, the end-user – members of the general public – sought estate planning, financial advisory, tax, trust and executor services. Countrywide’s collective offering was subsequently broken down into individually positioned sub-sites for legal, accountancy, private client, professional services and tax &

Together with the help of Rob Harrison at Glued, Keder caters for the increasing demand for greenhouses that can withstand our changing climate.

trust under the umbrella of CTT Group, with the firm’s market-leading drafting software Legacy also finding a home within the group.

With the value proposition complete, CTT set a genuine direction for the new offering as a group of specialists offering a support mechanism to the professional adviser community. An ambitious rebrand then got underway, giving the company a clean, dynamic and contemporary look, with new logos and websites, providing clients with a dedicated hub and clear signposting to the services they require.

Andrew Houston, CTT Group director, said: “This transformation will put us at the forefront of digitisation, help enhance our brand image and provide a clear distinction between our two key clients – the advisers and the direct public.

“The rebrand brings a fresh, modern look to the company, reflecting our innovative aspirations and unique offering to the adviser community.”

For more information visit www.ctt-group.co.uk

CityFibre supports Coventry schools’ digital challenge Dozens of students across Coventry have had the chance to develop their digital skills thanks to a STEM programme funded by CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform.

CityFibre, which is investing more than £72.5m to bring full fibre digital connectivity to homes and businesses throughout Coventry, sponsored the provision of STEM Day+ sessions for three local secondary schools: Cardinal Newman School, Lyng Hall School and Cardinal Wiseman School.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Glued supports greenhouse maker

The interactive workshops, which are run by educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust, introduced students to the exciting world of engineering, with the aim of inspiring young people who are interested in pursuing careers in science, technology and mathematics.

During the sessions, students took part in an autonomous vehicle challenge, which encouraged them to explore the potential of driverless cars and their use within society. Using Lego Mindstorms and iPads, participants were challenged

to build their own vehicles using sensors to navigate around a city without any human interaction.

Students were also tasked with creating a logo and unique branding for their car, while also devising a mini marketing and sales strategy for the launch of the product, before presenting their ideas to the group.

Leigh Hunt, CityFibre’s city manager for Coventry, said: “For full fibre to be used to its full advantage, it needs young people armed with the skills and knowledge needed to use it and realise the benefits and future potential it brings.

Workshops offered by the likes of The Smallpeice Trust

are vital in teaching kids the skills they need and we’re proud to support them.”

Dr Kevin P. Stenson, CEO of The Smallpeice Trust, said: “This day was designed to help students learn new skills in construction, design, public speaking and project management, whilst also building their knowledge on autonomous vehicles, sensors and robotics.

“We want young people who are into science, technology, engineering and maths to live in a world that celebrates their passion and supports their vision for the future.”

For more information visit www.cityfibre.com/PRRegister

Currently, Keder builds the best and strongest greenhouses available in the UK today. They’re designed and created to bring the best-growing environment for crops and plants.

With new orders coming from hobbyists and committed domestic gardeners, Keder was keen to find out the real reasons why.

Not wanting to rest on its laurels, Keder Greenhouses invested in independent research by Glued to get a true understanding. Glued is conducting conversations with a range of Keder customers from across the UK and in France.

With the backing of Glued, Keder promised to respond to the shifts in our current climate and the interest in self-sufficiency, coming out of the pandemic, to support a sustainable future for gardeners wishing to extend their growing season and increase their yields.

Colin Moore, CEO of Keder, said: “Our commitment to a changing climate means we are looking for innovative ways to combat challenging growing environments and are delighted to have Glued on board to support us. We really want to understand our market and innovate to support people who wish to continue to grow in environments with challenging weather. We aim to create a solution for the sustainable future of greenhousing.”

For more information visit www.kedergreenhouse.co.uk.

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Profile: Phil True

A

s millions of fans dared to dream that football was finally coming home, the team at WorldFirst – a Business Influence member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce – had its sights set on success off-the-pitch as well as on-the-pitch.

As a provider of payments, local currency accounts and finance solutions to sole traders, micro, small and medium-sized businesses around the world, the company was looking to raise its profile in the UK and across Europe.

It did so by seizing an amazing opportunity secured by its parent company, Ant Group.

As part of a sponsorship package with UEFA, WorldFirst’s branding was proudly displayed in all of the stadiums hosting the tournament.

This was the first pan-European marketing initiative WorldFirst launched since it was acquired by Ant Group more than two years ago, says Phil True, Regional Sales Manager for the Coventry and Warwickshire area.

Meet the business spearheading international growth for businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire The UEFA Euro 2020 football tournament saw the feel-good factor return to the nation last summer as Gareth Southgate’s young Lions roared their way to the final.

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“When Ant Group acquired WorldFirst, it was a gamechanger for us in terms of our ability to serve our clients,” he said. “It helped us to raise our game and equip local and regional businesses – regardless of their size – with a comprehensive set of tools and services to expand internationally and establish relationships with suppliers around the world.”

While a sponsorship package with UEFA is not possible for most local companies, there are some important lessons that businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire can apply, explains Phil.

“Euro 2020 was the most digitally-engaged tournament ever and our brand awareness and visibility reached new heights thanks to new communications channels, social media and technology that didn’t exist a decade ago. It highlights how the global landscape has changed.

“I would like to see business owners in Coventry and Warwickshire utilise modern, cost-effective technology and tools that make it easier to reach new audiences and reduce barriers to international trade. This includes e-commerce marketplaces like Amazon to acquire international customers or Alibaba.com to establish new supplier or customer relationships around the world.”

For nearly two decades, WorldFirst has helped local businesses across the globe to achieve their international growth ambitions.

Thousands of small businesses have access to fast and secure payments, robust risk management, access to working capital, dedicated customer relationship management and more. www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Profile: Phil True Historically, these advanced tools and services would generally be available to large corporations or come with high costs attached.

Recent advances in technology, however, have democratised access and levelled the playing field. Phil’s role is to help businesses across the Coventry and Warwickshire region realise their potential.

“I spend a lot of time explaining to small business owners that the world is becoming borderless and it is easier than ever for businesses like theirs to reach new audiences,” he said.

“Expanding abroad, importing from suppliers on the other side of the world or selling to customers in the USA, China or Australia is no longer the complex and costly process it once was. Technology has evolved at a rapid pace, but many owners don’t know how to grasp the opportunities presented to them in this digital business landscape.”

Phil’s career path and experience to-date place him in good stead for the businesses he is looking to work with.

His early ambition was to be a professional footballer and he was on the books of Manchester City as a teenager. He played to a high standard as a young adult, but when he realised that ‘football wasn’t going to pay the bills’ he took a new direction.

Phil said: “Upon leaving university, I found myself in retail management and fast-tracked my way through the Morrisons Graduate Development Programme. After a short period managing supermarket stores, I went into retail recruitment for seven or eight years,

working in partnership with some of the biggest retailers in the country.”

But, if one can pardon the pun, it was in his next career that Phil found his ‘true’ calling as he moved into the manufacturing sector and found his passion for working with small businesses.

“I spent several years in manufacturing and that’s when my in-depth understanding of supply chains really started to develop,” he said.

“It made me love and appreciate the contribution of sole traders, micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

“I’ve worked in importing and exporting for 20 years in various guises. I’ve worked with companies such as WorldFirst, but on the other side of the fence. Being here now has made me realise just how far the technology available to local businesses has evolved and how much more they can achieve.”

Working with sole traders, micro, small and medium-sized businesses means there is no ‘typical’ client for Phil. Very often, there is a decision-maker who wears many hats. They are the sales and marketing director, the finance director, HR director and telesales all rolled into one. They are rarely, if ever, prepared to start their international trade journey.

Take, for example, a small business looking to purchase goods from China and sell to customers in America and Japan. They need to convert UK pounds into Chinese renminbi when they are buying. Meanwhile, the customers they are selling to will want to pay in US dollars and Japanese yen respectively. These funds need to be converted back to UK pounds.

Managing multiple foreign exchange transfers like these in parallel may sound like a complex process, but this is where WorldFirst makes international business easy.

“We can help to set up local currency accounts within days to collect funds from customers around the world,” said Phil.

“We can help businesses to transfer money safely and securely across borders and pay their suppliers. We can also repatriate their money back to the UK quickly and easily.”

As we embark on a new calendar year, what do the next 12 months have in store for small and medium-sized businesses?

Phil remains optimistic.

“This year won’t be without its challenges but I’m incredibly excited to continue working with businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire,” said Phil. “There is a lot to be positive about; I’ve seen first-hand how British companies are engines for innovation and growth. I know the types of customers WorldFirst can help because I’ve worked with these businesses in the past.

“My background in importing and exporting means I can relate to the challenges faced by business owners but also reassure them that the international trade process has become infinitely easier thanks to the technology available today.

“But it’s more than just that; WorldFirst has a laser focus on helping businesses to succeed – it’s been part of our DNA since day one and we have hundreds of people working towards the same shared mission. This is what continues to drive me and my colleagues every day.”

There is a lot to be positive about; I’ve seen ❛❛first-hand how British companies are engines for innovation and growth. I know the types of customers WorldFirst can help because I’ve worked with these businesses in the past.

❜❜

About Phil True: Born: Hobbies: Favourite Film: Married: Children: Last Holiday: Gadget: www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Bolton 1981 Football, Mountain Biking, Gymnasium Die Hard Nine years to Dominique One son - Hudson Tenerife Powerbeats Headphones 21

Economy

Business at the heart of skills reform The Secretary of State for Education has told businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire that they will be at the heart of the reform of the skills system.

Nadhim Zahawi made the pledge to members of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce at the latest event organised as part of its PolicyHour series.

The MP for Stratford-on-Avon said his Skills Bill, which is currently making its way through the Parliament, was high up on the Government’s list of priorities.

Mr Zahawi said: “We have a very ambitious agenda for skills in my department, as well as in Government, and what we are going to do is to usher in the era of a skills economy where businesses are at the heart of everything we do.

“Through the Skills Bill we are going to see the opportunity for Chambers of Commerce and business representative organisations to help us on this journey because the local skills plans that we are trialling and how we can build those bottom-up plans for a region is an incredibly important element.”

As part of the reform of the skills system, Mr Zahawi said it was important that educators understood and promoted the value of apprenticeships and new T-Level qualifications to learners if businesses were to be provided with an appropriately skilled pipeline of employees for the next generation.

“I also want to see more entrepreneurial ways of businesses engaging with educators,” he said.

“My first visit after taking on this job was to Barnet and Southgate College where they are working with their local authorities and their local Chamber of Commerce to host a business hub, through which all SMEs have to go if they have a question about their business rates or a grant application, and that gives them access to a steady pipeline of businesses that they can better engage with.

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“As a result, the college has classrooms full of electricians and scientists because it was through their engagement with businesses that they worked out that as a country we’re going to need many more to carry out the conversion work towards getting to net zero.

“This hub is an excellent example of an entrepreneurial way in which the college is engaging with its business community to provide huge opportunities.”

Sean Rose, head of policy at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said:

“It’s key to the success of our economy that we have an appropriately skilled workforce and the commitment in the Budget of a funding increase of 42 per cent to be spent on increasing skills provision was welcome news.

“With the Skills Bill getting its second reading in the House of Commons only last week, this was a timely opportunity for our members to hear directly from Nadhim Zahawi, who is at the heart of this, and for them to be able to speak directly to him with their views on how and where that money should be spent.”

“Through the Skills Bill we are going to see the opportunity for Chambers of Commerce and business representative organisations to help us on this journey because the local skills plans that we are trialling and how we can build those bottom-up plans for a region is an incredibly important element.”

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Economy

New support package welcomed Business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire have welcomed a new support package for the leisure and hospitality sector.

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced new measures to support those business hardest hit by the latest guidance in reducing the spread of Covid-19.

Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises, plus more than £100 million discretionary funding will be made available for local authorities to support other businesses.

Government will also cover the cost of Statutory Sick Pay for Covid-related absences for small and medium-sized employers across the UK. A further £30 million of funding will be made available through the Culture Recovery Fund, enabling more cultural organisations in England to apply for support during the winter.

Sean Rose, head of policy at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The latest round of Covid-19 restrictions and guidance have been different to previous waves, as they have not seen Government forcing businesses to close at this stage.

“However, it is clear that the guidance and rise in cases is hitting confidence and, therefore, the leisure and hospitality sector is being adversely affected.

“We welcome this new support package and, as before, it’s vitally important that the money is easy to access and gets out to those businesses that need it most as quickly as possible. This could be a lifeline at what should be their busiest time of year.

“It’s not clear if there are going to be further restrictions in the coming days and weeks but it’s vitally important that, whatever happens, the Government is ready to support businesses even further to help them through this difficult period.”

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “These measures will provide some welcome respite to many of those businesses who have been hit hardest by the latest Covid measures.

“The Chancellor and his team have engaged with us in talks over the past week, considered the experiences of Chamber business communities and the proposals we put to them.

“We are pleased that the Chancellor heard our call for additional grant funding for hospitality and leisure businesses, which will provide some much-needed support in the face of this increasingly difficult trading period. Clarity and speed will be needed to ensure that these grants are paid out swiftly to help these hard-pressed firms weather the next few weeks.

“Whilst these measures are a positive starting point, if restrictions persist or are tightened further, then we would need to see a wider support package, equal to the scale of any new measures, put in place.”

“We welcome this new support package and, as before, it’s vitally important that the money is easy to access and gets out to those businesses that need it most as quickly as possible.

This could be a lifeline at what should be their busiest time of year."

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Firms still facing recruitment issues as unemployment falls Business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire say falling unemployment does not disguise issues firms across the region are facing as they look to grow.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.2 per cent in the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics while job vacancies rose to 1.22 million.

Sean Rose, policy officer at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The continuing drop in unemployment has been a real success story for the economy.

“Forecasts suggested the rate could double, particularly when the furlough scheme ended in October, but it is now edging back towards prepandemic levels.

“However, while it is a relief that it has not hit those heights, businesses across our patch are still facing a range of issues that are stifling growth.

“Obviously, there is concern around the rising levels of Coronavirus and the new guidance that was announced last week.

“There also big issues around recruitment and finding the right skills to help companies grow and, also, the rise in costs and supply chain problems.

“Businesses across the patch need a solution to those issues if they are to achieve their growth ambitions in 2022.”

British Chambers of Commerce Head of Economics, Suren Thiru, said: “Rising payroll employment and falling unemployment confirm that the UK jobs market has continued to rebound strongly despite a slowing recovery and the end of furlough.

“Record vacancies underscore the severe recruitment crunch facing businesses. Although the changes to Covid self-isolation rules are welcome, with coronavirus and Brexit driving a structural decline in available labour, staff shortages may persistently constrain economic activity.

“Although labour demand remains robust, Plan B may damage the jobs recovery by squeezing hiring intentions in those sectors most exposed to the new measures, including hospitality and retail, by diminishing their cashflow and dampening customer demand.

“While current labour market trends provide no barrier to raising interest rates, uncertainty over the economic impact of the Omicron variant means a December rate hike is unlikely. Interest rates may start rising from February 2022, but only if concerns over the new variant have faded.

“More support is urgently needed to aid those firms worst effected by Plan B, including returning VAT for hospitality and tourism back to its emergency rate of 5 per cent, reinstating full business rates relief for these firms and making additional grant funding available.”

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Business Support

Start-up scheme extended until 2023 of Commerce, said: “The Business Start-Up Programme can provide vital help, support and guidance in those difficult first few months and the news that the funding has been extended until 2023 means we can support even more people make that transition to running their own business.

Ramy Sabri, owner of The Village Café in Bulkington, with Hardeep Sandhu, Enterprise Manager for the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

A free business support scheme for new start-ups in Coventry and Warwickshire has been extended until 2023.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has run the Business Start Up Programme since 2019.

Over the three years it has supported over 400 new businesses through workshops, masterclasses, and one-to-one mentoring from experienced business coaches.

The scheme is part of the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale Programme which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the 5 Warwickshire District and Borough councils.

Hardeep Sandhu, Enterprise Manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber

“We know first-hand how challenging starting a business can be and are delighted to know that our experienced team have been able to contribute to so many success stories, whether that’s providing a sounding board for ideas, answering practical or technical questions, or up-skilling knowledge.”

Ramy Sabri is one of the most recent participants of the programme after taking over The Village Café in Bulkington in May, and as a result of the support he is already drawing up expansion plans.

The 32-year-old bought the well-known café after an 18-year career in hospitality, during which time he ran restaurants at a number of top hotels in the UK and mainland Europe, including one that held a Michelin Star.

Under his ownership The Village Café has five staff, including his wife and brother-in-law, and is serving almost 500 customers a week in the café and through deliveries.

Ramy said: “My business Advisor from the Chamber, Rita Booth, has given me some valuable insights into marketing and how to make incremental decisions

to help grow the business, and has encouraged me to experiment which I’m doing with extra opening hours.

“It’s been extremely important to be able to talk to someone who will question and challenge what I’m doing.

“My long-term plan is to grow this into a chain of café and coffee shops, and I’m already looking at a second location.

I’m also working with someone who Rita introduced me to build a website that will mean we can start to manage our own online orders and deliveries, which as a result of the lockdown is a growing part of the business.”

Ramy accessed support through the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale project which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Warwickshire County Council, and the county’s five district and borough councils.

Mirani De Silva has set up Paradise Tea, a unique tea subscription business, from her home in Tile Hill, Coventry, after spotting a gap in the market for Sri Lankan Pure Ceylon tea.

Mirani said: “The help I have been given by the Chamber has been enormous.

“My Advisor, Sarah Humphreys, has helped me with promoting Paradise Tea on social platforms, guided me through each step and has always been there to give advice when I needed it.

“Without her support and guidance, I do not think I would be here now.”

Mirani accessed support through Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Start-Up Business Start Up Programme, part of the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Support Programme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

To find out more about the Business Start Up programme and other support that is currently available to independent businesses in the tourism, hospitality or leisure sector, visit www.cw-chamber.co.uk/businesssupport or call 024 7665 4321.

The tea is known for its distinct flavour and antioxidants, but Ms De Silva, 49, found it hard to come by in the UK after moving to the UK from Sri Lanka in 2008 She began importing shipments from her hometown of Colombo at the end of last year with the help of Business Start-Up Programme and signed up her first customer in July.

Mirani De Silva who set up Paradise Tea from her home in Coventry

Bringing nature to the home After having the initial idea, they sought help from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce start-up team through the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Support Programme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Louise Leng (left) with Keely Hancox of the Chamber

Two Coventry sisters have planted the seed for a new business that will help bring nature to the homes of young children all over the country.

Louise Leng and Nicola Shingler are combining their skills and experiences of horticulture and teaching to create My Nature Table, a seasonal nature inspired gift box and gift bag business offering three to eight-year-olds a range of activities from growing food and flowers through to quizzes and crafts delivered to their door.

The idea was born during a holiday getaway September 2020 when Louise, who has 30 years’ experience in horticulture including working with the National Trust and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, had a lightbulb moment.

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They then created trial boxes in February 2021 which were tested by families and then launched in November 2021, during Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture.

Louise said: “I’d always wanted to start my own business but wasn’t really sure what route to go down. We were away staying in a shepherd’s hut in Norfolk for my 50th birthday in September 2020 and I realised that it had to be something that came naturally to me and something that I loved. It was my lightbulb moment – or my midlife crisis!

fauna to children through nature boxes and bags, but also ensure that it is educational and follows the new 2021 Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (3–5-year-olds) and the National Curriculum (years 1-4).”

Business Plan; Introduction to Marketing; and Getting Started with Finances, to name a few.

Louise contacted the Chamber the day she got back from her holiday and was immediately assigned an adviser, who has helped nurture the business idea.

Keely Hancox, Operations Manager of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We often find people coming to us either after their summer holiday, Christmas or a key moment in their life because they have had time to think and have decided they want to start their own business.

She said: “I knew all about the Chamber’s services because I had attended a start-up course eight years ago and decided I would get back in touch.

“I sent an email and they got back to me that week and put me in touch with an adviser, Wendy Brown, who has been so helpful.

“I have a degree in Countryside Management, Royal Horticultural Society certificates and 30 years of hands-on experience. Nicola has been a teacher for 30 years and now runs her own tutoring business.

“Wendy and I had weekly video calls and she guided me through the initial stages of starting the business including brainstorming ideas, product feedback, how to purchase a domain name, setting up an email address and registering with Companies House – all the basics that you need to do when starting out.”

“By combining our skills and experience, we can bring the fun and excitement of our British flora and

“I was also able to access online workshops too such as: Thinking of Starting a Business; Writing Your Own

“This knowledge and support was invaluable in getting us underway.”

“Very often, that is around a passion or interest they have and our team can then help with some of the fundamentals of starting a business to ensure it gets off on the right footing.

“This is a great example of individuals using their creativity and skills to launch a business, which is something we really want to see more of.

“It really is going to be a year to celebrate for the whole city and we want to support more and more businesses to start-up and leave a positive legacy of more creative companies on the patch, which will be great for the local economy.”

The Chamber has a range of start-up workshops to support people to build sustainable businesses. For more information or to book on go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/coventry-and-warwickshire-chamber-of-commerce-start-up-support-11874476531

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

Coventry hosts the West Midlands’ Annual Justice service SENIOR MEMBERS of the Judiciary, Magistracy, Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service, the Police & Crime Commissioner, and senior police officers joined Mayors and Mayoresses, cadets and leading multi-faith figures in Coventry as the city hosted this year’s West Midlands’ Annual Justice Service.

More than 400 invited guests attended the event hosted by the High Sheriff of the West Midlands, Louise Bennett OBE DL, and held at Coventry Cathedral to celebrate and recognise the efforts of individuals who work in the administration of justice in the region.

The service was also attended by Col. George Marsh MBE TD DL, representing Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, and given in the presence of Lady Justice Thirlwall DBE, Lady Justice of Appeal and Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, the Senior Presiding Judge for England, and Wales.

The service was officiated by the Very Reverend John Witcombe, the Dean of Coventry and Chaplain to the High Sheriff of the West Midlands, who said this year’s event marked an historic occasion for Coventry. Not only was this the first time the city had hosted the event, which has always taken place in Birmingham, this landmark occasion had also taken place during Coventry’s year as the UK’s City of Culture.

During his sermon, the Dean spoke of Coventry’s status as a city of peace and reconciliation and the importance of helping those around us to achieve their full potential – a key theme in Louise’s shrieval year as she advocates equal opportunities for young people from all walks of life.

In addressing the congregation Louise said: “It seems very appropriate that, today more than any day, here in the city of peace and reconciliation, we offer our sincere thanks and appreciation

to the judiciary, the magistracy, all of those who work in our courts and tribunal services and our legal system, our police, prison and probation services, emergency services and health care professionals.

“It is immeasurable.”

“A thank you for all the work you do to keep us safe, not least during these unprecedented and constantly changing times of a Covid19 pandemic.

The event ended with a reception and choral music from Fridays’ Choir – a community interest company founded by Tyler Campbell to provide a safe, sociable event for 15 to 17 year olds every Friday and steer them away from knife crime, gangs, and violence.

“Your work to administer justice, to give peace and hope to those who seek justice, to care for us and to keep us safe in our daily lives is invaluable.

Guests were also invited to join a VIP tour of the Turner Prize exhibition, taking place at the nearby Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.

First look inside the new Abbey Artisan Market A new artisan produce shop championing local independents and a 1950s-style dessert diner have been unveiled at an award-winning Warwickshire hotel.

This is an exciting new endeavour by No Ordinary Hospitality Management, the company which manages Coombe Abbey Hotel, just outside of Coventry.

The two new outlets, which have seen a £185,000 investment, are inside the visitor centre at Coombe Abbey Park.

No Ordinary Hospitality Management also runs The Café in the Park, Kiosk in the Park and an ice-cream kiosk located within the grounds of the 500-acre parklands.

The launch coincides with Luminate Coombe, a family-friendly illuminated Christmas light trail, and is located close to outdoor tree top adventure site Go Ape. The Sundae Club with its retro teal leather booths and diner bar stools combined with baby pink walls has

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an authentic 1950s vibe. There’s even a playlist airing music from the era.

Visitors can order a wide variety of ice cream sundaes, waffles, crepes and shakes ranging from a Knickerbocker Glory sundae to caramel shortcake waffles and mango milkshake, along with vegan potted ice-creams, cheesecakes, cakes and hot drinks.

The Abbey Artisan Market is fully stocked with produce from local suppliers, including Coombe Abbey Gin specially created by 1000 Trades Distillery, an award-winning artisan spirits producer in Redditch.

Founder Philip Warren set up the distillery last year and has already clocked up two top spirit awards in the last 12 months.

undergoing a £5.6 million restoration project, and six beautifully restored historic cottages offering boutique stays for short breaks.

He said: “It’s fantastic that Coombe Abbey is supporting our distillery. For us, it’s a massive opportunity for brand awareness with such a large footfall to the park and it’s a very good idea to diversify the business on their part.”

The plan is for Coombe Abbey to grow as a destination day out, as well as a four-star hotel well-known for its extensive top-class social events programme and acclaimed afternoon teas.

A range of Christmas gift packs are also available, plus Holy Cow artisan curry kits, preserves and chutneys from The Bay Tree and Cotswold Fayre as well as outdoor wear from Regatta Clothing.

No Ordinary Hospitality Management also operates a number of historic buildings in Coventry: St Mary’s Guildhall, a Grade I-listed medieval building in Bayley Lane currently

“It’s fantastic that Coombe Abbey is supporting our distillery. For us, it’s a massive opportunity for brand awareness with such a large footfall to the park and it’s a very good idea to diversify the business on their part.”

Richard Harrison, managing director of No Ordinary Hospitality Management, said: “Our desire is to drive visitors to Coombe as more of a destination and to give people an extra reason to visit.

“We’re passionate about supporting local suppliers in The Abbey Artisan Market and would like to invite local food and drink producers across Coventry and Warwickshire looking to showcase their products in the store to please contact No Ordinary Hospitality Management.

“With The Sundae Club, we had an idea to create a fun, colourful dessert diner with a 1950s feel in a different setting as usually they’re found on the high street. Hopefully it will be the first of many.”

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News

College marketing team named ‘best of the best’ in industry awards

Warwick researcher to explore search for flavour in modern Britain The UK’s love affair with tasty food from around the world wasn’t dented by lockdown, with home delivery services bringing Indian, Chinese, Thai and many other international cuisines to the doorstep.

But what drives people’s love of new flavours and willingness to experiment?

How did olive oil change from being something bought from the chemist in tiny bottles to tackle medical problems, to becoming a key ingredient in home cooking? And how does exposure to new flavours and ingredients influence society?

Dr Mandy Sadan, associate professor in the global sustainable development (GSD) department at the University of Warwick, will explore ‘Flavour in the Making of Modern Britain’ thanks to the award of a major research fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust.

The project will begin in September 2022 and will run for three years.

Describing the project, Dr Sadan said: “Flavour is a really important part of national, regional and local food systems but it’s under-researched and poorly understood.

“It’s becoming clear that the search for flavoursome food has probably been one of the most important drivers of human social and cultural development.

“I hope that my research will contribute to new ways of thinking about the global shaping and creation of Britain as a corrective to simplistic dialogues about ‘multiculturalism’ and the economic and cultural contribution of different communities.

"There is a much bigger story waiting to be told about population-level changes in flavour preference that I want to explore.

The emergence of the new flavour and ingredients houses, technological developments, and understanding the chemistry of flavour are all important factors. Flavour preference is a very complex issue involving neuroscience and nurture, as well as a host of wider environmental factors.”

Every year, the Leverhulme Trust awards around 30 major research fellowships, which are intended for “wellestablished, distinguished researchers in the humanities and social sciences to complete a piece of original research”.

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The Marketing team at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) has won two Gold and one Silver FE First Awards and been judged as ‘Best of the Best’ amongst its peers as part of a national scheme run by the College Marketing Network.

The Gold awards recognised the NWSLC prospectus for its digital interactivity as well as its highly successful campaign to broaden the college’s reach using digital and social media. The team also won a Silver award for innovation and creativity after it led a VR project that enabled school pupils to access college facilities remotely during lockdown. As a result of its performance in three of the 11 awards categories, the college was named ‘Best of the Best’ overall.

The FE First awards, presented annually to further education colleges who have excelled in a variety of marketing disciplines, were presented

by Rachel Smith, Chief Executive of the College Marketing Network at on online ceremony on 29 November.

The NWSLC marketing team worked with design agency, Leicesterbased Creative62 and digital agency Unity to design a magazine style interactive prospectus that included elements of gamification including quizzes, social media filters, live chat through a personalised avatar, the hologramisation of the principal, and a live speed reaction test.

Anita Ladva-Cheung, Marketing and Communications Manager at NWSLC said, “The college is delighted to have been recognised in so many categories through these awards and particularly thrilled to have been named as the best team overall.

“NWSLC is always keen to embrace innovation and showcase its digital capabilities to reinforce the way in which colleges offer pathways to futureproofed careers. Our audiences expect a level of digital interactivity including within printed communications including the use of AR, VR, holography, and video to bring messages to life off the page.

We wanted to create an interactive prospectus that included gamification to stimulate engagement and get young people thinking about their post-16 options.”

college options and enable them to ask questions.

Winning the award for digital and social media, the college’s Facebook Live series was launched when the usual channels for reaching out to its audiences were limited by coronavirus restrictions. The NWSLC team were looking for the best route for engaging with parents to reassure them about

“The Marketing team continuously adapt their approaches to our audiences finding new ways to reach people and communicate the benefits of further education. I am proud of their achievements and very pleased that the work of the team has been recognised as part of this scheme.”

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Principal and Chief Executive of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College said, “We place a significant emphasis on online and digital skills at the college and teach them ourselves including through our Digital Skills Academy.

We take a whole-organisation approach to keeping abreast of the latest developments so we can inspire our students with exciting career ideas that open routes into industry.

“The college is delighted to have been recognised in so many categories through these awards and particularly thrilled to have been named as the best team overall."

Adults urged to improve their learning power Those who are looking to learn a new language, progress in their current skills, gain a qualification or just do something they've always dreamed of are being urged to look at what’s on offer through Warwickshire Adult and Community Learning (ACL).

ACL provides a high-quality range of accessible courses for adults across the county, which range from functional skills English and Maths to languages, arts and crafts. Some of the courses lead to nationally recognised qualifications.

Courses started in January 2022 in a variety of subjects and enrolments are open now.

Cllr Jeff Morgan, Warwickshire County Council portfolio holder for children, families and education, said: “Adult and Community Learning has

been recognised for its work with different groups and for helping to bring communities together through learning and enjoyment.

“The service plays a vital role in supporting residents on their journey to learn skills to enter, return to or progress in work.

“The courses have shown that learning at all ages makes people happier, healthier, more confident, capable and resilient. Even for those who aren’t looking to progress in the workplace but are just looking for something to expand their skills and personal sense of wellbeing, there’s a lot to be gained from getting involved and having a go.”

Among the courses on offer is the sugar craft course for those interested in food art.

If foreign languages are of interest, there’s the chance to learn Latin, Italian and Spanish.

For Warwickshire residents interested in improving their English abilities, or who aspire to progress in their career and enhance employment prospects, ACL has organised fast track English courses. This could lead to a level two English qualification within ten weeks, while other qualifications can be achieved in spelling, grammar and punctuation.

The courses run across the day and evening, making it easy to fit your studies around your work and childcare commitments.

For more information, visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/acl and click ‘Find a Course’.

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

Meet skills challenges head on! COVID Electrification is a key focus of CWLEP in its Strategic Reset Framework, which is committed to green recovery, embracing innovative low carbon technologies and driving forward as the region’s lead on the country’s electrification revolution.

Dr Benjamin Silverstone, assistant professor at WMG, University of Warwick, and lead for the National Electrification Skills Framework, was among the keynote speakers along with Steve Doyle, CEO of EVera Recruitment, STEM ambassador and advisory board member to the University of Warwick for its apprentice battery degree.

Back, from the left, Graeme Stewart (HORIBA MIRA), Damian Pearce (UK Battery Industrialisation Centre), Dr Marc Henry (MTC), Prof Rohit Bhagat (Coventry University), Stuart Bage (GE Power Conversion).

From, from the left, Steve Doyle (EVera Recruitment), Dr Benjamin Silverstone (WMG, University of Warwick), Cllr Jim O’Boyle (Coventry City Council), Marion Plant (CWLEP), Cllr Kam Kaur (Warwickshire County Council), Vicki Mills (Potenza CNH).

Coventry and Warwickshire should look at the skills shortage to help deliver the net zero vehicle revolution not as a problem but a challenge it can meet, a major event heard.

The Future of Vehicle Electrification Skills Summit was organised by Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), Coventry City Council and Warwickshire

County Council at the MIRA Technology Institute in Nuneaton.

Around 50 delegates heard from a wide range of speakers who explored the huge change electrification is bringing to the vehicle industry. They also gave insights into the skills needs of a rapidly-evolving industry and told how the region can be a leader in the field.

Dr Silverstone said Coventry and Warwickshire was ideally placed with its rich heritage and global reputation in the automotive industry to be a trail-blazer in vehicle electrification.

He said: “We have to view this as a challenge – and one we can rise to. We need to inspire younger people to view this as a stimulating and rewarding career, rather than a job that helps us solve a problem.”

CWLEP board directors Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council, and Cllr Kam Kaur, portfolio holder for economy and place at Warwickshire County Council, also addressed the audience.

Mecalac announces new UK excavator dealer Mecalac has announced the appointment of a new dealer to its UK and Ireland distribution network.

Headquartered in Stanton under Bardon, Leicestershire, Cooks Midlands will be responsible for retailing Mecalac’s globally-acclaimed excavator portfolio across the East Midlands.

Alongside new product sales, Cooks will deliver service agreements and aftersales. Renowned for extensive product knowledge, unrivalled sector experience and unbeatable on-site support, the team is trusted by countless construction professionals across the region.

Commenting on the announcement, Mark Royse, head of sales at Mecalac Construction Equipment UK, said: “As a global leader in the compact equipment

marketplace, further developing our distributor network is a key corporate goal. Alongside increasing access to our latest range of innovative excavator models, this strategy aims to broaden our national service and maintenance reach.

“With considerable pedigree in the market, we look forward to working with Cooks to drive widespread brand awareness and build strong bonds with excavator operators across the East Midlands.”

Darren Cook, managing director at Cooks Midlands, added: “Mecalac’s unique excavator range is innovative, productive and developed to set the standards in both performance and capability. There is growing demand for the latest models across the

Midlands, especially when it comes to forestry, agriculture and groundworks applications, so we’re confident that Mecalac’s portfolio will be well-received by owner-operators, site managers and rental firms alike.

“With a range renowned for performance, capability, flexibility and reliability, we’re looking forward to joining the Mecalac network and introducing more customers to the globally-acclaimed brand.”

For more information visit www.mecalac.com/en and www.cooksmidlands.co.uk.

Workshops to get your brand and marketing flying Chamber members Glued have designed a range of Zoom virtual workshops to help your organisation grow throughout these challenging times.

Whether you're a start-up looking to develop your USP; an established business wanting to refine your messaging; work towards a rebrand; or engage new and existing customers - the Agency’s growing series of workshops will give you practical tools to succeed. www.cw-chamber.co.uk

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Messaging to maximise brand awareness workshop

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Creating a powerful brand workshop

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Email marketing: where to start workshop?

All virtual workshops aim to connect you with new audiences. Take a look at what people say about Glued’s virtual workshops: ‘Really useful space to think and develop my work on this.

10 out of 10.’

Find out more about the workshops by heading to: www.gluedlimited.co.uk/our-packages/virtual-workshops/

memorial artwork seeks local sponsors In March 2022, a unique public memorial will be built in Nuneaton & Bedworth, home to George Eliot and the country’s largest Armistice Day Parade.

Sanctuary will stand as a remarkable temporary structure and communal space of healing, built by the local community to commemorate the nation’s loss during COVID. Artichoke, a producer of extraordinary live events, will bring its unique approach to public art to the region, inviting people to come together in the spirit of remembrance and hope.

Working with American artist David Best and his crew, together they will build an intricately carved wooden structure in the Miners’ Welfare Park in Bedworth – dubbed “the town that never forgets”. Best is known for his soaring temples, built at Burning Man and elsewhere, quiet places for contemplation and reconciliation. Sanctuary will stand open to all for seven days, from March 7-13 2022, offering a space to remember our loved ones and act as a beacon of hope to mark rebirth, recovery and regeneration of the whole community.

Delivered in collaboration with Coventry-based company Imagineer, Sanctuary will bring people together from across the area and provide real opportunities for employment and training, working through local colleges, community groups and other local partners.

Sanctuary is seeking local businesses who want to play their part by supporting this oncein-a-generation opportunity. The Sanctuary Business Club starts from £500 + VAT and offers a range of benefits in return. Whether your company is looking to engage employees, boost your profile, or you’re simply a champion for everything Nuneaton & Bedworth has to offer, there’s a package for you.

Please get in touch with Ma-ayan Plane, deputy development director at Artichoke to find out more: Ma-ayan.Plane@artichoke.uk.com Sanctuary is produced by Artichoke in association with Imagineer, is supported by Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council, the DCMS Culture Recovery Fund and Sanctuary Business Club partners.

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News

Bedworth Junior School gets makeover from college students The Leadership Coaches wins Outstanding Start-Up Business of the Year The Leadership Coaches have been awarded the Outstanding Start-Up Business of the Year award by the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce.

Having launched in January 2020, just before the pandemic hit, here at The Leadership Coaches, we have spent most of our time in business adapting to not only working from home but launching without our primary route to market.

Committed to diversity and inclusion in everything we do, exceptional customer service, integrity, and social responsibility, we pride ourselves on our ability to supply leadership coaching, management development, bespoke consultancy services, and leadership and management courses.

Having been awarded the heroes award by HRH the Duchess of Sussex for our voluntary coaching support for the NHS, RCC, and local support our coaches provided to their communities, we are thrilled to have won the award, which celebrates businesses across Greater Birmingham.

Director of leadership Zoe Lewis said: “It was a delightful surprise to be awarded Outstanding Start-Up Business of the Year at the prestigious Asian Business Chamber of Commerce!

We were amongst exceptional organisations, and I was thrilled to see our fantastic team recognised.

“Some of the key points stood out in our application; we live our values, deploy an agile strategic plan, achieve excellent client feedback, and do good for our communities and the world around us. We are becoming our vision, which is to be synonymous with the phrase ‘leadership coaching’ and the first organisation you think of when you have leadership and management development opportunities. I’d like to say a huge thank you to our whole team who made this possible, as well as the ABCC, GBCC & the fabulous award sponsor Awan Marketing.”

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The headteacher of a Bedworth school has praised the work of students from North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) who have given the school a makeover as part of a project to help improve the environment in its local community.

Foundation learning students at the college’s Nuneaton Campus worked tirelessly to overhaul the grounds at Exhall Junior School in Bedworth, weed the garden, redecorate the IT room and refresh the staffroom kitchen. They also refurbished an outdoor shelter in the grounds and provided a fresh and colourful coat of paint for the fence and benches.

Robert Mann, headteacher at Exhall Junior School, said: “We’re so grateful for the hard work of the NWSLC students. We’ve been amazed by what they’ve achieved and impressed with the difference they’ve made to our school facilities. Local residents have complimented us on our new look and we can’t thank the students enough for their hard work.”

The project is part of a ‘Respect’ scheme adopted by NWSLC to encourage good citizenship amongst its students.

Students on the foundation learning programme have special educational needs and disabilities.

Their tutor, Ian Lee – himself a former pupil at the school – explained the rationale for the scheme and said: “We aim to provide students with live projects that give something back to the local community while enabling them to improve their teamwork, leadership and communication skills and help them to develop transferable skills for independent living. Achievements like these increase our students’ self-esteem and help their mental health and wellbeing.”

to make improvements where we could.

The students have been delighted with the outcome and with the positive reaction they’ve had from the school.

For me, it was lovely to return to my old school and brought back great memories.”

“As a group, we assessed the work that needed doing and drew up a plan

For more information visit www.nwslc.ac.uk

“We aim to provide students with live projects that give something back to the local community while enabling them to improve their teamwork, leadership and communication skills and help them to develop transferable skills for independent living."

Sleeping on the job!

Telegraph journalists have literally been sleeping on the job.

They were staying at the Telegraph Hotel, which has been converted from the former Coventry Evening Telegraph building where bedrooms have been fashioned out of the old newsroom.

Among them was Asif Khan. He was reunited with Colin Walkey, who he worked with in the mid-1970s and who he had not seen since Colin helped him and his late wife Joan, who had also worked at the Telegraph, to move to London in 1977 to further his career when he went to work for Visnews, now Reuters Television.

They were among a reunion of 20 journalists that worked at the newspaper and who returned to the city to stay at the Telegraph Hotel in Corporation Street, taking the opportunity also to visit some of the many redevelopment projects which are taking place.

Clare Turnbull, who organised the reunion and worked at the newspaper from 19781986, said it had been wonderful meeting up with so many old colleagues.

She said: “Asif and Colin had not seen each other or chatted since Asif left Coventry so it was a wonderful reunion after nearly 45 years!

“We were all blown away by the new hotel.

Some of us saw it four years ago when it was in the process of being refurbished.

We were all so impressed by the overall quality and finishing of everything as well as the attention to detail.”

The 88-room Telegraph Hotel, which opened in May, has been included in the

prestigious Sunday Times 100 Best British Hotels guide. It is operated by Bespoke Hotels following a two-year £18 million investment programme by owners Complex Development Projects.

General manager Amy Windsor said: “It was fantastic to receive such glowing comments from a group of journalists who spent so much of their working lives in this building – I assume it was the first time they had slept in the building!”

"We were all blown away by the new hotel.

Some of us saw it four years ago when it was in the process of being refurbished. We were all so impressed by the overall quality and finishing of everything as well as the attention to detail.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

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Area Focus: Coventry - Mid Warks - North Warks - South Warks - Rugby

Coventry University offers free training for bar staff Hillmorton Craft Studios has been acquired by Warwick-based Prova Investments from property investment company The Wigley Group, which has its headquarters in Warwickshire.

Coventry University is offering free training to bar staff in the city to help them identify harassment, spot drink spiking and make nights out safer.

The Girls Night In campaign saw women in the UK boycott nightclubs earlier this year to highlight the issue of drink spiking and called on clubs to deliver welfare training.

Case manager Amber Taroni, who specialises in harassment and hate incidents, had already planned to work with university bar Square One to deliver training on how to spot, report and tackle harassment and spiking before the boycott.

Coventry BID director joins Chamber board The director of Coventry’s Business Improvement District (BID) has been announced as the newest addition to the board of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

place to work and visit. Its work aligns closely with that of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, which acts as a local hub for businesses to access a broad offer of business support.

of Commerce in the UK and, as well as supporting businesses locally, plays a role in a wider network that works to champion business, destinations and trade nationally and even globally.

Trish Willetts will take up the role with immediate effect, bringing decades of business experience and extensive knowledge of Coventry to the board, which is made up of representatives from a diverse range of business sizes and sectors, who work to inform, support and provide expertise on a wide range of business areas.

Trish, who has been director of Coventry BID since 2016, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the board of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber does wonderful work for the city and wider area and I’m looking forward to bringing my own experience, knowledge and passion for Coventry & Warwickshire to a great organisation run by a brilliant board.”

Chamber president Tom Mongan said: “We're delighted to welcome Trish to the Chamber board and she is a very welcome addition. The board is made up of a diverse range of representatives, elected by our members who ensure

The BID represents nearly 700 businesses within Coventry’s ring road, with the remit of promoting, developing and boosting the city centre to make it a great

Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce is one of 53 accredited Chambers

“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the board of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber does wonderful work for the city and wider area."

Chamber members join forces for awards success something we should go for because we knew we had a good story to tell, we just needed someone to help us tell that story.

She recently delivered a pilot session at Square One and to widen the training to help more venues across Coventry, she’s developing a 15-minute training webinar that can be provided free of charge.

“The Chamber introduced us to Lee at Advent, and we just talked through our story and he took it from there. It was just a case of him getting all the information he knew the judges would be looking for and putting it into the right format.

Amber said: “This training session included identifying harassment and knowing when it is safe to intervene, addressing stereotypes around sexual violence, licensing rules and highlighting the university’s reporting procedures.

“There is an expectation that the bouncers deal with harassment but actually it is everybody’s responsibility to recognise harassment and know how to deal with it.

“It’s about giving bar staff more confidence to identify and report any concerns they may have.”

Anthony Malone, licensee holder for Square One, says his staff benefited greatly from Amber’s training.

He said: “Spiking has been around for a long time but the levels and awareness of it and the key indicators of what to look for haven’t always been communicated.

“That’s why training is important as our staff are frontline in the fight against it. They can spot something potentially before anyone else sees it.

Amber empowered our staff by giving them the skills, knowledge and tools to intervene.”

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that the vast range of sectors in our Coventry & Warwickshire economy have a voice.”

Tom Mongan (Chamber president), Lee Corden (Advent) Joanna Farr (Purple Planet Packaging), Mark Farr (Purple Planet Packaging).

A Coventry business has been helped to awards success thanks to a Chamber introduction.

Purple Planet Packaging is run by husband-and-wife team Mark and Joanna Farr, who bought the Devonbased company in 2019 and moved the whole operation to Coventry.

After seeing a major rise in sales for the company, which is on course to go from £120,000 a year turnover when the couple bought the business two years ago to around £1.6 million in 2022, they decided they wanted to shout about their success.

They contacted the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce to ask about support in entering the Coventry Live Business Awards 2021 in the Small Business of the Year category.

The firm was put in touch with Advent Communications – a PR company in the

city that has a proven track record of supporting victorious award entries.

Mark and Joanna briefed Advent director Lee Corden who compiled the entry which scooped the honour at a ceremony at the Coventry Building Society Arena in October.

Mark said: “We sell a range of environmentally-friendly food and drink containers, from hot and cold drink cups to takeaway cartons, to a range of sectors, from schools through to the hospitality trade.

“Since buying the business, we have put in long hours and it has been really hard work, especially having two young children. But we really wanted to grow the company and be a success story for the city.

“When we heard about the Coventry Live Business Awards, we thought it was

“We’re grateful to the Chamber for making the introduction and it was great to pick up the award on the night.

We have had lots of positive comments since winning the award and it has helped to raise our profile in the region.”

Lee, a director of Advent – which was bought by the PLMR Group in October, said: “It was great to work with Purple Planet Packaging and to hear their incredible story.

“From our side, we can help businesses to tell their stories in the best possible way – whether through press stories, blogs, social media or award entries. In this case, the amazing story was already there, it was just a case of making sure we presented all of that in a way that would capture the imagination of the judges. Thankfully, Purple Planet Packaging won!”

Hazel Pilling, membership manager at the Chamber, said: “The Chamber is here to help companies across the region come together and do business.

“In this instance, that has led to an award-winning outcome thanks to the efforts of both businesses, which was fantastic news all round.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Area Focus: Coventry - Mid Warks - North Warks - South Warks - Rugby

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Chamber staff support drive to feed more families Staff at a leading business organisation supported a drive to help feed more families in Coventry in the run up to Christmas.

A team of ten from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training went along to the Halo Centre to help pack food to be delivered to a network of food banks across the city.

The Halo Centre is a distribution centre run by Feed the Hungry and offers a range of ways that businesses can get involved with supporting those in food poverty.

The team at the Chamber packed thousands of items to help make recipe bags for a chilli con carne meal including stock cubes, tinned mince beef and tomatoes that were distributed to families in Coventry.

The packs are for a specific packing project this winter which are being created in partnership with Coventry City Council and Groundwork to pack and deliver 2,000 food hampers for the Christmas holidays under the council's HAF (Holiday and Activity Fund) programme.

The parcels, which include kitchen cupboard essentials and fresh fruit and vegetables will teach children invaluable, life-long cooking skills and enable families to come together to prepare and enjoy food to celebrate the festive season.

As well as packing food, the Halo Centre also offers business conferencing space to help create revenue to further support the effort to feed more people in need.

Sophie Brew, of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We were all very proud to support the efforts to help ensure people across Coventry don’t go hungry.

“We all enjoyed the experience and it got quite competitive between a men’s and a women’s team, but we also knew the seriousness of what we were doing and the impact it will make. Many more of the team would have come with us on the day but, because of Covid-19 restrictions, only ten were allowed on site at the time.

“It came about when the team from the Coventry Foodbank met our membership manager at a Chamber networking event

The Chamber team at the Halo Centre

and got talking about how we can help and also how we can encourage other businesses to get involved too.

“Between us and Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training, we also collected in a lot of food to take along with us on the day as well as taking part in the packing.

“We would all definitely recommend attending the Halo Centre to see the brilliant work that the whole team do as that can have a really positive impact on people most in need in the city.”

Coventry Foodbank, operated by Feed The Hungry UK, will feed more than

20,000 people across the city in 2021.

Gavin Kibble, Regional Director for Feed The Hungry UK, said support from companies across Coventry was vital in ensuring that positive work can continue.

Gavin said: “It was great to have the Chamber of Commerce team on-site helping us to pack food that was sent out to children and families locally this Christmas. The support of local businesses is vital to the running of our charity, and we were delighted that the Chamber wanted to support us and share the work that we do across the business community in Coventry and Warwickshire.”

For more information on getting involved, go to https://feedthehungry.org.uk/volunteering/ or email claire@feedthehungry.org.uk

Sheltered rooftop offers great views of Coventry skyline With funding from Coventry-based MCS Control Systems and its major shareholder Fresh Equity, a leading system integrator to industry, Sidney Stringer’s Year 12 pupils and architectural social enterprise, CAUKIN Studio, have hammered a final nail into an impressive sheltered, timber-framed structure which now sits proudly on top of the academy’s rooftop.

The new structure now allows pupils and teachers to comfortably enjoy some fresh air and amazing views over Coventry’s skyline, all year round.

MCS Control Systems funded a series of learning workshops for Sidney

Stringer’s Year 12 pupils, and the materials and resources required to construct the final design solution.

The learning sessions delivered

by CAUKIN Studio enabled Sidney Stringer’s pupils to develop teamwork, creative thinking, design, analytical, presentation and practical skills over eight weeks to develop and consolidate ideas into a democratic design solution to green light for construction.

Most hands-on tasks such as setting out, levelling of footings, marking, measuring and cutting timber were undertaken by the pupils.

Registered in Lapworth, but with bases in London, Cardiff, New York & Jakarta, CAUKIN Studio is an architectural design and construction social enterprise that partners with end-user communities, businesses and skilled professionals locally and globally to co-conceive, co-create and co-deliver architectural solutions which make real differences to peoples’ lives.

Another key aim of CAUKIN Studio’s work, especially domestically, is to increase diversity in architecture and related industries. By engaging with schools in BAME and lowerincome areas, CAUKIN delivers design

workshops that educate and enable pupils to work together to create and construct architectural solutions to benefit the built environment of their school – and hopefully become inspired to further explore a career in the creative industries.

With more than 45 years’ experience as a leading cross-sector systemintegrator, with particular experience delivering solutions for the water and utilities industry, MCS Control Systems recently came under new ownership and leadership, experiencing significant growth in the process.

Society unveils Ansty Road store The Heart of England Co-operative Society has started welcoming shoppers through the doors of a Coventry Food store following a £198,000 re-fit.

An improved Food to Go offering, a new off-licence and self-scanning tills are among the improvements to The Co-operative at Ansty Road.

There is also an Amazon locker and a life-saving defibrillator on the outside of the store, as well as a new digital photo booth inside.

Children from Richard Lee Primary School in The Drive, Wyken, were among the guests at the launch, www.cw-chamber.co.uk

and were invited to cut the ribbon to celebrate the new-look store.

Steve Browne is the general manager of the food division at the Heart of England Co-operative Society, which operates a network of 35 food stores in Coventry, Warwickshire, south Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.

He said: “Since our last investment in the Ansty Road store the needs of the local community have changed.

Shopping today is all about convenience – completing as many tasks as possible under one roof.

“With this in mind, we have carefully selected a range of new features which

we believe suits the requirements of the modern-day shopper. More than somewhere just to shop, we see Ansty Road as a store where our members and customers can tick off various items on their list – whether picking up their Amazon orders or choosing a bottle of wine for dinner.”

The scheme includes new branding with a wood finish, new fixtures and fittings, changes to the in-store layout, a new floor and ceiling, new shelves, LED lighting and energy-efficient refrigeration.

Every member of staff has been equipped with headsets, helping to improve service and security in the

store. The society has also installed new CCTV cameras and volumatic cash boxes to further enhance security.

Shoppers can also benefit from the society’s click and collect service and its partnership with mobile app Gander, which enables customers to snap up reduced-to-clear items from the shelves, driving down the amount of food waste from the store.

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Area Focus: Coventry - Mid Warks - North Warks - South Warks - Rugby

Secret ingredients to success She received tailored advice from Russell Grant, Business Advisor at the Chamber, on how to refocus her business and plan for the future, with an emphasis on financial forecasting and building personal relationships with corporate partners and customers.

Shiksha said streamlining her menu and boosting her online presence have been crucial to her success over the last year, as well as running a loyalty scheme and engaging with other local businesses for wholesale catering opportunities.

She is now taking advantage of inperson events after restrictions were lifted earlier this year to further grow her brand’s reputation.

Shiksha Gill, owner of Sugar & Spice, with Russell Grant, business adviser at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce

A regional business support programme has given the owner of an independent bakery in Coventry the secret ingredients to post-lockdown success, helping revenue to double.

The owner of artisan cake business Sugar & Spice, Shiksha Gill, has praised the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce for its role in bringing about a two-fold profit increase in the space of a year and building a substantial customer base across the city and beyond.

Shiksha, 25, who has run Sugar & Spice from her home in Coundon since January 2020, now has her sights set on moving into a permanent premises and employing her first member of staff after utilising advice given to her as part of the Chamber’s Accelerated Growth programme.

The bakery makes personalised cakes and seasonal treats influenced by her Indian heritage available to order online and via social media, delivering throughout Coventry and Warwickshire and as far as Hinckley and Birmingham.

After a steady first year where Shiksha adapted to the early challenges of the pandemic, the Coventry resident noticed a decline in sales and sought support from the Chamber’s Accelerated Growth programme.

She said: “The advice I have received from Russell and the Chamber has been absolutely instrumental in getting the most out of my business during a time when others have been struggling.

“The growth has been noticeable not just in balance sheets and cash flow forecasts, but in my online interactions with customers and the number of opportunities I have to attend local markets and events.

“I could not be more grateful for the support that I have been given. It has made me aware that despite running

“It is the sign of an astute business leader that she was so eager to seek out advice and implement that guidance into her day-to-day operations. She works extremely hard and deserves all of her success, but we are delighted to have helped her along the way.”

a business by myself there is so much potential for growth if you are prepared to get your name out there and build connections with other businesses and the general public.”

Sugar and Spice has also been nominated in the annual Chamber of Commerce Awards for The Problem Solver Business Diversification Award, supported by Cisco.

The award celebrates businesses that have either transformed the market that they operate in or their product or service in order to gain a strong position in their market.

Russell Grant, business adviser at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce said: “It is fantastic to see the way that Shiksha’s business has developed so strongly over the course of this year since getting in touch with us in February.

“It is the sign of an astute business leader that she was so eager to seek out advice and implement that guidance into her day-to-day operations. She works extremely hard and deserves all of her success, but we are delighted to have helped her along the way.”

The Accelerated Growth Programme is part of the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Support Programme and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and by Coventry City Council.

For more information visit www.cw-chamber.co.uk/businesssupport/fully-funded-businessassistance To view Sugar & Spice’s online store visit www.sugarandspicebys.co.uk

Lord Mayor pays tribute to manufacturer The Lord Mayor of Coventry has paid tribute to the boss of a Coventry manufacturing business who helped to save the firm and the jobs of its loyal staff.

MPL Fabrications, based on Alderman’s Green Industrial Estate, is a light sheet metal company working for clients in a range of sectors - from making parts for lifts through to bespoke prototype projects for the Ministry of Defence.

The company, which employs 15 staff, is now run by Director Kevin Duffy who has kept the business going as a legacy to his father-in-law Roy Hill, who started the business 35 years ago but passed away eight years ago.

His successor died in 2020, leaving Kevin, who had taken early retirement from Jaguar Land Rover, to manage the company.

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MPL Fabrications is now back in profit and has taken on another apprentice to continue the company’s growth.

Coventry’s Lord Mayor, Councillor John McNicholas, paid a visit to the company along with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber president Tom Mongan and membership manager Hazel Pilling as the Chamber has been supporting the company.

Councillor McNicholas said: “It was great to see a Coventry manufacturing company bouncing back after such a difficult period.

“Great credit has to go to Kevin for leading the business a nd supporting the employment of so many people.”

Kevin said: “Many of the staff started as apprentices and have been here for many years. It was important to my wife and I that

we kept the business going for them and I am delighted that we have been able to return a profit and take on a new apprentice.

“We are grateful to the Lord Mayor for visiting and for all the support we have had from the Chamber.”

Tom Mongan said: “I am very pleased that, after meeting Kevin Duffy at his first Chamber networking event, that we have been able to support the business in a number of ways.

“When we talk about the positive impact that business has, this is a great example of that. It is providing employment to 15 people and is supporting the next generation of engineers.

“It was great to go out and see Kevin alongside the Lord Mayor, who was very impressed by the company’s story.”

Back Scott Stephenson (MPL), Councillor Kevin Maton.

Centre Hazel Pilling (Chamber), Tom Mongan (Chamber president).

Front Councillor John McNicholas, Kevin Duffy (MPL)

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Area Focus: Coventry - Mid Warks - North Warks - South Warks - Rugby

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Muna recognised in Acts of Kindness campaign A Coventry and Warwickshire volunteer who has supported charities in the region for more than 30 years has been named as the latest winner of a campaign that celebrates the community’s kindness.

Muna Chauhan, who has given back to local and national causes for more than three decades through voluntary work and fundraising, has been recognised by Wright Hassall’s 175 Acts of Kindness campaign.

The law firm, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year, has been asking the public to nominate members of the community who have gone above and beyond to support others.

A monthly winner is then selected by staff to receive a £175 donation to be given to a charity of the winner’s choosing.

Muna combines a wide range of voluntary work with her role as development coordinator at Safeline, a charity that works to prevent sexual abuse and support those affected.

She works to raise funds and awareness to support men, women and children who are victims of or are vulnerable to sexual abuse in Stratford, Warwick and Leamington.

The funds donated by Wright Hassall equate to roughly five hours of child counselling as part of Safeline’s national support network.

Muna said: “It was a real shock to be named as the latest winner as there have been so many incredible acts of kindness shared since the start of the year.

“The funds will make a real difference to the life of a child who is being supported by Safeline, so I am extremely grateful for the nomination and for being selected.

Robert Lee, corporate partner at Wright Hassall, said: “Muna is a very popular and respected figure in the volunteering community, and I hope that this award goes some way to revealing her incredible work to people in the local area. It might

Muna Chauhan with Robert Lee, Corporate Partner at Wright Hassall

inspire others to give back to their communities by volunteering where they can, including at the charities we have highlighted over the last year.”

Accountancy firm launches business mastermind group A regional accountancy firm will deliver a fully-funded eight-week intensive business mastermind group to help businesses navigate the challenges that the new year is set to bring.

Burgis & Bullock, which has offices in Leamington, Nuneaton, Rugby and Stratford-upon-Avon, will be helping SME businesses in Warwickshire to tackle the significant challenges they will face in 2022 through the programme.

The programme is fully-funded by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub and will see businesses come together to discuss the challenges they face and share knowledge to overcome them.

Businesses will be given the opportunity to join one of three groups set up by Burgis & Bullock, with sessions being delivered via Zoom.

More than 15 businesses have already signed up for the programme, with space for a total of 33 businesses.

To join, businesses must be based in Warwickshire, have been operating

for at least one year, have a turnover of at least £100,000 and have an aspiration to improve their business.

Expert coaches will also deliver oneto-one support as part of the initiative to help guide and advise business owners and senior managers on the actions they can take to grow and develop their organisations.

Research carried out by Burgis & Bullock with local businesses has shown that 100 per cent of business owners believe they and their team can

learn from others, while 62 per cent want to engage their team in improving performance and 56 per cent want support with a specific challenge.

Sean Farnell, partner at Burgis & Bullock, said: “The programme is designed to help businesses overcome challenges and act on new opportunities. This is achieved by building a trusted support network of connections, with the end goal of improving long-term personal and business performance.”

To find out more and reserve a place on the programme, visit https://www.bb-bmg.uk/8-week-challenge-register/

Myton Hospices celebrates 40 years in 2022!

A very Happy New Year to all of our fellow Chamber members.

The year 2022 is a landmark year for The Myton Hospices as we celebrate our 40th anniversary. We would love for you to join us on our fundraising mission to raise the £7.8million we need to raise this year to continue to provide our services, free of charge, to terminally ill patients across Coventry and Warwickshire.

There are so many ways you can get involved – whether that’s by taking part in one of our many events – or by dreaming up a fantastic moneymaking plan yourselves.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Back for 2022 after a COVIDenforced break is our ever-popular corporate It’s a Knockout event – taking place on Friday, June 24 at Leamington Rugby Club.

A sell-out set of 36 teams took part in our 2019 event, so be sure to sign up quickly to avoid disappointment.

Our annual Myton Golf Day at Coventry Golf Club is back bigger and better than ever before to mark our 40th anniversary – with more details soon to be announced. All our usual offerings and calendar highlights are also back for 2022 – Walk for Myton,

Cycle Challenge, Santa Dash and the return of Glow – again our biggest yet to mark our special year.

There’s also all of the fabulous challenge events people can take part in on our behalf, from marathons and half marathons, to mud runs, coastal challenges, mountain climbs and more besides.

And these are just for starters – as we’re always delighted when our corporate supporters come up with their own ways of fundraising.

Details of all the fabulous ways you can get involved in supporting Myton this year are available on the website: www.mytonhospice.org

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Area Focus: Coventry - Mid Warks - North Warks - South Warks - Rugby

2021 Coventry & Warwickshire Thrive at Work Wellbeing Awards Each year the Thrive at Work team organise an awards event to celebrate the success of those achieving the Thrive at Work accreditation.

Last year even more organisations were officially recognised in the Coventry and Warwickshire areas for their work in actively promoting the health and wellbeing of their staff.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, and Cllr Izzi Seccombe, WMCA portfolio lead for wellbeing and leader of Warwickshire County Council, joined a virtual event at which 32 employers received accreditation for their work under the Thrive at Work scheme.

Thrive at Work is a workplace commitment with criteria and guidelines on creating a workplace that promotes employee health and wellbeing. It focuses on key organisational enablers of health such as attendance management, policies and procedures in addition to areas such as mental, musculoskeletal and physical health and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Accreditation enables organisations to demonstrate their commitment to good employee welfare and how they have worked to improve health in the workplace.

It has four levels of accreditation, starting at the Foundation level and progressing on to bronze, silver and gold levels.

Congratulations to everyone and if you missed our event, or would like to see the individual videos showcasing winners based in Coventry & Warwickshire, plus what they did to achieve their Thrive accreditations, please visit our webpage: https://www.coventry.gov.uk/ info/134/thrive_at_work/3750/ thrive_at_work_wellbeing_awards

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Tech firm embarks on major healthcare project the NHS on a pilot scheme to add sensors to equipment including 24/7 syringe drivers for pain relief for patients on the move who are receiving cancer treatment.

Jim Vithanage (CWLEP Growth Hub), Tom Screen (Everyware) and Annette MacDougall (Everyware)

A Leamington technology company is to implement a programme that can track and monitor thousands of pieces of medical equipment required by the NHS to assist patients across the UK.

uxplore is a project delivered by Coventry University, in conjunction with the wider CU group, in partnership with the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub and the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Everyware, which is based at the Chandos Business Centre in Warwick Street, has been helping businesses in the UK and Europe to digitally track and remotely monitor critical or high-value products since 2015.

The programme aims to provide digital connectivity support for businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire with fewer than 250 employees, to pilot new products, services and business models by harnessing broadband, WiFi, 4G and 5G connectivity.

Now, after receiving a grant from uxplore, the business is working with

Annette MacDougall, managing director of Everyware, said: “Working with

uxplore, we’ve been able to demonstrate that using 5G capabilities is important on many levels, particularly for fixed assets indoors or mobile assets outdoors.

“We currently do this using 2G, 3G or 4G but extending it to 5G totally transforms our offering to the healthcare market, because often this equipment is needed to reach patients as quickly as possible. 5G gives us quicker access to high volumes of data indoors and outdoors for the assets we’re digitally tracking and monitoring.”

Jim Vithanage, uxplore project account manager at the CWLEP Growth Hub, added: “As Everyware has demonstrated, uxplore is perfect for SMEs looking to develop their innovative ideas using 5G and digital connectivity as they can apply for the match-funded grants that are available.”

The uxplore project runs until June 2023.

WA Management’s new Leamington Spa office WA Management has moved into its new office on Dormer Place.

The health, safety, quality and environmental compliance management consultancy grew last year, and as a result sought a new space to house its expanding team.

truly its own. The company plans to add feature walls, artwork chosen by the team, and more to personalise the office, all while preserving the building’s original features.

The charming regency-era property, 13 Dormer Place, is just a ten-minute walk from the Leamington Spa train station – ideal both for the company’s team of consultants to visit their customers, but also for hosting guests for training sessions.

The new office also brings new opportunities for the team. The larger space means more of the team can be present in-person upon return to working in the office, while still adhering to social distancing guidelines, allowing for more collaborative work and increased contributions to the company’s operations meetings.

As lovely as the office space is already, with its period features and large sash windows, WA Management has its own vision in mind to make the space

William Whittaker, managing consultant of WA Management, said the new office represents an exciting time for the company.

He said: “It’s great to be in a bigger space, where the team can all be together at the same time once safe to do so. We’ve grown as a company since we moved into our previous office eight years ago, and while it’s served us well, it was time to take the next step as a company!

“We’ve got big plans, both for the office and as a business, and we can’t wait to get started in the new year.”

Exasoft strengthens team with new appointment Coventry-based Exasoft has added to its workforce with the recruitment of an apprentice software developer.

Mohammed Joof has joined Exasoft and is utilising and building on his skills in asp.net to work with the team, delivering a wide range of projects for the business.

Exasoft Group specialises in financial, digital, and educational software and solutions. It supplies rectification software for large banks and financial institutions and digital solutions for

clients such as Coventry UK City of Culture and Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. Throughout the pandemic it has seen an increased demand for its services and has spearheaded a recruitment drive to attract talented developers and testers, and to provide opportunities for young apprentices.

Alan Malik, CEO of Exasoft Group, said: “Providing opportunities and nurturing young talent is key to the company’s continuity and success. We’re delighted to welcome Mohammed on board and equip him with the key skills, experience and enable him to not only learn whilst he earns but also learn from experienced colleagues.”

Mohammed said: “I’ve really enjoyed the learning opportunities and experience that I’ve gained so far and I’ve been able to do a lot of practical training, working with tools and frameworks which are used by industries to create their applications.

I’ve also really enjoyed getting to meet and work with the team.

It’s a very friendly environment with very knowledgeable people so there’s a lot of valuable knowledge to be gained.”

Nooreen Hashambhoy, development manager at Exasoft, is managing Mohammed as part of her team and is delighted with his progress.

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Area Focus: Coventry - Mid Warks - North Warks - South Warks - Rugby

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Road named in honour of former priest The impact a former Coventry priest had on his local community has been recognised with a road named in his honour in Wyken.

Father Robert Wright – who was fondly known in the community as Father Bob – passed away last year at the age of 68 and had called St. John Fisher’s Church home for a quarter of a century.

Robert Wright Drive can be found on a new housing scheme in the area being delivered by Deeley Group’s affordable living division.

The development is being delivered in partnership with housing provider Stonewater and will see the construction of 39 affordable new homes on Tiverton Road.

Robert was born in Hillfields in 1951 and ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1977. He served in Bicester, Nuneaton, Redditch and as chaplain to the West Indian community in Birmingham, before returning to his home city of Coventry as parish priest of St John Fisher in Wyken in 1995.

He ministered at St John Fisher and St Gregory primary schools and worked closely with children at Cardinal Wiseman School, as part of his work with the Romero Academy.

Liz Carr, Robert’s sister and a former teacher at St Augustine’s School, said: “We were delighted to hear that a road was being named after Rob, especially given its proximity to St. John Fisher‘s Church, his home for 25 years.

Father Des Devenney (St. John Fisher Church), Nora Mole, Liz Carr (Father Robert Wright’s sisters) and Peter Deeley

“He spent many happy years there, serving his parish and the local community, devoting his life to his ministry.”

Peter Deeley, managing director of Deeley Group, added: “We’ve been working in the community here in Wyken for many years and

for the last quarter of a century Father Bob has been right at the heart of that community.

“It is fitting and rightful honour for a great man who had such a profound impact on those he met and supported during his life.”

Rob packs a punch to raise money for charity Retail Transport Limited, based in Coventry, is celebrating Freight Forwarder Rob Harrison’s achievement of winning a Charity boxing event which took place on Friday 19th November at Sports Connexion Leisure Club & Venue in Coventry.

Rob raised a whopping £1,316 for the Children’s Air Ambulance which the company has pledged to double, resulting in a £2,632 donation for such an incredible charity.

Dave Lewis, Director at Retail Transport Limited, said “The teams from our Coventry & Manchester offices went along to support Rob in

his challenge as we are all immensely proud of him. To put himself out of his comfort zone and win shows his determination to overcome his social anxieties ‘ Robert Harrison, Freight Forwarder at Retail Transport Limited, said "I overcame a fear that has troubled me since the day I was born.

“A dream of mine was to have a boxing match which is something I was afraid to do.I have social phobia, which is a form of anxiety, where I struggle to socialise and be in the eye of the public.

“Not only did I get out there in front of a crowd of around 700 people,

I managed to sell the most tickets for the event, I raised the most money for my charity and I came out with the win.

“On top of the pressure of having this fight I had the BBC following my every move which was daunting in itself, but it was for a great cause that I believe in and is raising awareness of people who struggle with anxieties like myself.

I’m on a mission to tell people like me, you really can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

During this year Rob has featured on BBC Midlands Today, CoventryLive and local radio to share his remarkable story about his social anxiety disorder.

A thriving centre that is home to small businesses in Rugby has been sold Hillmorton Craft Studios has been acquired by Warwick-based Prova Investments from property investment company The Wigley Group, which has its headquarters in Warwickshire.

The 11 units range in size from 250sq ft to 1,000sq ft and are currently fully let.

The Wigley Group acquired the 3,163sq ft business centre, near the historic Hillmorton Locks on the Oxford Canal, in 2016. The sale means the company - recently named Coventry and Warwickshire’s Property and Construction Business of the Year — has been involved in property transactions totalling over £7 million in 2021.

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Louis Washington-Smith, Director of Estates at The Wigley Group, said: “In the six years that this property has been part of our portfolio it’s been satisfying to have been able to give start-ups and small enterprises a place to dobusiness and grow.

“With all the units fully let, we felt like it was the right time for us to focus on our core portfolio strategy which places much focus on assets that have development potential.”

Hillmorton Craft Studies was marketed by Loveitts and sold prior to auction to Prova Investments, which was represented by Bromwich Hardy.

Tom Bromwich, founding partner of Bromwich Hardy, said: “This is an excellent site in a wonderful location, and we are delighted to have been able to conclude this deal for our client. The studios have proved to be a wonderful home for new and growing businesses, and we look forward to that success continuing.”

Sarah Hookey, of Prova Investments, said: “The craft studios represent a great addition to our current portfolio and a diversification away from industrial units. We are looking forward to building long-term partnerships with the Hillmorton studio business community.”

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News

Red Marlin is the solution for global technology provider

Defences in major European city bolstered by Coventry firm military-grade material which has been tested to stop either a car or a truck travelling at up to 50mph.

“Our bollards also include LED lights to illuminate the street at night, meaning it does not compromise on public safety or aesthetics.

OEC, the global leader in technology solutions to help vehicle manufacturers and car dealers to sell more original equipment parts, has appointed Red Marlin to support and help drive forward its international communications activities.

The appointment will see Red Marlin develop and deliver a strategic PR and communications programme designed to generate greater awareness of OEC’s services, showcase the company’s capabilities to the aftermarket sector outside of North America and help drive sales enquiries.

Danny Rughoobeer, founder and managing director at Red Marlin, said: “OEC already has a great presence in North America but a significant opportunity exists to help them grow even stronger internationally. We’re delighted to have been selected as its chosen partner and we look forward to working with its international team to build upon recent acquisitions and create a more widely recognised and powerful name in the automotive aftermarket.”

Established in 2000, OEC works closely with many of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers, as well as many bodyshops, franchise dealers, insurers and vehicle repairers. Its work and innovation are widely recognised, having won numerous industry awards in recent years from the likes of Automotive News and Car Dealer.

Katie Sisco, vice president of global marketing at OEC, added: “We’re very pleased to be working with Red Marlin, drawing upon its years of automotive experience to spread the word about OEC and the breadth of services we can provide. We’ve been working closely with OEMs for decades but are one of the industry’s best kept secrets so it’s exciting to have representation to help grow our reputation in Europe and internationally.”

Red Marlin is an independent automotive PR and digital marketing agency, specialising in the automotive sector. Founded in 2009, it is based at the heart of the UK’s car industry in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

To find out more, visit www.redmarlin.co.uk

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“We are pleased to have been able to help provide these new defences in time for a busy period of Christmas shopping.”

The scheme is the latest in a range of projects Safetyflex has secured in partnership with Swedish distributor, Perimeter Protection Sweden.

Another major European city has had its defences bolstered by Coventry-based Safetyflex Barriers — a world-leading manufacturer of anti-terrorism bollards and barriers.

More than 100 bollards have been installed around a shopping parade in Stockholm, Sweden, to protect members of the public from the threat of vehicle attacks.

The LED lighting bollards are part of its crash-rated hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) street furniture range.

The work, completed in November, marks another significant project for Safetyflex which is fast becoming the preferred supplier for many overseas public realm and stadium projects.

Marcus Gerrard, director at Safetyflex, said: “With the threat of vehicle attacks

ever-present, more and more major cities are now opting for Safetyflex Slimline products.

“Whereas traditional steel tube bollards can be over-imposing and require deep foundations that can disrupt utilities, our range provides a slimline, cost-effective solution.

“The project in Stockholm provides a robust defence for shoppers, utilising

Recent projects have utilised the street furniture range, including surface-mount, crash-rated planters which incorporate bespoke planters wto help them blend into the street.

The street furniture range has a solution to cover any scenario, with fixed or removable options available, making them ideal for Christmas markets, pedestrian walkways, major events and public spaces.

"The work, completed in November, marks another significant project for Safetyflex which is fast becoming the preferred supplier for many overseas public realm and stadium projects."

Historic buildings transformed into holiday and visitor accommodation Visitors from across the Midlands, the UK and the world are now able to stay in some of Coventry’s most ancient buildings.

Six historic buildings have been launched as boutique holiday and visitor accommodation, providing a unique place to stay in the heart of the city.

Historic Coventry Trust has painstakingly refurbished and converted the two last surviving Gates in the city wall and a terrace of timber framed cottages in Priory Row as part of a £1.75 million partnership project with Coventry City Council.

The ancient buildings, which have been vacant for decades, were built between 1385 and 1440 and are precious and rare survivors of the city’s medieval past.

No Ordinary Hospitality Management, the team behind Coombe Abbey Hotel, has been appointed

by Historic Coventry Trust to promote and operate the six visitor cottages.

Graham Tait, assistant director of the Historic Coventry Trust, said: “The quality and craftsmanship of the restoration is exceptional and the design combines all of the character of the ancient buildings with all of the benefits of modern living.

High speed WiFi, rainfall showers, stylish kitchens and comfy sofas are a long way from life in the 1300s.

“The unique nature of these properties will give visitors an added reason – should they need one – to travel to Coventry during its year as UK City of Culture and is another fantastic legacy from

this truly memorable moment in time for arts and culture in the region.”

Richard Harrison of No Ordinary Hospitality Management said: “It’s really exciting and a true credit to the vision of Historic Coventry Trust to have

restored six of the city’s most important historic buildings.

“This will give visitors from all corners of the UK and the globe the opportunity to enjoy a memorable stay in the heart of the Midlands, particularly during UK City of Culture.”

Bookings can be made at www.historiccoventrytrust.org.uk/stay-with-us/

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

Utility Team starts new era by winning prestigious accolade Utility Team has won the accolade of ‘Best Business Solution – Renewables’ at The Energy Live Energy Consultancy Awards.

One of ten shortlisted for the award sponsored by SSE, Utility Team was recently acquired by the eEnergy Group and the award was a fitting way to start the next phase of its journey.

The award is the second TELCA in three years that Utility Team have won, having picked up the ‘Best Customer Service – Large’ award in 2019. As well as winning the ‘Best Business Solution – Renewables’ this year, Utility Team was shortlisted for six other awards including ‘Consultancy of the Year – Large’, ‘Net Zero Leaders’ and ‘Most Trusted Consultancy – Large’.

In the winning submission, judges recognised Utility Team’s commitment to helping all of its customers make the transition to renewable energy.

Utility Team CEO, Delvin Lane said: “Winning this award tops an amazing 12 months for the company. At the end of 2020, we recognised that our clients needed a greater level of support around renewable energy. For some clients it was about transitioning from brown to renewable energy, for others they wanted support with PPA's and the procurement of onsite generation assets.

This led to our energy services team developing a new process to help guide customers through the investment in renewable technology. This process has been incredibly successful, with our energy services team helping several clients develop and implement business cases for investment in renewable generation assets.”

commitment to not only renewable energy but also making net zero happen. They have consistently demonstrated their commitment to making it easier for businesses to

transition to renewable energy and get on the journey to net zero.”

To find out more, visit www.eenergyplc.com

“Winning this award tops an amazing 12 months for the company. At the end of 2020, we recognised that our clients needed a greater level of support around renewable energy."

Geoff Curran, commercial director at Energy Live News and Future Net Zero, added: “This is a well-deserved win for Utility Team. It showcases their

Bromwich Hardy appointed managing agent for Historic Coventry Trust in Priory Row which are now open to bookings as unique holiday accommodation. Also included are the properties on the Burges and Hales Street that will transfer to Historic Coventry Trust, the Anglican Chapel in London Road Cemetery, Charterhouse and the newly opened music education and venue, Drapers’ Hall.

Commercial property agency Bromwich Hardy has been appointed to manage some of Coventry’s most historic buildings.

The award-winning agency says it is delighted after being awarded the contract to look after the portfolio of properties for Historic Coventry Trust.

These include the recently refurbished and converted two medieval City Gates and the timber framed cottages

Bromwich Hardy partner Dawn Cooper said: “As a Coventry agency with its roots still firmly in the city, we could not be more delighted than to be working with Historic Coventry Trust as its managing agent.

“Our dedicated property management team has decades of experience and an unrivalled track record. We’re honoured that Historic Coventry Trust has placed its faith in us to look after some of the city’s most treasured assets.”

into a ground-breaking Framework Agreement with Coventry City Council in 2019 covering many of the city’s most important heritage assets.

Graham Tait, Historic Coventry Trust’s assistant director, said: “We’ve appointed Bromwich Hardy to professionally manage the buildings to ensure they remain in top-quality condition for generations to come, attracting visitors to the city which will boost the area’s economy.”

Historic Coventry Trust was founded in 2011 with a mission to bring new life to the city’s heritage, find innovative ways to sustain historic places and connect people with the city’s past.

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News

Full fibre can boost businesses in Coventry dbfb is a communications business based in Northampton specialising in flexible connectivity, IT and telephony solutions.

They partner with multiple network providers across the UK including CityFibre to bring businesses ultra-fast broadband. CityFibre has substantially invested £4 billion into their broadband roll-out programme, to connect its footprint of local full fibre networks nationwide. By 2025 they expect to be across 285 cities, towns and villages representing eight million homes and 800,000 businesses as well as providing 250,000 5G access points.

As an original launch partner of CityFibre, dbfb are kept abreast of where full fibre is being rolled out to, ahead of time. With the launch in Northampton and Milton Keynes being a huge success (they currently serve 170 customers within the areas), both dbfb and CityFibre decided Coventry would be a significant city to invest in next. By supplying full fibre to businesses within the city, they are hoping to further strengthen business communications and connections thus enhancing Coventry’s digital landscape and economy. In addition, they will be investing in rolling-out services to Leicester at the same time.

With speeds of up to 1,000Mpbs, full fibre enables business to work faster, more efficiently and without disruption. As this service is being invested in within Coventry, dbfb and CityFibre are planning to offer an industry-leading discount to help businesses get started with full fibre. More will be shared with the members when the special offer is officially launched.

Simon Pickering managing director of dbfb, said: “We are dedicated to enhancing businesses and their digital capabilities. People now expect broadband connections to be fast, reliable and capable, and so they should. If your team are noticing your broadband, that usually means there’s a problem. Full fibre provides more reliability and faster connections into your business.”

To register your interest in the offer, visit www.dbfb.co.uk/register

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Warwickshire workspace operator triumphs at FlexSA awards ceremony UBC’s Forward House on the high street in Henley in Arden has scooped customer service excellence awards at the prestigious FlexSA (The Flexible Space Association) awards.

UBC entered all seven of its regional workspace locations and against incredibly tough competition, was thrilled to see five centres become finalists, including UBC’s Birmingham Business Park office.

FlexSA relaunched the long-running awards programme in 2021 having postponed last year’s event due to ongoing restrictions and lockdown measures at the time.

UBC’s Forward House in Henley in Arden was an outright winner in the Midlands and Wales region. Christine Anderson and Sophia Lowe represented the company at the awards ceremony in Birmingham to accept the award for UBC Henley.

The new-look 2021 awards introduced regional categories and attracted a huge number of nominations from workspaces all over the country. The awards programme has become increasingly competitive as the flexible workspace industry has grown and diversified within the UK.

FlexSA commented: “Christine and Sophia pride themselves on going above and beyond clients’ expectations. They host monthly Henley Hub networking events and participate in fundraising activities.

They celebrate clients’ special days and successes and were praised by them for the welcoming environment and support.”

UBC’s managing director, Richard Johnson, said: “UBC has long focused on creating positive, supportive communities at each of its locations; to have this recognised by our industry peers with these awards for customer service excellence and knowing that the awards are based on feedback from our customers is really special. The result is especially meaningful following the unprecedented challenges that our centre teams have faced throughout the pandemic.”

For more information visit www.ubcuk.com

Band Hatton Button celebrates accolade These directories are independent legal guides that recommends and ranks lawyers as well as law firms based on indepth market research, external feedback and interviews with lawyers, solicitors, barristers, intermediaries and clients.

The firm preserved its status in the Legal 500 UK 2021 regional rankings in the following work areas: personal tax, trusts and probate, family law, commercial litigation, commercial property, debt recovery and employment law.

Family team partner, Tracy Cross retained her standing as a ‘Leading Lawyer’ in the Guide’s elite list of the UK’s most outstanding lawyers.

Coventry law firm Band Hatton Button is celebrating another fantastic year of rankings in the latest editions of the industry-wide recognised legal directories, The Legal 500 UK, Chambers and Partners UK and Chambers and Partners High Net Worth.

A total of 13 lawyers are mentioned by name in Legal 500 UK commentary for their standout contribution to their respective practices.

Separately, in the Chambers and Partners Legal Directory 2022, family team partner Tracy Cross was singled out for individual praise in the Spotlight Table for Family/Matrimonial: Mainly ADR –

Midlands. Tracy is one of only two lawyers listed in the Spotlight Rankings for the region.

The Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide 2021 saw the firm’s wills, trusts and probate ranked in the Private Wealth Law – Coventry and Surrounds section for the first time with the Department Michelle Gavin being named as a ‘Ranked Individual’ for a third year running.

Mark Moseley, managing partner at Band Hatton Button said: “The Legal 500 and Chambers are the most prestigious legal guides in the UK due to the quality of their readership. They are a vital tool for us to be able to generate extra work and also help us keep an eye on our competition. Despite the pandemic, our business matched the previous record year’s turnover which has been driven by excellent quality caseloads across the vast majority of our departments which in turn is driven by the excellent reputation of our lawyers.”

Music to our ears!

Pack Smart Group held an open day to launch the opening of its second distribution centre which specialises in music distribution.

The group works across of a range of business sectors and understands the importance of receiving a product on the day of release. It manages campaigns and pre-order releases for many music artists and can also register the shipments with the Official Charts Company (OCC) for weekly chart positions.

The unit is 17,000 square foot and distributes for some of the biggest names in the music scene. The team was also excited to have the first band back in the office following the pandemic when The Reytons dropped in to do a signing.

The Pack Smart Group was created

by Nick Walker and Seánna Holland in 2009 as a fulfilment service for small to medium-sized businesses. Pack Smart works with a wide variety of clients

across multiple sectors affording small businesses the platform for growth without the overheads and gifting them the time to focus on their brand.

Pack Smart Group has one fulfilment centre in Kenilworth and in September 2020 saw them expand to open their second site in Coventry. Pack Smart Group continues to grow, with their third UK fulfilment centre set to be operational from early 2022.

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Education and Training

WCG receives prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in Engineering

WCG has been awarded The Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in recognition of its work in the engineering sector.

The prestigious award recognises WCG for how it has developed future engineers through innovation and partnership over the last quarter of a century.

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, represented the College at a Prize Winners Reception held at St James Palace where the 2020-2022 Winners were announced.

WCG delivers engineering courses at three of its colleges, Warwick Trident College, Rugby College and Evesham College.

The college has established itself as a leading provider of engineering apprenticeships in the Midlands and across the UK. It was a pioneer of employer-centric educational provision, which is now being widely adopted by other institutions under the Government’s new skills strategy.

The Queen’s Anniversary Prize also recognised that 95 per cent of full-time students at the college successfully made it to their first-choice destination after leaving and in 2020, the college broke national records for end-point assessment pass rates for its landbased engineering apprentices.

It has grown its engineering apprentice numbers from 40 in 1996 to 1,195 in 2021 and has placed a focus on working directly with major employers to ensure its provision matches the ever-changing needs of industry.

If you and your business would like to work with WCG to recruit and train up apprentices, please get in touch with WCG’s Business Development Team:

This has included creating bespoke training programmes for major companies including Jaguar Land Rover, AGCO, Royal Mail, Babcock, Alstom, Siemens and Telent.

T: 0330 135 6940 E: employerenquiries@wcg.ac.uk

It is now in a position to build on the success of its engineering full-time courses and apprenticeships and further its position in the Higher Education sector after becoming the first college group in the UK to gain Bachelor Degree Awarding Powers.

Supported interns benefitting from partnership with National Grid A partnership between WCG and National Grid is helping students get ahead by gaining invaluable workplace experience and transferable skills as it enters its fifth year.

Three students at WCG have all started supported internships at the electricity and gas utility company’s Warwick office.

Olly, Dan and Ethan have already completed their first research project to develop their understanding of the business and wider industry.

The trio presented their findings to National Grid management and to WCG’s Director of Schools, Re-engagement and SEND, Louise Ball.

The supported internships scheme at WCG is aimed at young people aged 16-25 who have learning difficulties and disabilities.

The partnership between the college’s supported learning team and National Grid grew out of the company’s EmployAbility programme – which aims

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at helping people with learning difficulties develop skills to gain paid employment.

National Grid and WCG’s partnership is now in its fifth year and Louise Ball says it has already helped many young people to reach their full potential: “This partnership has already secured paid employment for a number of previous interns and no doubt it will result in more successes in the future.”

WCG provides a dedicated job coach to support interns during their time with a company, which is government funded and free to the employer.

WCG is looking to partner with more businesses to help deliver supported internships and work experience.

Employers interested in finding out more about supported internships and how they can support students into employment should email Dave Evans, Work Experience and Supported Internships Coordinator at WCG, on devans@wcg.ac.uk For more information, visit www.wcg.ac.uk/supportedinternships To find out about the EmployAbility programme, visit www.employabilityletsworktogether.com

Partnerships are being sought with businesses of all sizes and across a range of sectors, including catering, hospitality, customer services, office administration, warehousing, manufacturing, animal care, horticulture and more.

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Education and Training

Helping manufacturers and engineers overcome the skills crisis at Ansty Park, the future-focused training provider is part of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).

The MTC’s training experts are already supporting over 200 apprentices as well as HNC learners whose skills will be invaluable to the UK’s engineering businesses as they progress into more advanced areas such as additive manufacturing and automation and robotics.

And, through a partnership with Lloyds Bank, MTC Training is also offering a range of free support to SMEs in the region in areas such as sustainability, health and safety, and innovation.

MTC Training is now looking to engage with more schools – including primaries in the area – to encourage children to explore a career in engineering.

Andrew Charlesworth (MTC) Hazel Pilling (Chamber), Tom Mongan (Chamber), Colin Bancroft (MTC)

Tom Mongan, the president of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, and Hazel Pilling, membership manager of the Chamber, paid a visit to the AMTC and will be supporting its efforts to help develop the skills for the future.

A state-of-the-art training centre in the Midlands is supporting businesses to overcome the skills crisis by training the manufacturers and engineers of the future.

Colin Bancroft, regional manager, told them: “There are more STEM vacancies than there are people in the talent pool, so it’s a key issue for all manufacturers and engineers in the region, from the smallest SMEs right up to the major multinationals.

MTC Training is urging local manufacturing firms to future-proof their workforces through its targeted skills programmes. Based at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC)

“We’re here to train those engineers of the future, and we forge strong relationships with the businesses we work with to make sure we’re creating a future workforce with the skills they need.

“Companies can come to us with an apprenticeship vacancy, and we will advertise it for them, run the selection process and then train the individual on their behalf – so it’s great news for both the business and for the individual.

“There’s no question that engineering is still not regarded highly enough by the vast majority of young people and, crucially, by their parents who help them to decide which career path to take.

“We want to work with more schools to inspire the next generation of potential engineers at a younger age by showcasing what an amazing and rewarding career engineering and manufacturing can provide.”

The MTC is also working with business across the region to help join up the local supply chain.

Tom Mongan said: “My background is in manufacturing, so I understand the great work that companies across our region do in this sector.

“I also know, only too well, the issues there are around skills and recruitment. That is why I was delighted to meet the MTC Training team so that we can work with them to help promote this incredible resource to businesses across our area.

“The MTC, in general, plays a major part in addressing many of the key issues that engineering businesses are facing right now – skills, sustainability and the supply chain – and I’d urge companies to get in touch with them to see how they can provide support.”

Partnership delivers training and employment opportunities Coventry College, Coventry JCP staff and University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire have been working in partnership to support local unemployed adults back into the workplace.

“We offer support, guidance and progression. Some candidates have gained full time employment with us as a result of their placement. The pre-course that Coventry College offers gives candidates the confidence and prepares them for a real work environment and interviews.

Craig Sexty Guest, Coventry Jobcentre business development lead, said: “As part of the government’s “Plan for Jobs”, sector-based work academy programmes are also proving a vital tool in offering

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A partnership between four of the Midlands’ major education providers will make it easier for businesses to access the support they need to develop a skilled workforce and build back better from the pandemic.

WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group), Coventry College, Coventry University and Solihull College & University Centre/Stratford-upon-Avon College are the partner organisations behind Collaborate to Train Coventry and Warwickshire.

The Collaborate to Train project is supported by the European Social Fund and aims to improve the ways in which education providers, local authorities and other stakeholders work together with businesses to provide high-quality and effective education and training services in a more collaborative way.

Coventry City Council is also a partner in the scheme and alongside the four education providers is engaging with businesses to ensure that delivery is responsive to regional economic leads.

Collaborate to Train is now entering its second phase and the first phase engaged with more than 400 local businesses.

The consortium works together to help SMEs access the right training needed to support the future of their businesses.

This includes accessing apprenticeships, work experience placements, supported internships and advising on effective school engagement.

The college has supported the hospital’s Kickstart scheme since its launch, via its Next Steps hub, by delivering short employability programmes as part of a recruitment drive via sector gateway courses.

Charlotte Brooks, the Kickstart recruitment coordinator and UHCW, said: “Kickstart is an amazing opportunity for someone wanting to pursue a career within the NHS.

Collaborate to Train project set to boost skills

James Lewit, head of projects at WCG, said: “The message from government is that education and business need to work closer together in order to overcome the current skills crisis. unemployed young people a route into employment. Through pre-employment training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview, these academies offer a successful and unique approach to recruitment.

“Coventry Jobcentre is extremely proud to have built a successful partnership with Coventry College and University Hospital Coventry to offer the young people of Coventry & Warwickshire access to some amazing Kickstart jobs.”

Emma Ingram, head of employer engagement and sales at Coventry College, said: “We are so pleased to be working in partnership with Coventry JCP staff and the UHCW HR team in supporting Coventry’s unemployed adults regain confidence and self-belief after becoming unemployed after the effects of the recent pandemic. We have fantastic college staff ready to support referred JCP clients into new employment opportunities within various roles at UHCW and are proud to be part of their personal development journey.’’

“The Collaborate to Train project goal is to improve those links between business and education and break down barriers which may lead to some SMEs being discouraged to take advantage of the provision available.

“The partnership saw great success in the first phase and now has the foundations to press on and play a key role in the development of skilled individuals across Coventry and Warwickshire.”

For more information visit www.wcg.ac.uk/collaboratetotrain

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Environment

Recycle old IT systems to support developing countries Business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire have called for more local organisations to help improve education access in developing countries and also do their bit in helping the environment.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has urged Chamber members and local businesses to stop throwing away their old IT systems and make use of an eco-friendly service that repurposes used computing hardware to boost education access for deprived children in Africa.

SawiTECH, which helps organisations and businesses improve their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability by collecting old IT assets and securely wiping data, has joined the Chamber in a regional request for obsolete computer equipment to improve

online learning resources across rural primary schools in Zimbabwe.

The Coventry-based business, which is registered with the Environment Agency and the Information Commissioner's Office, safely wipes hard drives that are no longer being used by education providers and other organisations which have replaced or updated their equipment.

The towers and monitors which are still fit for purpose are then loaded with new software before being distributed for use by school students globally.

The process, which includes free collection, is GDPR compliant and delivered using industry-leading data destruction software. Organisations who use the service then receive a full audit report and data disposal certificate.

Peaceful Chimbwanda, Asset Recovery Manager at SawiTECH, said: “We work with a range of schools and colleges and are looking at ways we can help more local businesses make a real difference to the planet by cutting down on synthetic waste and using their position of privilege to give back to those who might be without computer access.

SawiTECH has safely recycled and repurposed a collection of the Chamber’s old IT assets in recent months, including PC towers, laptops and mobile phones.

Keely Hancox, Operations Manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are urging all local businesses to think about ways they can be more environmentally friendly, and SawiTECH is offering a timely solution that can have a widespread positive impact.

“The more equipment we receive, the better chance we have of reaching more locations across the likes of Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.

“Data is a huge concern of all modern businesses, and we were extremely impressed by the level of security offered

by SawiTECH throughout the process.

“The process is completely free and available to any organisation, regardless of its size or location, and it is our goal to help more business leaders take CSR and environmental sustainability seriously, while providing a helping hand to children in developing countries.

“Not only is it a great service from a practical perspective, but the work that SawiTECH does to ensure that new end users can be found for old equipment, as well as its links to education providers in developing countries, means that it is offering something crucial at a time when sustainability should be on everyone’s mind, including business leaders.”

“The Chamber has been incredibly helpful in supporting us with our marketing and growing our regional connections, and we are delighted that they are also pushing for more businesses to make use of our free service.”

For more information visit www.sawitech.com

New partnership to power clean mobility revolution Octopus Hydrogen, Octopus Renewables and MIRA Technology Park (MTP) have confirmed plans to develop a green refuelling forecourt providing hydrogen and EV charging on site at MTP.

Octopus Renewables, which will supply power from a purpose-built 7MW ground-mounted solar array located alongside the forecourt at MTP. MTP is home to 40 global titans of the zero-carbon mobility revolution, with a growing number focused on fuel cell technology, and many others seeking to incorporate a green hydrogen solution into their array of different motive power options. On-site green hydrogen supply will catalyse the momentum of the cluster that has recently seen new tenancies announced from companies including REE and Viritech – with

The development is intended to support the needs of the fastestgrowing cluster of automotive and mobility technology businesses that are powering the mobility revolution.

Octopus’ solution brings together the group’s hydrogen business focused on providing green hydrogen-as-aservice to accelerate adoption alongside

the latter exclusively focused on the development of hydrogen technologies.

at the forefront of this revolution in sustainable transport. We’re delighted to be bringing Octopus Energy Group’s capabilities together to deliver onsite solar electricity and green hydrogen production and refuelling.”

Octopus’ new on-site generation will supply MTP’s businesses with sufficient green hydrogen to support the equivalent of 60 cars’ worth of fuel per day. On the forecourt, several high-power EV chargers delivering up to 300kW will also be installed to build on the existing network of over 70 charging points already onsite at MTP. William Rowe, founder and CEO GDPR Compliant of Octopus Hydrogen, said: “MIRA Technology Park’s customers are

Jack Bartlett, head of commercial & partnerships at MTP, said: “The infrastructure that Octopus is bringing to MTP will be another great enabler for our customers and the engineers at HORIBA MIRA to accelerate the development and adoption of clean, green hydrogen technologies to power the way society will move.”

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42

www.cw-chamber.co.uk CERTIFIED DATA ERASURE

President & People

Double fellowship award for WCG

Happy New Year!

This time last year I was writing New Year, new start and new president...new me!

I wrote about the vaccine roll out and how it potentially gave us a way out of what seemed a very long dark tunnel.

Well three jabs in and having tested positive for COVID in early October, I am really starting to believe we are on a road to recreating a life as we knew it prepandemic.

While Omicron, the very latest variant, would appear to be ripping through the nation, thankfully early analysis would appear to suggest it is not as severe as what has gone before. So, coupled with the vaccine/booster roll out, I sincerely hope we are approaching the end of all the various rules and restrictions.

Here in the UK, we seem to be more divided than ever, with England having one set of rules and restrictions with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland administering their own set of rules and restrictions.

This division is not helping, it just causes widespread confusion and anger and it is totally counterproductive!

I have said previously only time will tell how well governments have handled the situation, however, what cannot be denied is the global impact this pandemic has had on society in general, and, in my opinion, we now have to start living with it, for the sake of everyone, whether they be young or old, fit and healthy or sick and vulnerable.

Those people who need extra care and that have to shield, naturally have to be looked after, but we cannot continue to interrupt the education and mental health of our young whilst also jeopardising the financial stability of our business communities and all the people working therein!

So, bring on 2022, as I know the Chamber team have some absolutely fantastic events planned. I cannot wait to once again get involved in helping the team in promoting, assisting and advising all types of member businesses.

Finally, as President of the Chamber I want to welcome to the board of directors Trish Willetts and Tim Squires, whilst also acknowledging and thanking David Penn and Kathryn Clarke for their invaluable contribution during their time on the board.

So, I’ll finish as I started and wish all Chamber staff and all Chamber members a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Best regards Tom Mongan

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Two key figures at a regional college group have been awarded fellowships from the Chartered Institution for Further Education (CIFE).

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, and Peter Manford, chair of the corporation at WCG, were invited to become fellows of CIFE in recognition of the duo’s excellent leadership and governance of the college group, which operates across Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

The CIFE is devoted to developing the potential, reputation and standing of the further education (FE) sector. It brings together exemplary training providers that are committed to developing the skills required in modern Britain and dedicated to sharing that knowledge with fellow training providers to improve best practice.

WCG joined as members of the CIFE in 2018 and to now have two fellows within

the chartered institution underlines the college group’s commitment to enhancing and developing FE training provision locally, regionally and nationally.

The college group is a large provider of further and higher education as well as apprenticeships, delivering these across its six colleges. It places a strong focus on meeting individual student and wider industry needs, working with businesses and employers to ensure training is supporting skills needs in the areas it operates in.

Peter Manford said: “To receive a fellowship from the CIFE is a great honour for me personally and recognition of the tremendous work that staff across our college group have been doing to push the boundaries of FE training delivery.

“Since joining the CIFE three years ago it has given us access to a network of like-minded, high-quality colleges and

training providers. We have worked in partnership with many members of the CIFE to make a positive impact on the present and future of FE in the UK.” To find out more, visit www.fecharter.org.uk

Local business owner receives highest honour from Rotary Club

Robert Villette, Managing Director of the FPM Group, has been awarded the Paul Harris Award by the Rotary Club of Coventry in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the community, going above and beyond what would normally be expected as a member of the Rotary Club.

Rotary was started in the US in 1905 from the vision of one man, Paul Harris.

A Chicago lawyer who wanted to bring together professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds so, according to the Rotary Club’s website, they could “exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships.” The modern-day Rotary takes a more active role in society, with its 35,000+ clubs working together to promote peace, improve global health and hygiene, support education and grow local economies.

The Paul Harris Award is the highest award given out by Rotary and Robert is in good company, sharing his accolade with people such as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. astronaut James Lovell.

As a member of Rotary, Robert Villette is part of a global community of

1.2 million members as he explains, “I joined Rotary in 2013 to meet like-minded people and help with community initiatives. I have enjoyed getting involved in local community and international projects over the years and it is worthwhile to feel I have made a difference, even in a small way.

Receiving the Paul Harris Award came as a complete shock, and I feel very honoured and privileged to have been recognised in this way.”

Rotary is just one of the volunteer roles undertaken by Robert. Alongside running his successful construction and facilities management business, he is also on the board of the Coventry Heritage Trust, using his property knowledge to provide expert advise on local restoration projects.

Record period of deals for Lodders’ corporate team The corporate and commercial team at law firm Lodders has completed a record-breaking £50 million total value of deals since August 2021.

Notable deals for the team include the completion of the sale of diaphragm pump business Flotronic Pumps by its owners Whitehouse Industries in August, followed by the sale of furniture and props hire business Granger Hertzog for the sellers to a newco owned by management and the sellers, in September.

In October, Lodders’ team advised LDCbacked Solid Solutions on the acquisition of Desktop Engineering (DTE), with several other high-value completions following in November including the sales of Cotek Papers to German manufacturer Laufenberg, and Avanta UK to the existing management team via a Vendor Initiated Management Buy-out (VIMBO).

Corporate partner Graham Spalding says the “very active period” began in August 2020, with further deal highlights in 2021 when Lodders’ team advised the founders on the sale of Chrysalis Automotive to automotive software business Autofutura, the buyout team on the purchase of Nottingham-based Print Solutions, the sellers on the disposal of agricultural machinery business Murley Agriculture, and LDC-backed Solid Solutions on the purchase of Design Rule.

Graham Spalding said: “It’s been a very busy and rewarding period for the corporate and commercial team, which has sustained this year’s trend of winning high-value, high quality work.

“We have completed a record-breaking number of deals for companies and owner managers in the US, South Africa, London, Leeds, the Cotswolds and across the Midlands, in sectors including

automotive, manufacturing, industrial engineering, and film and broadcast.

“2022 is looking to be another very busy year for corporate activity for the team. We’re already instructed on several transactions set for completion early in the new year.”

For more information: www.lodders.co.uk

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

President & People

Triple award win for Band Hatton Button

Coventry law firm Band Hatton Button solicitors is celebrating triple awards success at the 2021 Warwickshire Law Society Legal Awards, picking up the Lawyer of the Year Award, Legal Team of the Year Award and the Young Lawyer Award.

The prestigious Warwickshire Law Society Legal Awards showcases the best and brightest legal talent in the region.

The winners were revealed at a blacktie ceremony held at The Manor Hotel, Meriden, hosted by the president of the society, Andrew Nyamayaro.

Dina Parmar, commercial property lawyer and partner, scooped up the prestigious Lawyer of the Year award.

When presented with the award, the speaker praised her for her positive cando attitude and for finding solutions to problems rather than obstacles.

The wills, trusts and probate team, led by partner Michelle Gavin, beat off stiff competition to win the much sought-after prize for Legal Team of the Year. Following an outstanding award entry, the Judges felt

that the team consistently go ‘above and beyond’ to help provide legal excellence to their clients. The team was also praised for being members of the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friends initiative.

Helen Stott, solicitor in the wills, trusts and probate team, won the coveted Young Lawyer of the Year Award and was highlighted for her dedication to her work as well as out of hours activities including acting as Leader with her local Brownie Unit.

Mark Moseley, managing director at Band Hatton Button, said: “I am delighted that Dina, Helen and the wills, trusts and probate team have been recognised for their hard work and dedication, they are all exceptional in their own right.”

COVID community heroes named in Queen’s New Year Honours Thirty-nine people from across the West Midlands have been named in The Queen’s New Year Honours List and include 2 CBEs, 7 OBEs, 16 MBEs and 14 people who are awarded a BEM (British Empire Medal).

Each year The Queen recognises the extraordinary achievements of people from all walks of life and all ages, within our communities. In addition to these people who really make a difference to the lives of those around them, this year’s list includes special mention of those who have continued to go above and beyond in supporting each other during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s recipients, who have made a significant contribution, made a positive impact and delivered significant outcomes, come from all across the West Midlands including Birmingham (16), Coventry (8), Dudley (2), Solihull (3), Walsall (6) and Wolverhampton (4).

The Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, John Crabtree OBE said: “Making up the fabric of the West Midlands are some amazing people who work hard to deliver a better, brighter and kinder place. These people with big hearts are often known within their neighbourhoods but fail to gain the wider credit they deserve particularly during the challenging COVID crisis.

“This year’s recipients showcase a range of outstanding achievements and provide an insight into the region and the people that make it so great. We are all very grateful for what they do each and every day and I am absolutely delighted to see so many gain the recognition they deserve in the New Year Honours.”

The individual honours are announced twice a year to mark The Queen’s official birthday in June and at the end of December – the New Year Honours. Some 1,200 people are recognised in each list.

Details on how to nominate are found on the West Midlands Lieutenancy website at www.wmlieutenancy.org.

Law firm appoints new managing partner One of the region’s most respected law firms has a new managing partner as it heads into 2022.

Phil Wilding has been named as managing partner of Wright Hassall after Sarah Perry – who has been in the role for the past six years – announced her decision to step down from the firm.

Perry, who has been with Wright Hassall for 32 years and rose from trainee to be one of the first female managing partners of a major law firm, left the firm at the end of the year.

Wildling has been with the firm for ten years as a partner and head of debt collection. For the past two years he has overseen the employment, commercial, litigation, business immigration, private client, debt recovery, matrimonial and corporate teams.

He said: “I would like to put on record Wright Hassall’s gratitude to Sarah for her service over such a long period of time.

To have risen from trainee to become

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managing partner is a huge achievement and testament to her abilities and determination.

“I’m immensely proud to have been asked to take on the role at what is such a crucial time for Wright Hassall. We are celebrating our 175th anniversary, have a hugely talented team and are extremely well placed to grow the business.

“The Wright Hassall team has worked tirelessly through what has been a testing time for all, and I’d like to thank them for their dedication.”

Peter Lowe will become senior partner while Nick Abell will continue in his role as chairman of the firm.

Perry said: “I leave the firm in great shape to take advantage of the many opportunities that lie in front of it and I wish Wright Hassall every success for the future.”

Expert private client partner returns to Shakespeare Martineau Full service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has welcomed new partner Iwan Williams to its private client team, specialising in tax and succession.

With more than 11 years’ qualified experience, Iwan is returning to the firm from Charles Russell Speechlys after spending more than seven years in the private wealth team acting for high net-worth and ultra-high net-worth clients nationally. Prior to this, he spent four years at Shakespeare Martineau’s Leicester office hub as a solicitor.

Iwan has a deep knowledge of all aspects of estate and succession planning and has particular expertise in advising landed estate owners, high net worth entrepreneurs and business-owning families in relation to a wide range of succession and tax matters.

Iwan, who is a rising star in the private client sector having been named one of eprivateclient's Top 35 Under 35 in 2020, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Shakespeare Martineau. The firm is an exciting place to be – forward thinking, dynamic and entirely geared towards delivering exceptional client service, which is at the heart of everything we do.

“I feel privileged to be joining a fantastic private client team and I am looking forward to helping to strengthen our private client offering as part of the firm’s wider strategy.”

Iwan will primarily be based at the firm’s Stratford-upon-Avon hub but will be working with clients nationally. As part of his role, he will be working alongside Shakespeare Martineau’s agriculture team to provide estate planning advice to a range of landed estates and farming clients, an area of law that he is passionate about.

He said: “A deep understanding of an estate and a family’s overall aims and wishes is absolutely vital to delivering outstanding client service. I look forward to working in tandem with our expert agriculture team to further strengthen our expertise in this area.”

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New Members Business Influence Members The Godiva Awakes Trust - Imagineer a division of the Trust Event Management 07809 429619 jane@imagineerproductions.co.uk https://imagineer-productions.co.uk/

Business Engage Members dbfb Communications Cloud Services 01604 673320 info@dbfb.co.uk https://www.dbfb.co.uk/

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Miss Ellie's of Coventry Catering Services misselliesofcoventry@gmail.com https://www.misselliesofcoventry.com/

Energy Saving Network Limited Energy, Renewable 03332 300453 gareth@energysavingnetwork.com http://www.energysavingnetwork.com

Mogan and Mogan Consultants 07796 687762 michael@moganandmogan.co.uk https://moganandmogan.co.uk/

Event Support Team Limited Event Management 02476 997605 info@estuk.co.uk https://www.estuk.co.uk/

NewYox Limited Publishers 07938 478420 fatih.oncu@newyox.com https://newyox.com/

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Rossi Gearmotors Ltd Gears 02476 644646 info.uk@rossi.com https://www.rossi.com/en/uk

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Smart Business Recovery Limited Insolvency Practitioners 01926 671891 gavin@smartbusinessrecovery.co.uk www.smartbusinessrecovery.co.uk Summit Training and Consultancy Ltd Business Consultants 01926 961691 martin.hill@sandler.com https://www.westmidlands.sandler.com/ Tamarant Consulting & Coaching Management & Business Consultants 07966 847243 contact@tamarantconsulting.com https://tamarantconsulting.com Tudor Bakhaus at Hathaways Cafe Bar 07951 546405 mc.mill1066@gmail.com Warwickshire Lavender Farm Lavender Farm 07766 501209 warwickshirelf@gmail.com https://warwickshirelavender.com/ Work Vibrant Ltd Executive, Management & Business Coaching 07974 024474 hello@jennybettany.com https://www.jennybettany.com/ Yes Bebe Ltd Wholesalers 02081 238234 sales@yesbebe.co.uk https://yesbebe.co.uk/ Zaptec Electrical & Electronic Engineering 07399 116193 will@zaptec.com www.zaptec.com/en www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

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The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes

MOTIVATE, INSPIRE, RETAIN

For Higher and Further Education

2021

NEW YEAR, NEW TALENT Kickstart your business this New Year by offering apprenticeships with WCG. Remember, you only have until Monday 31 January 2022 to take advantage of the Government incentive payment, available to all employers who hire a new apprentice. This could result in employers receiving a payment of up to £4,000 per apprenticeship offered.

At WCG Apprenticeships, we offer the widest range of apprenticeship standards in the region, allowing us to meet the needs of almost all businesses. We are able to offer apprenticeships within the following sectors: •

Agriculture

•

Health & Care

•

Animal Care

•

•

Business & Professional

Horticulture Inc. Golf Greenkeeping & Sports Turf

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Construction

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IT

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Contact our Business Development team to find out more on how apprenticeships can benefit your business:

0330 135 6940 | employerenquiries@wcg.ac.uk Visit wcg.ac.uk/apprenticeships for more information. info@wcg.ac.uk

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