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Community fund awards largest regional grant to HCT Ambitious plans to create a two-mile countryside walk and cycling route next to the city centre have taken another big step forward after Severn Trent’s community fund awarded its largest grant in the West Midlands region. Created for community groups and projects that aim to improve community wellbeing, the fund has awarded a £198,460 grant to Historic Coventry Trust (HCT) to complete a 330m-long section of the former railway Loop Line. Severn Trent launched its community fund in 2020 and aims to donate £10 million over the next five years to community groups and projects across the region. Across Warwickshire the company has awarded 11 projects in its first year, with funding for community projects that aim to improve the environment and the lives of local people.
The grant is not only the largest the fund has given in the West Midlands, it is also the closest to Severn Trent’s headquarters, with the project less than a mile from the organisation’s offices in Coventry. Historic Coventry Trust will use the grant to transform the central section of the former Loop Line as part of a planned two-mile route along the River Sherbourne and through woodland around Charterhouse Heritage Park. Sue Heyes, Community Fund Officer at Severn Trent said: “We’re so proud that our community fund has been able to support such a fantastic local project, which will create a lasting legacy for years. We believe this project will not only bring massive environmental benefits, but will also play a huge role for Coventry and the people who live here in terms of
Graham Tait from Historic Coventry Trust with Sue Heyes, community fund officer at Severn Trent
volunteering, boosting wellbeing and encouraging communities to connect with nature.” Graham Tait, assistant director at the HCT, said: “We are really grateful for Severn Trent’s support, which allows us to open up a major part of the former railway for public access. It really is a magical place, a stretch of countryside woodland right in the heart of the city.”
EMKA locking solutions for the railway industry EMKA has announced it is now offering a comprehensive range of door locking hardware for the railway industry to suit specialist cabinets on-board or lineside, as well as for passenger doors and storage lockers. Train installations are particularly rigorous with respect to special requirements for safety – even in the smallest detail. For example, the regulations on fire protection play a major role in this area, where EMKA provides its customers with complete systems consisting of closures, hinges, sealing and accessories that comply with sector standards.
They also offer a range of purposedesigned seals for interior and exterior use, which are integrated in a well-thought-out closure program specifically for the railway industry. This railway range is signposted in the new EMKA guidelines on its website which connects to a comprehensive range of locking solutions characterised by their modular design, versatility and high quality. The highest standards are guaranteed at EMKA through the company’s extensive manufacturing know-how and a production control process certified according to ISO 9001. EMKA also provides individual special solutions derived from new customer design requirements. Typical products include a compression latch with flap and an
optical opening indicator with an integral 90° opening flap that serves as a visual opening indicator, which is clearly visible when the lock status is open/uncompressed. There is also a quarter-turn railway lock for use outside the gasketed area and a railway compression latch with opening indicator – the lock is both tamper and vibration proof as is the safety latch lock with status marking. Furthermore, there is a 90° 3D hinge with integrated 3D adjustment by use of eccentric discs and a 180° concealed gear hinge with 180° opening angle. Further information on EMKA locking solutions for the railway industry can be found at www.emka.com/uk_en/ sectors/railroad-industry/.
Funded training available for furloughed employees
Have you got staff on furlough?
You could access funded training for your furloughed employees through the Skills Support for the Workforce programme.
www.cw-chamber.co.uk
Staff who are on furlough may be feeling detached from the team or their job role. Training through the programme could help to motivate these employees and reengage your team. Training can address skills gaps and make sure your employees have the most up-to-date skills to drive your business forward. We have a network of expert training providers who can deliver hundreds of fully funded and accredited training courses in a range of subject areas including: digital & IT skills, customer service, business
administration, retail and manufacturing. Many of the courses on offer are virtual so employees can learn remotely at home. The SSW programme is co-financed by the European Social Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency so the training can be accessed at no cost to your business or the individual. To find out more about the Skills Support for the Workforce programme, visit www.serco-ese.com/ skills-support-for-theworkforce
Plan B for Business! By Graham Freakes
Coming out of lockdown presents most businesses with a changed landscape, so if you had a Plan A you’ll be reviewing it and producing Plan B. If you don’t have a Plan A now is a crucial time to create one – otherwise you risk becoming an eternal firefighter! Don’t miss out on the opportunities offered by Brexit, tax incentives and the new working paradigm! But why plan? Fail to plan – plan to fail! Let’s take a poignant example: Why is England winning the war against Covid more effectively than most of the rest of the World? Planning – pure and simple. Before Christmas Boris had no plan and was firefighting. Then came a plan which has all the necessary features to succeed; • Specific milestones • Measurable indicators • Achievable tasks • Relevant to end result • Timeliness By providing this roadmap to freedom he gave hope, silenced his critics and brought the public onside. You can use this opportunity to bring your team together to create a plan with SMART tasks. You inspire your team to produce a credible plan that will inspire and motivate them to achieve the goals you set. At the end of a short but intense process you’ll have a Single Page Business Plan that shows where you are now, where you want to be and a small number of key SMART projects with actions, dates and owners that will get you between the two. You’ll have molded your team, got the right players in the right positions on the pitch, and all aiming for the same goal. The SPBP acts as your management meeting agenda and each of the projects updated to show progress. If there are deviations from the plan they can then be dealt with appropriately before the project gets out of control. I’ve delivered this simple but effective process to a wide variety of businesses including as an associate of Winning Pitch delivering of the High Growth Programme. It’s intense, simple, hands on, no nonsense business planning in the space of a few days. So when you’re ready to rally your team and create a plan call or email me to make it happen for you! Call 07774 200321 or email graham.freakes@handgtechnology.co.uk
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