C&W in Business November 2016

Issue 56

November/December 2016

Businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire have been urged to grasp the opportunity of Brexit - page 8 36

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Foreword

CONTENTS November/December 2016

Living through interesting times

Go for Growth News Events

4-6 7 8-9

Expo review

10

International Trade

11

Dear Member, Again, we seem to be living, working and trading through interesting economic times!

I believe that the more immediate impacts on the economy will be inflation and, globally, the outcome of the US Presidential election.The immediate and real opportunities are export and, if you are not already exporting, then you should talk to the Chamber International Trade Team by contacting Ajay Desai on ajayd@cw-chamber.co.uk or give us a call on 02476 654321; and, in the face of BREXIT, a stronger promotion and commitment to 'buying locally' in order to build resilience in local, UK businesses.

I can announce that your Coventry Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce is launching a new CW Business BREXIT Club which will wholly focus on the issues that matter most to business as we work hard to influence & lobby Government to secure a businessfocussed BREXIT deal. If you are interested in our CW Business BREXIT Club, then get in touch with me on louiseb@cw-chamber.co.uk.

It has been a busy time for your Chamber of Commerce. We held our 14th Annual Economic Conference which was attended by some two hundred and fifty business leaders and representatives of partner organisations. A great event with great speakers, not least Jonathan Browning, Chairman of our CW Local Enterprise Partnership; Marcus Jones MP; Mark Berrisford-Smith, HSBC; Michael Portillo; Kevin Byrne, Checkatrade Entrepreneur; and a fantastic line-up of panel speakers including David Burbidge CBE, Chairman of the Coventry Warwickshire City of Culture Bid 2017.

Our annual Economic Conference is a unique and well-received event which would not take place without the support of our sponsors and so a huge thank you

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

to HSBC, Headline Sponsor, and also to CW Local Enterprise Partnership, Coventry University, Coventry University Enterprises and SimplifyIT. Your Chamber of Commerce also held its' largest Trade Expo, to date, on 4th November. Two hundred exhibitors, some five hundred footfall, some great workshops and some value-add networking and B2B opportunities.

This has fast become an event not to be missed, so look out for a next Trade Expo date by visiting our newly launched website on www.cw-chamber.co.uk Working with our partners, not least Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and Coventry University, we really are the one-stop shop for business support through our business start-up services, business coaching & mentoring and grant-assist activity, our international trade work, our Membership Support, our highly acclaimed work around successfully placing apprenticeships with you as employers and our education & development support for businesses.

It makes sense to be a Member of your Chamber of Commerce and we continue to work hard to add value to your time and your business.

Finally, as a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, I wish to continue to encourage local, amazing businesses to apply for a Queen's Award. A prestigious award and if you want to learn more, why not visit us on www.wmlieutenancy.org Kind regards Louise Mrs L Bennett-Bayliss OBE, DL Chief Executive

Corporate members

12-13

Chamber Training

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Business Support

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Legal & Finance Property

16-17 18

Profile

20-21

Policy

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Education & Training

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Around the region

24-32

Motoring Focus

34-39

News President & People

40 44-45

New Members

46

Training & Events

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Go For Growth ‘16 Campaign

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.

Company helped to grow

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 65 4371 F: 024 76 45 0242

At the publishers

Publisher

Ian Fletcher

Benham Publishing Limited 3tc House, 16 Crosby Road North, Crosby, Liverpool L22 0NY 0151 236 4141

Advertising Contact Karen Hall karen@benhampublishing.com 07801 788880 Production Manager Mark Etherington Accounts Director Joanne Casey Media Number 1493 © Benham Publishing 2016 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.

The official publication of the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce

The official publication of the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce 4

L to r :Orville Clarke, Michael Kearney, Ian Murgatroyd (all Oxford Fiber) Martyne Manning (Chamber) & Edward Kearney (seated, of Oxford Fiber).

A high-tech Rugby-based business that makes innovative fibre cutters for the high-speed internet industry is being helped to accelerate its plans to grow.

Oxford Fiber, which is based at the Sir Frank Whittle Business Centre in Rugby, designs and manufacturers specialist cutters for fibre optic cables.

The specialist cutters have diamonds within them as they are required to cut through fibre optics, which are made of glass and lead to a dramatic increase in internet speeds.

The company exports around 600 of its products each year to the USA where they are used by engineers working on behalf of communications giant Verizon.

Oxford Fiber has now developed a second product that could see the firm ship between five and ten times as many cutters to the USA.

The company has been assisted by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce through the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Support Programme which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

As part of that Programme, the Chamber has delivered one-to-one support and also assisted the business to successfully secure almost £6,000 worth of ERDF grant funding, through the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP, to help the company grow more quickly.

That money will go towards 3D printing technology and microscope equipment that will allow the firm to bring its new

product to market sooner as well as taking on two extra staff in the next few weeks.

Ian Murgatroyd had been operating from his home in Rugby until making the move to the Sir Frank Whittle Business Centre and he believes the business is now ready to move to the next level.

He said: “We can see the huge potential for growth, especially in the USA where our products are already used by engineers in the industry.

“We are investing in new technology and also in creating new jobs so the support we have had and the grant funding will help us to accelerate our growth.

“I’ve been in this sector for many years now and I am very excited by the next phase of our expansion and we hope to be exporting at least 3,000 units per year, if not more than 5,000 once the new product is launched.

“That will mean skilled assembly jobs right here in Rugby – a town very well known for its engineering prowess.”

Martyne Manning, of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, has been assisting Oxford Fiber.

She said: “There is great potential here for Oxford Fiber to Go For Growth and I am delighted to be supporting the company.

“Through our Go For Growth campaign we have been highlighting some of the barriers to business expansion and, also, some of the opportunities. In this case, it’s great to be able to show the potential for success for Oxford Fiber but also to highlight to other eligible businesses that there is grant-funding available.”

For more information on the support available, contact the Chamber on 024 7665 4321 or email supportyourbusiness@cw-chamber.co.uk

Concern as space runs out Coventry and Warwickshire companies are close to running out of space to grow – and the shortage is becoming critical, according to a regional expert.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce is running a yearlong Go For Growth campaign to highlight barriers to business expansion in the region as well as shine a light on those firms who are growing.

The latest phase of the campaign is looking at issues around commercial property and David Penn, a property expert and board member at the Chamber, said the problem is becoming more acute.

He said: “There is simply not enough employment land being brought forward.

Full stop. It means that plans for growth, change and investment for SMEs and major employers are being severely hampered.

“The consensus is that the West Midlands has a one year supply for warehousing and industrial space and that the situation in Coventry and Warwickshire is even more acute.

“There’s also plenty of demand for office space but very little development – available space was halved between 2011 and 2015.”

David, a partner at Bromwich Hardy, said recent figures from the Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey, provided evidence for the shortage.

He said: “Nearly one in five of the companies surveyed require new or additional space and half of those are looking for offices.

“Three quarters of the companies wanting extra space say they will need it in the next two years and just one in 20 firms overall have existing surplus space.

“We have a thriving and rapidly expanding tech community, a positive trade balance with China and yet there is virtually no allocation for new R&D space – this is an area where we can be a truly world class centre with the skills we have and the two universities.

“In a nutshell, we want businesses to grow, we need businesses to grow and we are encouraging businesses to grow but without the space to move into, it cannot happen – the situation is becoming critical.”

David has written to the Planning Inspector ahead of Coventry’s Local Plan Public Examination and has also met with business and civic leaders across the city and the county to discuss the dire need for more employment space.

Among his recommendations are expanding key employment areas such as Ansty and Ryton, growth in employment land around Junction 3 of the M6, the final and complete approval for the Coventry & Warwickshire Gateway Scheme and a comprehensive review of office sites across the region to support economic growth.

Another proposal is to create a new Outer Ring Road for Coventry on the south-east, south-west and north-west sides of the city from the A46/A45 in the south round towards the A45 at Eastern Green and then on towards the M6 at Corley Services.

He added: “We have an issue around companies already based here not being able to expand but also if we are to attract a significant employer wanting to come to the region, where would they go right now?

“Urgent action is required to ensure we provide the space that business needs to be able to expand, take on new staff and grow our economy.”

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Policy Go For Growth ‘16 Campaign

Dealership prepares for new era

(Left to right): Kestrel Honda owner Kay Dewey, The Wigley Group Managing Director Robert Wigley, James Brookes from Bromwich Hardy and Mike Vining of Vining Ltd.

An established motorcycle dealership in Coventry is revving up for a new era as it expands into new premises this autumn.

Kestrel Honda is relocating to the final two available units at Vantage Park in Coventry where it will also open the city’s first outlet for KTM road and off road motorcycles.

The expanded business will create 10 new jobs when it moves to the new base which is located on the A444.

Kestrel Honda has sold new and used motorcycles and scooters from its current 5,000 sq ft home in Holbrook Lane since it was opened by husband and wife Colin and Kay Dewey in 2005.

It has now taken the final two adjacent units at Vantage Park where it will create a 10,000 sq ft space to sell bikes from the two manufacturers.

The other businesses on the now fullyoccupied business park - which has been developed by owners The Wigley Group are Formula One Autocentres and Magnet.

Vining Ltd have acted as consultants and project managers throughout the site’s development.

Kay Dewey, of Kestrel Honda, said: “The business has grown dramatically over the past 11 years when we’ve gone from start up to an established dealership.

“We pride ourselves on our customer service. Last year we were in the top 20

Honda motorcycle dealers in the country and we have been the number one offroad Honda motorcycle seller for a number of years. As a result we really had outgrown our original premises and frankly we were bursting at the seams.

“The new showroom will allow us to stock everything Honda sells with two wheels including, for the first time, the Montesa Trials range.

“At the same time we’ve been talking to KTM for 18 months about bringing the brand to Coventry and I’m delighted we’ve been able to secure the right site for this new venture. The KTM brand fits well with our current offering and this move is all about expanding the choice for our customers.”

The fit out of the new showroom has started and it will open for business in November.

Vantage Park is part of Edgwick Park which was formerly the home of the Alfred Herbert works - one of the world's largest machine tool manufacturing businesses.

It was purchased by The Wigley Group in the late 1970s and the company has turned the redundant manufacturing site into a vibrant, mixed use development with sections of the site sold to companies including Gallagher Retail Park, Atritor, Lidl, and DK Packing.

The Wigley Group director Robert Wigley said: “Vantage Park is a high quality development in a very visible site which lies on the main gateway route from the M6 into Coventry.

“I’m delighted Kestrel will join other national retailers on the site which is also next door to the Gallagher Retail Park, a new Brandish Vauxhall dealership and Greene King pub.

“The Wigley Group has worked hard over the past 30 years to regenerate this area which was formerly the home of the Alfred Herbert works. Full occupation of Vantage Park is another milestone in the regeneration of the site and is evidence of the health of the commercial property market in Coventry.”

Following the success of Vantage Park, The Wigley Group and agents Bromwich Hardy are advertising a number of new build industrial units on Edgwick Park ranging from 5,000 - 20,000 sq ft.

Details are available by contacting James Brookes at Hardy Bromwich on 02476 308900.

The Cloud helps business to record dramatic growth A mobile accessory company has seen its growth skyrocket since it was established in 2012 – and its founder says the cloud has played a big part.

Jolyon Bennett launched Gusto four years ago to manufacturer and supply items such as mobile phone chargers and speakers.

The firm, based in Banbury, now employs 20 staff, turns over £10million and sells to 11,000 shops in the UK including John Lewis, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. It has also become the market leader in Ireland.

“It was a very competitive market four years ago and still is,” said Jolyon. “I just thought I would work harder and push more to make sure we were successful.

“We are targeting turnover of £30million in the next couple of years and are one of the fastest growing companies in this sector in the UK. “We have several brands within the Gusto family such as the Juice power range which includes power banks that can charge your device on the move.

Our products work across the entire mobile device range – from Apple to Samsung – and they are popular with retailers and consumers.”

When he was getting the company off the ground, Jolyon Googled potential IT providers that could help set him up at a relatively low cost.

He said: “I didn’t have a great deal of money for capital investment. I found Netmetix and, looking back, I was really www.cw-chamber.co.uk

lucky because they have been fantastic – I cannot praise them highly enough.

“They set the company up on the cloud – so all of our files and emails could be accessed that way rather than through a physical server.

“It meant everything was very secure, stable and scalable. Now we are up to 20 staff we can all access all of the files we need from any location.

“For me, as the MD, I like the fact that I can be anywhere in the world and I can access anything I need with regards to the business.

“It’s a really efficient and safe way of working and all of the hassle has been taken out of it.”

Paul Blore, MD of Netmetix, said: “We are delighted that we have been able to support Gusto’s dramatic growth over the past four years.

“Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular among businesses and Jolyon’s story shows just how effective it can be in helping to grow a company.”

Netmetix is a leading provider of cloud based corporate IT infrastructure solutions and makes extensive use of Microsoft’s global Azure platform to deliver highly flexible and resilient IT systems to businesses of all sizes that can be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection.

This allows customers to access all of their company systems and data from anywhere at any time via the familiar

Windows Desktop, whilst providing large enterprise levels of security at SMB prices through the economies of scale.

However, not all cloud systems are equal and a great many of them can leave a company exposed in the event of any failure or the service provider going out of business, so it is vital that you select a partner with the right pedigree.

Netmetix has designed and provisioned a completely cloud based company IT system for Gusto Telecom that utilises the enormous resources of the Azure platform

to provide a stable and reliable system with the flexibility to expand seamlessly as the company has grown.

As well as the IT systems, Netmetix has also provided Gusto Telecom with a cloud based VoIP telephone system that provides enterprise level functionality at fraction of the cost of conventional telephone lines.

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Go For Growth ‘16 Campaign sponsored column

Accolade for Warwickshire business at 2016 Chamber Business Awards Frustrations and Wants

Business owners have two important lists that are constantly on our minds. Our list of ‘Frustrations’, and our list of ‘Wants’.

Many business leaders have frustrations such as: • a lot of issues that go with a growing business.

• lack of awareness within the business around ongoing issues.

• lack of action around that awareness to address those issues.

Does this sound familiar?

I also continuously hear from business leaders a list of ‘Wants’: • "I just want my people to get the job done" • "I want more time to focus on what I love and enjoy” • "I want to kick back a bit" Many of us still want a growing business and somehow to be less hands on. Is this possible?

Can we have both, you ask? In my experience, there is a lot we can do.

Firstly, as a business owner, you need to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.

No! Not in your head. On paper! You need to ink it, and really think it through. Then see how these traits are playing out in the organisation in the context of your ability to: • inspire people to see the vision as you do • influence others to care about what really matters • get things done As they say, “know your weaknesses”, and “play to your strengths” If you haven’t already done this exercise, I urge you to invest some time doing it. High performing leaders address this exercise on a regular basis.

We know that as leaders we are key to how the business performs. We need to be at the top of our game. We set the tone, standards and energy.

It all starts with us.

To take the guess work out of this exercise, and to get tangible, useable results fast, we developed a powerful tool called the Business Leadership Profile (BLP) to clearly identify and clarify strengths, weaknesses and ambitions. From this profile, we create key tailormade coaching programmes that can shift you to high performance leadership, by directly addressing your frustrations and achieving your wants now - rather than constantly deferring them.

Want to know more? Drop me a line (email or phone) and we’ll arrange to have an informal chat.

Your frustrations will continue to run the show until you get clarity about what you really, really, want. I can show you what we do, how it works and how it can be applied to transform frustration into performance.

Mr TC Gill (BEng Hons) CPCC High Performance Business Development Coach e: tc@tcgill.com t: 07977 007350 w: tcgill.com

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Louise Wall with Paul Carvell

The SFB Group, a proactive firm of chartered accountants, wealth managers and business advisers headquartered in Nuneaton has been crowned one of the winners in the West Midlands heats of the Chamber Business Awards 2016.

Now in their 13th year, the awards are a highlight of the business calendar, and they pay tribute to the key role that local businesses play in driving the UK economy.

The High Growth Business of the Year winner, which is a member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, will now go forward to represent the West Midlands in the national finals, which take place in London in November.

Louise Wall, Group Commercial Director of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are delighted for the team at The SFB Group and we wish them every success at the national event in November.

“Its great to have Coventry and Warwickshire represented at the event and to be through to the national final is a massive achievement in itself.”

Paul Carvell, Managing Director at The SFB Group, said: “We are thrilled to have won the West Midlands heat and our commitment to growth is very much in line with the Chamber’s own Go For Growth campaign.

“Of course, we want to go on and win the High Growth Business of the Year at the national event but I am very proud of this achievement and credit has to go to the whole team for making this possible.”

Francis Martin, President of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “Businesses are the driving force of the UK economy. Their creativity, hard work and acumen are what makes us one of the world’s strongest and most resilient economies, and they deserve recognition for the crucial role that they play.

“Our judging teams across the country are consistently impressed by the number of high calibre entrants in the awards, and this year’s competitors are no different.

“The Chamber Business Awards are the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate our business community’s achievements, to take stock of the

outstanding performances of UK businesses over the past year, and to encourage and inspire others to follow in their footsteps.”

The SFB Group specialise in helping businesses achieve their business and personal goals - the team adds value by helping clients to improve their businesses, their finances and their quality of life. SFB offers a wide range of services including accountancy, wealth management, business growth, corporate finance, commercial insurance and marketing services.

The firm has offices in Nuneaton, Coventry, Hinckley, Leicester, Wakefield & London.

The 2016 Chamber Business Awards culminate in a Gala Dinner that takes place on November 24th at The Brewery in London. The awards are proudly supported by BT, Westfield Health, DHL Express, NFU Mutual, Composite Legal Expenses and Qdos Consulting.

For further information or to book your place at the National Awards Final, visit www.chamberawards.co.uk

“We are thrilled to have won the West Midlands heat and our commitment to growth is very much in line with the Chamber’s own Go For Growth campaign.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

Core Clinics wins business of the year title

A Warwickshire clinic which counts top footballers and athletes among its clients is celebrating a prestigious award.

Core Health and Wellness, which operates two sites in Warwick and Hatton, won the Business of the Year category in Pride of Warwick District Awards.

Core fended off stiff competition from businesses across Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth to win the accolade in the fourth annual event organised by Touch FM. Angela Vossen, who along with her husband Dr Stefaan Vossen heads up a 40-strong team across the two sites, said it was the first time in the company’s seven-year history it had entered into an award.

But she said the success had been down to a collaborative effort by all the team who regularly pull together for the benefit of clients, the local community, the company and colleagues alike.

Core regularly supports local charities through its annual corporate charity scheme and where possible always uses local businesses.

Angela said: “When we were living in London we could see Warwick was a great place for a business and for our family so we

made a conscious effort to totally immerse ourselves in local life. It has never been just about the business it’s always been about the bigger picture.

“We are delighted that this has been recognised in the Pride of Warwick District Awards. It is a real pat on the back for everyone who has helped us so far.”

The company works closely with local businesses in a bid to reduce workplace absence and underperformance through back pain, stress and other chronic conditions. It is also a sponsor of its neighbouring Dallas Burston Polo Club in Southam.

Ella Cloake, Marketing Manager at the polo club, said: “We have a fantastic relationship with Core Clinics. Our members regularly take advantage of the expertise of the team and this in turn has led to a marked improvement in their technique and their performance.”

Simply the best Coventry and Warwickshire’s thriving tourism and culture sector was celebrated by hundreds of people from the region’s business community.

The second Coventry and Warwickshire Tourism and Culture Awards was organised

by Quidem, which owns Touch FM stations and Rugby FM, and was hosted at the Ricoh Arena.

The awards were supported by the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Coventry 2021 UK City of Culture BID and the Ricoh Arena, which won best venue along with the Tin Music & Arts.

Other business that supported the event included Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council, Federation of Small Businesses, Shakespeare’s England, Claire Marie Dresses of Distinction, Dan Skelton Racing, Birmingham Airport, Take Flight Aviation, World Rugby Hall of Fame and Rugby Borough Council.

A clutch of special awards were handed out to Twycross Zoo, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Jimmy Hill Memorial, Enjoy Rugby Festival and the Aviva Womens Tour.

Wasps Rugby Club were awarded for their engagement with children and families, while FarGo Village was recognised as the best visitor attraction.

The Arden Hotel and the Macdonald Ansty Hotel shared the best hotel award, with the best pub prize handed to the Hatton Arms.

The best restaurant award was served up to Café Vin Cinq, while Kenilworth restaurant The Cross was also given a special recognition award for its performance.

Tourism event of the year was given to the Coventry Transport Museum and the business tourism award was scooped

by Warwick Conferences.

The British Motor Museum won the history and heritage award, the Belgrade Theatre Trust claimed the cultural education award and the Rugby Festival of Culture celebrated with the culture award.

Swirls were presented with the artisan award, while Shakespeare’s England were recognised for the most creative marketing campaign and Study Inn were presented with a customer services award.

Rising Star Awards were given to Ben Morley for his work with young people, and to Carrie Bancroft for successfully amplifying awareness of this year’s Godiva Festival.

Steve Orchard, chief executive of Touch FM, said: “It was great to see such a wide variety of organisations taking time out and

Warwick Conferences shortlisted for two awards Warwick Conferences, the collection of meeting venues based at the University of Warwick, were named as a finalist in both the Business Tourism and Customer Service/Team Award categories at the second Coventry and Warwickshire Tourism and Culture Awards.

The awards are organised by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and Quidem, and showcase the diverse attractions, venues and experiences on offer in the region.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Rachael Bartlett, Head of Sales and Marketing at Warwick Conferences, said: “It is fantastic to have been recognised alongside the many other world class tourism and cultural attractions in Coventry and Warwickshire.”

Venues include Scarman, Radcliffe, Arden and Conference Park which accommodate both day and residential events.

coming together to celebrate everybody’s achievements.

“The standard of entries this year was extremely high, and in some instances, some organisations even had to share awards such was the quality.

“The night also had a few twists and turns with some special awards in the mix to recognise some truly inspirational individuals.”

David Burbidge, chairman of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, added: “Becoming the UK’s City of Culture in 2021 is a game-changing opportunity that will benefit the whole area in so many ways, and it’s nights like this that demonstrate how strong our bid can be.

“Coventry is bidding for the title but we have always recognised that Warwickshire is a very strong partner to the city to it is wonderful to celebrate the city and the county in this way.”

sponsored column

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Draft legislation is expected in early December and although we have yet to receive the detail, certain things appear to be clear from the consultation: 1. There will be no delay in the new regime.

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7

Chamber Conference

Brexit should be seen as an opportunity

Businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire have been urged to grasp the opportunity of Brexit to tell Government exactly what they need to grow.

Former minister Michael Portillo was a speaker at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s annual economic conference at the Ricoh Arena where the theme was Go For Growth.

Portillo said that the low pound, which has dipped in value since the decision to leave the EU, should be a catalyst for firms to export.

He said: “Trade is the most important thing and this is the opportunity, through the Chamber, to tell the Government what you need practically to export more and to grow.

“The Government is as desperate as you are that overseas trade should be a success and my advice would be to strike now.

“There is an opportunity to attract more business into this country because it is now a great deal cheaper than they would have ever imagined so the Go For Growth slogan that you have chosen for this conference is entirely appropriate.”

Portillo followed interviews with MP Marcus Jones and CWLEP chairman Jonathan Browning, conducted by event facilitator Adam Dent, managing director of Advent Communications.

They discussed the region’s place in the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Midlands Engine and touched on the barriers to growth such as a lack of employment land and lower productivity.

Mark Berrisford-Smith, head of economics for HSBC Commercial Banking, predicted a slowdown in the UK economy as opposed to a recession.

He warned against placing too much expectation on the low pound leading to major growth in exports because it hadn’t happened the last time Sterling fell.

The second half of the conference saw six panellists take to the stage to look at some of the barriers to growth in the region and how to overcome them.

Jason Aldridge, of Arrowsmith Engineering; Dave Ayton-Hill, of Warwickshire County Council; Paul Noon, of Coventry University Enterprises; David Burbidge, chair of Coventry’s UK City of Culture bid for 2021; Debbie Harper, of HSBC; and Lee Rogers, of Simplify IT, discussed everything from apprenticeships through to the image of the region.

The event, which was sponsored by HSBC, CWLEP, Simplify IT, WarwickNet, Coventry University and Coventry University Enterprises, was closed by Kevin Byrne – the founder of Checkatrade.

Louise Bennett, the chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said the conference had entertained and informed the 300 delegates from across the region, including business and civic leaders.

She said: “It was, once again, a great conference. We all know that these are uncertain times for businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire on the back of Brexit.

“But our speakers helped to bring some clarity to the issues that we are all facing and set out a way forward.

“I would personally like to thank all of the speakers, the sponsors and to those who attended for making such as successful event.

“There is an opportunity to attract more business into this country because it is now a great deal cheaper than they would have ever imagined so the Go For Growth slogan that you have chosen for this conference is entirely appropriate.”

8

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Corporate Partners Event

sponsored column

Orchard shares the fruits of his work Steve Orchard, the chief executive of Quidem – which owns six radio stations in the region – was the guest speaker at the Chamber’s latest event for corporate partners.

Around 50 business people attended the event at Wroxall Abbey Hotel and got the opportunity to hear from Steve and to network.

Louise Wall, Group Commercial Director of the Chamber, said: “The corporate partner events are proving to be particularly popular. This was a great opportunity to hear from a wonderful speaker in in a lovely setting and we were delighted with the turn out.”

Decode the tax relief

Leamington Spa and the surrounding area, also known as Silicon Spa, is a significant global centre for the Video Games Industry and one of the largest gaming clusters in the UK after London and Dundee.

The town has enjoyed more than 30 years in Video Games development since the birth of the Industry in the early 1980s, having produced games from the Oliver Twins’ classic ‘Dizzy’ and `Simulator’ series – accounting for 7% of all UK game sales in 1986 – to Freestyle Games’ DJ Hero…and the list goes on.

It is therefore no surprise that the town is said to have streets paved with CODE. With more than 75% of the digital companies being Video Games companies, we want to DECODE the mystery of tax relief available to gaming companies!

VIDEO GAMES TAX CREDIT is one of the 6 Creative Industry corporation tax reliefs that allow companies to claim a larger deduction - or in some circumstances claim a payable tax credit - when calculating their taxable profits. The relief works by increasing the allowable expenditure. Where a company makes a loss, the loss can be surrendered for payable tax credits. The relief is available to companies on expenditure incurred from 1 April 2014 on producing a British Video Game that is intended for supply and where at least 25% of the core expenditure is incurred on goods or services provided from within the European Economic Area.

The additional deduction is calculated on the basis of the lower of 100% of the EEA expenditure or 80% of the total core expenditure incurred by the video games development company. Core expenditure includes pre-development, principal photography and post-development costs.

Each computer game is treated as a separate trade and losses can be surrendered for a payable tax credit at a rate of 25%. There are complex rules on how such surrenderable losses are calculated.

If you would like to ‘decode’ the relief, please contact Brian Jukes or Jasmine Ruparelia on 02476 221 046 or e-mail brian.jukes@dafferns.com or jasmine.ruparelia@dafferns.com

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

9

Expo 2016

Enthusiasm for growth remains strong

left to right – Iain Colville, Matthew Davies, Louise Wall, John Nollett, Pete Maguire

‘Keep calm’ the message on Brexit “Don’t panic!” is the message to businesses in light of the continued uncertainty around Brexit.

Midlands law firm Wright Hassall delivered a seminar at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Business & Trade Expo on the aftermath of the EU referendum vote and what it means to firms in the region.

Pete Maguire, Iain Colville and Matthew Davies, all from Wright Hassall, spoke at the event and gave companies an overview on the legal aspects of Brexit around contracts, international trade, IP and immigration.

The overriding message to firms was to start planning for Brexit but not be bogged down by it.

Pete said: “Brexit brings risk to business but it also brings opportunities too. Some of the risk is already materialising and we are seeing the weakness of the pound against the Euro and the Dollar and inflationary pressures.

“In terms of EU law and its effect on UK business – we don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like because Brexit hasn’t happened yet and the decision by the High Court to say that the Government needs the authorisation of Parliament before Article 50 can be triggered has created more uncertainty about the time scales involved.

“Despite that, companies can start to prepare because we know that change is coming.

“The three areas we would advise that companies begin to prepare now are around contracts with overseas clients – ensuring that they are reviewed so that they are ready for the UK’s exit from the EU. “We’d also advise them to look at IP and whether it will continue to protect business assets across the EU after Brexit and, lastly, to look at the issue of immigration particularly if they employ EEA nationals.

“The main message is ‘don’t panic’ as even when Article 50 is triggered, there will be two years before we formally leave the EU but it’s important to prepare.”

In the New Year, the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce will be launching a Brexit Club that will bring companies together to network and seek advice on how the vote to leave the EU will affect them.

Inspiring tales

Three inspirational speakers gave the lowdown on their careers at the Chamber’s Business & Trade Expo at Stoneleigh Park.

Helena Pettit, Managing Director of the Grandstand Group of companies; Sharon Walpole, CEO of Walpole Media Group; and Jenny Harrison, Director of Jenny Harrison Consulting were guest speakers at the Business is Good for Women seminar.

Helena detailed how sport had helped develop her leadership skills while Jenny explained how she became a broadcaster with CNN International.

Sharon urged the audience to ensure they are raising their profile through networking – both at events and on social media platforms.

Louise Wall, Group Commercial Director of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “It was a really inspirational hour’s worth of presentations, with questions and discussions afterwards.

“All three have had very different career paths – of highs and lows – and they are all fantastic role models for women who want to carve a career in business.”

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The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce held its biggest business and trade expo yet at Stoneleigh Park, with more than 200 exhibitors and around 500 visitors.

Louise Bennett, the chief executive of the Chamber, said: “Networking and marketing A range of business people exhibited and attended the Chamber’s Expo your business is absolutely key to Companies from across Coventry and growth and the popularity and the vibe of Warwickshire showed their appetite for our expo shows that firms in Coventry and growth at a major business expo for the Warwickshire are not letting the current region. climate stop them going for growth.

“We had more exhibitors than ever and footfall throughout the day was very strong – so it shows there is a real appetite for businesses to get out there, network and grow.”

As well as the exhibition, a range of seminars took place throughout the expo – which was sponsored by WarwickNet – including topics on apprenticeships, Brexit, technology, Business is Good for Women and a Corporate Breakfast.

Louise added: “Our latest Quarterly Economic Survey showed a slight dampening in confidence and there is a real cross-section of views among businesses, which really came out at the expo.

“But I believe the fact that so many were here and looking to do business with fellow companies in the region bodes well for the future.”

Apprenticeship change is on the way More than 20,000 new jobs are expected to be created in Coventry and Warwickshire by 2025 – and apprentices will have a major role to play in that.

Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Chamber Training (CWCT) delivered an event called Skills & Apprenticeship Reforms – The Implications at the Chamber’s Business & Trade Expo at Stoneleigh Park.

Jan Ryan, operations director of CWCT, guided businesses through the changes that are coming into force around the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017.

She said only those companies with a wage bill of more than £3 million per annum will be liable for the levy and the changes were designed to give employers more control over apprenticeships.

Jan said: “With any change, there is always a degree of uncertainty for business but my advice would be to come and talk to us about your needs when it comes to apprenticeships.

“This region is forecasted to create more than 20,000 new jobs over the next nine to ten years and apprentices are going to be a very important part of that.

“We are hearing lots of companies saying that they cannot find the right skills – but apprentices are actually a great way for firms to grow their own talent.

“Non-levy paying employers can access 90 per cent Government subsidy for apprenticeship training with a mandatory 10 per cent contribution from the company.

“So the vast majority of the outlay still comes from Government for the training of an apprentice and it’s a great way for companies to grow.

“We appreciate that the changes around the Apprenticeship Levy have brought a bit of uncertainty so our advice for firms who want to expand by taking on apprentices is to come and talk to us.”

left to right – Louise Bennett, Jan Ryan, Christine Giles

Stability is key for business The Chancellor has been urged to provide a stable footing for business in his first Autumn Statement.

Philip Hammond will on November 23 deliver his first major statement to Parliament since taking up the role in Theresa May’s government and firms across Coventry and Warwickshire are looking to him to provide a solid foundation for growth in the face of uncertainty around the EU and Brexit.

About 40 firms attended the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast for corporate members which preceded the Business & Trade Expo at Stoneleigh Park.

And after discussing the current climate and confidence among businesses, the topic turned to the Autumn Statement with contributions from across the floor.

Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “In light of Brexit and in light of some of the changes that are starting to come into force around apprenticeship levy, minimum wage auto-enrolment that are affecting business, there is a sense that companies want the Government and new Chancellor to provide stability.

“The mood in the room bore out the feedback we had in our latest Quarterly

Economic Survey that, yes, there has been a dampening in confidence but companies are certainly not retrenching – they are looking at other ways to grow.

“What they are looking to the Chancellor to provide is a sense of stability and balance to offset what is happening in the world of politics and media. If anyone thinks it has no effect on business, they only need to look at the way the news is having such a big bearing on what happens with Sterling.

“Also, ideally, they’d like some support too and we are talking to government about expanding some of the help that

businesses can access to trade overseas.

“This is a great time to be exporting but, with everything else going on, they might need additional encouragement and support to take the leap.

“The Chamber, with our International Trade Hub, is here to offer support already with accessing new and existing international markets but any more help from Government would be welcome.”

For more information on international trade contact the Chamber on 024 7665 4321.

The Chamber’s Corporate Partners discuss the economic climate

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

International Trade

Exporting on the up Coventry and Warwickshire has seen a post-EU-referendum export boom, according to new figures.

So much so, that the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has expanded the team at its International Trade Hub to deal with the number of requests for export documentation from clients across the region.

Between June and August the Chamber service delivered more than 1,000 export documents for firms across the city and county – including a record ever month of 368 in August.

Clients include everything from construction equipment exporters through to companies in the medical sector and their markets include, among others, the EU, the rest of Europe, China, India, Singapore, the USA and South America.

Lisa Hobday has now joined the Chamber’s International Trade Hub, which incorporates the UKTI service, from a firm in Barwell, Leicestershire which itself has been exporting around the world with support from the Chamber.

Lisa, who will manage the export documents service, said she was joining at an exciting time.

She said: “I was in my previous role for more than 11 years with an import/export company so I know all about trading overseas and, also, what it’s like to be on the side of the client making use of the Chamber’s service.

“To see those figures for the past three months – especially on the back of the Brexit decision – is very exciting because it means that rather than a drop in exports, we are seeing a boom.

L to r : Lisa Hobday, Ajay Desai and Gemma Basterfield (all from the Chamber).

“I am really looking forward to working with the team here and businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire in supporting their overseas growth aspirations.”

Ajay Desai, the head of international trade team at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber figures were a good barometer for the region’s exports.

He said: “We find that if more businesses are making using of our export docs service, then more businesses are exporting generally.

“As part of our Go For Growth campaign, we have really pushed the opportunities that are out there for companies to grow through international trade so to see us hit record figures for August is great news.

“We have had great testimonials too from clients around the region, thanking us for our help. If we can make the exporting process as simple as possible for them, I believe it leads to more businesses having the confidence to sell their goods and services abroad.

“It’s great to have Lisa on board to work on export documentation – we are practising what we preach when it comes to Go For Growth and her knowledge and experience will be invaluable for both the Chamber and our clients.”

For more information on export documentation and trading overseas, call the Chamber on 024 7665 4321 or log onto www.cw-chamber.co.uk

How opportunism led to new business opportunity A Warwickshire export company is raising a toast to a faulty air conditioning unit that led to a lucrative new arm to the business.

Nick Hansen runs Warwick-based One Source, which began life as a telecoms company and has now branched out into exporting the finest craft beers and ciders the UK has to offer to China, Macau, Hong Kong and Japan through their sister company UK to Asia.

Such is the success of the company’s ale exports, it is developing an international trade apprentice through Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training to assist with the growth.

But none of it would have been possible without a piece of entrepreneurial opportunism from Nick.

He said: “I was over in Hong Kong about five years ago on telecoms business. It was a really hot day and we were in a high-rise building for our final meeting of the day when the air conditioning packed in.

“We decided to finish the meeting off in the pub to escape the heat and there was only one English beer available – it was in a can and, to be honest, it wasn’t the best.

“A lightbulb flicked on inside my head and we set about exporting some of the wonderful craft beers and ciders we have in this country – especially this region – and we are up to around £250,000 a year now in terms of export sales. www.cw-chamber.co.uk

“We act as an agent for the breweries and Coventry and Warwickshire, said: “This is we probably export the largest number of a great example of a company diversifying in beer brands to the Far East now. their own bid to Go For Growth.

“We are now in talks to start exporting “Overseas trade is vital for the economy to Japan and that would really take the of the region and equipping more young people with the skills to help us export is business to another level. The products crucial. That’s why it’s great that Chamber we offer are at the luxury end of the Training can now offer the apprenticeship in market and there is a lot of disposable international trade and logistics which is income in the Far East.” one of the first of its kind in the country.

The firm has been assisted by the “The DIT’s exporting opportunities Department for International Trade team in Coventry over the years and is now working website has more than 1,600 live with the training division of the Coventry and opportunities right now, including dozens for British-made drinks. It demonstrate that Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. there is a real demand for British-made Paris Calder joined the company around goods and services, so ensuring we have a year ago as an international trade and the right talent in place to help build on logistics apprentice and she is helping to these demands will mean our businesses process orders and develop new contacts. will be in good hands in the future.”

She said: “I am really enjoying it.

I didn’t think college was right for me but I didn’t really know the types of jobs that were out there.

“Chamber Training put this opportunity my way and I am so happy they did because not only am I learning new skills and gaining qualifications, I am also earning at the same time.

“I only turned 18 recently – so for the first time I am actually able to sample the products that we are selling overseas!”

Ajay Desai, head of the L to r : Ajay Desai (Chamber), Charles Murray (UK to Asia), Paris Calder, international trade team in Steve Townsley (Chamber Training), Nick Hansen (UK to Asia).

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11

Corporate Members

Zoë’s Place baby hospice business group announces second fundraising Ball Organisers of a charity ball which raised more than £60,000 for Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice in Coventry earlier this year are hoping to beat their efforts with their next event.

Members of the Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice Business Group – made up of business and community leaders from across Coventry and Warwickshire – are now in the midst of preparations for their Black and White Ball, taking place at the prestigious Coombe Abbey Hotel on Friday, May 19th.

They are asking hospice supporters to save the date in their diaries now, ready for tickets going on sale in the early part of next year.

The announcement follows the success of the group’s inaugural event – a Mardi Gras Ball, which took place at Coombe Abbey in May. The event was attended by more than 320 guests including Zoë’s Place patron Lady Daventry and her husband Lord Daventry, and UB40 founder member and saxophonist Brian Travers.

Brian, an acclaimed artist, dropped into the ball en route to joining his bandmates on stage for a gig in Coventry. He was so moved by the plight of the children and their families that he donated two limited edition prints of his much acclaimed art to boost hospice funds, and pledged his ongoing support in the future.

Peter Jarvis, Chairman of the business group, said: “We were delighted with the success of our 2016 ball.

“It was the first event organised by our newly-formed group. Everyone had an excellent night, and more importantly, we raised a terrific amount of money for Zoë’s Place, beating our own target by more than £10,000.

“We had some fantastic support from businesses and individuals from across Coventry and Warwickshire on the night, many of whom we have established ongoing relationships with and who have pledged to continue supporting the hospice in the future.

“We are hoping to repeat the success of the Mardi Gras ball with the help of our existing supporters and hopefully many new faces too.”

Encore personnel key partner in recruitment drive for the London taxi company

MARKET-leading recruitment agency Encore Personnel has been appointed to lead a country-wide recruitment drive for engineers for The London Taxi Company, manufacturer of the iconic London black cab.

The Coventry-based manufacturer has tasked Encore with sourcing staff for its newly built research, development and assembly site in Ansty, Coventry - part of a £250m investment project which will create 1,000 new jobs in the region.

Beginning full production in 2017, the new site will house the manufacturing of the next generation of the iconic vehicle, the Hybrid TX5 Model, as well as other forthcoming models and Encore has been awarded sole exclusivity of recruitment during the pioneering project.

Candidates will undergo a rigorous recruitment process including practical tests and face-to-face interviews to be shortlisted and finally selected for the new TX5 operation. Fifty associates have already been selected to form part of the new team with another two recruitment phases planned for 2017.

Kristy Kenney, technical and engineering divisional manager at Encore, said: “We’re delighted to be working with The London Taxi Company during what is an incredibly exciting time in the company’s illustrious history.

Since we began our partnership in 2015, it has grown from strength-to-strength and we are proud to continue to bolster the business’ success going forwards through our targeted and strategic recruitment approach.

“What we enjoy most about working with the company is its dedication to looking after its staff by investing in work place training and apprenticeships and ensuring all employees are supported and encouraged in their roles, a service that we are now providing on an on-going basis.

“The London Taxi Company has made a huge investment to the local area by creating 1,000 new jobs in a region renowned for its automotive heritage.

We look forward to seeing them establish their new home in Coventry and to support the business’ continued growth and successes over the coming months and years.”

John Perella, production manager at The London Taxi Company, said: “Working with Encore Personnel has really taken the stress of recruitment away from our HR team and we have been very impressed with their excellent account management and dedication to understanding the needs of our business.” ”For us, utilising a recruitment agency with experience in the sector was key and the team at Encore has clearly taken the time to gather the knowledge required to recruit high-quality candidates to fill the required roles successfully.

First impressions are huge and they certainly impressed us with their knowledge and understanding - and this is evident in the quality of candidates Encore have sourced for us so far.”

“We would absolutely recommend Encore Personnel to other businesses and we look forward to seeing the development of this partnership over the coming months, both to enhance our bespoke recruitment process and to source quality candidates as our business enters this exciting new chapter.”

Connectivity - what choices do you have?

Luckily when it comes to connecting your business to the internet the days of dialup are long gone and there is now a wide choice of options to get connected, but how do you know what’s best for your business?

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HBT Communications provides independent, impartial advice to businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire. We help businesses make the right choice and this will depend on a number of variables, which includes; what’s available in your location?

What are your business communication priorities? Is it call handling? Is it download speed? And, probably most importantly, what is your budget? Would you prefer to make an initial capital investment or spread your costs over time?

Below are some recent examples of how we have delivered different Connectivity solutions to Members of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce: Jam Creative Marketing, a Marketing Consultancy based in Kenilworth, moved into shared offices and needed a superfast connection and a flexible phone system to cope with the separate demands of the various businesses on the premises.

The ideal solution proved to be Ethernet over Fibre to the Cabinet (EoFTTC) which is

the next generation on from Fibre Broadband. It delivers Superfast broadband without the construction costs of a Fibre Optic connection. Jane Poulter, Director at Jam commented “The solution we have is perfect for our needs – quick internet speeds and low monthly phone bills.”

Rhino Office, an innovative interiors company based in Coventry, needed a connection to cope with the heavy demands of downloading and sending large drawings and specification documents. A fast connection was also required to enable the team to take advantage of cloud applications. Fortunately for Rhino its office is located close to the Coventry Core network which delivers Ultra-Fast connections to businesses across the city.

With download speeds of up to 1GB, the connection ensures the business is futureproofed and can take full advantage of the cloud to work smarter and save money.

Expert Tooling is a prime solution provider for bespoke tooling and automation

systems and has sites in Coventry and the North of England.

The business needed a direct connection between sites which would be both secure and efficient. After carrying out a survey of the business’ needs and taking into account plans for the future a 100mb Leased Line was selected. The Leased Line solution has given Expert Tooling a private and secure two-way telecommunications line between its sites which is exactly what the business needed.

The lesson to take from this is how important it is to look at the bigger picture when deciding on your internet connection options. Make sure you consider not only the needs of your business today, but also consider your future plans.

HBT is happy to offer Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber members a free Connectivity health-check to find out more visit www.hbtcommunications.com

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Corporate Members

Hotel undergoes refurbishment

A Coventry hotel is making guests even more comfortable after having its public areas refurbished and the latest technology installed.

Holiday Inn Coventry M6 J2 has had a brand new open lobby area created as well as had its training academy and meeting rooms refurbished.

Its technology has also received an upgrade, with high speed Wi-Fi installed which is available across the hotel and is complimentary to all guests.

The hotel, which was opened in 1969, is based five miles from Coventry city centre and is a 15 minutes’ drive from Birmingham International Airport.

It boasts 158 bedrooms which are also scheduled for refurbishment in early 2017, 21 meeting rooms, a leisure club with swimming pool and on-site car parking.

Darren Cooke, General Manager at the Holiday Inn Coventry M6 J2, said: “We have recently transformed our public spaces so that they reflect the latest trends and the evolving eating habits of our guests.

“Our new open lobby space provides the perfect place to eat, work, relax and have fun in a comfortable environment.

“Guests can take advantage of 24/7 dining, a To Go Café where coffee or snacks for the road can be purchased, flexible places to work which include

computers, work stations, printing and plenty of power sockets as well as free high speed Wi-Fi. “Our meeting rooms have also been refurbished to ensure they remain of the highest standards. They can cater for between 4 and 300 delegates and we also offer a meeting planning service and a selection of food and beverages.

Both day and residential delegate packages are available.

“We are now looking forward to having all of our bedrooms fully refurbished at the start of next year to enhance our offering to guests even further.”

Holiday Inn Coventry M6 J2 is a corporate member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce which will allow the hotel to network with businesses in the area who may require meeting or conferencing facilities.

Shanakay Millington, Sales Manager at the Holiday Inn Coventry M6 J2, added: “We not only provide a great place for guests to stay, but also a range of corporate facilities which allow us to cater for everything from small meetings to large conferences.

“Being a corporate member of the Chamber will not only allow us to network and promote our corporate offerings to other members but also continue to ensure that they fully meet the needs of the local business community.”

Club enjoys successful season Dallas Burston Polo Club is celebrating one of its most successful seasons to date as it continues with growth plans to become a centre of sporting, business and leisure excellence.

The club, based just outside Southam, sits in 600 acres of land and includes six polo grounds and an all-weather equestrian arena as well as four exclusive venues available to hire for a range of functions from weddings and birthdays to large conferences, team building events and fun days.

It has also opened a brand new bar and lounge offering a locally-sourced menu to both members and non-members alike.

Dallas Burston Polo Club was purchased by Dr Dallas Burston in 1999 as part of the old Stoneythorpe Estate, when it was little more than vast untended rolling parkland.

Following extensive and continuous development, it has since been transformed into a unique function venue which welcomes thousands of visitors from across the UK and overseas every year.

The largest function building on site, the IXL Events Centre, is a luxury 3,000 person capacity, multi-million pound conference and events centre.

It was completed in December 2013 and marked the start of a 12-year plan to further develop and expand the club’s business and leisure facilities, with a planned investment of £122 million.

As well as function and conferencing facilities, the club also offers a variety of hospitality packages for businesses and runs a number of music and entertainment events throughout the year.

Ella Cloake, of Dallas Burston Polo Club, said: “The 2016 season has been one of our most successful to date in which we welcomed a phenomenal amount of polo teams from across the country.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

“This culminated in Polo in the Park in September which saw 26 polo teams entered across six tournaments at the club.

“We are committed to broadening the accessibility of the sport and host a number of large polo days with free entrance in order to enhance engagement. These days also offer hospitality to businesses for entertaining clients and employees.

“This year has also seen us host a number of successful business and social events across our four function venues and we now look forward to our festive calendar of events.”

The club has launched its 2016 Christmas menu costing £35 which will be served up from December 1 to support the exciting range of equestrian activities taking place on the arena the season.

Two Christmas parties are also set to be held on December 9 and 10 and Oh What a Night, a tribute show to Franki Valli and The Four Seasons, will take place on

December 16 with tickets now on sale.

The club is a corporate member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce which will give it the opportunity to increase awareness of what it has to offer.

“We became members of the Chamber to support the club’s move from simply a sports club to a highly-developed business and leisure destination and to support and benefit from the growth currently taking place in the Midlands.

“The Midlands is currently receiving a high level of investment and other developments such as Resorts World and Grand Central in Birmingham have contributed to the city becoming one of the UK’s fastest growing tourism destinations.

“We look forward to benefitting from the Chamber’s wealth of knowledge and experience and increasing awareness of what the club has to offer to a range of markets.”

Further information about the club is available by visiting www.ixlevents.com

Seeking out inspiration

A marketing and graphic design agency in Warwickshire is working with businesses to make their branding inspirational for both staff and customers.

Glued, in Snitterfield, works with companies to create strong branding which is brought to life with short, medium or long term marketing plans.

The business was founded by Rob Harrison and David Wilson in 2003 after they were both made redundant by the brand consultancy they were working for.

They began tailoring their services to colleges and universities, however a re-birth of the company has seen them focus on branding for business to business organisations.

Rob said: “We believe that every organisation has something special at its core but this often gets forgotten or missed.

It’s our job to identify and articulate this.

“Business to business organisations often undervalue their strengths and our process involves a lot of research to identify these.

“We work with businesses to create a brand which is inspirational for staff and motivational for clients to engage with the business.

“We’ll then prepare short, medium and long-term marketing plans to help activate the brand and ultimately improve sales.”

It was the support of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce which inspired Glued to become a corporate member.

Rob added: “Starting out only working with universities and colleges resulted in us becoming trapped in a niche market, but a business mentor from the Chamber showed us what we could achieve by changing our focus to working with business to business organisations.

“We had our minds opened up and have since been striving for growth over the last 18 months and have transformed into a much more successful company.

“The work we do is much more varied and feels like we are having a genuine impact on businesses and the lives of people.

“Being a corporate member of such a proactive and vibrant Chamber means we can now strengthen our presence in Warwickshire.

Although we have been in the area for 13 years, it’s only recently that we have started engaging with businesses and we are now looking to build on this.”

Further information about Glued is available by visiting www.gluedlimited.co.uk

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Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training

Paige lands dream job thanks to youth employment initiative C&W Apprentice of the Year Awards 2016 Great news for Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber Training as they scoop 9 nominations across 6 categories for the C&W Apprentice of the Year Awards 2016!

The C&W Apprentice of the Year Awards recognise the valuable contribution apprentices make to local companies as well as the local economy.

Whether apprentices have had a positive impact on the company or have gone against the odds to achieve their objectives, the awards will allow employers to recognise their hard work.

The winners of each category will be announced at a prestigious presentation ceremony in November at Coventry Cathedral.

C&W Chamber Training nominees: • Lydia Gill - Administration, Accounting and Finance Apprentice • Dominic Grainger - Business Management, Marketing and Sales Apprentice • Emma Bull - Child Development and Wellbeing Apprentice • Leigh Thomson - Child Development and Wellbeing Apprentice • Innocent Chagiye - Health and Social Care Apprentice • Carys Weaver - Sport, Leisure and Recreation Apprentice • Destiny Scanlan - Sport, Leisure and Recreation Apprentice • Lydia Woodall - Sport, Leisure and Recreation Apprentice • Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training - Training Provider of the Year The awards will bring together top employers who champion apprenticeships, apprentices and their parents, important bodies from the local community and the apprenticeship world, and are supported by the CWLEP, Careers and Enterprise Company, Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council.

By building skills competitions into the core teaching and learning curriculum, C&W Chamber Training ensures their learners and staff aspire to and showcase excellence in their work. For more information about the awards and to discover the winning apprentices visit www.cw-chambertraining.co.uk after the ceremony on 10th November 2016.

If you think you know the next superstar apprentice then tell them about C&W Chamber Training’s Careers Advice Shop which runs every Wednesday between 2pm and 4pm where they can access information, advice and guidance on apprenticeship career opportunities across Coventry and Warwickshire.

14

Paige Greatrex, who started out on the Youth Employment Initiative programme at Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber Training, has secured a fantastic Apprenticeship in a brand new Nursery setting in Coventry called Enchanted.

The childcare industry is rapidly growing and offers many opportunities. It is one of the most rewarding and satisfying areas to work in due to the responsibility and dedication that is required to achieve the high standards that are expected.

C&W Chamber Training Recruitment Advisor, Kate Glazzard said, “Paige has

made great progress within the YEI group that are attending C&W Chamber Training 1 day per week for an initial 6 week programme. Whilst the group have been attending they have been completing interviews for permanent Job vacancies which has been a great success for all young attendee’s on the programme.”

The nursery directors Carly Cullen and Adele Payton have over 30 years combined experience working within early years education, having both previously worked in schools and managed nurseries within Coventry & Warwickshire. Apprenticeships enable experienced and skilled individuals

such as these to pass their knowledge on to the next generation of staff through workplace training and ongoing mentoring.

Carly Cullen, Director of Enchanted said, “I was more than happy to employ one of our young people in the setting through this project as I like the way that C&W Chamber Training support local young people.”

The Youth Employment Initiative, Ambition Coventry, is funded through the European Social Fund. The project is aiming to work with over 2400 young people to help them achieve their ambitions and realise their potential.

With 20 partners on board, this project supports young people in a range of ways, including; self-development and confidence building, careers advice, 1-2-1 support, training and qualifications, work experience and paid placements, traineeships and apprenticeships and business start-up support.

There has never been a better time to recruit an Apprentice… fresh talent, new ideas... and employers may also be eligible for a Government grant of £1,500 to help with salary costs.

Call 024 7623 1122 or email enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uk to find out more.

Ambition Coventry gives budding hairdressers the opportunity to achieve their ambitions and realise their potential

Young local people have been participating in a new exciting hairdressing experience at Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber Training in Radford, Coventry.

This fantastic opportunity has come thanks to the Ambition Coventry project which works with anyone aged between 16 and 29 that lives in Coventry and isn’t in any form of employment, education or training (NEET).

Over an 8 week period the students have been given the opportunity to develop their shampooing, conditioning, blow-drying and meeting and greeting skills during salon sessions in C&W Chamber Training’s Hairdressing Academy. In addition to building valuable hairdressing skills, these young

people have also developed key employability skills to help them progress into the world of work.

The students have worked in conjunction with more experienced Apprentices, learning first-hand about life as a hairdresser and participating in specialist training days.

These included a session with the hairdressing product manufacturer Affinage where they gained specialist knowledge in the appropriate products to use on different hair types and conditions.

Ambition Coventry aims to get young people into apprenticeship jobs with training and C&W Chamber Training are pleased to report some initial success following support with CV development and interview techniques training.

Ambition Coventry is a Youth Employment Initiative funded through the European Social Fund.

The project aims to reduce youth unemployment in the City, which in 2014 was 24.5% of 16-24 year olds, and will support marginalised groups of young people, including: care leavers, lone parents, young people with disabilities or health problems and those living in areas of high deprivation.

For more information about how to take advantage of this opportunity call C&W Chamber Training on 024 7623 1122 or email enquiries@cw-chambertraining.co.uktoday.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Business Support

Dream comes true Member benefits

Two entrepreneurs have fulfilled their dream after opening their own children’s day nursery.

Carly Touns and Michelle Allen have opened Shining Examples Pre-school in Keresley Village putting their combined 25 years working with children experience to the test.

The pair - who now jointly own and manage the pre-school - came up with the idea when working together as key workers in a reception class in 2015, before taking advantage of free business advice from Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce for help in getting their start-up started.

The Chamber gave 15-hours free business advice from a business mentor – giving guidance on business plans, action plans and cash-flow forecasts to start-up businesses.

Carly has worked in local primary schools with children, with a huge passion for helping children in their early years reach their full potential. In 2012, she was awarded a BA honours degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Warwick.

Michelle has six years’ experience managing a pre-school and went on to study at the University of Warwick before taking up a role as a primary school nurse.

She says that Margaret Bull, their business mentor at the Chamber, put them on the right track to launching the business.

“After meeting Margaret in our local coffee shop we felt comfortable straight away. She has been approachable, reliable and, vitally, had a great knowledge of how to get a business like ours up-and-running,” she said.

“I highly recommend any business looking to get off the ground to take advantage of the free advice at the Chamber and get their own business mentor to help them achieve their goals.”

Margaret, a Business Adviser at the Chamber, added: “I am delighted to have been able to help a fantastic and worthwhile start-up such as Shining Examples take that first step.

“I encourage anyone starting a business to get in touch and take advantage of this great opportunity to push forward with their new venture.”

Helping people understand finance A new business in Coventry is set to help people of all ages to understand the fundamentals of finances.

John Wilford is the founder of Personal Finance Education Services and will be taking his classes on the road around the city to places such as libraries and City College Coventry.

John, who has a background in finance, has been supported by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and a recently established website – WeLearnLocal.co.uk He is one of many instructors teaching a range of subjects thanks to the initiative and believes there is a gap in the market for sound financial training.

John said: “Through WeLearnLocal.co.uk, I’ve been able to take the first steps to start a business based on sharing my knowledge.

“It is very exciting, and the support of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce is very welcome and I value the expertise and guidance available.

This will undoubtedly contribute a great deal to how I develop my business.

“I’m a very experienced financial professional and I’m passionate about helping people understand money, tax and budgets.

“There is a huge need for education here.

With a little bit of help, people of all ages and backgrounds could be making more informed decisions about their financial arrangements and this knowledge could help them both save money and avoid expensive mistakes.

“I offer a series of workshops and lessons geared to the beginner who really needs to know more. The whole idea is to make things simple to understand.”

John’s lessons range from the fundamentals of income and inheritance tax, to protection and wills, pensions and options, investments to budgeting. These, and a large number of other sociable classes, can be booked on WeLearnLocal.co.uk.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

from Chamber link up Recently-joined Chamber members Williams & Cooper Ltd provide Business English language coaching to non-native speakers to improve their confidence and English Language skills, including business skills and cultural differences.

The company joined the Chamber to gain a greater understanding of the companies in the Midlands area and raise the profile of the new business as well as staying up-to-date with developments both in the UK and abroad.

Melodie Williams, of the company, said: “After visiting a networking meeting in February 2015, we were made aware of the support services available to members free of charge.

“We signed up for 12 hours Business Development with Matt Stocker (Stocker Partnership). It was a brilliant decision as working with Matt changed our perspective of our new business, provided great insights, objective and impartial questioning and helped us move our new business on considerably. He was professional, friendly, understanding yet challenging and provided us with contacts, ideas and inspiration.He was a great motivator for both of us.

“As a result of working with Matt, we formed a new company Williams & Cooper Ltd which meets the profile of our clients more appropriately, improved our understanding of branding, marketing and the importance of the correct profile for our clients.

“Nicky and I are in a much stronger position with our company and have become much more effective with our clients.

“I would recommend Stocker Partnership to new and existing companies who need to refresh, reassess, or question their branding, communication with their customers and question their approach to ensure they are as effective as possible.”

WeLearnLocal.co.uk is now the largest online hub for learning opportunities for adults in Coventry. Learning opportunities range from business, professional insight, digital skills and health, through to hobby skills, arts and crafts, wellbeing, language, culture, and music.

WeLearnLocal supports instructors and trainers by providing them with access to instruction space and taking care of promotion and advertising for their lessons.

Nick Maxwell, founder of WeLearnLocal, said: “The WeLearnLocal website makes it easy to find great learning opportunities and makes it convenient for instructors to set up new classes.

“The initiative is all about being a champion for instructors, a gateway for learners and celebrating lifelong learning.”

Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s start-up programme helped Nick make his business idea a reality and the support is available to others, including John.

Margaret Bull, business advisor at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber – who worked closely with Nick, said: “The Chamber is proud to be working with WeLearnLocal to support a new generation of small businesses such as Personal Finance Education Services to get off to the best start.”

The next start-up Chamber workshop – Thinking of Starting a Business & Marketing takes place on 11th October and Business Planning & Finance Workshop on 26th October.

For more information, contact the Chamber on 024 7665 4321 or email startyourbusiness@cw-chamber.co.uk.

The Start-up programme also supports businesses that have already started and are trading less than 12 months.

For more information about WeLearnLocal and Personal Finance Education Services, visit www.welearnlocal.co.uk.

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Legal

Moreton Show organisers award law firm top prize The organisers of the Moreton Show voted Lodders’ stand at this year’s event one of the best, awarding it a coveted Highly Commended certificate.

This year’s event at Moreton-in-Marsh Showground marked the 20th year of Lodders’ sponsorship and attendance at the event, which is recognised as a flagship agricultural show for the Cotswolds, and a unique celebration of the countryside.

Lodders’ marquee at the 2016 Moreton Show caught

the eye of the event’s organisers and judges with its striking design, interactive features, competitions, children’s play area and a unique Lodders Family Tree.

It was one of only three stands, out of fifty, to be recognised with a certificate this year.

Managing Lodders’ stand and coordinator of its planning was Hollie Coyne, the firm’s Marketing Executive, supported by colleague Kate Higginson and a team from the firm.

Solicitors announce their support of the woman who More than £410 raised from Macmillan Coffee Morning awards 2017 creative entries but the We have raised over £410 winner of the competition was Family legal secretary Matt Williet with some help from his girlfriend!

Coventry & Warwickshire law firm Alsters Kelley LLP has confirmed it will be supporting the Woman Who …

Awards who held their inaugural event earlier this year.

The firm will be sponsoring one of the main award categories ‘Woman Who….Achieves for a Charity or Social Enterprise.’

The Awards have been specifically created to highlight and celebrate some of the regions’ most outstanding and inspiring business mentors and role models – women who make a difference in the workplace and in the wider community.

The aim of the Awards is to encourage women to recognise their abilities, shout about their successes to motivate others, gain confidence through the Awards and to develop through the experience.

Erica Kemp, Member and Head of Family Law at Alsters Kelley LLP, said, “We are very pleased to be on board and to be a part of these Awards and especially to be sponsoring the ‘Woman Who…Achieves for a Charity or Social Enterprise’ category. As a local business we are very passionate about supporting local groups and charities within our local communities and we also firmly believe more women need to be given the confidence to flourish and achieve.

These Awards will showcase those women who are achieving and hopefully inspire others.”

Sandra Garlick, founder of the Woman Who…Awards and a member of the FSB’s Women in Enterprise Taskforce says, “These Awards are vital to inspire women to aim high, recognise their success in business and to inspire others. We are delighted to have Alsters Kelley on board as sponsors this year. They will play a key part in a series of events which will take place over the coming months leading up to our Awards in May 2017”.

The Nuneaton office held a raffle where one of the prizes was a signed Nuneaton Borough Town football and Leamington office had a visit from Leamington & Warwick MP, Chris White.

Coventry and Warwickshire law firm Alsters Kelley LLP opened the doors of all four of its offices on Friday 30th September, to take part in the world’s biggest coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

The Coventry office held a 'cake' off competition, which was judged by three of the Coventry Blaze ice hockey players – Ashley Tait, Liam Stewart and Ross Venus.

There were some fantastically

Ashley Tait from Coventry Blaze said: “We would like to thank everyone in the Coventry office of Alsters Kelley LLP for inviting Ross, Liam and myself there to judge the cakes. It is a very good cause and all the cakes were amazing!

These events are a great way to bring businesses and people from the local community together.

Lodders’ legal advice and lawyers given ‘Top Tier’ rating Three practice areas and eleven lawyers at Warwickshire law firm Lodders’ have been given the highest recommendation for their legal advice by the professions’ national trade bible, The Legal 500.

The 2016 edition of The Legal 500 has awarded the highest Tier 1 ranking to Lodders’ work in agriculture and estates, personal tax, trusts and probate, and real estate, which has moved-up to the top tier position for the first time this year.

It has given special recognition to the firm’s agriculture and landed estates legal specialists James Spreckley, Caroline Nemecek and Jane Senior, all partners at the firm, personal tax, trusts and probate specialists Martin Green and Louise Igoe, who are partners in Lodders’ private client team, and real estate partners Nick East and James Mottram.

Lodders’ charities and not-for-profit specialist Mark Lewis receives the

Can we help you find a ? e r u t u f r e t h brig @BurgisBullock

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Cathy Wahlberg, Operations & Finance Member at Alsters Kelley LLP said, “It was a really successful and enjoyable morning with a number of different competitions and activities taking place.

across all four offices, including our new office in Southam and we would like to thank everyone involved for their support and generosity.”

Legal 500’s highest commendation, being listed as an elite ‘leading lawyer’ in his field in the select list of outstanding lawyers nationwide.

Based in the firm’s Cheltenham practice, corporate and commercial partner Steve Thomas and head of Lodders’ employment team Nick Rowe, have both been identified as amongst the South West’s leading legal specialists in their fields.

Sound advice in an uncertain world The VAT treatment of land and property transactions is notoriously complex.

Whether something is taxable or exempt, understanding how the various reliefs apply and just getting the timing right to avoid at best, adverse cash flow and at worst losing the right to recover VAT altogether takes real specialist knowledge.

These complexities multiply where charities are concerned because the reliefs often also depend on their status and how the property is going to be used.

At Burgis & Bullock we have the specialist knowledge to help you and your clients.

Contact us today or visit our website for more information.

Tel: 0845 177 5500 www.burgisbullock.com

Offices in Leamington Spa, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Nuneaton, Leicester, London and Rugby.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Finance

Alcester Insurance Broker does it again!

Not deterred by some of its bigger, well-known competition, including national brokers Aon and Marsh, Morrison Insurance Solutions made history and were named Chartered Broker of the Year for a record third consecutive year. Only brokers that demonstrate the highest levels of service, professionalism and fairness to customers are shortlisted for this award, so to win it for the third consecutive year is a real testament to the local broker.

The night got better for Morrison Insurance Solutions, as they then went on to collect the ultimate accolade in the insurance broking industry – ‘Insurance Broker of the Year 2016’.

Morrison Insurance Solutions, a small local insurance broker of less than 50 employees, are celebrating their success at the 2016 UK Broker Awards.

On Friday 16th September, at The Brewery on Chiswell Street, London, where the 23rd annual ceremony was hosted by renowned comedian Romesh Ranganathan, Morrison Insurance Solutions were shortlisted for four awards – ‘Chartered Broker of the Year’, ‘The Claims

Team Award’, ‘The Training Award’, and ‘The Best Employer Award’.

For any insurance broker, just being shortlisted for an award at the UK Broker Awards is a huge achievement, and for Morrison Insurance Solutions it was combination of years of determination and hard work that got them there.

The company was not just shortlisted but managed to take two of the most prestigious awards home for themselves.

Mark Horgan – Director at Morrison Insurance Solutions, said “To win chartered broker of the year for the third successive year is an achievement beyond all our expectations and then we go and better that by winning UK broker of the year as well.

I’m still trying to figure out how we can improve on this, if that is at all possible.”

Ian Millard, the Managing Director at Morrison Insurance Solutions, said: “This is a fantastic achievement at a national level recognising both the professionalism and success in protecting our clients, thanks to the dedication and knowledge of an incredibly hard working team.”

Accountants have cake and eat it!

Staff at Warwickshire based accountants and business advisors, Burgis & Bullock, have been eating more cake than usual.

Their very own “bake off” competition was organised recently, not only to show off their incredible baking skills but also to raise money for the Mary Ann Evans Hospice. The finalists were given a brief to create a cake that represented Burgis & Bullock and the results were creative Wende Hubbard, the firm’s Managing Partner said “I already knew we have a team of talented people here but to discover their incredible baking skills as well was extremely impressive. I am very proud of the level of B&B talent and that we were able to use it to raise £300 for a very worthy charity. The cake tasting wasn’t bad either!”

Burgis & Bullock have a specialist charity advisory team who provide a range of services for charities and the firm regularly encourages its staff to help raise funds for their charity clients.

Celebrating 20 Years’ Service at Leigh Christou Kay Ridler, Personal Tax Manager, joined Leigh Christou in November 1996 and twenty years later continues to be a valued member of the Senior Team.

Kay, originally from Denton, Manchester worked as a Tax Officer for the Inland Revenue, as was, until 1989 when her husband Tony and two children, Charlotte and Sam moved to Rugby, Warwickshire.

“Kay has brought a wealth of skills to the Practice and continues to add value in her role as Personal Tax Manager,” said Managing Director Chris Christou. “We all value her contribution to the business and long may it continue!”

L-R Matthew Keeling, Kay Ridler and Chris Christou

Kay joined Leigh Christou when it was a partnership and has witnessed many changes, both within the practice and through various tax initiatives since 1996.

“Some of the greatest challenges are yet to come,” said Kay, “with Digital Tax Changes to be rolled out next year.”

Leigh Christou are in a good position to assist all their clients with these changes, both at the Coventry and Leamington offices.

For a free initial consultation on how we can help grow and develop your business, please call or email us at either of the addresses below:

Expert, professional advice on all business, accountancy & taxation matters serving Coventry and Warwickshire Leofric House, Binley Road Coventry, CV3 1JN Tel: +44 (0)24 7625 1333 E: accts@leigh-christou.co.uk www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Euston House, 12 Euston Place Leamington Spa, CV32 4BN Tel: +44 (0)1926 88 88 65 www.leigh-christou.co.uk 17

Property

Construction starts on classroom block as Leigh Sinton school expands

Business is booming at hotel

Construction specialist Stepnell began work this summer on a £935,000 contract to build a new classroom block at Leigh and Bransford Primary School, Leigh Sinton, near Malvern in Worcestershire.

The project was awarded to Stepnell

by Worcestershire County Council, which is funding the project, with the building being designed by Jacobs UK, the company which provides property design services to Worcestershire County Council and project managed

by Place Partnership Ltd. Housing three classrooms and a library, the single-storey, timberframe building forms part of a major expansion programme at the school which is set to double in size over the next few years. Stepnell’s Kidderminster team will also carry out improvements to access and parking at the school in Hoopers Close.

The energy-efficient new teaching block is due to be completed in February 2017. It will feature an ecofriendly living sedum ‘green roof’ designed to provide sustainable drainage and a habitat for wildlife. The construction project will also include the installation of further photovoltaic rooftop panels on an existing building at the school.

Stepnell director Richard Wakeford said: “Our team brings a strong record of delivering high-quality educational buildings and inspiring learning environments. We’re excited to be working on this project which will both enable Leigh and Bransford Primary School to increase in size and create modern, enhanced facilities for pupils and staff. Our team has extensive experience of creating new buildings in ‘live’ settings and we are working closely with the school to ensure that the construction programme causes the least possible disruption to the day-to-day life of pupils and staff.”

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Ben Baseley, Venue Sales Director at Grandstand - Stoneleigh Events (left) with Stoneleigh Park Lodge manager Roger Dunne.

A hotel in Warwickshire has seen business boom following a five-figure investment to refurbish its interior.

Stoneleigh Park Lodge, set in the grounds of Stoneleigh Park, has been totally redecorated resulting in a boost to visitor numbers and food sales.

The hotel’s 58 bedrooms are decorated on an annual basis, however this year an investment has also been made to re-vamp its public areas.

As well as the areas being re-painted, the hotel has invested in new furniture for its main bar as well as new air conditioning units for the bar and restaurant and the meeting room has also been refurbished.

As a result of its popularity, the hotel has seen a nine per cent rise in bookings as well as an increase in the amount of food sold.

Stoneleigh Park hosts a number of major national events including the British Showjumping National Championships, Race for Life, The Pet Show, The Edible Garden Show and the upcoming Glamping Show, which will be held from September 22 to 24.

Stoneleigh Park Lodge is operated by Grandstand - Stoneleigh Events, which manages the event spaces at Stoneleigh Park.

Ben Baseley, Venue Sales Director at Grandstand - Stoneleigh Events, said: “Our bedrooms are decorated on a rolling basis, however this year we have also invested in re-decorating and refurbishing our public areas.

“The hotel is a fabulous venue in the middle of a unique 250 acre site and we wanted to ensure the interior matches its amazing exterior.

“We are very pleased with the redecoration and refurbishment which has already received positive comments from our hotel guests.

“We have recently seen an increase in bookings and are experiencing far fewer quieter periods. It used to be that our bookings were mainly driven by conferences and events at Stoneleigh Park, however we are now seeing a greater demand for the hotel outside of this.

“We are seeing a lot of repeat visitors who are staying with us rather than venues in areas such as Coventry city centre and Leamington Spa to take advantage of the peaceful surroundings, which is fabulous.

“It just shows that guests want to come back when you have excellent facilities teamed with great customer service. We look forward to welcoming even more visitors to the hotel in the future.”

O’Brien Contractors’ carbon footprint verified to BS EN ISO 14064-3:2006 Leading groundworks and civil engineering specialist, O’Brien Contractors, has had its carbon footprint verified by TÜV UK Ltd to the ISO 14064-3:2006 standard across its operations.

Verification to ISO 14064, is one of the most effective ways to measure, quantify and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The audit showed that, when normalised against turnover (£17m in 2014 and £28m in 2015), O’Brien had significantly reduced its usage of resources year-on-year and continually exceeded target.

In order to achieve its emissions reduction goal, the specialist has developed a strategy based on: • Investing and upgrading and operating the most efficient plant and technology available.

• Providing staff with training on how to improve their driving to reduce fuel consumption.

• Investing an average of £140k per year on upgrading its fleet of vehicles to ensure that they are the most efficient and lowemission models available.

• Offering shuttle buses to promote vehicle pooling for staff working on our construction sites.

Vicki O’Brien, of O’Brien Contractors, said: “We are very much committed to minimising the impact of our activities on the environment and all stakeholders, in order to operate a business that is safe, sustainable and socially responsible. Verifying our footprint to an International standard will serve as a benchmark against to help us achieve our goal of continuously reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”

O’Brien’s commitment to environmental improvement also saw the specialist become the first to achieve ISO 14001 certification amongst its core rivals in the civil engineering sector.

The specialist’s processes and procedures have also been audited and validated to ISO 9001 for quality and OHSAS 18001, CHAS, Achilles BuildingConfidence (5-star rating) and Achilles RISQS for health and safety.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Property

Tricky year. Terrific autumn.

The political and economic climate has thrown out challenges to those of us working in the commercial property sector this year.

The shutters came down early in the year with the approach of the European Union referendum. Business relocations slowed and levels of enquiries fell.

This shift, really only pushed the market back towards equilibrium though, as demand had been out pacing supply for the last two years. Business growth in the region has been strong and the slack in the stock of available offices, industrial units and warehousing has been taken up.

turned again, activity recovered and is back to the levels of 2015. The telephones at this agency began to ring off the hook and a noticeable increase in commercial property and investments released to the market has been a welcome change to earlier in the year.

Once the referendum curve ball was delivered in June the uncertainty which percolated every level of the economy did not exclude the commercial property sector.

In Coventry and Warwickshire the market was far from flat, bolstered by the motor manufacturing and service sectors and infra-structure improvements centred on Tollbar, Whitley and the M40 junction at Gaydon. The degree of uncertainty was palpable all the same, despite the best efforts of Chamber and LEP to mitigate hype and doom in the media. Enquiries and transactions remained subdued through the summer.

During the last few weeks, Drake Howard Property has let a workshop and secure yard on Binley Industrial Estate to an automotive engineering company. Leased a shop in Warwick Road, Kenilworth and placed three other shops in Warwick, Coventry and Birmingham under offer.

Even more noteworthy, during October, we have close to £4 million of property acquisitions for clients in solicitor’s hands.

These include redevelopment property, industrial unit refurbishments and a commercial property investment (see photograph opposite).

Businesses and property decision makers in this region are made of stern stuff though and have not allowed uncertainty of Brexit terms to become a barrier to progress.

Come Monday 5 September, the market

It is to be hoped the now, well documented, black hole which is lack of availability of development land, does not apply the brakes to the speed of inward investment and business expansions in our region.

Business Rates will change on 1 April 2017 It has been seven years since all non-domestic properties in England and Wales were nationally valued. The 2017 revaluation is based upon shop, office, workshop, warehouse and other sector rental levels, established 1 April 2015. These Rateable Values will sustain for the next five years.

Office To Let 1 Leofric Court, Binley

Between 2010 and 2014 most commercial rental values decreased and have only recovered ground in the last two years. No matter though, if assessments have increased, stayed the same or decreased, rate payers will need to check the new Rateable value facts are correct and establish if in its breakdown, the valuation accords with 2015 rents for the particular location. It is crucial business occupiers make themselves familiar with the new ‘Check, Challenge, Appeal’ process.

The Valuation Office published draft business rates valuations on all commercial property on the 30 September 2016.

All occupiers of commercial premises should be aware of the implications of the revaluation and consider the effect of the tax on business plans and cash flow.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

This new system may prove confusing in terms of valuation, the challenge process, timing and the cost of an appeal. At Drake Howard Property we have expert valuer’s to give advice on all aspects of business rates and reliefs which may be available to minimise your liability over the next 5 years.

Do not be caught by circulars from unqualified agencies lacking local knowledge.

• Self-contained office • 2,135 sq. ft.

• Available as a whole, or by c 1,000 sq. ft. floor.

Completely refitted.

• Flexible term lease • Barrier controlled parking • Business estate location • £10 per sq. ft.

Contact office@drakehoward.co.uk

19

Growing - Bit by bit

“We’re looking at exciting technologies around beacons where our clients’ customers can be alerted about a product or service via their mobile device when they are in a certain location. It helps companies to cross-sell their products and is a fast-moving technology.”

For a man who heads up a group of successful technology companies, Alan Malik is as unassuming as they come.

“Away from work, I don’t get much spare time,” he said. “I am quite into running and have done a few marathons now. The only trouble is, my times are getting slower as the technology in the business is getting faster!”

It’s a modest line but it’s an insight into the character of the man, who sold his first computer program in his teens. It had been developed for coursework towards his computing O-Level and fetched a ‘few hundred quid’ but it set him on an IT path for the rest of his working life.

And while completing marathons is no mean feat, it’s nothing compared to the race he’s run in business.

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In 1993, he established Exasoft – an IT company in Coventry predominantly working in the banking and finance sector – and the firm achieved strong growth. Then, in the middle of the last decade, he forged ties with the founders of Bit10 – a web company based in the city – and in 2009 he bought the business.

“I’d been involved with the founders for some time and had a vested interest in the business from around 2005,” he said.

“I bought them out in 2009. One of the founders was Ben King and part of the deal was he got to keep WarwickNet and he has spun that out of the business and has been very successful.

“I had a business in the IT sector already but Bit10 was quite different.

They did some really cool websites and I thought it was just a good acquisition in terms of the space in the sector it was in.

“Our area of expertise is everexpanding. When I first got involved, we were first looking at responsive websites – so websites with a bit of intelligence behind them.

“We were looking at B2B and B2C markets – and they were not your standard websites, there was more to them.

“As time has gone on, we’ve moved into mobile apps and we have a partner business called 10 Digital which looks at apps in terms of areas such as graphics and 360 degree viewing.

“We’re looking at exciting technologies around beacons where our clients’ customers can be alerted about a product or service via their mobile device when they are in a certain location. It helps companies to cross-sell their products and is a fast-moving technology.

“We are also looking at a lot of ideas around virtual reality and we are

expanding the business into fields of digital marketing and communications, so quite a lot is happening!”

As you enter the reception area of Bit10 you are struck by (in among a Stormtrooper’s helmet and other futuristic TV and film memorabilia) an impressive client list that adorns the wall.

Firms such as Next and Game are listed while the likes of AGA, National Grid and a host of national education establishments such as the University of Oxford and Children’s University.

The company has also recently developed the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s website that went live in the last few weeks.

“That was a nice one to pick up as it’s good for our profile in the area and, also, they are our neighbours,” said Alan. “It’s a good showcase for the type of work we can do.

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Profile: Alan Malik

“We are an innovative company and we are striving to go into new areas all the time. We don’t particularly want to be first to a new technology but, equally, we don’t want to be the last.”

“We are doing a lot with Game too – and that’s great for us as a business because of the field they are in. We do websites for them and mobile apps.

They are at the forefront of their industry and the fact they’ve partnered with us for a number of years now speaks volumes.

“We are an innovative company and we are striving to go into new areas all the time. We don’t particularly want to be first to a new technology but, equally, we don’t want to be the last.

“As a company, we strive to add value to clients. A mobile app is the cheapest way of advertising and we look at new technology as it evolves and see how it can be applied to the proposition as a business.”

Bit10 now employs 15 staff and Exasoft has 17. A third company, established by Alan called F2Uni, currently shares those Exasoft employees and the office space.

And there are plans for growth.

“It’s not always easy,” he said.

“You can get lots of staff in quite easily but it’s getting the right staff that is so important.

“In terms of recruiting we go through a very rigorous process.

I interview everyone myself and we are looking not only at their skillset but what they can bring to the business on a personal level.

“We want to double the number of staff with Exasoft and in Bit10 we are looking for some senior hires.

“We are good at selling and we are good at developing so we know we have to build the infrastructure that can facilitate that growth.

Growing pains is something a lot of businesses go through and endure on their journey.

“The companies have been bigger in the past but we have learned that sometimes you have to grow in a different way and are looking for better quality personnel.

“It’s about a more stable growth plan and not a case of boom and bust.

If you look over the last five years the number of businesses that are similar to Bit10 who have gone out of business, it’s incredible.

“I think that shows just how resilient the company is. I think that’s down to the fact that we are innovative in what we do and are best of breed in several areas.”

Growing the company is now Alan’s firm focus but that wasn’t the case not too long ago.

“It would have been a different story five years ago,” he said. “We want to grow all the businesses and we have the opportunity to do it and have learned over the years.

“You can only micro manage a business to a certain size – you can’t keep growing them without a management infrastructure in place so they can be run effectively.

“I’ll have more involvement in a way but the focus has to be purely on growth. If you have one business, maybe you can get involved with everything but with two or three, it’s impossible.

About Alan Malik Date of birth:

December 1965

Birthplace:

London

Married:

Yes

Children:

2

Hobbies:

Running

With Alan’s drive and the companies’ passion for ensuring they are ahead of technological trends, there is no doubt he will achieve that goal.

Favourite film:

Lord of the Rings

Last holiday:

Cyprus

Car:

Noble M12

It turns out it will be a marathon and not a sprint.

Favourite gadget: Motorola Watch

“Ten years ago I said to myself that I wanted to get to a certain age and sell the businesses and retire.

But we had the recession and I also realised that the companies have a lot more potential in them and to realise that, they need to grow and become self-sustaining.”

“We are good at selling and we are good at developing so we know we have to build the infrastructure that can facilitate that growth. Growing pains is something a lot of businesses go through and endure on their journey.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

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Policy

Businesses have their say on policy

A key figure in the nation’s economy has taken soundings from Coventry and Warwickshire businesses to help shape future policy.

Graham Chaplin, Regional Agent for The Bank of England, addressed around 12 business members of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce from a range of sectors in a private session at Coombe Abbey Hotel, the results of which are then fed back as anecdotal evidence to the Bank.

Louise Bennett, CEO of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber, said similar sessions across the county helped shape economic policy.

“While the Bank of England has a mass of hard data, it also recognises that it is

important to hear from real businesses of all shapes and sizes, all locations and all sectors to build up a complete picture,” she said.

“The sessions are very honest and forthright, and our businesses certainly never hold back and that is why they prove so useful to Graham.

“For that reason it is imperative they remain private, but after Graham stated the current views of the Bank of England, topics included Brexit, the availability of finance, red tape and investment in infrastructure.

“It was a very interesting and useful session for all parties.”

Devolution could help build education system

Francis Martin (front right) with representatives of Chambers from across the Midlands, including Martyne Manning from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber.

MPs and other opinion formers taking a break from the Conservative Party Conference were told that devolution could be one way to achieve an education system that was attuned to local business needs.

Francis Martin, President of the British Chambers of Commerce, told a fringe event at the Conference – attended by representatives from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber – that business needed a more locally-focused education system to meet the challenges of future growth.

He was speaking a day after Prime Minister Theresa May and Chancellor of the Exchequer Phillip Hammond, speaking at the Conference, had confirmed the Government’s commitment to the Midlands Engine for Growth and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had committed £12m to Midlands Connect, which is driving better connectivity between towns and cities in the Midlands.

Mr Martin, speaking at the event which was jointly hosted by seven regional Chambers of Commerce with, together, over 14,000 members, said that links between education and business needed to be stronger and education had to be more responsive to changes in industry.

He also called for reassurances from Government for EU-based employees of UK companies and for those wanting to come to work in the UK and how Britain will need to “continue to attract people on a pragmatic basis” post-Brexit.

Mr Martin added that “all Chambers are different” and have to “respond to local needs and local business community priorities” but that one of the strengths of the Chamber movement was its ability to work together to enhance business.

Conservative MPs from across the region were invited to join the Chambers and representatives of local businesses at the ‘fringe’ event, intended to show how

business could work together to continue to drive growth despite current market uncertainties.

Any other MPs attending the Conference had an open invitation to take part, the aim being to informally provide Ministers with a closer insight into regional business priorities at a time of uncertainty as far as growth and investment are concerned.

Exporters, each with their own concerns about Britain post-Brexit, make up about a third of the membership of the Chambers taking part in the event at the Studio at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, close to the main entrance of the International Conference Centre, Centenary Square, which is the main venue for the Conference.

The seven Chambers involved were Northants, Milton Keynes, Coventry and Warwickshire, Birmingham, Black Country, Staffordshire, Hereford and Worcestershire and East Midlands Chamber.

Between them, the Chambers represent members across 25 business sectors and handle over 100,000 export documents a year.

Louise Bennett, the chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Being able to speak directly to decision makers in order to ensure they understand the issues that businesses are facing is absolutely crucial.

“The Chamber launched its own postBrexit Go For Growth hotline in the immediate aftermath of the decision to leave the EU and, as ever, we are in very close contact with businesses to check how they are faring in these uncertain time.

“By working together, the Chambers of Commerce taking part in today’s event, along with firms from all across the Midlands, hope to create a dialogue with regional and national MPs that will focus their attention on the things that matter to business and open doors so that business can play a significant part in shaping a great future for Britain post-Brexit.”

“...links between education and business needed to be stronger and education had to be more responsive to changes in industry.”

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Education and Training

Partnership launched to help tackle construction generation gap Leading accountants Moore Stephens have launched a partnership with the team behind a new programme influencing generations of young people to be part of the construction industry.

Stratford-upon-Avon College has been selected to appear in the 2015/16 edition of The Parliamentary Review.

Established by former minister The Rt Hon David Curry shortly after the 2010 general election, The Parliamentary Review’s September release has become a key fixture in the political calendar.

Stratford-upon-Avon College features alongside the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Philip Hammond, and a small number of outstanding organisations in the Higher & Further Education edition. The main aim of The Review is to showcase best practice as a learning tool to the public and private sector, with this edition aimed particularly at policymakers and executives within Higher Education.

Built Environment Skills in Schools (BESS) is a 10-year programme which highlights all the initiatives, programmes and projects that exist in the construction sector – reconnecting students, educators and employers.

The programme has been launched by behavioural change expert Kathryn Lennon-Johnson and is linked to the Construction 2025 Strategy – a joint strategy from government and industry for the future of the UK construction industry.

BESS uses the Hot 500 Hub peer learning social network to host a range of information and activities which young people can access – depending on where their interest lies.

By summer 2017 BESS aims to reach all senior schools in England, along with colleges, academies, independent schools and universities – providing a direct link between the construction sector and more than 15 million young people between the ages of 11 and 21.

Influential organisations across the construction industry have already signed up to support the programme. The real estate and construction team at Moore Stephens, the Top Ten accountancy firm, have become one of the first gold supporters of the programme.

Kathryn Lennon-Johnson, BESS founder, said: “The programme is really starting to take shape and gain strong traction with schools, colleges and businesses.

left to right – Paul Fenner, head of real estate and construction at Moore Stephens and Kathryn Lennon-Johnson, Built Environment Skills in Schools (BESS) founder

“While other organisations are doing incredible things to try and tackle the skills gap, there is still an uphill battle to get young people interested in the construction industry.

“I’m not saying we have all the answers, but we're promoting the whole construction sector, connecting up all the good work others are doing to create a consistent experience for young people.”

Paul Fenner, head of real estate and construction at Moore Stephens, said: “The construction industry has reported that an additional 230,000 workers will be needed in the UK in the next five years, and this figure is only going to grow and grow unless serious action is taken by the sector.

“The Built Environment Skills in Schools programme is bringing together all parties to make a difference and we’re delighted to be involved. A huge amount of progress has already been made and we’re committed to supporting the programme.”

BESS is working closely with key players in construction including the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), Construction Industry Council, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Birmingham City Council, Moore Stephens, and leading multi-disciplinary engineering and environmental consultancy, MLM.

Apprenticeship Levy - will it impact your business?

By Ben Tarry, Senior Manager/Expatriate Tax for and on behalf of BDO LLP As readers may already be aware, the Government announced the introduction of an Apprenticeship Levy within its Summer 2015 Budget with the prime intention of addressing the UK’s shortage of skilled labour.

Despite much subsequent conjecture, the levy will come into effect as of 6th April 2017. It will have some impact on every business with a payroll, if only in terms of payroll submissions.

In terms of the basics of how the levy will operate, it will be charged at 0.5% of an employer’s ‘paybill’, which is classified as total earnings liable to employer Class 1 National Insurance.

The classification will include earnings for employees aged under 21 and apprentices under 25. There will, however, be an annual allowance of £15,000 for each employer to offset against the levy which, it is planned, will be applied on a cumulative basis.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

College represents higher education in review

Employers with a paybill of less than £3m will, therefore, be exempt from the levy.

It is estimated that about 20,000 employers will have a paybill that is over the threshold and so pay the levy.

The calculation may not be straightforward and it is recommended that relevant businesses consider any complexities well in advance of 6th April 2017. It will be a monthly, cumulative, calculation so for employers with multiple payrolls operating on different pay cycles careful co-ordination may be required.

What can be drawn down from a digital account? The Government is forming an Institute for Apprenticeships to monitor and decide how levy funding is spent. To date, we know that it is intended that all employers, whether they pay the levy or not, will be able to access funding for apprenticeships,

most via a digital account which will enable them to see their levy contributions and/or how much apprenticeship training they may purchase with a registered training provider. It should be noted that the amount of funding an employer may spend on each apprentice will be capped.

As of the time of writing, some unanswered questions remain, however we are encouraging organisations to examine how the levy will potentially impact them now.

This should address the key questions of whether the organisation will be exempt, is current/proposed training likely to qualify under an apprenticeship standard and if not whether anything can be changed within a training programme to maximise the potential level of draw down from the apprenticeship levy digital account.

College partnership prepares students for employment success Stratford-upon-Avon College’s latest partnership is set to ensure outstanding employment opportunities as well as advice and guidance are available to all learners.

The College is working with Proactive Education to secure rewarding work experience placements for all full-time students and collaborate with employers to source apprenticeship opportunities.

Samantha Fitzgerald, Jane Trevellick and Nick Brosnan from Proactive Education are based in the College Job Pod three days a week. They will run a drop-in service every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, offering future skills and employment advice to all learners and sharing the vital work-readiness skills sought after by employers.

Samantha said: “Our aim is to deliver work experience for every student; we act as a single point of contact, ensuring that the whole process runs smoothly and that the needs of both student and employer are met.”

Stevie Edmund-Jones, Head of Employer Engagement at the College, said: “This innovative partnership will be of enormous help to our learners and local businesses alike.”

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Area Focus: Coventry

Housing, jobs and community boost with launch of £44m high-rise retirement scheme

A £44m, high-rise development for older people opened in Coventry, boosting the city’s retirement housing options, jobs and community facilities.

The ten-storey Earlsdon Park Retirement Village also effectively generates two homes for one, as occupants downsize into purpose-built retirement properties, freeing up their previous home for sale or rent.

The integrated care and housing scheme, designed by architects Nicol Thomas,

incorporates 262 one and two-bedroom apartments – 101 for sale, 109 for shared ownership.

The innovative development, close to the city centre and on the site of the former Butts Technical College, is a partnership between ExtraCare Charitable Trust, Coventry City Council and the Homes and Communities Agency, which contributed £1.45m.

Construction work by Galliford Try started at the village two years ago and

has provided more than 200 construction jobs. Around 35 village staff have been recruited locally to support the on-site care, hospitality, housekeeping and leisure services.

Rental homes are reserved for those needing personal care with a third of the 350 residents, including those with dementia, receiving support within their own home from specialist health and social care staff following individual care assessments.

All homes are within easy access of the village centre where facilities include a bar and bistro, library, hair and beauty salon, games room, fitness suite and greenhouse.

Earlsdon Park Village amenities are for use not only by residents, but also by local older people, residents’ families and volunteers.

As the charity’s first retirement village in its native Coventry, the village marks a milestone for Coventry-based ExtraCare which was established in the city in 1988 and now supports more than 4,400 older people in 31 housing developments across the region.

Chief Executive Mick Laverty said: “We believe Earlsdon Park Village offers Coventry’s older people secure and comfortable

homes, care if they need it and an active lifestyle. It’s a new kind of retirement living where older people and their friends can enjoy a happy future at heart of community life.”

ExtraCare won the Outstanding Approach to Innovation award at the 2016 UK Housing Awards, which recognises innovative well-being and dementia services, the creation of cost savings and the delivery of better outcomes for people.

Connection project judged a success

... a little bit of something different …

Me e t • D in e • R e la x • In flu e n c e Parties for Christmas ‘winter wonderland’ in December • Exclusive Hire • Private Functions • 10 distinctive meeting and syndicate rooms • Free parking • Bar facilities

• Free Wifi • Stunning Warwickshire countryside view • Excellent customer service • Convenient location close to M6, M1, M69 & A45

Get in touch:- 02476 621 899

Nettle Hill Brinklow Road Ansty Coventry CV7 9JL

www.nettlehill.co.uk

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WarwickNet is continuing to come to the rescue of poorly connected businesses – with its newest cabinets set to go live in Coventry this month.

More than 100 businesses are set to benefit from installation of the three new cabinets on Torrington Avenue in an initiative which will see users receive download speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s – a stark contrast to the 4 Mbit/s which many organisations in the area are currently reporting.

Placed at the junctions with Templar Avenue, Nickson Road and Gravel Hill, the cabinets will allow WarwickNet to supply FTTC and FTTP connections, as well as high capacity leased lines.

Mark Davison, senior business development manager at WarwickNet, said: “It’s completely unacceptable that businesses such as those operating from Torrington Avenue still do not have access to high-speed broadband.

“As a Coventry-based company, we have been working hard to ensure that businesses across the city are supplied

with the connections they need and are not simply left to struggle with slow download speeds which prohibit productivity and create an advantage for their competitors.

“It’s our hope that the cabinets installed on Torrington Avenue will allow more than 100 businesses working from this largely industrial area to once again operate on a level playing field.”

Over the past five years, WarwickNet has increased its Coventry coverage from five to 23 business parks and city-centre locations, and now provides high-speed internet connections to more than 250 businesses in the area.

Leigh Hunt, Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Manager, CSW Broadband, said: “We are extremely grateful to WarwickNet for the work they have carried out across the city. The more work carried out by independent network providers, the more funding there is for the CSW Broadband project to tackle the hard to reach areas.”

“It’s completely unacceptable that businesses such as those operating from Torrington Avenue still do not have access to high-speed broadband.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Area Focus: Coventry

Peace event returns to Coventry Hereward A major annual international peace event featuring leading figures from across the world will be staged in Coventry again in November.

RISING 16, the second annual gathering of the RISING Global Peace Forum, will be held in the city from 15 to 16 November, with the theme ‘The Ripple Effect’.

Inspired and supported by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the RISING Global Peace Forum was founded in 2015 by a partnership between Coventry University, Coventry Cathedral and Coventry City Council.

RISING 16 will explore the consequences of intervention, and the choice between action or inaction, in responding to violence and conflict.

Key topics addressed will include international conflict, global migration, community cohesion and countering violent extremism, the role of women in peace and security and the impact of conflict on children and young people.

A host of high-profile international figures from the world of peace and reconciliation gave inspiring talks at the first event last year.

RISING Global Peace Forum director Ciarán Norris said: “In the past 12 months global security has dominated the political agenda, public concerns are mounting, and nations are becoming more inwardlooking.

“Against this background, RISING 16 will bring together international political, faith and community leaders, peacebuilders, diplomats, academics, the media, and members of the public – all in the common cause of provoking peace.

interns get opportunity boost

The Employability team at Hereward College in Coventry are expanding their Supported Internship programme this Autumn, having secured new partnerships with three local businesses, Severn Trent Water, Airwave and Whitefriars Housing.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown addresses delegates in Coventry Cathedral as part of RISING 15 last year.

“Last year it was clear the event energised delegates - the depth and breadth of discussion and the real commitment to action that followed was significant and it’s something we will look to build on this year.”

During the two-day gathering, a blend of high-profile speakers, panel discussions and cultural activities – as part of Coventry’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021 – will allow participants to interact, to learn and to explore solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

New partnership receives powerful backing

Coventry University has joined forces with six other Midlands universities in a pioneering new partnership to provide a powerful economic resource for the Midlands Engine after Prime Minister Theresa May reiterated her support for the initiative.

Midlands Enterprise Universities will see Coventry University alongside Birmingham City University, De Montfort University Leicester, University of Derby, University of Lincoln, Nottingham Trent University and the University of Wolverhampton, collaborate to support jobs and wealth creation in the region.

The consortium formally launched at Birmingham City University’s Curzon building in front of a room of key business leaders, academics and local authority members.

The partnership brings the institutions together to create a unique pool of skills,

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Professor John Lathan, Vice-Chancellor at Coventry University, said: The creation of Midlands Enterprise Universities signals a significant development in the way higher education institutions can contribute to the regional economy.

“Our combined collaboration with business and employers, coupled with our extended international reach and our renowned presence in our respective local communities positions us perfectly to drive forward the skills, innovation and enterprise agendas which will help the Midlands Engine foster economic collaboration, secure investment and research, expertise and facilities, which boost growth across the region.” will be made available to businesses and The Universities collectively contribute local authorities to create jobs, boost more than £3 billion to the region’s economic growth and plug skills gaps economy and already work with many across the East and West Midlands. major organisations such as Rolls Royce, Prime Minister Theresa May, who Jaguar Land Rover, PepsiCo, Experian, visited Birmingham for the Conservative Unipart and the BBC. Party Conference, has already pledged her support for the Midlands Engine, They are working closely with their setting her sights on maximising the supply chain companies and also deliver benefits of the region’s location at the focused support to many local small and heart of the country. medium sized businesses.

Midlands Enterprise Universities will The consortium is also working with the use its knowledge and expertise to support businesses and sectors key to the region’s Midlands Engine to develop collective plans to improve the region’s economy. growth, including: These include how to develop integrated • Manufacturing engineering and routes for developing talent in the transport technologies manufacturing and engineering sector, • Creative and digital design as well as how to provide a full package of • Food and drink manufacturing business support to smaller organisations • Health and life sciences • Energy and low carbon technologies and start-ups with growth potential.

Nestled at the top of Bramston Crescent in Tile Hill, Hereward predominantly caters for students with a range of disabilities and learning difficulties.

Having already been working with National Grid, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire and The Employment Support Service (part of Coventry City Council’s Employment Team), the programme is seeing rapid growth as more employers in the region are stepping up to become involved in the scheme.

A total of nine of Hereward’s learners will be working within the three organisations and will be rotating across a selection of different departments over the academic year. Each student is supported not only by the company staff, but by an on-site Job Coach employed by Hereward.

Airwave, a Motorola Solutions-owned critical communications company with offices in Rugby, will induct interns across three departments; IT, Customer Service and Security.

Ian McCullagh, vice president at Motorola Solutions and Airwave’s managing director, said: "Motorola Solutions is supporting young talent around the world and we hope our new interns will enjoy working with us and getting to know the solutions that we develop."

As a part of Coventry City’s business network, the recruitment of Severn Trent promises to be an influential asset. Mike Williamson, Head of Network Control and Asset Management said: “This is a hugely exciting project for Severn Trent. We’re proud to be working with Hereward College on a scheme which has great benefits for our community and we hope this is the start of a long and productive relationship.

Severn Trent’s interns will be learning from their Customer Service, Asset Data and Property teams.

Whitefriars Housing in Coventry, part of the WM Housing Group, have also picked up the supported internship baton. Offering young people opportunities to experience the inner workings of the company’s Property Maintenance teams, they will assist in the organisation’s cleaning and garden upkeep.

Learning and Development Manager Michaela Hyman said: “We are extremely excited and enthused to welcome our interns into the business and are already setting up training plans and inductions for our ‘Cleanworks’ placements starting in the Autumn.”

Whitefriars is also aiming to take on an additional three office-based interns at the beginning of 2017 to work across Lettings and Customer Services, their Neighbourhoods team and Property Services department.

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Area Focus: Coventry

Sponsorship is extended

Stanair and Wasps partnership renewed for 2016/17 season As the 2016/17 Aviva Premiership season got under way Stanair and Wasps RFC have renewed their partnership.

Last season Stanair announced it was supporting James Gaskell, the 6ft 7 inch back row, who has represented England at U18 and U20 level, while he has also previously captained England Saxons.

On the eve of the new season, members of the Stanair team met with James at a Wasps RFC training day to announce they were renewing their relationship for the year ahead.

“As a company we believe in supporting both grass roots sports and backing professional teams where as a business we operate.” said Martin Wall, Director at Stanair.

“We have a Depot in Rugby that supports firms across Warwickshire.

Therefore, by working with James and Wasps, and seeing their commitment to work with the local community means that once again we wanted to give him and the club our backing.”

Auto Jap Spares has further extended its sponsorship of Coventry City Football Club, for a second consecutive year, with a deal that includes the sponsorship of both the home and away dugouts at the Ricoh Arena.

The company – which are specialists in the supply of new parts and spares for all makes of UK & imported Japanese cars, vans and suv vehicles – was launched in 1999.

The sponsorship deal is the third to be secured in the space of two years by Pete Witherow, the boss of Tile Hill based Auto Jap Spares, in a bid to further his company’s support of the Sky Blues.

A lifelong fan, Pete believes that joining forces with the club will provide excellent exposure for Auto Jap Spares and help Coventry City follow on from the club’s on-field success last season.

Pete said: “Last season was obviously a disappointment with us missing out on the play-offs by such as small margin, but it’s an exciting time to be a Coventry City supporter with Tony Mowbray at the helm, so extending the dugout sponsorship was a no-brainer for me.

“It provides an excellent opportunity to raise the brand awareness of Auto Jap Spares, not only to thousands of fans but to millions watching when we’re broadcast on television. whilst at the same time providing the club with much needed funds.

“With attendances last season averaging over 12,500 fans at every home league game and season tickets approaching the 5,500 mark for the 2016/17 season, giving my support to Coventry City through advertising can only prove to be great for business as it’s a win-win for both parties.”

Tynan Scope, Coventry City Football Club’s Corporate Sales Manager, said: “We are delighted to be working with Pete and Auto Japanese Spares again for the forthcoming season in a partnership that is mutually beneficial to Coventry City Football Club and Auto Jap Spares.

“Auto Jap Spares, amongst other club sponsors and partners, have continued to remain committed following an amazing season of football last season; providing further stability around the club off the field.”

Production Services contributes to increased turnover for the Belgrade Theatre The Belgrade Theatre Trust has announced an increase in earned income through its commercial activities, the largest of which is its set building and costume manufacturing company, Belgrade Production Services.

Recently released figures from its Annual Report show that the Belgrade Theatre Trust has been successful in earning 66% of its £5.5million turnover, compared with 46% of its £4million turnover in 2007-8, through its various enterprises.

Over the past year, 171,000 people enjoyed one of 531 live performances at the theatre; 12% up on the previous year. In 2015, the theatre also celebrated its legacy of 50 years since the invention of Theatre in Education, which has further strengthened its reputation as a leader in work for children and young people.

In a bid to become less reliant on public funding and to earn money from other areas in addition to ticket sales and merchandise, the Belgrade has undergone a strategic effort to diversify its income streams since 2007.

This has seen the theatre hire out its facilities for Events & Conferencing, the introduction of commercial theatre workshop programmes for children and young people and the creation of Belgrade Production Services in 2009, which makes costumes and sets for theatres around the country.

Belgrade Production Services hold an impressive portfolio to its name, having produced sets for some of the UK’s most esteemed theatres such as the National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Regent’s Park

26

Open Air and The Young Vic, as well as international producing clients.

Altogether the theatre’s wholly owned trading subsidiary Belgrade Theatre Enterprises’ has seen yet another year of growth, rising to nearly £1million (£945k).

Of this figure, a total of £714,000 was earned solely by Belgrade Production Services, exceeding the turnover for the previous year.

This strand of the theatre’s work provided almost 29,900 hours of work for skilled freelance/casual carpenters, welders, props maker, scenic artists and wardrobe technicians in addition to the Belgrade’s core staff, based at their workshops at Red Lane in Coventry.

Joanna Reid, Executive Director of the Belgrade Theatre said, “Since the theatre’s reopening in 2007 following a £14million redevelopment project, we have been successfully seeking ways to sweat the assets of our building and areas of expertise.

There has been a quiet revolution within the organisation as it becomes necessary to replace public funding and create commercial income, that enables us to continue to offer quality productions and community programmes to the City and Region.”

The highly skilled staff at Belgrade Production Services are experienced in set construction and props including computer aided design, CNC machinery, carpentry, joinery, metal fabrication and scenic arts.

The wardrobe department also have over twenty years’ experience in creating costume for theatre, film and television.

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Area Focus: Mid Warwickshire

MP puts the case for Brexit talks

Double delight for Comtec Translations at language sector awards Comtec Translations, a language service company based in Leamington Spa, is celebrating after scooping two awards at the Association of Translation Companies’ (ATC) 2016 Language Industry Summit Awards.

Vicki Rushton was announced as the winner in the Freelance Supplier of the Year category, beating off stiff competition from two other national finalists.

Comtec Director Isabella Moore received the very first Eichner Distinguished Service Award, designed to recognise a lifetime’s contribution to the language industry.

Isabella said: “I have lived and breathed the language industry for many years and being chosen as the recipient of this very prestigious award has to rank as one of my proudest moments.

“I feel very fortunate to have built up a very skilled and supportive team and I hope that this award serves to inspire them, and anyone considering a career in the language industry, as to what you can achieve with determination and a lot of hard work.”

Vicki said: “I was both surprised and delighted to hear that I had been shortlisted so when they read out my name, I was totally elated. I feel very passionately about the job that I do and the importance of the language sector in our country, and I am very proud that my commitment has been recognised at the highest possible level by such a distinguished panel of judges.”

This year’s judging panel comprised Rudy Tirry, President of the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies, Sarah Griffin-Mason, Chair of the Institute of Translation & Interpreting, Laura Brandon, Executive Director of the Globalization and Localization Association and Geoffrey Bowden, General Secretary for the ATC, who was the non-voting chair of the judging panel.

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Attorney General and Kenilworth MP Jeremy Wright has told business that the Government is going into Brexit negotiations in an “upbeat mood”.

He was addressing a group of business owners and managers at a meeting of the mid-Warwickshire branch of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce at the Holiday Inn in Kenilworth.

The MP, who retained his role in the Cabinet after the appointment of new Prime Minister Theresa May, addressed a range of issues including skills, exporting and regulation.

He said: “I might not have wanted that outcome, but I fully recognise that the majority of the country voted for us to leave the European Union, and that is what we will be putting in place in the coming months.

“I have been in the Cabinet for more than two years and I have to say that I found the mood of the new Cabinet upbeat when it first met.

“It is imperative that we get the best deal we can, and the view is that our new status outside the EU can open up some very exciting opportunities with other parts of the world and we have to make the most of those and to maximise our tradition as a trading nation.

“But we also have to accept that our productivity is too low considering all our strengths and we have to see that improve.

Measuring productivity has to take into account how good the conditions are for people to do business and that includes factors such as efficient and fast broadband and a good road and transport infrastructure – factors the government is committed to improving and very much fit in with the Chamber’s Go For Growth campaign.”

Mr Wright added that it was important that vocational courses in further and higher education were given more importance – but that more needed to be done to ensure those courses and qualifications matched the needs of businesses.

The meeting also heard from Dave AytonHill, Group Manager for Economy and Skills for Warwickshire County Council, who gave a detailed assessment of the area’s economy.

Both were also brought up to date on the Chamber’s Go For Growth campaign, which has highlighted key areas of growth for Coventry and Warwickshire, and also addressed issues hampering businesses of all sectors.

Peter Burns, past president of the Chamber, chaired the meeting and said it had been the perfect forum for members to put their views to someone at the very heart of Government.

He said: “Jeremy was very honest and forthright and it was a really useful session which allowed members to raise key points affecting their businesses to someone who sits – literally – at the top table of Government.

“Jeremy meets regularly with the Chamber and we believe it is a mutually beneficial link.

“As well as members of the MidWarwickshire branch, members from other areas also joined us to feed-in their thoughts and that helped to make it a very interesting discussion.

“It’s clear that the issues that Jeremy was talking about were the same as those being raised by our members and that the Chamber is driving the discussion on those through Go For Growth.”

Gamble on last few pounds pays off for Ruth

A Nuneaton businesswoman who used her last few pounds to launch a marketing service is now working with clients across the country.

Hashtag Marketing Consultancy was founded by Ruth Warwick after she was made redundant while on maternity leave.

Unable to find a part time role at a senior level, she decided to take the plunge and used the last of her funds to set-up her new venture.

One year on, Ruth, aged 33, has developed a strong client-base and provides marketing solutions to companies from a range of industries based in the Midlands and across England.

The company offers services including marketing strategy and planning, website design and management, social media, PR, events, design and print, advertising and customer experience guidance.

Ruth said: “With a few pounds in one pocket – literally - and enthusiasm in the other, Hashtag Marketing was born.

“I was initially concerned about being able to sustain a regular income and how I would cope with the demands of a new business whilst keeping things running smoothly at home.

“I’ve found ways to manage my time effectively. You really do need to be motivated to run your own business, no one is going to do it for you. You need to set yourself goals and give yourself a reason to get out of bed in the mornings.

“People ask me what it’s like to have my own business and question if I find it lonely working for myself. The honest answer is yes, it can be lonely at times but there’s plenty of opportunity to engage with people whether that be clients, associates or other small business owners.

“The benefits of being my own boss, managing my own time and having the flexibility to work when and how I want to work far outweigh the remoteness that I sometimes experience.”

Ruth was helped to set-up the business by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce which provides free guidance to start-ups through workshops and one-to-one mentoring as part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme, which is part funded by the European

Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Ruth added: “The Chamber provided me with invaluable support when setting up the business and helped make it a success.

They provided support with everything from sourcing new clients to looking after finances and filing accounts.”

Margaret Bull, a business advisor at Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce who supported Ruth, said: “Ruth’s passion for her business along with our startup support has helped Hashtag Marketing Consultancy go from strength to strength.

“Ruth now has built up a strong client-base, working with companies across the country, which will continue to grow in the long-term.”

For more information about start-up support, contact the Chamber on 024 7665 4321 or email startyourbusiness@cw-chambers.co.uk.

For more information about Hashtag Marketing contact Ruth on 07525 068843 or email ruth@hashtagmarketingconsultancy.co.uk.

Specialists are shortlisted Massage and Nutrition specialists The Leamington Therapy Centre have been shortlisted in the Health, Fitness & Beauty category of the Leamington Business Awards 2016.

Founder and Principal Lisa Moore together with Gemma Preston and Lee-Ann Hughes provide a full range of treatments including sports & remedial massage, injury treatment, nutrition advice as well as reflexology, pregnancy massage, Indian head massage and hot stone therapy at Number 7, Clarendon Place, Leamington Spa which has been the home to their clinic since March 2011.

The winner of the award will be announced at Woodland Grange Hotel on Friday 11th November.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Area Focus: North Warwickshire

Businesses back growth plan

: Front (left to right) Louise Bennett, Craig Tracey and Dorothy Barratt with members of the Chamber’s north branch committee behind

The MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth has backed a campaign to help the region’s businesses grow – and says it’s aligned with Government policy.

Craig Tracey MP met the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s north branch at the North Warwickshire Borough Council Civic Centre in Atherstone to discuss the region’s economy.

The meeting was given an update on the Chamber’s Go For Growth campaign – which is encouraging companies to expand while, at the same time, looking into the barriers to growth.

Dorothy Barratt, of North Warwickshire Borough Council (NWBC), gave an overview of the Local Plan for the area

and advised businesses that formal consultation would begin on November 10 this year and end on January 5, 2017.

She said that NWBC was balancing its own housing and employment land needs with the possibility of having to incorporate homes and commercial land from other parts of the West Midlands.

The new plan is gearing up for between 58 and 91 hectares of employment land up to 2031 in order to meet the growth aspirations of the region.

Louise Bennett, the chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said NWBC had grasped the nettle on growth.

She said: “I’d encourage companies to look at the plan and feedback but we believe North Warwickshire Borough Council is looking at a rounded approach to growth.

“Through our Go For Growth campaign, we have highlighted many barriers to businesses being able to expand and take on new staff and the availability of space is one of them.

“Our board member and Coventry branch chair David Penn has, with the Chamber team, done a great deal of work and research into this and will be feeding into councils across Warwickshire and the city.

“We are grateful for Craig Tracey’s support on Go For Growth and we were delighted to welcome him to our north branch committee meeting.”

Craig, who was elected as the MP for the area in May 2015, said he knew the pressures of running a business and was keen for Government to do all it could to create the conditions for growth.

He said: “The Chamber’s campaign is very much aligned to what the Government wants to do for business.

“We understand that there is uncertainty around Brexit but we want firms to be able to grow so you will see there is a push on access to finance, on improving digital infrastructure – especially in rural areas – and also in getting companies to export in a more targeted way.

“We want to give smaller businesses the opportunity to scale up and I understand the issue around the space available.

“That said, I think this region must also begin to factor in HS2 and the space that it is going to take up and also the potential affect it will have on our infrastructure.”

More information on the North Warwickshire Borough Council Local Plan is available at www.northwarks.gov.uk

Sketchley Grange secures major contract win The UK’s largest independent provider of specialised, secure and step-down care has chosen Sketchley Grange Hotel & Spa in Hinckley, Leicestershire, as its preferred venue to host crucial staff training for newly-qualified nurses.

With 30 years’ experience, expert teams and with hospitals and services across the UK, Partnerships in Care (PiC) helps patients, residents and commissioners across the country find the right care pathway and treatment for the best possible chance of a stable and safe life in the community.

PiC has care pathways and cares for people with many different conditions, including those with mental disorders, learning disabilities, acquired brain injuries and progressive neurological conditions, trauma and addiction, as well as providing child and adolescent mental health services.

Twice a year, the organisation recruits an intake of 50 newly-registered nurses who are required to participate in a training programme – otherwise known as the ‘preceptorship academy’ – which involves a three-day induction and a series of focus

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

days over a 12-month period. With PiC working across England, Scotland and Wales, the venue for training purposes needs to be central and accessible to all new recruits.

Sketchley Grange, which enjoys an enviable setting on the borders of Leicestershire and Warwickshire, has been selected by PiC to facilitate the preceptorship academy for the next three

years, thanks to its well-connected location and first-rate facilities.

Keith Barry, Group Head of Nursing for Partnerships in Care, says: “We were looking for somewhere central that all of our newly-qualified staff could get to easily and we needed a venue that could cater for all of our needs – and Sketchley Grange ticks both boxes.”

Solicitors sponsor wildlife sanctuary A local firm of Solicitors have shown their support to Nuneaton's much loved wildlife sanctuary based in Oaston Road.

LDJ Solicitors have nominated the Nuneaton & Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary as their chosen charity of the year and pledged to sponsor the organisation for the next 12 months.

The sponsorship will help raise much needed funds for the sanctuary that rely entirely on charitable donations to save the areas local wildlife.

Craig Everitt, Practice Manager at LDJ said "We are delighted to support the wildlife sanctuary. Geoff and his team work tirelessly to ensure local wildlife have a haven where they can receive rest and recuperation before they are released back into the wild.

Without the sanctuary, many of these animals would not survive and we hope our support can help the sanctuary continue its fantastic work".

Geoff Grewcock, founder of the Nuneaton & Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, said "We were delighted when LDJ approached us. Community and local business support is very important to us and to have such a wonderful firm wish to sponsor us reinforces to us that we are doing a good job”.

The Nuneaton & Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary is open to the general public from Monday to Saturday 11.00am to 3.00pm.

If you would like make a charitable donation to the sanctuary, please call Geoff on (024)76 345243 or visit their website at www.nuneatonwildlife.co.uk/donations/

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Area Focus: South Warwickshire

Clarity focuses on ‘friendly expert’ approach

A new business has been created in Stratford-upon-Avon to focus on the print and document management sector.

Clarity Document Information Services (DIS) was launched at the start of September by Sam Baker.The new company aims to offer ‘friendly expert’ guidance on all aspects of managed print services, paper and digital document management and instantaccess cloud-based digital archiving.

Clarity DIS also provides interactive flat panel displays plus the latest costeffective printers, copiers and scanners.

A former soldier with the Royal Signals, Sam spent several years progressing through a series of technical support and account management roles in the world of printers, copiers, document management and digital archiving services.

Clarity DIS is focusing on providing its services to firms in and around Stratford, Warwick, Leamington, Coventry and Birmingham and is ideally placed to deliver tangible cost-saving benefits to businesses with ten or more office staff.

Sam said: “I’m confident that we can also help many businesses to save up to 30% of their office printing-related costs, purely by helping them to mange their print environment in a more effective and sustainable way.”

Just weeks into running his new venture, Sam is already looking to take on an apprentice and a business development manager to help him further develop the business.

Company makes the move

The leading global pioneer in activity trackers and training computers has re-located to a modern new premises in Warwick.

Polar UK has moved into a new 5,000 sq ft property on Wedgnock Industrial Estate with the help of Coventry-based property, risk and facilities management firm The Wigley Group.

Polar caters to all levels of fitness by offering a product range including cycling computers, wearable sports devices and activity trackers, training apps and online services.

The company operates in more than 80 countries and its award-winning training computers are sold through more than 35,000 retailers globally.

Polar’s UK and Ireland base previously operated from a nearby 12,000 sq ft building in Warwick which included an 8,000 sq ft warehouse area which was used to distribute products around the UK until 2014 when shipping moved to Amsterdam.

The company wanted to move to a more suitable nearby premises to ensure it could keep its workforce and called on The Wigley Group to help with the re-location.

Polar UK finance director John Gibbs said: “We wanted to stay reasonably close so we could retain our staff. Essentially we wanted the same amount of office space but without the warehouse which was now obsolete to our needs.

“I knew I needed to find someone with broad commercial property experience rather than someone to simply find us a new building. We wanted an advisor who could help throughout the process including the preliminary negotiations.”

The Wigley Group director James Davies used the company’s network of property agents to find Polar UK its new base. The company guided John through to heads of terms alongside the property agent before solicitors handled the final contracts.

To create the right space for Polar UK’s staff, The Wigley Group’s facilities management division were also appointed to fit out the new building which included dividing up the two floors and creating a new kitchen.

John added: “I was genuinely impressed with James and all of the team at The Wigley Group.

“They helped in anything they could and never quibbled over the scope of what their services included and I would definitely use them again.”

James Davies said: “Many companies find that their commercial space no longer meets their needs but aren’t sure what their options are.

“We’re able to give companies unbiased advice on all aspects of their business strategy connected to property. That includes exiting previous lease arrangements, finding a new property and the negotiations around new rental or purchase agreements.

“We know that finding a space which meets the current and future needs of a business is about more than just finding an empty building – our commercial acumen, knowledge of the property market and negotiation skills are where our team can really add value.

“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to find Polar UK the right commercial property which meets their current and anticipated future needs.”

Venture House the business centre that inspires…

Venture House, Stratford-on-Avon District Council’s new state-of-the-art business centre in Stratford-upon-Avon, opened for business in April this year following the completion of a major project to turn a redundant council building on Avenue Farm Industrial Estate into a top class facility for small businesses and new business start-ups.

The Centre provides 2,500 square feet of business space over two floors with disabled access on the ground floor and is particularly aimed at new and existing SMEs, entrepreneurs and home based businesses wanting to make the first transition into a commercial environment.

Venture House provides hot-desking, co-working space, self-contained offices, reception meet & greet, superfast broadband, WiFi, free business support, meeting space, small conferencing facilities, on-site parking & cycle shed, indoor & outdoor chill-out zones, refreshment facilities, competitive rates and easy in easy out terms.

Free business support is provided on site by business experts from the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Hub; a ‘one-stop service’ offering advice on mentoring, coaching, business planning, access to finance, exporting, apprenticeship opportunities and more…

The project has been funded by the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) through an award of £450,000 as part of the Growth Deal initiative, and led by a team from Stratford-on-Avon District Council.

Come and have a look round, no need to book, just turn up…

Find out more about the FREE Hot-desk trial and the special Meeting Room Offer at www.venturehousestratford.co.uk

Businesses urged to target growth Businesses in Stratford-upon-Avon and the surrounding area have been urged to make use of new grant funding opportunities available to Go For Growth.

SHERBOURNE PARK Impressive Grade II listed Georgian house

The perfect location for festive celebrations

Facilities include: • Exclusive accommodation in the house itself • Private self-contained meeting / dining suite / in-house chef • Three croquet lawns ideal for corporate team-building • Heated swimming pool June-August • Tennis Court • Choice of Marquee sites • Parking for up to 250 cars • Easy access to the M40, NEC, airport and rail network Within 20 minutes of Birmingham Airport and NEC Sherbourne Park is a perfect centre for entertaining visitors to exhibitions and from overseas. _________________________________________________________________________ Sherbourne Park, Warwick, CV35 8AP 01926 624 215 e-mail: sherbournelcsa@aol.com website www.sherbournepark.com

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Members of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s South-Warwickshire branch were given an overview of new funding available to grow or get a new company off the ground.

The latest meeting of the branch was held at Stratford-On-Avon District Council’s business support centre, Venture House, and attracted a wide range of businesses keen to hear more about the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme.

Warwickshire businesses are encouraged to apply for Investment Grants under the new Business Support Programme which is funded

by European Development Fund (ERDF).

There is £1.5m grant available to support Coventry & Warwickshire Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to make capital investments to facilitate growth, leading to job creation.

Businesses are able to utilise the expertise of Chamber business advisers to secure free one-to-one coaching and advice which can be used to support the application process.

Larry Coltman, chair of the Chamber’s South-Warwickshire branch, said the meeting was a good opportunity to dispel myths regarding grant funding available to businesses.

“The pot of money available through the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme is available to hundreds of businesses who are not aware they are eligible,” he said.

“It was extremely useful for our members to find out how they might take advantage of the fund and to hear about companies who have already been successful.

“The free support available from the Chamber to help businesses with application processes was of particular interest to SMEs and we hope at future branch meetings we’ll hear from firms who have utilised the programme to help them expand and create new jobs for our area.”

For more information on the support available, contact the Chamber on 02476 654321 or email supportyourbusiness@cw-chamber.co.uk

An elegant festive venue Sherbourne Park is the perfect location for festive celebrations and corporate entertaining.

You can have exclusive use of the house itself or the self-contained meeting / dining suite, both with in-house chef. The house has open fires in the downstairs rooms and a real country house atmosphere .

Easy access to local transport links make it ideal for entertaining overseas clients or a

home-from-home for visitors attending local exhibitions and events.

Sherbourne Park is a private estate with over 1000 acres including woodland and the River Avon for recreation.

For further information call our events team on 01926 624 215 e-mail: sherbournelcsa@aol.com or visit www.sherbournepark.com

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Area Focus: Rugby

Support for business is welcomed

Rugby company shortlisted in five categories in national manufacturing awards Automotive component manufacturer The Autins Group is celebrating making the national final in five categories in the annual Manufacturer MX Awards.

Rugby based Autins was shortlisted in the Apprentice of the Year and Young Manufacturer of the Year categories, in addition to the Customer Focus, Partnership in Education and Through Life Engineering categories.

The company has invested a substantial amount in training, development and technology over the past three years. CEO Jim Griffin said: “To be a finalist in almost half of the categories is amazing and a great testament to the great work we do here at Autins developing the next generation of manufacturers and engineers.

“The competition has been exceptionally tough this year and we are very proud that the company’s commitment to manufacturing excellence has been recognised by an independent body.”

The winners of the awards will be announced at a gala dinner and awards ceremony in Birmingham on 2nd November.

Rugby’s new voice for business has welcomed the borough’s efforts to go for even stronger growth – but some obstacles have been identified.

Karen Shuter, a director at Exact Logistics in Dunchurch, was appointed as the new chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Rugby branch at its latest meeting.

The event heard from Rob Back, of Rugby Borough Council, on the latest version of the Local Plan for the area and from Mark Pawsey, the MP for Rugby.

Rob explained that 12,400 homes were planned for the area between 2011 and 2031 and 110 hectares of employment land had been identified. That, he said, required the allocation of 5,200 homes and 30 hectares in this new local plan.

The plan is currently out for consultation and, if approved, would be adopted in autumn 2017.

David Penn, a regional property expert and chair of the Chamber’s Coventry branch, said the new plan would still leave the Rugby area short of factory and office space as many developers saw the region as ideal for industry and logistics. He added that much of the land allocated had, in fact, already been developed.

Rob acknowledged the issue and said the council is supportive of identifying additional industrial space through the local plan as long as the appropriate balance between commercial and residential development can be maintained.

He said: “We will do everything we can but the council can only create the conditions for growth – we cannot force the market.”

Mark Pawsey then listened to the concerns of businesses around everything from Brexit to increases in costs and welcomed the new World Rugby Hall of Fame, which is due to open in November.

He said: “I always welcome the opportunity to meet the Chamber and to talk to businesses about my role and listen to the issues they are facing.

“My impression, in terms of Brexit, is that businesses are carrying on as normal and the economy is quite steady as we stand.

“The Government is doing a good job at maintaining confidence and, whatever the outcome of the negotiations, there is no question that we have to export more.”

Karen said: “This was a really informative event for the branch and, for me as the new branch chair, there was a great deal of food for thought.

“We have very good lines of communication with Mark Pawsey and with the Borough Council and that allows us to feedback to them as a very active voice for business.

“The Chamber’s campaign this year is Go For Growth so we very much welcome the drive to grow the economy in the area.

“Our members are telling us that more space is required for businesses to grow and the increase in employment land is welcome – but we have raised the question as to whether it is enough and, also, whether the council can do everything in its power to ensure it is the right type of property to meet our economic needs.”

Coming home to Houlton is coming along nicely Houlton, Rugby’s newest neighbourhood is underway, with the groundwork for the first of its houses begun.

Houses will begin to appear in 2017, built

by Davidsons Homes, a quality builder with a widely-respected reputation. Two further quality housebuilders, Morris and Crest Nicholson, have also signed-up and will soon be ready to progress.

The first of Houlton’s three primary schools opens in September 2017, with informative events taking place in November, allowing prospective parents to find out all they need to know.

Realignment of the A428 Crick Road which runs in front of phase one is set for completion by the end of November. New

footpaths and cycle ways will open by the end of the year – and the new £35m link road which connects Houlton into Rugby is in planning and construction is expected to start in spring 2017.

Refurbishment work at Dollman Farm on Crick Road is almost complete, which sees the old farmhouse and barn transformed.

With the addition of two buildings, this courtyard offers a hub for new and existing communities with an eatery, visitor centre and community venue.

The grand opening for Dollman Farm will take place in the New Year to mark the 90th anniversary of that first transatlantic telephone call from Rugby Radio Station to Houlton in the USA.

The Tuning Fork Its name is inspired by the fascinating radio heritage of Houlton and this new stylish eatery is situated in the courtyard at Dollman Farm. As well as being the perfect place for getting together with friends and enjoying delicious homemade food and barista coffee, it offers a friendly, informal space for sitting down with business contacts, holding meetings and even staging events and small conferences.

To find out more about this new and exciting, fully-catered venue, email Johanne.thomas@urbanandcivic.com For more information on Houlton: www.houltonrugby.co.uk

Support for business is welcomed The University of Warwick is ensuring its buildings can be maintained quickly and efficiently after investing in safety barriers for its roofs.

It is having guardrail barrier systems installed on more than ten of its campus buildings to ensure maintenance and repairs can be completed promptly and safely.

The work is being carried out by roofing solutions firm ICB Projects and has been made possible thanks to Rugby-based Exact Logistics.

The forward thinking company is managing the on-site logistics of the project after health and safety regulations meant that ICB Projects was not able to store materials in the university grounds.

Exact Logistics arranged to warehouse the materials and is offering flexible, timed deliveries to ensure the work is carried out smoothly.

Tail lifts on the company’s vehicles have also

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replaced the need to have forklifts on-site to offload the materials.

The new barriers mean that permits will no longer be needed to carry out certain maintenance or repair work on the roofs of the university buildings.

Jane Openshaw, project manager at Warwick University, said: “The new roof edge protection will make it easier for our maintenance staff to undertake work on our roofs.”

Martin Lorains, contracts administrator at ICB Projects, added: “The guardrail system is being installed to make rooftops at the university safer and easier to maintain.”

Karen Shuter, from Exact Logistics, said: “We make deliveries across the country and in Europe but it is rewarding to manage a local project which is improving safety at a nearby university.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Motoring

Investment drives a UK success story When it comes to UK manufacturing sectors, few can lay claim to as much significance as the automotive industry and the Midlands is playing a key role in its success.

As Britain faces up to a post-Referendum world, there is an increasing realisation that the sector, which saw volumes increase by 0.9% in September alone with 159,726 vehicles produced, is one of the key ones when it comes to supplying both domestic and export markets.

The sector is certainly showing its worth with overall output for the first three quarters rising 10.5% as exports grew 12.2% to hit 1,000,642. Overseas demand drove much of the rise in production, up 5.0% to 123,119 units.

Indeed, British manufacturers made more cars in 2015 than any year since 2005 when 1,595,677 vehicles were produced.

Production increased 3.9% on 2014, with output at 1,587,677 overtaking pre-recession levels for the first time.

It all means that the automotive industry is a vital part of the UK economy, accounting for more than £71.6 billion turnover and £18.9 billion value added.

With 169,000 people employed directly in manufacturing and in excess of 814,000 across the wider automotive industry, it accounts for 12.0% of total UK export of goods.

More than 30 manufacturers build in excess of 70 models of vehicle in the UK supported by more than 2,000 component providers and some of the world’s most skilled engineers.

UK automotives are also a significant driving force for research development in the UK. In 2015, £2.4 billion was invested in British automotive R&D and the sector is Europe’s largest investor in research and development.

The Midlands is playing a key role.

Responding to the huge customer demand for Jaguar’s two latest models, the F-PACE and XE, Jaguar Land Rover revealed that the midsized premium sport sedan, the Jaguar XE, is to be built at Castle Bromwich - marking the return of all Jaguar sports and saloon car manufacturing to the Birmingham plant.

The XE will gradually transfer from its current home at Solihull, demonstrating the inherent flexibility of Jaguar Land Rover’s West Midlands manufacturing operations, the result of more than £1bn of infrastructure investment at Solihull and Castle Bromwich.

The arrival of XE at Castle Bromwich continues the renaissance of the plant and the £100m investment to welcome the latest model takes the total invested in the site to more than £500m over the past two years, supporting continuous improvement in the production of XF, F-TYPE and XJ, also built at the plant.

Nicolas Guibert, Castle Bromwich Operations Director, said: “This plant has a rich heritage and is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades, with major infrastructure projects either complete or under way. The commissioning of our all-new press line and launch of our body shop to support the introduction of XE means Castle Bromwich is future-proof.”

In August alone, Jaguar sales stood at 85,726 for the year, an increase of 72% on 2015. This strong performance is driven primarily by F-PACE, the fastest selling Jaguar of all time, and XE. Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant will continue to operate three shifts, 24 hours a day, to keep up with global demand for the Jaguar F-PACE and Range Rover Sport which are built on the same production line.

The iconic Solihull factory itself has trebled its volumes and enjoyed a £2 billion investment.

A company that just seven years ago was on the brink of collapse at the height of recession recently overtook Nissan to become the UK’s biggest carmaker by volume. A lot of this success is down to the £11bn investment by Tata, JLR’s Indian parent company.

Laser cutting services for precision products Established in 1988, Subcon Laser are recognised as market leaders in the highly technological field of using lasers as a manufacturing process.

The organisation have become one of the largest dedicated laser cutting service companies in the UK, offering world class 2 and 3 dimensional laser cut products.

The multi-award winning company have remained at the forefront of the industry by continually investing in the latest technology available, including the UK’s first 8kw Fiber Laser and the UK’s first of its kind nitrogen generating system.

Producing a quality component is also of paramount importance, a fact borne out by its investment in a 3D laser scanning and inspection system, which complements the comprehensive 2D laser scanning, inspection and reverse engineering system already in place.

The company supplies a diverse range of industries from high volume automotive products to fine precision, highly detailed parts.

Subcon are proud to support JLR in this feature, as indeed they are proud to have supplied them with a huge variety of top class laser cut products since 1994.

They are also fully committed to supporting them on all future projects as they continue to go from strength to strength.

Subcon Laser Cutting Ltd, Bermuda Road, Nuneaton, CV10 7QG Tel: +44 (0) 24 7664 2221 www.subconlaser.co.uk

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The education pathway The Royal Academy of Engineering have identified a need for a million more engineers and technicians by 2020 and in a recent CIPD survey, manufacturing was one of the sectors that reported particular challenges in filling vacancies.

So what can be done to address these problems? WMG, at the University of Warwick, believe that exciting young people about a career in engineering and developing those skills and mind-sets before they leave school is important.

Equally key is that people should have the opportunity to extend their skills and develop new ones throughout their working life to fit the changes in the market, industry and new technologies.

The programmes begin with technical education at the age of 14, through undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to professional education for senior executives.

WMG have two university technical colleges, the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, one in Coventry and one in Solihull, backed by global companies, including Jaguar Land Rover, and regional SMEs; they run a degree apprenticeship programme, full and parttime postgraduate courses in a range of subjects including engineering, cyber security, project and supply chain management for individuals, and customised programmes for organisations.

Tel: +44 (0) 24 7657 5935 www.wmg.warwick.ac.uk Email: wmgbusiness@warwick.ac.uk

FANUC UK moves headquarters to Ansty Park FANUC UK, a leading global manufacturer of automation and industrial robotic solutions, will be moving its UK headquarters to Ansty Park, Coventry.

The 107,000 sq ft building will be developed

by Highbridge Properties plc in partnership with HCA on a seven acre landscape site and will be due for completion early next year.

The building will comprise a 56,000 sq ft design, manufacturing and training facility, 43,000 sq ft of offices and an 8,000 sq ft showroom area.

Tom Bouchier, Managing Director, FANUC UK, said: “We are excited to announce our move to Ansty Park. Our new headquarters will enable us to grow and develop our team of industry experts, and offer the highest quality services to our customers. As our business continues to evolve, we look forward to working alongside a variety of technological centres of excellence.”

Tel: +44 (0) 24 7663 9669 www.fanuc.eu Email: sales@fanuc.co.uk

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Motoring

“We believe every business event should be seamlessly hosted, superbly catered and impeccably presented.”

of Castle Bromwich. The tour concludes with the spine-tingling moment when a collection of components become a car as its engine roars into life.

If that sight inspires visitors to get behind the wheel, that urge is readily satisfied. The Jaguar Experience can also offer exhilarating track experiences on specific dedicated dates, where the full Jaguar model range of XE, XF, F-TYPE and XJ is available.

Those choosing the track experience will be chauffeured from our Jaguar Experience Venue at Castle Bromwich to a nearby track where they will enjoy the exhilarating sensation of acceleration, cornering and braking in a Jaguar under track conditions and with the encouragement of skilled instructors. At the end of the session, every participant will know why a Jaguar ‘drives like it’s alive’.

The Jaguar Experience offers the plant tour and track drive either combined or as separate experiences. All tours and experiences are run in groups of up to 18 people.

THE JAGUAR EXPERIENCE Education meets exhilaration at Castle Bromwich, Jaguar’s home

Jaguar’s home at Castle Bromwich has a rich history – including a wartime role as the factory where the Spitfire aircraft was built.

But today it’s the home of Jaguar cars, and the focus is firmly on the future.

Within the Jaguar plant, visitors can take a tour that tells the inside story of an advanced car manufacturing facility. Castle Bromwich builds the flagship XJ saloon and the thrilling F-TYPE, both of which owe their fuel efficiency and agility to their aluminium body architecture. Jaguar’s expertise in aluminium means that the entire range is built from this light yet strong material.

After a welcome from their hosts including refreshments and a short briefing, visitors will be shown the intricate choreography of Jaguar’s ‘cybernetic army’ of robots that weld, rivet and bond the car bodies. Yet there are other areas where the human touch still rules. A Jaguar’s unique interior ambience owes much to the skilled men and women

The acclaimed Jaguar Heritage Experience, featuring iconic classic Jaguar models like the E-Type, will also be coming to Castle Bromwich in the near future.

For our Corporate client’s, events and conferencing forms an integral part of our business.

We believe every business event should be seamlessly hosted, superbly catered and impeccably presented. So why not go further by making it unforgettable and immerse your guests in the awe-inspiring world of Jaguar.

Thrill them with the prestige of an iconic British brand in our world class conference facilities, and enhance your event with a Manufacturing Tour, Experience Drive or both.

From your very first enquiry to thank you and farewell, our dedicated events team is on hand to help.

Our state-of-the-art venue features six elegant, flexible spaces: The Theatre, Studio, The Sir William Lyons Boardroom, Spitfire Room, Reception Area and Balcony.

Our in-house catering specialises in best-of-British cuisine, from canapés to five course suppers, using only the freshest locally sourced produce. On the day, our team of experienced waiting staff will be at your service.

All spaces have complimentary Wi-Fi and disabled access is available throughout.

We challenge our Corporate guests to redefine your events with Jaguar Experience Castle Bromwich.

For further details of all tours and experiences please contact Rebecca Rainer on 0121 786 3319 Email: rrainer@jaguarlandrover.com www.castlebromwich.jaguarexperience.com

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Here at Subcon Laser we pride ourselves on creating a truly world class laser cut product in both the two dimensional and three dimensional manufacturing disciplines.

We are a multi award winning company widely acknowledged as specialists in our field. The knowledge, expertise and technical ability of our staff has proved invaluable on a multitude of projects, from high volume automotive pressings to technically demanding brightware specialist components.

Our state of the art laser cutting systems are incredibly accurate and versatile, capable of cutting most types of material. We also have full 2D & 3D laser scanning and inspection facilities ensuring a cost effective right first time solution for any project.

For further information or assistance please click on our website or give our engineers a call and let Subcon Laser help you save time and money on your next laser cutting project.

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News

Local manufacturer plays a part in Jaguar Land Rover’s latest award-winning vehicle

Flying high A Midlands aerospace engineering company is flying after securing two six-figure contracts with some of the industry’s global manufacturers.

Arrowsmith Engineering, based on Bayton Road in Exhall, will now supply ITP and Rolls Royce, leading global aircraft components companies, with manufactured engine components.

The agreement comes after officials visited Arrowsmith Engineering’s new £450,000 extension to their facilities which were part funded by the Coventry City Council through the C&W Growth Hub. The money has enabled the business to extend its working area by 8,000 sq ft including a new 5,000 sq ft factory to increase manufacturing levels, and 3,000 sq ft of office space for a team of CAD designers, quality engineers and interns.

Jason Aldridge, managing director at Arrowsmith Engineering, said: “The past twelve months have been an incredible journey and period of growth for the business in what is a fast-paced, dynamic industry.

“We’ve had to expand the size of the business to cater for demand from other big manufacturers that we develop and supply parts to, such as Meggit – whose orders with us have quadrupled over the past year – and the likes of Rolls-Royce and Eaton.

“As well as general aircraft maintenance, the demand is being driven by the need to build more aircraft – whether it’s for civic or military use.

“The new facilities have allowed us to lure talent from other big companies into our CAD design and quality engineering departments to develop products for clients, which in turn has attracted six interns into the business from Coventry University to learn their trade.

“The C&W Growth Hub funding has also enabled us to bring external testing processes of parts in house with new state-of-the-art machinery, resulting in extra work from Meggit.”

Jaymie Thakordas, account manager at C&W Growth Hub, worked with the company to secure funding for the business.

She added: “Arrowsmith Engineering is right at the front of cutting-edge technology in the Aerospace industry and supplies parts to around half of all civic aircraft, so the potential for this business to grow is huge and this latest agreement with ITP is evidence of Arrowsmith’s great start to their expansion journey. “

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An award winning new vehicle from car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover had a helping hand from a local company who supplied a selection of parts for the vehicle’s interior cabin.

The Autins Group, which is based in Rugby, manufactures lightweight acoustic and thermal insulation components for the automotive industry. As a long time supplier of Jaguar Land Rover, the company was involved in making

wheel arch covers, under seat pads, dash pads and hush pads which go under the dashboard by the passengers’ feet for the recently launched Jaguar F-Pace.

Autins staff were delighted when the SUV was named Auto Express New Car of the Year for 2016 in July. The influential industry magazine commended the car for “embodying Jaguar’s core values of grace, pace and space” combined with “engaging driving dynamics”.

Laura Farnell, Group Marketing Manager for Autins, welcomed the award saying: “The Autins Group has a long and successful relationship with Jaguar Land Rover. As a company, they are keen to use the technology that we have available in our factories to raise the standards in car production. We are delighted to have played a part in bringing such a high quality vehicle to market.”

Auto Express also commended the F-Pace for its sleek design and relatively low running

costs, commenting that the interior has “classy materials and an excellent finish”.

The components manufactured by the Autins Group help ensure that vehicles are as economical as possible by reducing weight as well as insulating a range of parts from the interior cabin to the engine bay to either reduce heat loss or to keep parts cool. Their materials also reduce noise and vibration to ensure a smoother, quieter ride.

This isn’t the first time that the Autins Group has been involved in an award winning manufacturing for Jaguar Land Rover.

The company also supply parts, including acoustic absorbers, for the Evoque which has won numerous industry awards. arNonWovens. The Autins Group is the exclusive European supplier and manufacturer of this new material which is expected to further enhance vehicle performance.

Red Marlin accelerating further into the classic car industry with new client win Leading classic car insurer ClassicLine has appointed Red Marlin to manage its PR, marketing and social media activities.

The appointment will see Red Marlin develop a series of creative and diverse marketing campaigns designed to reflect ClassicLine’s lighter approach to insurance and target different audiences within the classic car community.

The first of those campaigns, Save our Classics, which encourages the preservation of

‘endangered’ British cars, has already received media attention from a range of national publications including The Telegraph and Daily Mail. New dedicated social media activity has generated significant levels of engagement in just a few weeks, increasing referral traffic to the ClassicLine website by 60 per cent.

Ian Fray, managing director of ClassicLine insurance, said: “ClassicLine is very happy to be working with such a successful and knowledgeable agency who specialise in the automotive

industry and we can’t wait to see the business growth it generates.

Red Marlin was an easy choice for us, because we wanted an agency that would help to bring to life the exciting and creative campaigns we want to run.”

The appointment follows other successes for Red Marlin in the classic car industry, having worked with many high profile clients, including auction houses and classic car tour operators.

Danny Rughoobeer, managing director at Red Marlin, said,

“We are delighted to have been chosen by such a highly specialised insurance company and trusted brand dealing with a wide variety of classic cars.”

Google shifts gear to Company keeps growing recognise top agencies Since 2004, Google have offered digital marketing companies certifications to help business owners find specialists to market and deliver their services.

With the ever-growing amount of digital agency’s vying for business, and more than 1,200 certified Google partners in the UK, it is now harder than ever to discover who is best-qualified to achieve the highest ROI for money invested.

With so many companies meeting the criteria for partner status; something had to be done to better differentiate the top performing agencies. Google Premier Partner Accreditation is Google’s shift in gear to showcase their elite partner agencies.

To achieve Google Premier Partner status, the elite agencies must consistently deliver a higher threshold of general performance and evidencing a calibre of high Adspend Management across various specialisms.

Birmingham based digital agency Global Search Marketing have announce that they have achieved Premier status, achieving special recognition for Search, Mobile, Display and Shopping.

The innovative new online chat company Web Chat Live reached the 50 client mark, weeks earlier than predicted.

The service has become so popular amongst SMEs that the chat support team has had to double in size since its launch.

The East Midlands based company, at the forefront of emerging online chat technology, is one of the first to have UK based operators working local business hours. It started as the brainchild of CEO Inzar Haq when he realised there was a need in the market for an online customer service that catered specifically to the UK. He said: “The idea was simple.

We have access to support from DeMontfort University, which I work closely with, and we are able to take on board students or new graduates who can handle several chats at one time. They build up a

detailed knowledge base for each client, and are able to look after multiple organizations. Making it an efficient service for us and a time and cost effective service for companies”.

With more companies becoming increasingly reliant on their online presence to drive leads and sales, online chat is a grossly underused service.

Studies have shown that if a customer cannot find what they are looking for they will move off the website in seconds. Online chat also helps to build stronger relationships with customers, as they can be talked through any problems they have online (which also helps identify client 'pain points' for the company’s knowledge base) and it also makes customers feel supported as it is a real time service so they don't have to wait hours or days for an email.

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

News

New equity partner for Lodders’ Real Estate

(Left to right) Commercial and residential property and land development specialist, Mark Miller, has joined Lodders as equity partner in the Real Estate team, headed by Paul Mourton.

Commercial and residential property and land development specialist, Mark Miller, has joined Stratford upon Avon law firm Lodders as an equity partner in the firm’s expanding Real Estate team.

Formerly a partner and head of the Real Estate Development team at Warwickshire firm Wright Hassall, Mark has an exceptional range and level of experience and skills acting for landowners, developers, investors and end users including large national and multinational organisations.

“Mark has an impressive pedigree and scope of experience from his work on

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numerous complex and substantial commercial and residential property development matters,” says Paul Mourton, head of Lodders’ Real Estate team, which was awarded the highest Tier 1 ranking in the latest, 2016 edition of The Legal 500.

“He has particular experience of negotiating large-scale strategic land development matters and is widely recognised and respected for this expertise.

“These skills and experience represent not only a senior-level addition to Lodders’ Real Estate team and firm as a whole, but they also perfectly complement our existing work with many of the UK’s largest and

most active house-builders, as well as our specialist teams working with landowners and their land agents operating in the agricultural and wider real estate sectors.”

In recent years, Mark has advised on numerous high profile large development transactions across the Midlands area and further afield, from major new settlements and mixed use schemes through to residential led schemes in rural, villagebased locations. He has also undertaken significant commercial development work relating to head quarter office premises, educational facilities, manufacturing plant and sports stadia.

Commenting on joining Lodders as an equity partner, Mark Miller said: “The opportunity to join a firm with such an enviable client base and reputation is rare.

This, together with the broad nature of work undertaken by the firm and the huge potential to develop my career further, was really very attractive.

“I am looking forward to consolidating my sector specific experience, with my general commercial and residential development knowledge and otherwise to undertaking a broad and rounded role at Lodders,” he said, “and as a member of an established, successful, growing and busy team.

“Lodders is well-known for its exceptional work for national property developers, land agents, landowners, housebuilders, Owner Managed Businesses and High Net Worth private clients,” Mark added. “Not only is Lodders a dynamic firm with a talented team, it has a tangible vision for its future

sustainability and succession, alongside a commitment to nurturing and growing new, fresh talent, something that is evident from the recent younger members who have joined the equity partnership team.”

Before joining Wright Hassall in 2004, Mark was a Senior Associate in the Commercial Property team of Birmingham firm The Wilkes Partnership, where he specialised in commercial property work, prior to which he was an Assistant Solicitor at Pinsent Masons in Birmingham and was involved in major projects.

Alongside carving a niche for his strategic land work, Mark has also developed expertise in the renewable energy markets, notably onshore wind turbine and large scale ground mounted Solar PV Schemes.

Celebrating its 230th anniversary this year, Lodders has 25 partners, a portfolio of sector and market specific legal teams, over 130 fee earners and support staff across its office network, and has recorded year-on-year growth in recent years.

It is an established and thriving law firm based in Stratford upon Avon, Cheltenham and Henley in Arden, and is recognised as a leading private client law firm, offering specialist advice to both private individuals and privately owned businesses, including its highly regarded work in the agricultural and real estate sectors.

For more information, visit: www.lodders.co.uk

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Insolvency - the warning signs Debtors are no good to you if they don’t pay. Wouldn’t you love to know what to look out for before the inevitable happens?

Key warning signs • Sudden, late or missed payments or a request for extended payment terms If a customer, who usually pays on time, starts to pay late or not at all, it may be a sign that they are struggling financially.

In our experience it is not uncommon for businesses with cash flow problems to pay only those suppliers who “shout the loudest” or who supply key products/services.

• Communication breakdown/use of delaying tactics Is the person you ordinarily deal with suddenly unobtainable?

Are agreed deadlines for payments constantly being missed – are different reasons as to why the payment is not made being given each time?

• Negative publicity Most organisations use social media for advertising and to enhance brand awareness; on the whole, it is a very useful tool.

However, one of the downsides of social media is the ability for customers to leave negative feedback for all to see.

• Amber – proceed with caution

• Sector information

• County Court Judgements have been registered against the company

With the recent high profile retailer failures it is no secret that this sector is experiencing significant pressure. Sector information isn’t restricted to retail; business/trade publications should be reviewed to keep “in the know” about your clients’ industries.

• Payments consistently being made late

• Reduction in the company’s credit score • Communication breaking down • Negative publicity

• Red – stop supplies

How to proceed?

• Payments regularly being missed – credit limit exceeded

With the above in mind, below is a summary of a “traffic light” approach that you may wish to consider before you continue supplies:

• Use of improbable delaying tactics/communication broken down

• Green – go ahead but keep under review • This should be the “normal status” of a customer – complacency can lead to bad debts • It might apply still where there are some minor breaches of terms but supply continues • Where the customer has been pro-active and honest when requesting an extension of terms

• More serious actions being taken against the company, e.g. winding up petition • Consider recovery steps to protect position – Retention of Title to recover goods, call in personal guarantees where available etc.

Get the basics right; know your customer, listen out for and consider the likely consequences of any changes in their situation which may give you the edge and enable you to minimise losses to your business.

John Rimmer is an accountant and licensed insolvency practitioner with BRI Business Recovery and Insolvency.

Please contact John or any of the BRI management team on 02476 226839 or jrimmer@briuk.co.uk and visit us at www.briuk.co.uk to find out more. www.cw-chamber.co.uk

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President & People

Living in exciting times The conference, which took place at the Ricoh Arena on 14th October, was particularly inspiring, with businesses across Coventry & Warwickshire being urged to grasp the opportunity of Brexit. Former minister Michael Portillo was a speaker at the Go For Growth themed event.

Michael told chamber members that the low pound should be a catalyst for firms to export and his advice was to strike now. This echoes the theme of my time as chamber president. Over the past year, I have been speaking to a number of local companies about exporting, encouraging them to tap into the abundance of support that the chamber can offer businesses in this area.

Dear member, What a fantastic couple of months! I have represented the Chamber at a number of exciting events including the recent annual economic conference and the business and trade expo.

Terex Construction appoints Product Specialist Global equipment solutions provider, Terex Construction, has appointed Adam Phillips to the role of Product Specialist at its UK manufacturing facility in Coventry.

With several years’ experience at Terex, working in engineering and product development roles, Adam has a detailed understanding of the Terex compact portfolio and construction equipment marketplace, both in the UK and internationally.

In his new role, Adam will work closely with Terex distributors worldwide, providing in-depth training on the company’s latest range of backhoe loaders, site dumpers and compaction rollers. Moving forward, he will also be responsible for the development and delivery of all online distributor training programmes.

Paul Macpherson, Sales and Marketing Director at Terex Construction’s Coventry facility, said: “We are delighted that Adam has taken on this new role.

With excellent product knowledge and a thorough understanding of the Terex business, we’re confident that his capabilities will help to keep our global network up-to-date with the latest product innovations and equipment operation instruction.”

Adam said: “I’ve grown up as an end user of Terex products, working within the agricultural and construction sectors, so have first-hand experience with a number of models. This new role is an excellent opportunity to utilise this knowledge and help to keep distributors up-to-date with the latest product operation information.”

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It was also interesting to hear the view of Mark Berrisford-Smith, head of economics for HSBC Commercial Banking at the conference. Mark predicted a slowdown in the UK economy as opposed to a recession. He warned against placing too much expectation on the low pound leading to major growth in exports, because it never happened the last time Sterling fell.

So, where does that leave us?

The results of the chambers latest quarterly economic survey show that although it has been dampened, Brexit hasn’t broken confidence among businesses across Coventry & Warwickshire. The number of companies forecasting growth may be down on where it was six months ago, but 65% of service businesses surveyed and 54% of manufacturing businesses surveyed indicated that they expect to see turnover rise in the next 12 months. This is extremely positive for our region.

The Business & Trade Expo that took place on Friday 4th November at Stoneleigh Park was a resounding success. With over 200 exhibitors and around 500 visitors, the expo provided the ideal platform for companies across Coventry & Warwickshire to showcase their products and services. A number of interesting seminars took place throughout the day, including ‘a Technology Seminar’ and ‘Future apprenticeships – what the changes mean for business’.

I hear that the Business is Good for Women seminar was particularly well attended, with a number of

local inspirational business women sharing their personal journeys to success.

The chamber’s Go For Growth campaign is going from strength to strength, with the latest initiative being focused around image.

Looking forward to the next couple of weeks. We have the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on 23rd November. It will be interesting to hear what announcements the Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP will make during his first autumn statement. We are expecting the launch of the ‘National Cyber Security Strategy’. This is particularly important for our business community, as the UK embraces digital tech innovation and strives to become a world leader in this area.

Christmas is also approaching us rapidly. December is a busy time for many businesses. So, if I don’t manage to catch up with you at the forthcoming chamber events, I wish you, your families and your colleagues a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Paul Carvell

Moore Stephens strengthens its Midlands tax team

left to right – Debbie Ince, Ross Northall and Mark Squibb from Moore Stephens

Top Ten accounting firm Moore Stephens has strengthened its Midlands tax team with three senior appointments.

Mark Squibb has joined Moore Stephens as tax manager, Debbie Ince has been added to the Midlands team as tax director, while Ross Northall has been promoted to partner.

Mark has more than 10 years of experience as an accountant and tax practitioner in the Birmingham and the Black Country area and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) and a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). He joins from MHA MacIntyre Hudson, where he was a corporate tax manager.

Debbie has more than 25 years of experience in dealing with tax and related business issues for private clients and owner-managed businesses. She joins Moore Stephens’ Midlands team having previously been based at the firm in London and will be supporting businesses and private clients across the region.

Ross has been promoted to partner three years after joining the firm as tax director. The 34-year-old has been providing tax advice to companies and individuals for 12 years and becomes Moore Stephens’ fifth partner in the Midlands.

Mark, Debbie and Ross will work across Moore Stephens’ offices in Birmingham, Leicester and Northampton.

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Coventry & Warwickshire in business

President & People

Law firm Lodders grows again

(left to right) Sophia Khan, Lydia Elvin, Michael Brook, Aquib Yusaf and Mursila Sohail.

The Warwickshire office of law firm Lodders has added five new members to its Stratford upon Avon team.

Aquib Yusaf has joined the firm’s successful trainee programme, working in Lodders’ top ranking Private Client team.

The firm’s Real Estate team has appointed Mursila Sohail as Associate, and Sophia Khan joins as solicitor in Lodders’ Residential Property team from Coventry practice Maya & Co. Warwick University graduate Lydia Elvin is the latest paralegal to join Lodders’ Company Commercial team, whilst Michael Brook, who joined the firm as a trainee in 2014, has qualified into Lodders’ Private Client team.

New role for William A leading multi-disciplinary architecture and landscape company has appointed an award-winning landscape design director who has worked on some of the UK’s biggest infrastructure projects.

William Wheeler joins the IDP Landscape team bringing with him a diverse range of expertise and nearly 30 years’ professional experience with particular strengths in the renewable energy, urban regeneration, public realm, parks and education sectors.

He has an excellent track record in landscape planning and impact assessment which complement his equally creative and sensitive design skills in landscape masterplanning and design.

IDP Landscape is part of IDP which employs more than 100 professionals in design, planning, landscape and project management and has its headquarters in Coventry.

IDP Landscape’s managing director Kevin Charsley said: “I’m delighted that William will bring his vast experience to our dynamic and creative team. He is a very assured and creative designer who has won awards for his work which include some significant landscape projects around the country.”

William said: “IDP is a very well established company with a fantastic track record. I look forward to strengthening and developing the IDP Landscape team as we build upon the current diverse range of projects being undertaken around the UK and beyond.”

ACUTEC take on new recruit to help transform businesses

Lynne Coulson has joined ACUTEC’s Sales team where she will help to liaise with clients and the wider business community to transform their use of technology.

Lynne has previously worked for international car hire and courier organisations and enjoys interacting with different businesses and being able to meet their needs. ACUTEC, IT experts based just outside Coventry, are delighted to welcome Lynne to the team as their new Sales Executive.

“IT is at the centre of everything that businesses do and it is so important that it is there 24/7 for everything to be able to run smoothly. Helping businesses to ensure that they have the right solutions in place is such an important part of what ACUTEC does,’ Lynne said.

Lynne will be responsible for engaging with a variety of different organisations of all shapes and sizes across the Midlands helping them to find the best solutions for their businesses whether that’s ensuring the correct cyber security precautions are in place or helping them to consider migrating to the Cloud.

Oleo International boosts senior team to elevate global opportunities With the global elevator market projected to enjoy growth of up to 15% by 2019, a global leader in elevator safety buffer technology has ramped up its senior team in order to take full advantage of international opportunities.

Midlands-based Oleo International has appointed two regional sales managers to operate from its manufacturing facilities in the UK and China, as part of its ambitious growth strategy.

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The UK arm of the business has appointed Paul Clinton as European Sales Manager to consolidate and grow the sales of the company’s extensive range of elevator safety buffers in key European markets. These are currently served by Oleo’s manufacturing locations in Coventry, UK and Shanghai, and from its distribution facility in Germany.

In addition to Paul’s appointment, Oleo has also promoted Johnny Cheng to the position of Sales Manager for the Asia Pacific region, as it plans to grow its market share even further in countries such as China, which is expected to account for 70% of new elevator installations across the globe during the period 2015-2019. His role is to manage Oleo’s sales team in China to enhance customer relationships and take advantage of burgeoning opportunities in the region.

The new appointments have been made at a time when Oleo is preparing to open a new manufacturing facility in India in 2017.

Jamie Pratt, Managing Director of the Elevator Division at Oleo International, said: “By cementing the roles of dedicated sales managers for emerging

Three new associates at Lodders

regions, we are well placed to identify and take advantage of new opportunities globally for our internationally recognised range of products.”

The appointment of Paul Clinton and the promotion of Johnny Cheng follow the retirement of Robert Kemp who was Oleo International’s Global Sales Manager, giving 40 years of loyal service to the company.

Midlands law firm Lodders has announced associate promotions for lawyers in its Stratford upon Avon-based Dispute Resolution, Residential Property and Probate & Wills teams.

The firm’s newest associates are Amrit Samra, who originally joined Lodders as a trainee, Rebecca Bradley, and Rachel Philips who joined the firm’s residential property team last year.

Amrit Samra completed her training at Lodders in 2012 and specialises in both property and general commercial litigation as part of the Dispute Resolution team that is led by partner and heavyweight litigator Jane Senior who joined Lodders in 2015.

Rebecca Bradley joined Lodders as a secretary in 2000 and became a fee earner in 2002. A full member of STEP (Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners), she deals with the administration of mainly large and often complex estates that are the speciality of Lodders’ Private Client team.

The third promotion is for licensed conveyancer Rachel Phillips, who moved to Lodders residential property team in June 2015.

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New Members

Welcome to new members Corporate Members Formation Media Ltd 7 Smith Street, Warwick CV34 4JA martin@formationdesigners.co.uk 01926 298777 www.formationdesigners.co.uk Independent Freight Solutions Ltd Unti 5 & 6 Alliance Close, Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate, Nuneaton CV11 6SD jenny@independent-freight.com 02476 343037 www.independent-freight.com

Inspired Villages Gallagher Way, Heathcote, Warwick CV34 6AF jamescobb@inspiredvillages.co.uk 01926 334201 www.inspiredvillages.co.uk Trident Marketing Services The Silk Warehouse, Druid Street, Hinckley LE10 1QH adam@tridentdesign.co.uk 01455 557766 www.tridentdesign.co.uk

Advantage Business Agency 39 Ludgate Hill, Birmingham B3 1EH info@advantage-ba.com 01212 126580 www.advantage-ba.com

Dobson Grey Ltd Elta House, Birmingham Road, Stratford Upon Avon CV37 0AQ kdobson@dobson-grey.co.uk 01789 298006 www.dobson-grey.co.uk

Molly Olly's Wishes 1 Blackwell Lane, Hatton Park, Nr Warwick CV35 7SU rachel@mollyolly.co.uk 07747 854914 www.mollyolly.co.uk

Prova PR 7 Church Street, Warwick CV34 4AB sarahh@provapr.co.uk 01926 776900 www.provapr.co.uk

AGG's World Ltd 58 Far Gosford Street, Coventry CV1 5DZ accounts@aggsworld.co.uk 02476 222201 www.aggsworld.co.uk

Eggshell Solutions Ltd Trigate House, Hagley Road, West Quinton B68 0NP arnold.bailey@eggshellsolutions.co.uk 01214 550777 www.eggshellsolutions.co.uk

Psytech International 1 Bilton Road, Rugby CV22 7NZ info@psytech.com 01525 720003 www.psytech.com

Arrowtrack Limited 4 Ban Brook Copse, Salford Priors, Evesham WR11 8GW iain@arrowtrack.com 07966 314853

Exhibition Equipment UK Ltd Arden Rd, Arden Forest Industrial Estate, Alcester B49 6HN sales@exhibitionequipmentuk.com 01789 766733 www.exhibitionequipmentuk.com

Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) 1 Rye Hill Office Park, Birmingham Road, Coventry CV5 9AB s.dennis@mcia.co.uk 02476 408004 www.mcia.co.uk

Ashwood Partnerships 18 Goosehills Road, Burbage Hinckley LE10 2RY growth@ashwoodpartnerships.co.uk 01455 458526 www.ashwoodpartnerships.co.uk Beyond Brand 8 Alderminster Grove, Warwick CV35 7TB craig@beyondbrand.eu 01926 410776 www.beyondbrand.eu Clarity Document & Information Services Unit 18, Mansley Business Centre, Timothys Bridge Road, Stratford Upon Avon CV37 9NQ stratford@clarity-copiers.co.uk 01789 867560 www.claritydis.co.uk Core Clinics Core Health & Wellness, Nunhold House, Hatton Technology Park, Warwick CV3 8XB angela@tcpn.co.uk 01926 801111 www.coreclinics.co.uk

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Good Egg Recruitment Eagle House, 14 Queens Road, Coventry CV1 3EG nicola@goodeggrecruitment.com 02476 697121 www.goodeggrecruitment.com GROW 6 Hornton Grove, Hatton Park, Warwick CV35 7UA eva@teamwellbeing.co.uk 07901 517012 www.growworkshops.co.uk Guy Salmon Land Rover Coventry Birmingham Road, Allesley Coventry CV5 9GY rikspencer@sytner.co.uk 02476 839500 www.sytner.co.uk Mercedes Benz Wheler Road, Coventry CV3 4LA tom.pocklington@inchcape.co.uk 02476 480181 www.mercedes-benzofcoventry.co.uk Milver Metal Company Limited Coronel Avenue, Rowleys Green Industrial Estate, Coventry CV6 6AP sales@milver.co.uk 02476 666292 www.milvermetal.com

Murgatroyd Solicitors 244 Hillmorton Road, Rugby CV22 5QB sandra.murgatroyd@murgatroyd solicitors.co.uk 01788 535000 www.murgatroydsolicitors.co.uk Nomorsis Furze Hill, Shipston On Stour CV36 4EP roberttyler@nomorsis.co.uk 07740 195560 Oxford Fiber Sir Frank Whittle Business Centre, Greater Central Way, Rugby CV21 3XH ian.murgatroyd@oxfordfiber.com 01788 226010 www.oxfordfiber.com Particles Media The Quadrant, 3 Warwick Road, Coventry CV21 2DY david@particlesmedia.com 02476 982233 www.particlesmedia.com Professional Recruitment Specialists c/o The Wedding & Events Boutique, 326 Kenilworth Road, Balsall Common CV7 7ER info@professionalrecruitment specialists.co.uk 01676 530784 www.professionalrecruitment specialists.co.uk

Pyramid Design 6 Clarence Terrace, Warwick Street, Leamington Spa CV32 5LD paul@pyramid-design.co.uk 01926 316652 www.pyramid-design.co.uk Sanctuary 9 Media 6 St David's Close, St Brides Close, Leamington Spa CV31 1NN hello@sanctuary9media.com 07791 212996 www.sanctuary9media.com The Kenilworth Boutique Hotel High Street, Kenilworth CV8 1HN jayneomalley@hotmail.co.uk 01214 545212 www.thekenilworth.co.uk UEDB 155 Whoberley Avenue, Coventry CV5 8FB emails@uedb.co.uk 07733 048039 www.uedb.co.uk Wag Pals Ltd 76 Frensham Drive, Stockingford, Nuneaton CV10 9NR info@wagpals.co.uk 07775 898748 www.wagpals.co.uk Workplace Fire & Safety Training 4 Jersey Close, Coventry CV3 1PP enquiries@wfst.co.uk 08006 894999 www.wfst.co.uk

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Coventry & Warwickshire in business

Training & Events Chamber Member Non-Member Price Price +VAT +VAT

CWT Training Dates

Duration

Jan

Feb

Mar

Time Management - Get more of the right things done

215

240

Full Day

6

Practical Social Media

110

120

Half Day am

13

Microsoft Project (An Introduction)

110

140

Full Day

14

Customer Service Essentials

95

120

Half Day am

10

Account Management

95

120

Half Day pm

10

Professional Telephone Techniques

95

120

Half Day am

17

Business Email Writing

95

120

Half Day pm

17

Microsoft Excel - Basic to Intermediate

110

140

Full Day

18

Managing Change Successfully

215

240

Full Day

24

First Aid at Work (Accreditation for First Aiders)

210

235

3 Full Days

6,13,20

Effective Communication

95

120

Half Day am

7

Conducting Team Briefings / Buzz Meetings

95

120

Half Day pm

7

Microsoft Excel - Intermediate to Advanced

110

140

Full Day

8

Building the Team

95

120

Half Day am

14

Motivating the Team

95

120

Half Day pm

14

Preparing for Leadership - What it takes to win the lead

240

280

Full Day

15

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

215

240

Full Day

16

Project Management - The Basics for Success

240

280

Full Day

21

Setting Goals & Targets

95

120

Half Day am

21

Training & Coaching the Team

95

120

Half Day pm

21

Managing Difficult People

95

120

Half Day am

28

Understanding Discipline in the Workplace

95

120

Half Day pm

28

Course dates for the quarter are shown above, please contact CWT Chamber Training on 024 7623 1122 or visit www.cwtcov.co.uk for other course dates and further information

Events November Chamber Networking Wednesday 16th November 4.30pm - 6.30pm Venture House Business Centre, Avenue Farm Industrial Estate, Birmingham Road, Stratford, CV37 0HR Join us at this free networking event where you will have the opportunity to generate new business leads and connections.

This event is to be hosted by Venture House, Stratford Upon Avon's new Business Centre, which provides flexible & innovative desk, office & meeting spaces to new & growing businesses. Owned & run by Stratford Upon Avon District Council, the centre aims to provide the type of facilities & services that business just starting out want & need, as well as supporting homeworkers & micro-businesses wishing to grow.

Free parking is available at the Centre and the Venture House team will be on hand to show you around the facilities should you wish.

www.cw-chamber.co.uk

Business is Good for Women Networking Lunch & Exhibition

December

Tuesday 22nd November 11:00am - 2:00pm Warwick House, 10 Warwick Road, Southam, CV47 0HN £30 + VAT – Member rate Join us at this high profile networking lunch and take the opportunity to share knowledge, raise your company profile and debate the issues around the Women in Business agenda.

This event will provide excellent networking opportunities and the chance to hear from inspiring and motivational speakers. A business support adviser will be at this event if you would like to have a chat about assistance available for a new business start-up or existing businesses.

Thursday 1st December 11:30 am - 2:00 pm Nettle Hill, Brinklow Road, Ansty, Coventry, CV7 9JL Free of charge This event will give new and existing Chamber members the opportunity to understand how we can support your business and help you make the most of your membership.

It offers members a fantastic chance to network with local companies and expand their business networks over lunch.

As a Chamber member you can exhibit at any of our events for just £50 + VAT. Stand out from the crowd and book your stand today.

Find out more information or to book a place please see the events pages at www.cw-chamber.co.uk or contact events@cw-chamber.co.uk

Meet Your Chamber Networking Lunch

Breakfast Networking Thursday 15th December 8.00 am – 10.00 am Crowne Plaza Stratford Upon Avon, Bridgefoot, Stratford upon Avon, CV37 6YR Free of charge Chamber Networking is the perfect way to generate new business leads. Don’t miss out on this fantastic networking opportunity!

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