Inspire Business Magazine March 2016

INSPIRE.13 The business magazine of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce March - April 2016

Hertfordshire’s transport

A vision for the future - page 8 n n n

Launching our 2016 Circular Economy Conference - page 37 Celebrating the 2016 Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards - page 4 Spotlight on Letchworth Garden City - page 16

Welcome

Contents Inspiring Hertfordshire Up Front Cover feature Big Interview Patron Focus Spotlight on...

Economic Review Development HR Academy Member News International Trade Chamber Services Young Chamber New Members Chamber Events Property & Construction Work Place Health and Wellbeing 24 Hours Last Word Patrons

4-5 7 8-11 12-13 14-15 16-21 22-23 24 26-27 28-29 30 31 32-33 34-35 36-37 40-41 42-43 44-45 47 50 50

•••• Editorial and General Enquiries Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce MacLaurin Building, 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9NE Tel: 01707 398400 Fax: 01707 398430 Email: enquiries@hertschamber.com Web: www.hertschamber.com Chief Executive: Yolanda Rugg Publisher Ian Fletcher Benham Publishing 3tc House, 16 Crosby Road North, Crosby, Liverpool L22 0NY Tel: 0151 236 4141 Fax: 0151 236 0440 Email: admin@benhampublishing.com Web: www.benhampublishing.com Published March 2016 © Benham Publishing and Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce Advertising and Features Karen Hall Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: karen@benhampublishing.com Production Manager Mark Etherington Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: mark@benhampublishing.com Media No. 1437 •••• Disclaimer Inspire is published for Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and is distributed without charge to Chamber members.

All correspondence should be addressed to Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce.

Views expressed in Inspire are not necessarily those of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission. © 2016.

Please note that submitting an article does not guarantee publication.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in this journal, Benham Publishing and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributions in advertising or editorial content.

Benham Publishing cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in web or email links supplied to us.

From the Chief Executive As this is our March issue of Inspire the Chancellor’s 2016 Budget is very much top of mind.

Warnings about more Government savings being necessary seems to be very much the message, which means we must continue to push government locally and nationally for investment in more skills, road and rail infrastructure and faster broadband in Hertfordshire to provide the right economic environment for business to prosper. Transport in Hertfordshire is particularly key for growth and that’s why I invited the Hertfordshire County Council team to present their vision to Chamber members on how they’ll keep Hertfordshire moving until 2050 and beyond, see our report on page 8.

Monthly economic review The UK may be one of the fastest growing economies in the G7 but it’s not growing at the rate that was expected and, as the BCC’s Monthly Economic Review suggests, more must be done to help and support investment and growth, see the Review’s figures on pages 22 and 23.

Brexit or remain?

We will watch the campaigns for #Brexit and #StrongerIn Europe evolve; BCC chambers remain neutral but will strive to provide better information to businesses and the local community so that you can make informed decisions on 23rd June. A recent BCC questionnaire showed almost 60 per cent of respondents would vote to stay in, but clearly there are different issues for different organisations and still many weeks of campaigning ahead for both sides.

Developing workability skills This year we have brought Hertfordshire employers and schools together through a number of Young Chamber initiatives, including three Career Fairs which attracted hundreds of secondary school students from

around the County introducing them to potential employers.

A particular highlight for me was meeting Ruby the robot - the creation of two primary schoolgirls from Welwyn Garden City and early evidence that girls can enjoy and excel at STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. STEM is, of course, a focus for Kate Bellingham, People Like Me Ambassador and new Chamber board member, see Last Word on page 50.

Inspiring Hertfordshire Now in their fifth year the Chamber’s Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards attract much interest throughout the County. I personally want to thank all our 2016 sponsors, including headline sponsor - Kings Langley based - Imagination Technologies: global leader in the creation and licensing of ground-breaking IP.

Johnson Matthey, Affinity Water, RES and McAlpines to steer this new group. Secondly, the Chamber’s Circular Economy Conference - now in its second year - sponsored by and hosted at BRE on Thursday 16th June.

This conference promises to deliver great debate on trends and new sustainable business models amongst the County’s sustainability experts, bookings are now being taken - see page 37.

Welcoming a new patron And finally I’m delighted to welcome Austin's Family Funeral Directors as a new patron.

Chamber members since 1997; their award-winning MD Claire Austin is featured on page 47.

Best wishes Yolanda

A new category for 2016 is the Investment in Young People (IiYP) Award - a great opportunity for companies struggling to attract young people or wanting to improve their profile as an employer of choice. If you’d like to know more about IiYP accreditation, see page 7. We hope many of you will join us at the Awards Gala Dinner in May, you’ll find information on page 4.

Sustainability and innovation Recognising the importance of sustainability and innovation I’m pleased to announce two initiatives: firstly, a new Sustainability and Innovation Forum launched this month, chaired by Siva Niranjan from Sopra Steria. I’m delighted to have support from

INSPIRE

3

InspiringHertfordshire

Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2016 We look forward to welcoming members and non-members to attend this prestigious, annual event in Hertfordshire’s business calendar which will be held again at the Porsche Centre Hatfield.

Business of the Year (Small to Medium) Sponsored by Epson This award will be made to the Hertfordshire based company (with an annual turnover less than £20m) that can demonstrate high levels of growth and a robust plan for sustainable financial performance.

•••

Business of the Year (Medium to Large) Now in its fifth year the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards Gala Dinner will be on Thursday 19 May.

Headline Sponsor Imagination Technologies Imagination Technologies is a leader in global technology.

•••

Associate Sponsors Grace Foods UK Grace Foods UK is a Caribbean food and drink specialist.

Carita Services Carita Services is a fundraising specialist and sponsor of the drinks reception and silent auction.

•••

Achievement in International Business Sponsored by UK Export Finance This award recognises the strength of Britain’s exporters. Entrants for this award must stand out from the crowd on the international stage and demonstrate that they have generated significant and/or sustained increases in their export activity.

4

INSPIRE

Sponsored by SA Law This award will be made to the Hertfordshire based company (with an annual turnover more than £20m) that can demonstrate high levels of growth and a robust plan for sustainable financial performance.

•••

Community Champion Sponsored by Mercury Group Newspapers This award will recognise the achievements of an individual or organisation that has made a significant impact in their local community defining the values of volunteering, achievement, community and inspiration.

•••

Entrepreneur of the Year Sponsored by Austin’s Family Funeral Directors This award recognises the achievement of an individual who has been instrumental to the success of a business – either by developing a successful business from scratch or by radically improving the performance of an existing business.

•••

InspiringHertfordshire

Excellence in Customer Service

The Environmental Award

Sponsored by Porsche Centre Hatfield

This award recognises organisations that employ responsible business practices in relation to the environment, community and people. Entrants for this award must show how they contribute to the well-being of their community and the environment.

•••

This award will recognise a business that has placed the customer at the centre of its operations and strategies and has developed a strategy that has measurably improved its customer satisfaction rating.

•••

Excellence in People Development Sponsored by Longmores Solicitors This award will recognise an organisation that has demonstrated excellence in the promotion and implementation of a learning and development culture and can show how this has contributed to outstanding success.

•••

Innovation through Technology Sponsored by ServerChoice This award recognises businesses that have fully exploited the range of technology available to business in the 21st century to improve their overall business performance – this could include mobile, social media, cloud technology etc.

•••

Made in Herts Sponsored by Veale Associaties This award recognises manufacturers in Hertfordshire that can demonstrate they have an efficient, innovative and profitable manufacturing business and have a strong presence in the UK and/or overseas.

•••

Most Promising New Business Sponsored by Broxbourne Borough Council and Ambition Broxbourne This category is open to businesses that have been trading for less than three years and can demonstrate outstanding performance and future projections.

•••

Social Enterprise of the Year Sponsored by Stevenage Leisure Limited Celebrating the organisations that exist to address a social or environmental need, reinvesting profit or surplus from trade to achieve a social mission; recognising those achieving greatest impact whilst demonstrating excellence in all aspects of enterprise.

Sponsored by Veolia UK

Education in Employment Sponsored by The Careers & Enterprise Company This award is open to schools, FE colleges, higher education institutions, educational trusts, mentors, coaches or other high achieving individuals who motivate students to think beyond their immediate experiences to make informed and different choices in the future.

•••

The Tourism Award Sponsored by De Vere Venues This award will recognise a significant contribution made to developing and growing tourism in Hertfordshire, placing an emphasis on organisations that can demonstrate how they are attracting visitors to the county.

•••

Investment in Young People (IiYP) Sponsored by Youth Connexions Hertfordshire This award will recognise an employer’s effort taken, and commitment shown, to supporting young people in the workplace through, for example, its communication and business plans and by providing employability skills training development.

•••

Overall Business of the Year Award Sponsored by Johnson Matthey This award will be made to the business, or organisation, which has entered the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2016 and is considered by the judges to be the “Overall Business of the Year”.

Bookings now being taken please contact Sophie Watts sophiewatts@hertschamber.com or call 01707 398400 to register your interest, more details on page 37.

INSPIRE

5

UpFront

Celebrating Apprenticeships in Westminster Sophie Watts, one of two apprentice members of the Hertfordshire Chamber team, was invited by Gareth Humphreys MBE to join Yolanda Rugg, Chamber CEO, at a celebration of apprenticeships at Portcullis House, Westminster.

The occasion, hosted by Skills Minster – Nadhim Zahawi MP, was part of the Government’s February launch of ‘100 in 100 apprenticeship campaign’ through which it aims to secure 100 apprenticeship pledges from businesses throughout the UK via 100 MPs in 100 days; this apprenticeship initiative is part of the Government’s commitment to achieving 3m apprenticeship starts by 2020 and involves MPs across all political parties.

Sophie Watts, Yolanda Rugg, Bernard Waldron MBE - Director of Manufacturing UK at MBDA and Gareth Humphreys MBE, HR Advisor MBDA Missile Systems/Apprentice Manager, UK Higher Apprentice Ambassador.

Sophie Watts and Danielle Calvert holding the ‘100 in 100 apprenticeship campaign’ torch at Portcullis House, Westminster.

Sophie Watts - Higher Business Administration Apprentice, Hertfordshire Chamber, Nadhim Zahawi MP - Skills Minister, Danielle Calvert - 4th Year Engineering Apprentice, MBDA.

Does your business support and develop young people?

If your business recognises the value of employing young people, stand out from the crowd by getting Investment in Young People (IiYP) accreditation.

How will your business or organisation benefit?

• IiYP accreditation shows commitment in supporting young people in the workplace • IiYP recognition demonstrates your corporate social responsibility • The IiYP award logo can only be used by accredited companies

• Involvement with IiYP attracts talented young people • IiYP accredited companies are listed on the Young Chamber’s IiYP website • Ability to link your careers page to a jobs and careers portal accessed by over 3,000 schools • Use of the IiYP award logo on your website/s, business stationery and marketing materials

Be recognised as a responsible employer of young people in Hertfordshire and attract the best talent.

Apply today.

Simply download the application form at www.hertschamber.com or, for more information, call 01707 398 400 or email nickialvey@hertschamber.com

INSPIRE

7

CoverFeature

Hertfordshire’s transport Infrastructure and future transportation plans are both very much of interest to the Hertfordshire Chamber because they are vital to business and economic growth in the County.

Chamber CEO, Yolanda Rugg, recently invited the Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to present its transport vision to Hertfordshire Chamber members from logistics, public transport, freight and infrastructure businesses.

HCC’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Education and Skills, David Williams, prefaced the two-hour presentation and open discussion with a reference to the County’s growth agenda based on The Strategic Economic Plan (Hertfordshire LEP) that focuses on economic and jobs growth. Derrick Ashley, Cabinet Member for Environment, Planning and Transport, said the HCC’s immediate focus was on more effective use of major corridors (M1, A1M and A10-M11), orbital routes, east-to-west routes and public transport.

The expected impetus is anticipated in the bio-science and technology industries, as well as other innovating sectors, such as creativity and entertainment. Growth will derive from links with London and transport connectivity, its geography within the Golden Triangle (Oxford, Cambridge, London) and the gearing of the new towns - Hemel Hempstead, Hatfield, Stevenage, Borehamwood - for this next century. The transport vision must support this economic planning.

8

INSPIRE

FUTURE TRENDS

COMMUTING

VISION

Future trends which are taken into account include: the role of the Golden Triangle, places to for an increasing and changing population to live, the future of vehicle propulsion (e.g. electric, nitrogen, hybrid) and also logistics - arising from online sales that would affect freight consolidation and the cost of door-to-door distribution to consumers -and congestion.

The considerations of commuters are always time, cost and convenience. This is compounded by a social change in families where both parents are working today, increasing morning peak congestion with two cars and school drop-offs, increasing traffic by 10 per cent. Another factor is the mobility and economic freedom to pursue leisure interests of an increasingly elderly population.

The Council’s vision is that by 2050, Hertfordshire will be one of the country’s leading economies. It has four priorities: • maintaining global excellence in science and technology • capitalising on the relationships with London (and elsewhere) • reinvigorating places fit for the 21st century • establishing foundations for growth

CoverFeature

- a vision for the future THREE GROWTH AREAS The Council’s growth areas are inked around the strategic road and railway links and the resultant corridors:

NEIGHBOURING IMPACT The wider impact of neighbouring counties and London are factored into county planning.

London London’s future will have an impact on Hertfordshire.

The metropolis’s priority - not only because of its expected population growth (8.2m in 2011 to 10.11m by 2036) - is housing.

Hertfordshire’s priorities Regarding global excellence in science and technology - HCC’s objectives are to: • increase employers’ labour market catchments at appropriate skill levels • to improve journey times and business connectivity • to improve access to science and technology sites.

To realise the second relationships with London and elsewhere - objectives are to protect and increase journey capacity and connectivity to and from London, to international gateways (airports, seaports and Eurostar), within Hertfordshire and between our key hubs, and to identify growth opportunities from investment in major schemes (HS2, Crossrail 1 & 2).

To prepare for this 2050 vision HCC’s objectives are to: • provide sufficient network capacity for prospective development and related travel • embrace new vehicle and digital technology opportunities • pursue sustainable solutions for better integration of existing and new transport modes • enhance the quality of public urban spaces for improved quality of living.

As for the last priority, the objectives are to link business parks and employment sites to the wider network, to ensure the aging population has access to key services and to improve health outcomes linked to transport through a number of initiatives.

TRANSPORT PLANNING With urban development and the need for 50,000 new houses, the Council identifies four packages: • highways - enhancements, particularly for M1, M25 relief for independent travel short, medium term • public transport - for increased usage in dense areas: Watford, St Albans, Stevenage, and intra-town travel - single ticket travel irrespective of operator • sustainable travel particularly within M1-M25 growth area - walking, cycling routes to replace single-occupancy car journeys • blended schemes - to exploit the best of all these schemes

Its expected demographics will be a higher proportion of schoolaged people than elsewhere in England. There will also be an increasingly more ethnic diverse profile and also number of people older than 90 years. It is expected that the number of households will increase by one million and that there will be lower growth in jobs (The London Plan: March 2015).

Luton Airport Planned extensions to Luton airport will accommodate 18m passengers a year. This should create 18,000 jobs and stir demand for 5,700 more homes (Luton’s Investment Framework, 2015-2035) - although Luton itself has limited capacity for growth, with implications for north Hertfordshire.

Stansted Airport The airport, within a few miles of Hertfordshire’s eastern border, expects a significant passenger increase within 10 years, bringing business and job opportunities to Hertfordshire.

INSPIRE

9

CoverFeature

Harlow Like Luton, Harlow also has limited capacity for residential growth, and although its economic growth has stagnated, its ambitions as a centre for medical technologies includes it in the London-StanstedCambridge-Consortium (LSCC). Because it borders Hertfordshire, there are factors to consider.

Cambridge The exponential growth of the city’s bioscience sector will affect Hertfordshire, not least because of Hertfordshire’s geographic position between Cambridge and London, increasing pressure on road (M11, A10) and rail (via Stevenage) links, yet offering associated economic growth opportunities.

TRAVEL CONGESTION West Coast, Midland, East Coast and West Anglia Main Lines experience over-crowding and there is very limited capacity for these routes to accommodate any further demand.

The greatest level of road congestion is between south Hertfordshire and London, but also on the M1, particularly

between St Albans and Luton, and the A1M (Welwyn to Stevenage).

The A414 cross corridor connects Hemel Hempstead to St Albans to the A1M (to north Hertfordshire) to Hatfield to Hertford and on to Harlow and is also often used by other traffic as an M25 alternative.

QUICKER WINS: short to medium term Road A number of low-level transport schemes are planned to improve congestion - access to strategic networks, road widening, parallel routes for local traffic, sectional upgrades to smart motorway (M1, M25), congestion relief for A1M (junctions 6 to 8), and for A10/M11, road access improvements to help facilitate easier east-west movement and planned Bishop’s Stortford development.

The 2050 Transport Vision also believes that road schemes for crosscorridor enhancement should be the basis for future cleaner, smarter vehicle use, requiring electric charging infrastructure and technology-driven parking that reduces circulating town traffic.

10

INSPIRE

Public transport The M1/M25 growth area presenting the greatest density, enveloping Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead - is the best suited to rail capacity enhancement, particularly for connecting to London, with Crossrail 1 and High Speed 2 opportunities to ease travel congestion on the West Coast and Midland lines with high speed stops at Watford and St Albans.

It’s envisaged the Cambridge London connectivity (East Coast Main Line) will be retained and that the extended housing in Hertford, Stevenage and Welwyn will be served by an upgraded ‘metro-standard’ loop service.

Any A10/M11 public transport schemes serving the long term Crossrail 2 scheme would have to improve West Anglia Main Line connectivity with London: Stratford and Dockland to accommodate Cheshunt, Hoddesdon and Broxbourne housing extensions.

CoverFeature

Sustainable travel This is likely to focus on the M1/M25 growth area where there is greater population density and shorter travel distances - making cycling and walking using specific and safe routes a healthier option to single occupant car travel.

LONGER TERM PLANNING There are two options: dispersed development and urban densification.

Dispersed development Planned distribution of growth by 2050 will not change how Hertfordshire looks today or the challenges of getting about the county.

Public transport and sustainable travel are only good solutions for conurbations or city-sized settlements. This means that in the long term there will be a greater need for greater capacity on the major transport routes which in itself, is less costly.

This indicates required investment in M1 and A1M widening, Crossrail 2 to Cheshunt, Hertford East and Stansted Airport - ideally, with a splitter line to Cheshunt and north east Hertfordshire and a new east-west road from Luton to Stansted, just above Stevenage.

Urban densification - city-like structures Urban extensions, however, require large-scale development to towns such as Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead, Watford, Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield - converting the New Towns into city-like structures.

Its advantage is that public transport and sustainable travel options are more feasible.

Travel patterns throughout the county would be less complex.

However, M1 and A1M widening would still be necessary, as would consideration for an east-west rail line - Luton, Stevenage, Stansted - an A414 expressway and/or a south west and central Hertfordshire passenger transit system. There would be opportunities too for HS2 phase 2, both Midland and East Coast main lines.

NEXT GENERATION It would seem that as Hertfordshire’s population is likely to grow from anticipated migration, London and elsewhere, the challenges of greater road traffic over the coming decades are likely to be exacerbated by the changing profile of Hertfordshire citizens - the young, the commuter and the old.

It must be apparent to those in planning and to the transport industry that solutions must be found to reduce rush hour traffic impact so that businesses, this county’s growth engine, can get about more freely.

Buses and bikes Bus schemes from station to business parks are a good start. Safer cycle routes should encourage people to bike to work, and children to cycle to school. School buses are an alternative to parents’ crisscrossing towns and countryside to deliver children to school.

Following the presentation Yolanda Rugg, the Chamber’s Chief Executive said “This transport vision is vital for our County.

We must continue to lobby for improved infrastructure in Hertfordshire. It is absolutely essential that our transport networks, energy and broadband

are upgraded so that they deliver the access and resource we, as an economy, need to thrive now and in the future.

“With familiar car marques, like Nissan, announcing their aim to take electric vehicle (EV) technology to the next level by teaming up for trials with an energy provider, Enel in Denmark, enabling drivers of electric cars to act like ‘energy hubs’, storing power and sending excess back to the grid we can also see the potential impact of the circular economy on the transport plans of the future.

“We look forward to discussing these issues at our second Circular Economy Conference on 16th June at BRE”.

By Fiona Wilkinson, Guinea Fowl Creative, for Hertfordshire Chamber

“Growth will derive from links with London and transport connectivity, its geography within the Golden Triangle (Oxford, Cambridge, London) and the gearing of the new towns - Hemel Hempstead, Hatfield, Stevenage, Borehamwood - for this next century. ”

INSPIRE

11

BigInterview

Zenith Hygiene Group named as one of Britain’s most inspiring companies Zenith Hygiene Group, the UK’s largest independent manufacturer and supplier of cleaning and hygiene chemicals and products, has been named as one of the ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ in the third edition of a report published by the London Stock Exchange.

Ringo Francis Chief Executive Zenith Hygiene Group

12

INSPIRE

The first inclusion in the report for the company, which has its headquarters in Hertfordshire, recognises the way it has demonstrated not only growth in revenues over the past four years but has also outperformed its peers in the sector.

Overseeing the company’s success is founder and Chief Executive Ringo Francis, who says that the company’s success is based on a strong adherence to ensuring quality in the products and services that it delivers.

Under Ringo’s leadership, Zenith Hygiene has grown to employ more than 360 people across its head office and sites in Kent, Somerset, Worcestershire, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The company produces more than 240 cleaning and hygiene products ranging from ware washing and floor cleaning to personal care, and has more than 3,200 customers operating more than 17,500 sites across the UK, including the Houses of Parliament, hotels, hospitals and schools.

Being included in ’1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ places Zenith Hygiene in exalted company in a report which has received cross-party political support with Chancellor of the

Exchequer George Osborne, Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills Sajid Javid and Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Angela Eagle all having contributed to the document.

Ringo Francis said: “We are delighted to have our hard work in growing Zenith Hygiene recognised in such a prestigious report from the London Stock Exchange.

Since I founded Zenith two decades ago I have been hugely committed to the development of both the team here, as well as the company as a whole, and to have this development recognised is a huge honour.

“It was not something we had been asked to apply for so to be included was a very pleasant surprise, very encouraging, and something that underlines the job that my team and the staff are doing.

“The team is important and I would like to think that we have half a dozen people who can do my job as well as, or even better, than I do. And everyone has a very important part to play in the success of our business.”

Driving the company’s approach is a belief that its products have a key role to play in tackling infectious illnesses.

BigInterview

“The company’s success is the reason that Zenith was included in the Stock Exchange report, which is a celebration of the UK’s fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium sized businesses.”

Ringo said: “Our belief is that hygiene matters. As antibiotics become less effective, it is important that we improve our personal hygiene.

“A lot of illnesses are preventable but we are slipping behind a bit with our personal hygiene and we take the view that prevention is better than cure.”

Helping the company grow has been a strong UK performance but also a growing export market.

Ringo said: “Last year was a record year for us, with Zenith launching export activities across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and I look forward to the company’s bright future. ”The export side of the business started when some of our bigger clients started trading abroad and we went with them. We believe very much in working in partnership with other companies.

“Part of the appeal of exporting was the opportunities that it offered but also a concern that if our customers started using suppliers in the countries where they had started trading it would not be long before those suppliers started asking themselves if they could do the

same thing in England.

We would have given them a foothold.”

Driving everything the company does is quality. Ringo said: “We do not base our approach just on price. Indeed, we have walked away from possible contracts because it had become a race to the bottom.

“Selling purely on price is not sustainable. What matters to us is that we offer quality.

Our products must be a musthave and the service we offer must be industry leading. We want clients, whether they be hotels, schools or hospitals, to regard us as the company they must work with.

“Quality is vital because the Zenith brand goes on everything we do and we have a 98.5 per cent retention rate from our customers. That is one of our KPIs and a reason that I sleep well at night.”

The company’s success is the reason that Zenith was included in the Stock Exchange report, which is a celebration of the UK’s fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium sized businesses.

Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive, London Stock Exchange Group said: “High growth SMEs are

the driving force behind the UK economy, developing the skills, jobs and growth we need.

“This celebration is fundamental to London Stock Exchange’s core, the need to support UK high growth companies in their journeys from Start-up to Stardom and create an entrepreneurship revolution.”

Writing in the publication, Chancellor George Osborne echoed the comments, saying: “UK high-growth businesses are leading the charge in rebuilding our economy. These companies are the backbone of the British economy. They create highquality, well paid jobs, innovate and drive economic growth.

This government fully understands the need to support ambitious entrepreneurs and ensure they can access the finance they need to grow.

“We have held the steadfast belief that - alongside deficit reduction - nurturing entrepreneurs, creating jobs, supporting hard-working families and keeping taxes low would get the UK economy back on track. Our measures to increase access to finance for business and encourage more investment have had a transformative effect on our economy.”

Zenith acquires company Zenith Hygiene Group recently announced the acquisition of Rose Hygiene Products Ltd, a supplier of hygiene products and systems, based in Ipswich and Doncaster for an undisclosed sum, further strengthening Zenith Hygiene’s existing national footprint.

Founded more than 20 years ago by owner and Managing Director Jamin Wilson, Rose Hygiene Products supplies hotels, restaurants, care homes, hospitals, schools, sports facilities and the wider public sector Bodies with cleaning and hygiene products and systems.

Rose Hygiene Products will come under the Zenith Hygiene Group brand name and Jamin Wilson will join Zenith’s operational Board.

Ringo Francis, Zenith Hygiene Group CEO, said “We are confident that the two businesses are a great fit and we are looking forward to demonstrating to Rose’s loyal customers that together we can continue to provide the exemplary service to which they are accustomed. Our customers will also be able to benefit from the experience, services and product capability of Rose. Going forward, we will continue to look for opportunities to expand our business nationally and drive further growth.”

INSPIRE

13

PatronFocus

Saving money by In the twelve month period to April 2015, Affinity Water’s Business Services team helped companies and organisations to save over 450 million litres of water - the equivalent of filling 180 Olympic sized swimming pools. These included businesses, hospitals, schools, colleges and local councils.

is keen to point out, this can also bring significant benefits: “Water is a precious commodity and there are good reasons for an organisation to question its water use and get assistance to reduce it. Water efficient businesses have lower costs through reduced consumption and their reduced environmental impact can enhance their image.”

“Our water efficiency work is valued by our customers and we want to work in partnership with organisations that have not yet benefited from our assistance, as this is proven to produce the best results and potential savings.”

Commercial customers are generally high users of water, which usually means that significant savings can be made when on site leakage is tackled and water efficiency measures are introduced.

Affinity Water is the largest water only supplier in the UK, serving over 80,000 businesses and more than 3.5 million people. Their supply area

14

INSPIRE

includes Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Surrey and parts of London. These are some of the fastest growing, most economically active regions in the UK, in an area the Government has designated as being under serious water stress - Southeast England has less available water per head than Morocco, Egypt or Kenya.

The population Affinity Water serves is expected to grow by 17% in the next 25 years, with an extra 600,000 living in 280,000 new homes, so measures to reduce water use and secure a sustainable supply for the future are vital.

Businesses and other organisations can play their part too, but as Simon Cocks, Affinity Water’s Chief Executive

Faced with the twin challenges of increasing demand for water and a reducing supply - the company has committed to reducing the amount of water it takes from underground sources by 70 million litres per day by 2025, to leave more for sensitive habitats and local rivers; Affinity Water has embarked on a Water Saving Programme for household customers.

PatronFocus

reducing water use Tackling customers’ water leakage The largest water savings however can be made by identifying the waste that organisations and businesses are not even aware of through leakage.

Many commercial customers have supply pipes that are far greater in diameter and length than household customers.

These are often in ageing and complex networks, splitting off to supply multiple buildings.

There can therefore be a significant chance of undetected leakage.

Affinity Water’s Business Services team offer a range of services to detect leaks including installing Automated Meter Reading devices on water meters, to build up an understanding of water use and to continually monitor it 24/7, via an online portal.

The company is keen to support businesses and organisations to reduce their water use and help achieve their environmental sustainability targets. At a time when many organisations are looking to reduce their costs, perhaps it’s time to start thinking water?

A technician undertaking leak detection work

The save water, save energy, save money message is a key part of this. The strong link between water and energy efficiency is not always understood. The Energy Saving Trust (www.energysavingtrust.org.uk) estimates that around 21% of household heating bills relate to heating water for taps, showers and baths. This does not include kettles, washing machines and dishwashers, which use additional energy.

While this relationship varies for businesses, depending on the nature of their operations, water savings can translate to energy savings too.

Jai Restall, Affinity Water’s Business Water Efficiency

Manager comments: “For many of our non-household customers, water use in washrooms, which includes moving and treating water for toilets, urinals and showers and hot water taps is a significant cost; especially when water, energy and waste water charges are considered together.

“We can help organisations to save water and energy through the water audits we offer, where we measure their water use and produce a detailed report recommending how and where they can reduce their water usage, by installing water efficiency devices such as low flush toilets and flow restricting taps for example.”

“The population Affinity Water serves is expected to grow by 17% in the next 25 years, with an extra 600,000 living in 280,000 new homes, so measures to reduce water use and secure a sustainable supply for the future are vital.”

For more information about the services on offer at Affinity Water email: commercial.central@affinitywater.co.uk call: 0345 357 2424 or visit: www.affinitywater.co.uk/business

INSPIRE

15

SpotlightOn

Exciting times for Letchworth Garden City These are exciting times for Letchworth Garden City and the year ahead will see more additions to the town centre with the opening of the Broadway Studio and Gallery having already taken place and a new Theatre in the autumn.

Garden City as part of a £4million investment in the arts which also sees a gallery opening in the town.

Sam, whose career has made her a household name in television and theatre, lives locally and is excited at the prospect of the first major professional theatre in the town, as an addition to the Art Deco Broadway Cinema.

She said: “It’s really exciting to have this new theatre locally, in this lovely building. We have had many happy visits to the cinema and I look forward to the theatre coming this autumn.”

The theatre marks a major investment in the arts by Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, who are using the revenue from their unique Garden City legacy to make the town a major centre for the Arts.

These are exciting times for Letchworth Garden City and the year ahead will see more additions to the town centre with the opening of the Broadway Studio and Gallery having already taken place and a new Theatre in the autumn.

well as support the local economy.The work is part of the Letchworth Heritage Foundation’s aim to make the town a regional centre for the arts, attracting theatre companies, singers and comedians.

Planning consent has also now been granted for the proposed new hotel on Station Road.

Premier Inn intend to develop a 57 bed hotel and this investment will create employment opportunities as

Bringing an artistic vision to life

16

INSPIRE

A cultural and leisure hub is developing in the town, with the Da Vinci School of Creative Enterprise, two new restaurants, town centre artist studios run by

the Digswell Arts Trust and a new Community Museum opened by the Foundation in The Arcade.

The new restaurants are upmarket chains Prezzo and Loungers, work on the planned hotel starts this spring and Garden Square Shopping Centre is also having a revamp, by new owners Valad Among the new ventures, actress Sam Womack launched a project to create a new 400seat theatre in Letchworth

Colin Chatfield, Chairman of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, said: “It was great to have Sam Womack along to launch the build of our new theatre, and highlights the calibre of actors and shows we will attract when the theatre opens later this year. It’s going to be an exciting year for the arts in Letchworth.”

Work has been carefully planned to ensure it is in keeping with the cinema’s Art Deco design.

Dressing rooms and a stage will be added to Screen One so

SpotlightOn

it can be changed from a cinema to theatre, and back, overnight, allowing it to host theatre, children’s shows, live comedy and acoustic music, as well as mainstream films. It will also create a new bar area and add an air cooling system.

Broadway Gallery launched its new art space on 24 February with a vibrant solo exhibition featuring the work of internationally acclaimed artist Richard Smith, an abstract painter and printmaker born in Letchworth Garden City.

The work will continue until late 2016 with theatre previews and back stage tours taking place in November ahead of the first theatre season in 2017. Further details of the theatre plans are available online at www.broadway-letchworth.com

The inaugural exhibition, entitled Reunion, celebrates Richard Smith’s rich body of work spanning six decades. Renowned for his bold and vibrant use of colour and texture, Richard Smith has long been recognised as one of the important painters

of his generation. His work is currently held in collections around the world from the Tate Modern in London to the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Richard has cited the Letchworth arts and crafts movement as a source of inspiration for his work and a key component in his development as an artist.

Laura Dennis, Visual Arts Curator of Broadway Gallery said: “Richard’s vibrant and joyful paintings are the perfect

way to celebrate the opening of the Broadway Gallery, and it’s fantastic to be able to show these wonderful works back in the artist’s home town.”

Broadway Gallery is a charitable service of the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, a selffunding charitable organisation which invests profits from its property portfolio to maintain and enhance the world’s first Garden City for the long-term benefit of local communities.

INSPIRE

17

SpotlightOn

A feast of fun and food Food lovers have proved themselves hungry for a huge helping of the Letchworth Food and Drink Festival taking place in in Letchworth Garden City Town Centre on 28th and 29th May from 10am to 4pm.

North Hertfordshire members can now meet Amy Rich in Letchworth As part of the Chamber's commitment to working with, and helping, businesses in north Hertfordshire Amy Rich, pictured, now spends up to two days a week in Letchworth Garden City based at the Letchworth Heritage Foundation's offices.

This is part of the Chamber's "hub" concept, enabling north Hertfordshire businesses to have a closer connection with the Chamber team which, in turn, can provide member organisations quicker access to new initiatives, skills development opportunities and growth potential both nationally and internationally through the Chamber's expertise and wealth of connections.

To arrange a meeting with Amy in Letchworth call her on 01707 398424 or email amyrich@hertschamber.com

Organised by The Letchworth Garden City BID, this year’s festival will be a celebration of local gastronomy and is set to be packed with local produce, culinary activities, a free taste trail and various food and drink classes and demonstrations.

Town centre cafés, pubs and restaurants are joining in the local spirit of the Festival by taking part in the new Taste Trail. During the festival, members of the public will use the Taste Trail map inside the Food and Drink Festival programme to navigate their way through the town trying the wide variety of food and drink on offer. Each shop will have a table inside their premises with a selection of food/drink tasters which they would normally sell on a day to day basis.

The Scouts, Guides and Cadets will come together on Leys Square for a large cookery competition being run over both days of the festival.

The Letchworth Arts and Leisure Group will be running a bake off and whisky tasting classes as well as the world champion gnome bowling competition in the garden Square shopping Centre!

The Letchworth Garden City BID have also organised a children’s theatre tent and Food Art tent on Leys Avenue and in the Wynd.

As well as all this, the Garden City Bakery and R & E Family Butchers are supporting and organising a hotdog eating completion on the mains stage.

If you are feeling up to the challenge, applications will be available in the coming weeks.

This Year’s festival is sponsored by Wentworth Kitchen Trade who have been creating beautiful kitchens for over 15 years with a proven track record in customer satisfaction.

With live music throughout both days and the array of food and drink offerings, this year’s festival is set to be the best one yet.

For more information please visit www.letchworthfoodfestival.co.uk

Working in partnership with Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce to support businesses in Letchworth Garden City

Foundation House, Icknield Way, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1GD Phone: 01462 476007

18

INSPIRE

SpotlightOn

Twenty eight years of success for Letchworth company Camtronics Letchworth Ltd, as the name suggests, is based in Letchworth. The business began when Nigel Robinson, Managing Director, and Sean Baker, Technical Operations Director, joined forces 28 years ago to fill a void in the camera repair industry.

Since then, Camtronics has been affiliated with major retailers and manufacturers across a wide range of popular consumer electronic products.

Key products that they currently provide repair support for are tablets, mobile phones, televisions and associated audio visual equipment, cameras, satellite navigation and barcode scanners.

With the ever-evolving face of consumer electronics, they are constantly striving to be at the forefront of the next big consumer electronics boom and are proud to work with some of the leading brands in the UK, including Samsung, Tesco, Argos, Sony and Fuji.

Camtronics’ success is based on a focused approach to customers’

problems; they offer management on a national level for the repair, service and support for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, insurance companies, educational facilities and more.

John Story General Manager believes Letchworth is the ideal central location with strong transport links to London and the rest of the UK, John has worked for Camtronics for 17 years and believes Letchworth offers a vibrant business community and a talented employment pool to draw from.

In their recent history they won and continue to manage the full end to end repair and service contract for the popular Hudl android tablet on behalf of Tesco. This service provides

a national item repair return solution, facilitating next day collection, doorstep swap-over and part-exchange with upgrade options, complemented by full testing and repair completion.

Operating from a purpose built 16,000 square foot service centre, the company’s long history dealing with the challenging elements of consumer electronic returns is a testament to the company and its staff.

They have specialist support areas encompassing all aspects of product testing and repair, offering mobile/tablet re-glassing, component level PCB repair, Smart in-home technology product design, assembly and sales. Field service support, including Smart products office design and installation, E-tail marketing, SEO and website design.

Business innovation is their key for 2016. Recent recruitment with the appointment of Paul O’Callaghan as Business Development Manager and Andrew Warwick as Product Development Manager means that the business is developing new ways of working and bringing to market product ideas that will ensure its overall business sustainability.

St. Modwen sells £12.3m industrial estate St Modwen has sold Letchworth Industrial Estate for £12.3m to Cresta Estates Limited.

Located within Letchworth’s established commercial district, the 4.5 acre brownfield former power station site was initially purchased and remediated by St. Modwen.

Speculatively developed by St. Modwen, the 90,666 sq ft estate was completed in November 2015. At completion, the four unit development was fully let to two occupiers - Tyco Fire & Integrated Solutions Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tyco International plc, and Titan Logistics Limited, an Interlink franchisee.

Rupert Wood, Regional Director for the Northern Home Counties, said: “This sale demonstrates the clear appetite from investors for quality development in the right locations which are fully let.

Occupier demand across the Northern Home Counties remains strong and by building speculatively, we have been able to satisfy pent-up demand from local occupiers with expansion requirements.”

Contaminated site cleared for thriving Letchworth business Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation hired remediation contractors to clean up a contaminated industrial site on Works Road following interest from a local firm looking to expand.

FB Chain, based on Jubilee Road, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of industrial chain.

It was named supplier of the Year in 2015 by the Forklift Truck Association and recently developed a range of its own components for the biomass sector.

To accommodate its planned expansion, the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation is seeking to bring back into use

a site formerly occupied by the Letchworth Polishing and Plating Company.

Matthew Foulis, Portfolio Manager for the Heritage Foundation said: “They’re doing really well and looking to expand but with no suitable properties available it looked like they might have needed to move away. We are committed to supporting local businesses and bringing brownfield sites back into

economic use. Subject to a positive planning decision and sensible build costs we hope to deliver new premises which will allow FB Chain to expand and modernise their operations in Letchworth.”

FB Chain Managing Director Peter Church said: “People are at the heart of our business - we take our responsibility to our employees and the local community very seriously.

Having grown considerably in recent years we are now working from five different buildings, which creates many challenges for close cooperation and efficiency. Yet with over 90% of staff living within a three-mile radius of our current Jubilee Road facilities, staying in Letchworth is key. The clean-up of the polluted Works Road site provides a good solution both for us and the people of Letchworth.”

INSPIRE

19

SpotlightOn

Letchworth central to UHY Hacker Young development Accountants UHY Hacker Young have a long history in Letchworth; their founding company Watts & Co opened its doors here in 1903!

Throughout their history of company mergers and expansion out to Royston and Cambridge, Letchworth has always been central in the development of UHY’s offices.

“We have a strong client base in North Hertfordshire, particularly within the local

Cardiac Rehabilitation Initiative During February, North Herts Leisure Centre (NHLC) staff and members of an innovative programme of ‘cardiac rehab’ classes raised awareness of the benefits of exercise for people with heart problems.

Personal Trainers at NHLC, in Letchworth Garden City, hold light exercise classes seven days a week, specifically for those who have suffered from heart attacks, heart disease or have had heart surgery. The current users are aged between 45 and 85. The cardiac rehabilitation classes help the recovery of heart patients by improving strength, increasing the functions of the heart and aiding them to regain fitness and confidence.

Cllr Jane Gray, NHDC’s Executive Member for Leisure, said: "During National Heart Month, we wanted to raise awareness of the positive effects these ‘cardiac rehab’ classes have on heart patients’ recovery.

You only need to speak to the enthusiastic participants to appreciate the impact they can make.

Members of the classes are referred as part of a rehabilitation programme, which is delivered by NHS staff from Lister Hospital in Stevenage. Qualified trainers from Stevenage Leisure Limited, who run the classes on behalf of the leisure centre owners North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC), help around 50-60 different members who attend the rehabilitation classes each week.

"All the personal trainers who lead the classes are professionally trained by the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) and we are fortunate to be able to offer this wonderful service for people at such an important stage in their recovery."

Mark Jennings, Fitness Manager from SLL said "The Cardiac Rehab programme has grown

from two classes a week to seven since the introduction of our purpose built PT and Rehab studio. The range of functional exercises we can offer is great, and this ensures the clients enjoy their sessions. Direct referrals from the NHS services ensure that few patients drop off after the initial rehab sessions with the NHS and transfer straight into our sessions."

area,” says managing director, Peter Woodhall.

“The Garden City is a beautiful place to work, with diverse and growing businesses on our doorstep.

Being close the local community has been paramount to our own development as a business, and there are well established transport links between our offices and further afield into London.

We also work closely with North Herts College as one of the main resources for our students to gain their qualifications.”

20

INSPIRE

“People first” Altro reaches coveted Sunday Times list - again Letchworth Garden City-based Altro Ltd, has been ranked 81 in the coveted Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For rankings.

Altro, a family-owned manufacturer of flooring and wall cladding systems for construction and transport, features in the Sunday Times rankings, published on February 28th, for the 9th time.

The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For list is the annual ranking of ‘the cream of Britain's happy and motivated workforces’. With more than 1,000 companies registered to take part, it is considered the most extensive research into employee engagement carried out in the UK.

Altro’s 350 UK employees were invited to take part in the survey, which asked questions about how they feel about the support they receive from the company, their training and development and their opportunities for career growth, amongst others. The company scored highly in all areas with particularly high scores when employees were asked about their team, wellbeing, personal growth and how they rate their manager.

Richard Kahn, CEO Floors and Walls, Altro Ltd said: “We are a family-owned business

with family values and it has always been our ethos to put our people first and to work closely together. We have a fantastic group of people at Altro and we do what we can to ensure they are happy in their work and in their workplace. We’re delighted to be recognised for this by the Sunday Times. The 100 Best Companies to Work For list is compiled using feedback directly from employees and for me, that’s the most important factor.

It means we’re getting it right.”

SpotlightOn

A busy year ahead There is a busy schedule of events ahead for Letchworth Garden City as the town's new Business Improvement District (BID) manager gets set for an exciting first year in charge.

Tom Hardy, 25, has taken up the role following a five year spell running events for Hertford Castle. Born in Letchworth GC and currently living in the town, Tom is well placed to give the Garden City the dynamic thrust it needs to make an impact for the BID in 2016.

He said: “We has an exciting year ahead in Letchworth town centre. The Business Improvement District is working hard to establish a strong events programme, weekly markets, car boot and live music events in the town centre. Our main objective is to ensure as many town centre business benefit from these events as possible.”

While the town calendar is still being finalised the first scheduled event is probably one of the biggest as the Letchworth Food and Drink Festival is set to be held on May 28 and 29. Always a well-attended festival, it will once again play host to music arenas, other entertainment and of course numerous food stalls and food demonstration stages.

Tom said: “The festival is set to be the biggest one yet, we are working with traders and local community groups to offer visitors a more exciting and varied experience. As well as live music, food, garden and drink stalls, there will be a scouts cookery competition,

whisky tasting classes, bake off competition, kids food art activities and lots more!

“This year we are holding the first Food and Drink Festival Taste Trail. During the festival, members of the public will use the Taste Trail map inside the Food and Drink Festival programme to navigate their way through the town trying the wide variety of food and drink on offer. Each shop will have a table inside their premises with a selection of food/drink tasters which they would normally sell on a day to day basis.”

There are plans for a number of other events including a Town

Centre Take Over event in July, beer festival in October and the Christmas Lights Switch On in November. Tom is also hoping that a change of scene will help with his new role as he is all set to move into the Letchworth Tourist Information office.

There are also some fantastic sponsorship opportunities for local businesses to gain maximum exposure to a large audience at our major events.

To contact Tom about sponsorship, the BID or to discuss events taking place in Letchworth, please email bid@loveletchworth.com.

INSPIRE

21

EconomicReview

Monthly Economic Review March 2016

(Based on February 2016 data releases)

Monthly headlines: • Q4 2015 UK GDP growth unrevised, with the service sector continuing to support growth • UK goods trade deficit and services trade surplus reach record highs • India’s economy outperforms China, as Eurozone growth hits four-year high Economic growth in Q4 unrevised at 0.5%...

…while UK inflation hovers around zero…

The second official estimate for Q4 2015 economic growth (GDP) was unrevised at 0.5%, the twelfth successive quarter of growth (see Chart 1). In annual terms, the UK GDP was up by 1.9% in Q4. For 2015 as a whole, the UK economy grew by 2.2%, unrevised from the previous estimate. As a result, UK economic output is currently 6.7% above its Q1 2008 prerecession peak. Although growth has slowed recently, the UK economy remains among the fastest-growing economies in the G7 with only the US recording faster growth than the UK in 2015.

CPI inflation rose to 0.3% in January 2016, up from 0.2% December 2015, the highest rate since January 2016, but still well below the Bank of England's 2% inflation target. Although falling energy and food prices continue to keep headline inflation close

...and growth remains unbalanced...

The UK service sector is still the biggest driver of UK growth, growing by 0.7% in Q4 2015, unrevised from the previous estimate (see Chart 2) and marks the twelfth consecutive quarter of positive growth. Production output fell by 0.5% in Q4 2015 compared with Q3 2015, revised down 0.3 percentage points from the previous estimate. Construction output dropped by 0.4% in Q4, revised down 0.3 percentage points from the previous

22

INSPIRE

estimate. Overall, strong service sector output is helping to offset weakness in other areas of the UK economy.

…UK jobs market strengthens further...

In the three months to December 2015, UK employment rose by 205,000 compared with the previous three months.

As a consequence, the UK employment rate reached 74.1%, the highest since records began. Although earnings growth remains stuck at around 2%, December was the fifteenth successive month that pay growth has outstripped inflation. This means that earnings continue to grow in real terms (see Chart 3) which is helping support consumer spending, a key driver of UK economic growth.

to zero, 'core' inflation - which excludes products such as fuel and food that can have temporary price shocks - dropped to 1.2% still much lower than the central banks inflation target (see Chart 4), suggesting that inflation is set to remain low for some time yet. With UK inflation expected to remain very weak, a rise in interest rates in 2016 is highly unlikely.

…deficit reduction proving a real challenge...

UK public sector borrowing (excluding public sector banks) recorded a surplus of £11.2 billion in January 2016, the largest January surplus since 2008 (see Chart 5).

January is typically a strong month for tax receipts due to the timing of selfassessment tax returns.

EconomicReview

In marked contrast, the UK’s trade surplus in services increased to £90 billion, also a record high. Overall, these figures confirm that rebalancing the UK economy remains a major challenge.

...and while the Eurozone is improving...

data is overstating the true strength of the economies of both India and China, the outlook for India remains positive with a growing middle class and working age population expected to support consumer spending, a key driver of India’s economy.

However, with total borrowing for this financial year to date already standing at £66.5 billion, the Chancellor faces a real challenge to meet the OBR's borrowing forecast of £73.5 billion for 2015/16 as a whole. To meet the OBR's forecast, the government would have to borrow no more than £7 billion in the remainder of this financial year.

...as UK’s trade position remains weak...

The UK's trade deficit narrowed in December 2015 to £2.7 billion, from £4.0 billion in November. This reflects a deficit of £9.9 billion on goods, partially offset by an estimated surplus of £7.2 billion on services. UK’s trade deficit for 2015 as a whole reached £34.7 billion, an increase of £0.3 billion from 2014. The UK's trade deficit in goods widened to £125 billion in 2015, the highest on record (see Chart 6).

...but Brazilian growth hits 25-year low...

The first estimate of Eurozone GDP had growth at 0.3% for Q4 2015, unchanged from the previous quarter. Germany's economy, the biggest in the Eurozone, grew by 0.3% in Q3 2015, unchanged from the previous quarter. In contrast, Greece slipped back into recession in Q4 after declining by 0.6% in the quarter and a drop of 1.4% in Q3. For 2015 as a whole, the Eurozone economy grew by 1.5%, the fastest rate of growth since 2011, but below the growth of 2.2% recorded in the UK last year (see Chart 7). Overall, despite the stronger growth recorded last year, the outlook for the Eurozone remains weak.

...as India’s economy outpaces China...

India's economy, the world’s third-largest, grew by 7.4% for 2015 as a whole, the fastest rate of growth since 2011.

Significantly, India's economy grew at a faster rate than China in 2015 - only the second time in the past twenty years that India has outperformed China (see Chart 8). Despite concerns that the official GDP

Bottom line:

Brazil’s economy, the world’s seventhlargest, contracted by 3.8% in 2015, the biggest decline since 1981. Lower global commodity prices, declining domestic demand and double digit inflation and interest rates have all contributed to the slowdown in Brazil. The struggles faced by Brazil highlight the difficulties facing the ‘BRIC’ countries which had been expected to be drivers of global growth. Although India is performing well, both Russia and Brazil are in recession and Chinese growth is slowing (see Chart 9), reflecting a wider slowdown among emerging markets.

Overall, last month’s data releases provides further confirmation that although the UK economy is growing at a reasonable rate, more must be done help to support investment and growth at a time of rising global uncertainty.

For more information please contact: Suren Thiru, Economic Advisor. Email: s.thiru@britishchambers.org.uk. Tel: 020 7654 5801

INSPIRE

23

ProfessionalDevelopment

%

Save 25

on University of Hertfordshire (UH) Courses We’ve highlighted a selection of course titles and dates but to find out more simply contact the Chamber team on 01707 398400 to discuss your study needs.

Act now - as this Chamber offer is for a limited period only Choose from two one-day CPD Super Courses next term •••

Managing Change Wednesday 20 April

Communication and Presentation Skills Wednesday 11 May The published price per course is £200, the Chamber price is £150 per delegate subject to availability.

•••

CMI Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring

The Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce can introduce you and your team to a range of excellent courses at the University of Hertfordshire’s Business School and save you money on your staff development costs.

With the UH campus conveniently located in Hatfield, first class business education is within easy reach of Hertfordshire companies and organisations and, through our partnership, UH courses are now within reach of most budgets.

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is the only chartered professional body in the UK dedicated to promoting the highest standards in management and leadership excellence.

Days 1 and 2 - Wednesday 25 May and Thursday 26 May : Introduction to Management Coaching and Mentoring Day 3 - Wednesday 15 June : Using Coaching and Mentoring Skills as a Manager Day 4 - Thursday 16 June : Coaching Practice and Theory Day 5 - Tuesday 20 September : Professional support for work-based coaching practice and academic support for assignment preparation and writing.

Save £400 on the published price per course which £1,600, the Chamber price is £1,200 per student subject to availability.

The CMI does not specify entry requirements but students are likely to be leading teams or aiming to do so in the future.

CMI Level 5 in Management and Leadership - Certificate and Diploma The Level 5 qualifications in Management and Leadership (QCF) are designed for practising middle managers and those aspiring to senior management who want to develop their core management skills; they help managers strengthen and develop their knowledge of middle management by focusing on specific management areas in their current day-to-day job function.

The Certificate Certificate units – to achieve the Certificate students must choose and complete two of the following units: • Managing Team and Individual Performance • Personal Development as a Manager and Leader • Leadership Practice • Conducting a Management Project • Managing recruitment and selection Save £218 on the published price for the Certificate course which is £875, the Chamber price is £657 per Certificate student subject to availability.

The CMI does not specify entry requirements for the Certificate but students are likely to be leading teams or aiming to do so in the future.

The Diploma On completion of the Certificate, students can progress to the Diploma in Management and Leadership which is designed as a more extensive qualification for managers and those aspiring to senior management who want to develop their key skills. A Diploma in Management and Leadership is the benchmark qualification for full CMI membership.

To achieve the Diploma students are required to complete all five units above over a total of 7.5 days.

Save £531 on the published price for the Diploma course which is £2,125, the Chamber price is £1,594 per Diploma student subject to availability.

If you would like to book a place or require any further information please contact Carole Luck caroleluck@hertschamber.com or phone 01707 398400 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9NE Tel: 01707 398000 Fax: 01707 398430 www.hertschamber.com

24

INSPIRE

HRAcademy

The hidden costs of the National Living Wage - is your business ready?

Hot on the heels of the increase in the National Minimum Wage (NMW), the National Living Wage (NLW) comes into force on 1st April 2016.

While the change is good news for lower paid workers, the knock-on effects for businesses go beyond the obvious increase in salaries at the bottom end of the pay scale. With some employees on course to receive a wage increase of almost 11% over six months, employers in all industries could face a backlash from other members of staff who see the wage gap narrowed.

Additionally, whilst the impact will be felt more directly by employers in the retail, hospitality, agriculture and social care sectors, other sectors are likely to suffer cost increases in respect of purchased goods and services.

Changes to hourly rates October 2015 saw an increase in the NMW and from April 2016 the NLW will effectively replace the NMW for workers

26

INSPIRE

aged 25 and over (those under 25 will stay on the NMW).

The initial hourly rate for the NLW will be £7.20 per hour, albeit the government has pledged to raise this to at least £9 per hour by 2020.

For all NLW and NMW rates see https://www.gov.uk/nationalminimum-wage-rates Impact of the changes According to a report by the Resolution Foundation the introduction of the National Living Wage is expected to directly affect one in five employees – although this could be as high as one in two employees in certain sectors.

And, by 2020, they estimate that 23% of all employees are likely to have received some increase in their pay as a result of the NLW, which importantly includes 2.8m moving onto higher wages through spill overs.

Hence, whilst some businesses will find one of their major direct costs (often representing 25%+ of their cost base) increasing by almost 12% (excluding the additional cost created by auto-enrolment pension costs), with the potential domino effect across salary scales and the increased cost of supplies and services, it is likely that most businesses will be affected in some form.

Example Employee • 40 hour week on NLW = an extra £1,040 per annum (7.5% increase) • Including increase in NMW = 10.8% increase between Oct 2015 - Apr 2016 Overall increase, including employers’ NI contributions = 11.6% Softening the blow for businesses?

According to George Osborne, “Businesses small and large will be helped to make the changes to wages.” Corporation tax is being gradually cut by 2% to 18% in order to offset the predicted 1% impact on corporate profits. But this is only fully available in 2020 and only helps if you are making a reasonable profit!

There is also extra help for small firms with the increase in the Employment Allowance by £1,000 per year to £3,000, but again, this will only just about cover the cost of the increase for one full time employee.

Planning ahead Whilst the higher wage floor is undoubtedly good news for lower paid workers, the challenge for business owners is to ensure that they are prepared for both the direct and indirect effects within their organisation.

Although the increases are unavoidable, effective planning should include a review of the entire wage structure and how it may change, considering the wider implications on all employees.

Additionally, rather than just accepting the cost increases that will result from these changes, business managers should discuss working practices to see where efficiencies could be made in both employed costs and purchased services.

Thinking more holistically about the National Living Wage will ensure businesses are better prepared for the real costs of the changes and may act as a catalyst for more efficient ways of working.

Richard Cranstone is a partner at Playfair Partnerships and is responsible for payroll services and compliance.

HRAcademy

Do you have employees over the age of 50 years old and thinking about their options in retirement?

Citizens Advice Stevenage is offering Pension Wise appointments to help people plan for their future.

Kevin Twomey, Pension Guidance Guarantee Agent at Citizens Advice Stevenage, is inviting companies with employees over the age of 50 to make their staff aware that Pension Wise are offering appointments across Hertfordshire and South Bedfordshire, giving people access to free and impartial pension guidance in their local area.

Following pension reforms in April 2015, people approaching retirement have greater freedom over how they can use their pension pots. Pension Wise is a new Government service designed to help people make sense of their pension options, and empower them to make the right choices.

Citizens Advice Stevenage is delivering free face to face Pension Wise sessions which are available to book now.

The 45 minute appointments are tailored to the individual, taking into account the value of their pension and their plans for retirement.

In addition to providing individual appointments via a number of sites across the County, the Citizens Advice Stevenage team are happy to engage with local employers and offer guidance sessions for employees at their place of work, ensuring that everyone who needs guidance has access to the service.

This service could be integrated into an organisation’s retirement planning process, offering individual appointments where a Pension Wise Guider will discuss the various options available to staff who: • are aged 50 or over • have a defined contribution pension One Stevenage Pension Wise customer, Mr Strachan, said Pension Wise was “very easy, and clearly explained. It has made my life a lot easier and I would definitely recommend the service.”

Daniel Marshall, Chief Executive of Stevenage CAB, said: “Stevenage CAB is delivering Pension Wise appointments

from Stevenage as well as a number of sites across the region, giving easy access to Pension Wise.

Further, we would be pleased to visit employers to discuss with them how this free, confidential and impartial Government service could work to ensure their staff receive guidance on this important issue.

Pensions can be a confusing topic and Pension Wise appointments will help people to make sense of their pension choices.”

Stevenage CAB already helps people with retirement issues and we’ll continue to offer this service outside of Pension Wise.”

For more information, or to book a face to face appointment, call 01438 721760.

Guidance appointments are also available on the telephone, delivered by the Pensions Advisory Service.

People can also get information and general guidance online at www.pensionwise.gov.uk.

Is your business auto enrolment compliant?

The size of your business will probably determine your approach to Auto Enrolment or, to give it its full title, Automatic Enrolment.

For larger businesses and organisation which have an HR team and payroll function it’s likely that auto enrolment is considered to be part of the HR and Payroll teams’ remit. SMEs, on the other hand, may not have a dedicated HR resource and, therefore, understanding the impact of Auto Enrolment could be part of the services provided by an accountancy firm or payroll bureau.

However, the legal responsibility for automatic enrolment lies firmly with the employer and, therefore, it is important that every business is aware of the implications and their individual and corporate liabilities in this area.

The Pensions Regulator, a nondepartmental public body which holds the position of the regulator of work-based pension schemes in the UK, estimates that up to half a million smaller employers will need to work out what their automatic enrolment duties are and whether they need to provide a pension for their staff - could this be you and your business?

During 2016, the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, will be working with a number of organisations who will be able to advise businesses of all sizes on their auto enrolment role and responsibilities.

The first event the Chamber will be running is in on Thursday 28 April - a breakfast seminar at Beales Hotel, Hatfield sponsored and hosted by APG Wealth Management To book your place call Sophie Watts on 01707 398404 or email sophiewatts@hertschamber.

For further information about Chamber events throughout the year visit our website www.hertschamber.com/events

INSPIRE

27

MembersNews

New officer to promote economic development in Welwyn Hatfield

Sustainable cost reduction

Businesses in Welwyn Hatfield will benefit from a single point of contact at the borough council, following the appointment of a new Economic Development Officer.

But has that achieved the real cost reduction sought and what has it done to the future relationships, enabling further savings to be made.

Too often the relationship between cost and price becomes confused, and it is necessary to distinguish between the two to ensure real savings can be achieved.

It is also important to understand the nature of direct and indirect costs; an example of this being that introducing monthly consolidated invoicing may not reduce the cost of the product; however the administrative costs for both businesses could be reduced.

In order to develop and implement real cost reduction programmes businesses have to be open to looking within their own operations as well as at those of their suppliers. It is also necessary to ensure that

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council has made a firm commitment to help build a strong local economy, outlining this as a corporate priority for the next three years.

A recent consultation, to better understand the issues affecting the local economy, highlighted a need to establish one point of contact within the council for business support.

Lisa Devayya joins from Dacorum Borough Council, where she held a similar post for five years. She explains: “My role will include acting as a key point of contact for businesses seeking advice from the council or its partners – including signposting to other organisations, and promoting inward investment. I am very keen to meet with local businesses to discuss their needs and encourage them to get in touch.”

Councillor Bernard Sarson, Executive Member for Business and Partnerships, said: “I’m really pleased we have delivered on our commitment to establish a single point of contact in the council for business support. Although all our teams strive to assist local businesses as much as possible, we’re confident this new appointment will help forge much stronger relationships.

“The government recently announced their intention to give councils more control over the business rates they collect, and this appointment comes at a crucial time when we need to be doing everything we can to attract and retain businesses locally.”

To contact Lisa Devayya, Economic Development Officer at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, please email l.devayya@welhat.gov.uk

28

INSPIRE

Over the years I have seen many instances of companies announcing cost reduction programmes, however the strategy undertaken has been to exercise leverage on their suppliers to simply reduce prices. when working with suppliers there is a realisation that some level of mutual benefit, to ensure their commitment.

There are scenarios where strong negotiation is required; however in certain circumstances this opportunity may be limited. i.e. a small manufacturing business spending £50k/yr with a major electronics distributor is unlikely to be able to successfully negotiate different terms or price breaks, however it is still worth exploring to see if there are alternatives such as consortium purchasing etc.

To truly reduce cost’s a company must understand what drives those costs, enabling them to address the cause. I use a selection of techniques and initiatives for this, including Value Engineering (VE); Design for Manufacture (DFM);

Value Stream Analysis (VSA); Category Management and Inventory Optimisation (IO), however none of these are a silver bullet and a real cultural understanding and commitment is required to achieve sustainable benefits.

To find out more contact Optimatrix Tel 02036930528 email info@optimatrix.co.uk www.optimatrix.co.uk

Running a Business in Herts?

Need Support to Grow?

Whether you are looking to boost your business skills, get impartial advice, hire a room, use a hot desk, or network and share ideas with other business owners, the Let’s Go! Business Hub has something for every business.

Based at Enfield Business Centre (close to the A10 and M25), the Hub offers a holistic range of facilities and services to support and empower established and start up businesses to succeed.

Managed by Enterprise Enfield, the Hub’s team of expert Advisers specialise in helping businesses in Herts and north London to develop, grow and thrive. This support includes an assessment of your current business performance with practical advice on ways to increase your sales and profit margin; help with raising finance; managing accounts and exploring new lead

generation opportunities.

Business owners are also encouraged to develop their knowledge and skills by taking advantage of a rolling programme of heavily subsidised seminars delivered at the Hub - covering key topics such as: marketing; business planning; raising finance; financial forecasting and social media.

Once registered with the Hub, in addition to business advice, you will benefit from a range of discounts (20% off seminar fees and 10% off meeting room hire) together with a free mailing address; unlimited hot desking; a weekly advice and

networking group; and great opportunities to promote your business to other Hub users.

Take advantage of our limited special Introductory Hub Package - at just £60 inc. VAT for 6 months (equivalent to just £2.50 a week!)

For full details of Hub services and forthcoming seminars and events visit www.EnterpriseEnfield.org or contact Hub Co-ordinator, Kyri Photiou on 020 8443 5457 hub@enterpriseenfield.org, or visit the Hub at Enfield Business Centre, 201 Hertford Road, Enfield EN3 5JH.

MembersNews

The event that works around you Drift School offers a driving experience like you have never had before. train your guests to use the crazy cart in the most exciting and fun ways imaginable. We supply everything you need including carts, staff, safety equipment and enough batteries to keep you drifting all day!

Using Razors Crazy Carts, you'll quickly learn how to manoeuvre a vehicle in a new and exciting way, then feel free to drive and drift as you like, even race against your friends on our personalised circuits.

We offer an easy, tailored and incredibly enjoyable alternative to the corporate event you’re used to. Drift School takes

pride in its flexibility, you can book us as your main event for however long you’d like, or why not book drift school as an added attraction to your own event. All Drift School needs to operate is an open space, indoors or outside… it’s all your choice. Drift School can come to your office, campus or hotel, set up quickly then professionally

Perfect for corporate event days, VIP areas, festivals, university events, parties and many more! Drift School was started by three university of Hertfordshire students, Ben, John and Jack. We watched as the Crazy Cart from Razor took off in America but failed to in the UK, mainly because very few people in the UK have the space to drive one. Drift School was founded to give you the opportunity to try and enjoy our Crazy Carts, giving you an event experience you have never had before, and one you’ll never want to end.

To find out more visit www.drift-school.co.uk

Looking for ambitious mums in Hertfordshire!

The Chamber is delighted to support The Mums Enterprise Roadshow series in June Make a note of the dates - 9th June at Moor Park Mansion, Rickmansworth; 18th June at Paradise Wildlife Park, Broxbourne.

Focusing on four key areas these two events will help ambitious mums in Hertfordshire to re-train or up-skill, find flexible work, start or grow a business.

Visitor tickets can be purchased on line priced at an introductory rate of £35 + booking fee

which includes free-flow refreshments, lunch, goody bag and a copy of the ‘Enterprisers Handbook’.

To book visit www.mumsenterprise.events.

To find out about exhibiting or becoming a sponsor contact lindsey@mumsenterprise.events and follow @MumsEnterprise for event updates.

State of the art technology at The Forum Peter Irving is now the first point of contact at the recently opened Forum Conference & Banqueting Suite along with the events co-ordinator Sue Waite.

‘I’m looking forward to getting to know both the locals and the local businesses in and around the Stevenage area to see how we can grow our business together. We have such a wonderful product on offer here at the Forum I am sure that many people will be impressed by both the beauty, size and the versatility in the events that can be held in Forum’.

The Forum Conference and Banqueting Suite can accommodate a range of events from boardroom meetings for 4 up to new product launches, seminars and conferences for 500. It has the latest state of the art Samsung technology giving 21 flat screen TV’s (yes 21!), teleconferencing, state of the art sound system and free Wi-Fi. ‘Coming as I am from a building where accessing such technology was a challenge it is refreshing to see that this degree and amount of technology is readily available to our guests.

The versatility of the spaces with sound proof dividing walls also makes it a breeze to host multiple events and shrink the room size down to meet our guests needs’.

What’s more the special discount available to fellow Chambers members is also applicable to spouses, partners and children so if you have any private event such as a party, wedding, or christening, it is worth a visit to our site.

Forum Conference & Banqueting Suite Danestrete, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1EJ 01438 53 012 option 1

INSPIRE

29

InternationalTrade

Germany export overview Germany has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than EUR 2.7 trillion.

This makes it the largest economy in Europe and the fourth strongest economy in the world. Its consistently strong economic performance offers long-term growth potential for UK businesses.

Germany’s economy is expected to grow by about 2% in the next 2 years. Future growth over the next 20 to 50 years is forecast between 0.7% and 1.75%.

Germany faces a number of long-term structural challenges due to an ageing and decreasing working population.

Overall unemployment has consistently fallen since 2005.

It was 5.1% in May 2014, one of the lowest levels in 20 years.

The German economy is characterised by its Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME).

99% of all companies are SMEs, with most family owned and passed from one generation to the next.

Germany is the UK’s largest export market in Europe and second largest globally after the US. The UK’s market share of German imports is around 4.7%.

Benefits for UK businesses exporting to Germany include: • one hour from the UK by air • easy access to eastern Europe • English widely spoken and accepted as a business language • strong domestic consumer market due to population of 81 million and resilient economy Strengths of the German market include: • strong industrial base • hosts 65% of the world’s international trade fairs

30

INSPIRE

Challenges doing business in Germany If your product or service is successful in the UK, there’s a good chance you’ll be successful in Germany. However, the German market is extremely competitive. UK companies need to be patient and persistent.

Some German companies have a ‘buy local’ attitude and for this reason British companies must offer something unique in order to stand out.

Growth potential Germany was one of the first European countries to emerge from the global economic crisis.

This was mainly due to: • strong exports • structural reforms undertaken

by German companies • strengthened domestic demand

Germany has many so-called ‘hidden champions’. These are larger medium sized companies who are often global market leaders in specialised sectors.

Trade agreements Germany is a member of the European Union (EU) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

This means that goods manufactured in the UK are exempt from import duties.

Contact the SOLVIT team if you have market access issues relating to the operation of the Single Market.

UK and Germany trade Germany is the UK’s largest trading partner in Europe.

Since 2009 UK exports to Germany have increased by 21% to £43 billion.

The main UK exports to Germany are: • mineral fuels and gas • machinery and mechanical appliances • vehicles and automotive components • aircraft • electrical machinery and equipment • pharmaceutical products There are over 1,200 British companies in Germany, employing over 200,000 people.

Almost every 10th foreign company in Germany is British.

Total British Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Germany currently amounts to £19 billion.

“Germany has many so-called ‘hidden champions’. These are larger medium sized companies who are often global market leaders in specialised sectors.”

ChamberServices

Enjoy The value of your the Benef its Chamber membership Many members see the main value of Chamber membership to be the excellent networking opportunities at the many events the Chamber organises. And certainly, the Chamber organises almost 100 events throughout the County enabling members to “Connect, Collaborate and Grow”.

That’s just part of what we do to help businesses and organisations in Hertfordshire and there’s so much more included and available to you and your team via your Chamber membership including FREE and discounted offers, such as:

Connect We open doors to forge new business relationships.

• PR, sponsorship and online marketing opportunities

Collaborate

• Unlimited access to a FREE 24/7 HR helpline manned by experts

Bringing business people together.

Strengthening the voice of Hertfordshire.

• Access to a wealth of downloadable HR and Health & Safety policies • FREE staff handbook and online HR health-check • £130,000 indemnity insurance for employment law issues

Grow

• FREE 24/7 legal helpline

We have the knowledge and expertise to help your business grow.

• Export documentation costs discounted by 50% and expert international trade advice • Member forums, such as the HR, Property & Construction forums

Are you making the most of your membership?

• 25% discount on selected University of Hertfordshire courses

If not, call our team today on

• Partnership working for schools and employers via Young Chamber

to make sure you do maximise on the benefits and value your Chamber membership can deliver. Find out how we can help you, your business and your employees by calling us or visit

• Competitive discounts on private health care • Negotiated rates like AA Roadside Assistance, Experian business data

01707 398400

The Chamber team looks forward to working with you to discover the best and most relevant membership benefits to help you manage and grow your business or organisation.

www.hertschamber.com for more information.

INSPIRE

31

YoungChamber

Young Chamber

Supporting the

Young Chamber is all about helping schools and employers in Hertfordshire to collaborate and develop the talents and skills of our next generation.

Working with schools We feel that young people entering the labour market for the first time should be equipped with the right skills in order to become successful. The Chamber team has been working with a number of Hertfordshire’s schools, introducing students, teachers and sometimes parents to the concept of Young Chamber at events, here are some of the highlights: The Chamber ran a breakfast event with Kings Langley School ‘Developing Character Ready for the Workplace.’ Guest speakers included: Gary Lewis - Head Teacher at Kings Langley School and leading educationalist; and Dr Michael Hastings, Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE - KPMG’s Global Head of Citizenship and former head teacher.

Supporting Onslow St Audrey’s School, Hatfield, at its Year 10 World of Work and Employability Event - the Chamber team gave a presentation entitled ‘How your online presence can impact your employability in the future’ to the students.

The Chamber encouraged local businesses to join them and attend St Albans Girls’ School (STAGS) Year 11 Big Interview Day – the aim of this event was to give students a taste of what it is like to apply for a job and be rigorously interviewed by a potential employer.

remaining time in education. A variety of businesses attended each event including GSK, the NHS, Computacenter, PwC, Aon, University of Bedfordshire, University of Hertfordshire, UK Training and Development (UKTD) and our event sponsor - MBDA Missile Systems.

Two of our three Careers Fairs were held at Young Chamber schools: St Albans Girls’ School (STAGS) and The John Warner School, Hoddesdon.

The Your Future Careers Fair at STAGS was attended by many local employers including Chamber Patron PwC

The largest Careers Fair of the series was held at Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre with over 30 businesses and organisations taking exhibition stands, filling the main hall and making the most of the opportunity to meet students from local secondary schools.

Your Future Careers Fair The Hertfordshire Chamber team recently held three Careers Fairs for the Your Future initiative. These events were aimed at students from 14 years old - to inspire, enthuse and motivate them to think about prospective careers, the employment options available to them and to make the most of their

32

INSPIRE

Each Your Future Careers Fair was a great success and we would like to thank all businesses, staff, schools and their students who were involved and attended.

The main hall at the Stevenage Arts & Lesisure Centre was the venue for the Chamber’s largest Your Future Careers Fair

Careers Fair at The John Warner School

Hertfordshire schools participating in recent Chamber events and Young Chamber member schools include: Goffs School, Cheshunt; Hailey Hall School, Hoddesdon; Kings Langley School; Knights Templar School, Baldock; Monk’s Walk School, Welwyn Garden City; Onslow St Audrey’s School, Hatfield; Sir John Lawes School, Harpenden; St Albans Girls’ School (STAGS); St Mary's CofE High School, Cheshunt; The Da Vinci Studio School of Creative Enterprise, Letchworth Garden City; The Da Vinci Studio School of Science and Engineering, Stevenage; The John Henry Newman School, Stevenage; The John Warner School, Hoddesdon; The Nobel School, Stevenage; The Priory School, Hitchin; The Sele School, Hertford; The Thomas Alleyne Academy, Stevenage To find out more about Young Chamber events, or to find out how to become a Young Chamber member school, please contact Courteney Black at courteneyblack@hertschamber.com or phone 01707 398744.

YoungChamber

next generation Celebrating the UK’s youngest entrants in a robotics contest

that local businesses will come forward and support introducing this to primary school children within Welwyn and Hatfield".

Careers talk at Sir Frederic Osborn School As part of our commitment to Young Chamber, Yolanda Rugg, CEO, visited the Sir Frederic Osborn School in Welwyn Garden City to talk to Year 10 students about how they can prepare themselves for the world of work. Yolanda was joined by Chamber team members Alex Brett and Courteney Black who both talked to the students about their own career pathways which had resulted in them working for the Hertfordshire Chamber.

Emily Duffey and Beth Thomas pictured with Yolanda Rugg, Chamber CEO, and Ruby their robot

Primary schoolgirls Emily Duffey, eight and Beth Thomas, seven, from Welwyn Garden City have spent months designing, building and programming their very own robot, called Ruby, which stands 15 inches high.

In January the two pupils, from Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Crookhams, Welwyn Garden City, took on 23 other teams in a regional heat of the Vex IQ Bank shot challenge at the Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb, North London. But all the other contestants were from secondary schools aged between 11 and 14.

Yolanda Rugg CEO for the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring Emily and Beth from Holy Family Catholic Primary School.

The Chamber has a Young Chamber programme, and for many years has been campaigning for more businesses to get involved to inspire the next generation of business leaders into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects, and to start engagement at a much younger age”.

Emily’s dad Andrew said: “The exercise has given them a good grounding in science, technology and maths.” Beth’s dad Andy added: “Both girls are enjoying doing this project which they have built from scratch using their own ideas. We hope following meetings with Yolanda and the Chamber

The comments made by students following the visit demonstrate its success: Georgia Hurd said “I will now make my CV different and interesting”; Jack Evans said “This session highlighted the many skills I am doing in school which apply to real life and how to maximise my opportunities for the future”; Jack Farmer added he had learnt that “There are lots of different opportunities out there for you and you have to go out and get them and not wait for them to come to you”.

The project was set up in response to a key recommendation of the Women’s Business Council report of June 2013 - to create effective partnerships between local businesses and schools, to help broaden aspirations and develop workplace skills via work experience, local mentors and extracurricular activities.

The report, A Model for School and Business Partnerships, has highlighted some key recommendations for schools and businesses to consider, including: • Encouraging teachers to engage with the local business community • Inviting businesses to be involved in lesson plans • Promoting direct engagement between business leaders and pupils

Chamber visiting Sir Frederic Osborn School

Raise career aspirations of young women Raising career aspirations of young women to achieve gender parity is the theme of a report published this month about a project run jointly by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Government Equalities Office (GEO) aimed at boosting the number of women entering well-paid science and technology jobs. Hertfordshire Chamber was one of five chambers chosen to take part in the School Business Partnership Project.

Yolanda Rugg, Chamber CEO says: “From our member surveys we recognise how challenging it is to find the right skills when recruiting new employees and we encourage our members to get involved and support some of our Young Chamber initiatives – particularly around STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects.

“We are delivering a number of events, working with Kate Bellingham, Hertfordshire’s People Like Me Ambassador, and businesses operating in the science, technology and engineering industries to promote, to girls in particular, the diverse range of jobs that exist across STEM”.

Visit www.hertschamber.com to download a free copy of the report.

INSPIRE

33

NewMembers

Welcome to new members APG Wealth Management

CKT Solutions

DVANA Limited

Providing financial advice to individuals and small/medium businesses 5 Oaks Court, Warwick Road Borehamwood Hertfordshire WD6 1GS 020 820 74000 www.akashgupta.co.uk

Professional services - learning and development 33 Meadway Harpenden Hertfordshire AL5 1JN 07850 938102 www.businesslearningtools.com

Business and management consultants 116 Forester’s Drive Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 2JQ 0333 006 3800 www.dvana.com

De Vere Venues Theobalds Park Local independent estate agents BigBlackHen.com

The Hot Office, Silver Court, Watchmead Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 1LT 01992 878580 www.bigblackhen.com

Camtronics Letchworth Limited Repair centre specialising in mobile phone repair on all major smartphone brands Units 1&2 Aylesford Court, Works Road Letchworth Garden City Hertfordshire SG6 1LP 01462 485947 www.camtronics.co.uk

CK Assessment and Training Ltd One stop shop for gas and plumbing qualifications 2-3 Meridian Buildings, Nazeing Glass Works, Nazeing New Road Broxbourne Hertfordshire EN10 6SX 01992 444 029 www.ckatuk.com

34

INSPIRE

Conference and training venue and hotel Lieutenant Ellis Way Cheshunt Hertfordshire EN7 5HW 08712 224820 www.deverevenues.co.uk/ locations/theobalds-park.html

Dobsons Designing and Installation of kitchens, bathrooms, windows doors and extensions 128 Turners Hill Cheshunt Hertfordshire EN8 6BN 01992 623066 www.dobsonshome.com

Drift School LLP Portable events company offering Drift Style Go Karts for corporate or private hire 52 Furzen Crescent Hatfield Hertfordshire AL10 9QJ 07846 702523 www.drift-school.co.uk

Elmhurst Energy Services Energy efficiency consultancy 16 St John's Business Park Lutterworth Leicestershire LE17 4HB 01455 883250 www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

Enterprise Enfield Supports SME businesses with growth and development 201 Hertford Road Enfield Hertfordshire EN3 5JH 020 844 35457 www.letsgobusinesshub.org

Go Travel Solutions Smartgo Stevenage - travel solutions for businesses and their employees The Innovation Centre, 49 Oxford Street Leicester Leicestershire LE1 5XY 07887 950 633 www.smartgo.co.uk/stevenage

Hertfordshire Community Services NHS Trust Provides healthcare services Howard Court, 14 Tewin Road Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 1BW 01707 388067 www.hertschs.nhs.uk

JCCN Accountants Provides accounting and finance services to SMEs at value for money Maclaurin Building, 4 Bishops SquareHatfield Hertfordshire AL10 9NE 01707 242879 www.jccnaccountants.com

Kelvin Hughes Ltd Independent energy consultants 4 Cedar Court, Porters Wood St Albans Hertfordshire Al3 6PA 0845 389 2001 www.kelvinhughes.com

Kenza Design Interior design, Christmas decorators 60 Edward Road East Barnet Hertfordshire EN4 8AZ 07793 196714 www.kenza.co.uk

Health Hut Products Ltd

KM Design

Freshly made protein bars 26 Astwick Manor, Coopers Green Lane Hatfield Hertfordshire AL10 4BP 01707 271267

Graphic and website design, logos and branding 30 New Mill Terrace Tring Hertfordshire HP23 5ET 01442 890017 www.kmdesign.co

NewMembers

Little Fish Events Management Ltd Organisers at the Mums Enterprise Roadshow, B2B client exhibitions, conferences and awards 34 Millstream Lodge, Uxbridge Road Rickmansworth WD3 8JQ 01923 592255 www.littlefisheventmanagement.com

Mama's Soup Kitchen Fresh food production / distribution 24 Such Close Letchworth Hertfordshire SG6 1JF 07590 421101 www.MSK.co.uk

Mike Ruff Music Musician, dance teacher, author, speaker 27 Runcie Close St Albans Hertfordshire AL4 9AX 01727 831917 www.mikeruffmusic.co.uk

Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Charitable Fund MVCC Charitable Fund supports the excellent work carried out at the Centre and to make the extra difference to every patient Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Northwood HA6 2RN 020 382 62517 www.enherts-tr.nhs.uk

Nova Skin Clinic Modern medical aesthetics clinic, specialising in the latest non-surgical treatments North Road (Inside The Spine and Wellness Centre) Stevenage Hertfordshire SG1 4BB 01438 941125 www.novaskinclinic.co.uk

Nova Clinic Solutions

Prospects Unlimited

Tek.One Techonologies Ltd

Healthcare and business professionals who help physical medicine, aesthetic and dental doctors North Road (Inside The Spine and Wellness Centre) Stevenage Hertfordshire SG1 4BB 01438 941126 www.novaclinicsolutions.co.uk

Management and Development Consultancy 125 Gurney Court Road St Albans Hertfordshire AL1 4QY 07795 055960

Helping small and medium sized businesses pay less and get more out of their IT investment Business Technology Centre, Bessemer Drive Stevenage Hertfordshire SG1 2DX 01438 771000 www.tekoneltd.co.uk

Nova Spine and Wellness Centre Specialists: Osteomyologists and Chiropractors North Road (Inside Active4Less) Stevenage Hertfordshire SG1 4BB 01438 355522 www.spineandwellness.co.uk

OakCAD Training Engineering training company 18 Cubitts Close Welwyn Hertfordshire AL6 0DZ 07790 763553 www.oakcad.co.uk

Puddingstone Distillery Gin distillery 30 New Mill Terrace Tring Hertfordshire HP23 5ET 01442 890017 www.puddingstonedistillery.com

Ravensburgh Recruitment Recruitment agency specialising in permanent and contract recruitment in the commercial industry 10B Bucklesbury Hitchin Hertfordshire SG5 1BB 01462 235074 www.ravensburghs.co.uk

OptiMatrix

Red Potato

Business strategy: process and organisational development; commercial and contract management, procurement and operations Alexander House, Wilbury Way Hitchin Hertfordshire SG4 OAP 02036 930528 www.optimatrix.co.uk

Market research agency Biopark Enterprise and Innovation Centre, Broadwater Road Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 3AX 07951 942995 www.red-potato.com

Perfect Balance Clinic

StratChange Consulting Ltd

Healthcare provider specialising in pain and injury David Lloyd Hatfield Mosquito Way Hatfield Hertfordshire AL10 9AX 01707 229871 www.perfectbalanceclinic.com

Management consultancy 142 Belswains Lane Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP3 9XD 07891 575594 www.stratchange.co.uk

The Sele School Secondary School Welwyn Road Hertford Hertfordshire SG14 2DG 01992 581455 www.sele.herts.sch.uk

Vincent and Gorbing Chartered architects and town planners Sterling Court, Norton Road Stevenage Hertfordshire SG1 2JY 01439 316331 www.vincent-gorbing.co.uk

Young Enterprise Educational charity, working with young people, schools and businesses to build a sustainable future Maclaurin Building, Bishops Square Hatfield Hertfordshire AL10 9NE 07787 828783 www.young-enterprise.org.uk

Zoocha Provider of Drupal development services, digital design solutions and online marketing expertise Second Floor, Seed Warehouse, The Wash Hertford Hertfordshire SG14 1PX 01992 256700 www.zoocha.com

INSPIRE

35

ChamberEvents

Matchday Networking: Stevenage FC v Bristol Rovers Date: Time: Venue: Cost:

Tuesday, 19th April 18.30 - 22.00 Stevenage Football Club Broadhall Way. Stevenage, Hertfordshire. SG2 8RH £35.00 members £40.00 non-members

Our ever-popular networking events at Stevenage Football Club are back for 2016.

This match will see Stevenage FC continue their fight with a crucial game against Bristol Rovers held at the Lamex Stadium.

Come along and network with other businesses whilst supporting one of Hertfordshire's most successful football teams.

Price includes full hospitality including two-course dinner, half-time refreshments, match programme and a seat in the directors section of the West Terrace.

Networking Breakfast - Managing People: The Generation Game Date: Time: Venue:

Wednesday, 27th April 07.30 - 09.30 Hitchin Priory, Tilehouse St, Hitchin, SG5 2DL £24.00 members £30.00 non-members

Cost:

This insightful breakfast seminar topic will be led

by Russell Beck, Impellam's Head of Consulting.

At this event you will learn about the latest research to help you understand how you can successfully manage a generationally diverse workforce.

Russell will examine and share what defines each generation, the political, social and technological factors behind their contrasting behaviours, how they behave at work as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

As part of this fascinating seminar, Russell will highlight potential areas of conflict and discuss ways to handle them to achieve success.

This event is sponsored

by Tate Recruitment - an Impellam Group company.

Chamber Networking Breakfast - Auto Enrolment Date:

Thursday, 28th April

Time:

07.30 - 09.30

Venue:

Beales Hotel, Comet Way, Hatfield AL10 9NG

Cost:

£15.00 members £23.00 non-members

Beales Hotel in Hatfield is the venue for this networking breakfast, on Thursday 28th April, which includes a talk on what promises to be an interesting, yet important, topic "Auto Enrolment - the Elephant in the Room".

Understanding Auto Enrolment is important for everyone involved with employing others and this breakfast meeting will allow you time to find out more, ask questions of the experts as well as offer excellent networking opportunities with other companies and organisations.

Places are limited, so be sure to book early.

Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Small Business Marketing Conference Date: Time: Venue:

Cost:

Friday 27th May 09.00 - 16.00 University of Hertfordshire de Havilland Campus Hatfield. AL10 9EU £75.00 (£50.00 for CIM members)

Now in its fourth year, the Chamber supports this popular event dedicated to small businesses and which is organised by CIM and the University of

36

INSPIRE

Hertfordshire taking place at the de Havilland Campus, Hatfield.

The conference is of interest to small business owners, as well as those who are responsible for the marketing of a small business and anyone with an interest in ensuring effective marketing practice drives small business growth.

This year’s speakers include Drayton Bird, world-renowned authority on direct marketing and copywriting and the UK’s pre-eminent authority on marketing

strategy; and Professor Malcolm McDonald, who will be speaking about small business marketing from a fresh perspective.

This event-packed day presents opportunities to visit specialist companies exhibiting at the conference and to network with your peers over coffee and a buffet lunch.

To book, visit www.cim.co.uk/events/76873

ChamberEvents

Circular Economy Conference

Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce its second Circular Economy Conference which will be held on Thursday 16th June 2016 and kindly hosted by BRE, Watford.

Benita Matofska of The People who Share will be the keynote speaker of this environmental, sustainability and innovation conference, which will begin at 8.00am for registration and conclude with a networking lunch.

Richard Potter, Sopra Seteria’s Director Innovation will chair the day and the two Q&A sessions following the panel sessions.

Speakers will include Peter Bonfield, BRE CEO (Global Innovation around Sustainability), David Cockhead, Altro’s Quality and

Compliance Advisor, Sarah Watt of Johnson Matthey, Carolyn Seaman, Channel Marketing Manager, Epson (3D printing), Robin Pointon, MD, Go Travel Solutions and Maurizio Catulli, University of Hertfordshire’s REBUS Project Director. More speakers to be confirmed.

The conference is open to Chamber members £46.80 and non-members £81.60 and includes refreshments and a buffet lunch.

If any business or organisation would like to know more about sponsorship or exhibiting at this event, please contact Sophie Watts E: sophiewatts@hertschamber.com

Chamber Early Riser Speed Networking Wednesday 20th April 07:30-09:30 Mercure London Watford £15.00 members £18.00 non-members •••

Chamber Networking & Tour of Newsprinters Broxbourne with Ambition Broxbourne

Dates for your Diary The Budget 2016 Tuesday 22nd March 07:30-09:30 Novotel Stevenage £18.00 members £22.00 non-members Speakers: John Sheehan and Graham Boar, Tax Directors at UHY Hacker Young East •••

Women in Leadership Lunch Wednesday 23rd March 12:00-14:00 Lussmanns Fish & Grill Restaurant, St Albans £28.00 members £35.00 non-members Sponsored by 001 Limited Speaker: Claire Austin, Managing Director at Austin’s Family Funeral Directors •••

Benita Matofska of The People who Share

Wednesday 11th May 10:30-13:00 Newsprinters Broxbourne, Broxbourne £12.50 members £15.00 non-members •••

Inspiring Hertfordshire 2016 Awards Gala Dinner Thursday 19 May 19:00-00:00 Porsche Centre Hatfield £99.00 + VAT per person •••

Chamber HR Forum - Top Ten Traps for Employers Wednesday 25th May 09:00-11:00 Longmores, Hertford £15.00 members £18.00 non-members •••

Property & Construction Forum Thursday 23rd June 16:15-19:00 Venue TBC £18.00 members £30.00 non-members •••

Chamber Brunch - Network on the Wild Side with Ambition Broxbourne Wednesday 29th June 09:30-11:30 Paradise Wildlife Park, Broxbourne £20.40 members £24.00 non-members Speaker: Andy Lopata, Business Networking Strategist •••

Chamber Olympic Brunch with Ambition Broxbourne Tuesday 12th July 10:00-12:00 Lee Valley White Water Centre, Waltham Cross £18.00 members £21.60 non-members Speaker: David Florence, British slalom canoeist •••

Chamber Clay Pigeon Shooting Thursday 18th August 12:30-16:30 Atkin Grant & Lang Shooting Ground, Markyate Nr St Albans £72.00 members £78.00 non-members •••

Chamber HR Forum - Social Media Policies Wednesday 28th September 09:00-11:00 Longmores, Hertford £15.00 members £18.00 non-members •••

If you would like further information or would like to book an event please contact Sophie Watts on 01707 398404 or email sophiewatts@hertschamber.com Alternatively visit our website www.hertschamber.com All prices quoted include VAT at 20% unless otherwise stated.

INSPIRE

37

Is Your Telephone System Driving Your Business Forward?

Buying the correct phone system can make a difference to the success of your business.

Making your team more responsive to customers and supporting new workplace models is crucial to business growth and success.

Key questions to ask; Scalability - Can your telephone system grow with you?

The ability to add new services or individual users on demand, without buying capacity in advance, not only manages your costs but means the system is always a current fit with your needs.

Cloud based services like Qudo grow with you as there

38

INSPIRE

is no boxes onsite to support the service Mobility - Does your system support iOS and Android devices?

The ability to support all the productivity features above when is crucial to business in today’s itinerant environment.

Qudo mobile apps allow you to extend your business telephony to the mobile device of your choice -Remote Working - For most of us there is no “office” anymore, but rather customers that need me wherever I am.

Qudo Cloud PBX supports remote working from home with all the features, presence and messaging of colleagues actually in the office Self-Management - We live in the new world of real-time fulfilment via the web.

None of us as consumers would accept delays to activate basic services and the workplace communications system is no different.

The Qudo portal allows real-time configuration of all systems

attributes, from changing a user name to building a new call centre Advanced Business Features The advantage of Cloud telephony is that you only pay for the features you need, down to an individual level.

Call recording, call centre and follow me, for example, are all services that can be turned on or off as required.

Embrace the full business telephone spectrum through the Qudo app store

For more information please visit www.qudo.com

A driving experience like you’ve never had before…

Entertainment for corporate parties, private events and birthdays

Business challenges aren't unique, but when we face them alone it can seem that way.

For the last 15 years OptiMatrix has provided independent experienced support in all areas of commercial, procurement, subcontract, supply chain and operations management.

Whether it’s implementing strategic and operational change, or developing robust proposals for new business, the services are delivered with “real world” experience.

Services are tailored to the specific needs and budget of each client.

Telephone: 07846 702 523 info@drift-school.co.uk Website: www.drift-school.co.uk

To arrange a FREE INITIAL MEETING call Tel 02036930528 or email info@optimatrix.co.uk

www.optimatrix.co.uk

INSPIRE

39

ForumNews

Property and Construction The Chamber’s Property and Construction Forum events - organised

by Hertfordshire Chamber and held in partnership with the national organisation, Constructing Excellence - are useful to businesses allied to, or interested in, the built environment industry.

The Forum meets quarterly; in November at the Aubrey Park Hotel, Hemel Hempstead, two key speakers addressed built environment modular innovations and construction validation technology.

Even for a layman, it was fascinating to attend this event and learn how Willmott Dixon, a national construction company in Hitchin, are achieving considerable construction industry efficiencies through operational, design and technical innovations.

The technology to measure and integrate huge and complex sets of data on construction sites by Plowman Craven, chartered measurement surveyors in Harpenden, specialists in BIM (Building Information Modelling) and construction validation, was equally engrossing.

Willmott Dixon engineers a fix to sector challenges Tim Carey, product director at Willmott Dixon, spoke about the changes that they had pioneered.

This family firm, established in 1852 and based in Hitchin, is today the largest private company in the UK (turnover over £1b) and

40

INSPIRE

renowned for its carbon neutral and sustainability credentials.

It employs 3,500 people across its three operational divisions: public and commercial, residential building and support services.

Acute skills shortage, increasing build costs Tim said that prior to 2008 there were 3.5m people in the industry; today there are closer to 3m. With approximately 15 per cent of those employed in the industry reaching retirement age in the next five years, the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) has estimated that 76,000 new construction workers will be required each year to meet the government’s build targets creating an inflationary impact on costs and resource.

Engineered, not designed.

Assembled, not built.

Standardised, not bespoke The pressures are and will be a skills shortage, which has led Willmott Dixon to rethink its strategy to circumvent this reliance on dwindling resources.

Tim said, “We commit ourselves to using local supply chains throughout the UK and to sustain this commitment by building closer links with local suppliers. We also commit ourselves to thinking about buildings that are engineered, rather than designed, assembled, not built, and standardised, not bespoke - and which engineer out the capacity gap.”

Engineering out the capacity gap To achieve this, they promote intelligent standardised design using DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) approaches that reduce the number of parts used in constructing a building through the development of a suite of tried and tested modular designs using standardised components - and assembling the sum of the parts to produce a range of new-build schools at a significantly lower overall cost to clients. What’s not to like!

Costed economically, specified universally It is costed economically and specified universally for local chain supply efficiencies: delivery, materials and men/women resource. One can imagine that one of the unintended consequences of Willmott Dixon’s innovation has been the elimination of over-design, which can sometimes blight build projects. … more

The resultant system, Sunesis, which Tim says categorically is neither a flat-pack nor a portable structure but a permanent building conforming to all building regulations, includes a range of pre-designed, pre-approved and pre-costed options.

These options afford flexibility in space deployment, external facades, finishes and architectural aesthetics to create unique and highly pleasing build environments, as well as creating opportunity for future reconfiguration of interior space, cost effectively. Again, what’s not to like!

Re-engineered, ground up This innovation has produced a string of advantages for organisations that commission build projects and to the construction industry as a whole: • up to 30 per cent overall cost reduction • projects built within schedule • pre-approved, pre-tested, already specified designs • a variety of options to create unique places for work, education, health provision or public facility Certificated, signed-off, engineered for rapid progress All Sunesis designs are certificated, signed off, tested and engineered to reduce pre-construction periods to an absolute minimum, with build completion in as little as 26 weeks for a one form entry school.

Computer generated visual of railway station re-engineering

Judging by the school building images of Willmott Dixon’s projects, each building has, at its base, tried and tested, cost-effective construction methodology.

And at its face is a unique, beautifully finished exterior, and a pleasing, purpose-designed interior to suit the building’s particular requirements.

staggering provision of accurate as-built drawings and its major asset is the ‘big data’ that is required for risk management and critical decision making through the whole construction cycle.

The geospatial data collected enables informed decisions to be made in association with design clarification, clash detection, construction alteration, off-site manufacture and building repair and maintenance. This technology is as applicable to the heritage environment as it is to the design of new buildings.

Scanning and modelling technology for construction verification

Quick, powerful, accurate “3D laser scanning is a powerful technology which can collect high accuracy data at 1 million points per second, collecting a large set of measurements in three dimensions called point cloud,” said Peter.

The result of this, he said, is an organised digital representation of the existing environment from which features such as walls, floors, ceilings, ducting and pipes can be BIM-modelled and made available to various stakeholders including designers, contractors and structural and M&E engineers.

Peter explained that the technology can be integrated with digital photography and other data sets, and made available to project stakeholders to access immediately - in a form that is interactive and 360° visual… on a laptop, in consultation with clients, on site, above ground, below ground.

Peter Folwell, director, in addressing the Hertfordshire Chamber’s Property and Construction Forum, said their involvement in large building developments and urban regeneration projects has propelled rapid advances in the use of this technology.

The principal advantage of using the technology available is the

Point cloud access The technology - which gives an instant record, updates current data sets and provides point cloud accessibility for immediate use can also be combined with intended designs and enables everyone on the project to visualise the intended scenario.

It also has a tool to communicate with external parties, who may not be familiar with viewing 3D

Plowman Craven: complex measurements instantly Plowman Craven in Harpenden, established 50 years ago, is a firm of chartered measurement surveyors, with particular expertise in 3D laser scanning and parametric modelling - and its application to BIM and construction verification.

models, to help them understand intentions.

Interesting examples Peter introduced some case studies where this technology has been critical in providing accurate information to numerous stakeholders.

The proposed transformation of Bristol Temple Meads Station required the provision of information relevant to both heritage architects, designers and engineers each with different requirements.

On the Kings Cross regeneration project, the complexity and mix of heritage buildings, rail infrastructure - both above and below ground - and myriad underground utilities required accurate 3D representation using innovative laser technology and traditional surveying techniques.

Other examples included the Hunterston Nuclear Power Station decommissioning and the introduction of recording and tagging for safe deconstruction, and also the recent modelling of Leicester Cathedral for the placement of Richard III’s tomb.

“This technology can also provide real advantages during the construction process” said Peter “Using scanning and modelling for construction verification can mitigate and reduce risk and in turn save considerable costs.”

3D laser application benefits The technology offers numerous and considerable benefits: • aids off-site manufacture as quality of fit-out and design becomes more exacting • reduces programme delays by accentuating differences in design and as-built • enables quicker and more informed decision-making as construction progresses • helps problem recognition, so they’re addressed before and as they arise

• checks that contractual expectations are met, through its due diligence and assurance process • provides a record and archive of the critical stages within the construction process Peter’s presentation put forward a variety of applications where this technology can be deployed and the advantages it can bring to the BIM process and particularly to the construction environment.

Its ability to collect data quickly, accurately and fully that could negate or reduce site visits and its virtual and mobile access for various stakeholders in real time, at the same time as providing 3D parametric modelling useful to designers, engineers and contractors, has real advantages in the BIM environment.

Future Hertfordshire Chamber Property and Construction forum events are scheduled for Wednesday 16 March at Epson’s HQ in Hemel Hempstead and Thursday 23rd June (venue tbc).

At a recent Forum meeting, Herts and Beds Constucting Excellence Chairman, Adrian Dixon, presented Peter Folwell of of Plowman Craven with the SME of the Year 2015 Award.

To book your place at a Property and Construction Forum event, visit www.hertschamber.com/events.

By Fiona Wilkinson (Guinea Fowl Creative for Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce)

INSPIRE

41

WorkPlace

New flood insurance measures Regulations to establish a flood reinsurance scheme (Flood Re) were made in November and came into immediate effect.

Flood Re is preferred by The Association of British Insurers and the Government to ensure that affordable insurance against flood risk is available for home owners whose properties are at high risk of flooding.

Why is a reinsurance scheme needed?

It is estimated that 1 in 6 homes are at risk of flooding and more than half of those are at risk of surface water flooding. Insurers buy the data and use it to assess the risk of different types of flooding.

They factor that data into the pricing of their insurance cover.

How will Flood Re work?

Rachael Spalton Partner Longmores Solicitors Commercial Property

“It is estimated that 1 in 6 homes are at risk of flooding and more than half of those are at risk of surface water flooding.”

Flood Re is a reinsurance fund, owned and managed by the insurance industry and allows insurers to insure against large scale losses with other insurers. Insurers sell policies to their customers in the usual way but may pass the risk carried by those policies to Flood Re. The scheme will cover the cost of flood damage to properties in return for a premium paid to it by insurers.

Flood Re will charge insurers a fixed premium based on the council tax band of the relevant property and the insurer will be charged a fixed excess of £250 per policy.

However, to cover the shortfall between the cost of flood damage and the lower premiums and excesses, insurers will play Flood Re a levy and insurers will decide how best to pass on the levy.

Will I be covered?

Properties which are not covered

by Flood Re are: • All commercial property.

• All mixed use property.

• All purpose-built blocks of flats.

42

INSPIRE

• Most houses that have been converted into flats.

• All residential property built since 1 January 2009.

These properties will be subject to commercial premiums and excesses for flood cover. Prospective buyers or tenants of property should therefore ascertain whether the relevant property is at risk of flooding and whether it will fall within the scope of Flood Re.

Why does it matter?

Properties within high risk areas may find that their values decline.

The significant disruption and cost to businesses and homeowners associated with flood damage (even if insured) may make potential buyers think twice about buying a high risk property thereby depressing its value. Development sites may be more difficult to exploit or may require expensive protection measures which could result in lower valuations.

What can I do?

Commercial searches are available which cover different types of flood risk and analyse whether particular properties are at low, medium or high risk of flooding. The cost of a detailed flood search is typically between £20 - £30 for a residential property and £75 - £150 for a commercial property. In the overall context of the acquisition costs of a property, that would be money well spent. With Flood Re having a 25 year lifespan there is an incentive for property owners to identify possible alleviation measures and implement those to ensure that affordable, property specific cover is available in the future.

WorkPlace

How long would your business What is last without computers?

Marketing?

Just think about that question for a moment.

How long would your business last without computers?

In 2016 we have long passed the point at which computer systems went from being ‘very useful’ to ‘absolutely critical’ in the day-to-day operations of a company.

Want to see a look of terror in the eyes of a business owner?

Just turn his internet off and wait until he tries to open a webpage a couple of times and checks his email. We are at the point now at which the usefulness of the computers in an office is surpassed (only just) by the oxygen breathed by its inhabitants.

We all know this. However, we all know how important our computers are. So, why do so many companies continue to allow the health of their IT systems take a back seat?

Much of it comes down to perception. Computers are now so amazing at their most basic level, many people running small businesses simply don’t realise that they are not even getting the best out of the systems they already have in place. They don’t realise how much more they could be getting from their IT infrastructure without having to make any investment in the hardware itself.

This mostly stems from small business owners’ willingness to rely on a member of staff who ‘knows a bit about computers’ or a cheap and cheerful technical support company who, while perfectly qualified to install a

router in someone’s house, will fall painfully short on expertise and resources when it comes to ‘industrial scale’ jobs.

And, yes, ‘industrial scale’ covers businesses with just three members of staff.

The value of rapid recovery Essentially, the shortcomings many small businesses experience with their computer systems comes down to the common belief that IT support is just there for troubleshooting.

Yes, it is our job to sort out your email when it goes wrong, cure a virus when it infects your system or deal with the aftermath of a hacker getting into your database and wreaking havoc. In fact, enlisting the services of an IT support company with properly trained and accredited engineers will help you avoid these problems.

An IT support company can ensure that your systems are backed up to facilitate rapid recovery. This means ensuring the business continues to transact whilst full recovery of your systems continues to take place in the background.

However for most businesses a disruption is more likely to be down to just the loss of their email service. This can be the result of many issues from loss of their broadband connection to the failure of their email service.

An experienced computer services provider will have

resolved these issues across a wide range of businesses and will be best placed to provide suitable solutions including continuity service during outages.

Why a business partnership is so important Your relationship with your IT support company should also be a business partnership. Look for an IT support firm that will use its skill base to actively improve the efficiency and performance of your computer systems and, therefore, your business. This can be done through the on-going application of operating software patches, communications or the security and optimisation of your hardware as its use changes over time. Using accredited and fully trained IT support professionals will even give you access to systems tailored to the specific needs of your business.

Peace of mind is a bonus Another important reason for choosing an IT support company with properly accredited and trained engineers is their ability to provide you with a Service Level Agreement (SLA), which will be accompanied by the ability to report and escalate your problems with the software or hardware manufacturer.

You will get peace of mind from knowing that the company you have selected will be examined regularly and will have to present happy customers to independent third party industry bodies who set professional standards.

How long could your business last without computers?

Well, it’s no coincidence that large companies have entire departments dedicated to making sure that question never has to be answered.

Christopher Bowden-Hawkins is Regional Manager for Network Integrity Systems Ltd (NIS).

NIS are holding a seminar on the future of IT on 27th April 2016 at Hatfield House.

To find out more send an email to cloud@nis-it.co.uk

The majority of people will say advertising or sales, but that is only part of the story because technically it represents an eighth of marketing’s role in a successful business.

According to the world’s largest professional membership organisation for marketers (CIM), marketing is defined as “the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.” But how does that apply to your business or charity?

The purpose of marketing is to create competitive advantage through customer preference; so why should a prospect buy from you rather than one of your direct competitors? If you’re not sure ask an existing client why they chose your organisation.

Marketing’s role is to help you understand the key trends in a competitive marketplace and reach consumers with the right product/service at the right price, place and time. Marketing is the process behind customer experience, the glue for consistency of employee service and the engine that powers brand value to support customer acquisition and retention.

Traditionally, marketing has been categorised into four core areas: 1. Product 2. Price 3. Place 4. Promotion – the four Ps. At the heart of marketing strategy is segmentation, targeting and positioning based on research.

You need to identify which customers have the highest propensity to buy from you and target those who will generate the greatest long term profit (measured by customer lifetime value). This process will help you plan your marketing communications, identify the amount you should spend to acquire a customer, clarify the best channels to reach the prospects, and inform the messaging to create interest.

Kelvin Golding FCIM Chartered Marketer CIM Chairman Hertfordshire

INSPIRE

43

Health&Wellbeing

Taking a healthy approach to the workplace The importance of health in the workplace is increasingly being recognised and more and more employers are acknowledging that they have a role to play.

A study published several years ago underlined that point. Produced by the Work Foundation in partnership with RAND Europe and Aston Business School, the report showed that an estimated 27.6 million working days were lost in a single year in Britain due to work-related illness.

This represented 1.15 days lost on average per worker.

The report suggested that help offered in the workplace can be effective to address poor health and well-being.

It said that the idea of health and well-being at work should go beyond the mere absence of illness or disability. It should be understood as a “state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing” as identified by the World Health Organization.

Evidence reported in the study

44

INSPIRE

showed that workplace ‘health interventions’, including targeting problems due to work-related factors such as low back pain, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health disorders, can have positive health outcomes.

The study also suggested that interventions aimed at improving damaging lifestyle behaviours such as poor diet, smoking, alcohol abuse and lack of physical activity can be effective.

The result of all this awareness is that company bosses are increasingly coming to realise that a healthy workplace has many benefits for their businesses.

According to ACAS, the benefits of promoting a healthy workplace

include more motivated workers, improved customer service, fewer absences and greater creativity.

The organisation advises companies to have in place effective policies for managing people issues, high levels of trust between employees and managers and line managers who are confident and trained in people skills.

ACAS also said that a healthy workplace is one where workers feel valued and involved in decisions.

The organisation advocates managers who identify problems at an early stage and seek to resolve them using informal methods.

It says that such companies use services such as occupational health where practical, to keep employers healthy and get them back to work quickly if they do have problems.

ACAS says it helps if managers have been trained so that they who know how to manage common health problems such as mental health and musculoskeletal disorders.

Another suggestion from health advisors is healthy options in the canteen, including plenty of salads and fruit.

As for employees, NHS experts say they must play their part to support the company. The NHS say that knowing how to deal with pressure at work is critical and its advice includes learning to identify the symptoms of stress as well as learning to prioritise your workload.

Certainly, if you work on a computer a lot, it’s important to take regular breaks. That means for every hour at your keyboard you should rest for at least five to ten minutes.

The need for regular exercise is also advised by occupational health experts, whose suggestions include walking over to someone’s desk at work rather than speaking to them by phone, take the stairs instead of the lift and using your lunch break to exercise.

Health&Wellbeing So what else can you do to improve things?

Carry out health checks Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death of working age people in the UK and costs the economy £3.1 billion a year due to days lost to death, illness and the care of people with the disease. Check with your local surgery or hospital about health checks which can be carried out to reduce the risk to your staff.

Lose weight It’s all too easy to put on weight with a hectic modern life but you can change things. By making simple swaps, you can lose weight without giving up the things you love.

For example you can swap your high calorie coffee drinks like whole-milk lattes and frappe for drinks made with skimmed milk.

Swap your high sugar or fat snacks biscuits and crisps for a healthier food like fruit.

At work, you can swap the lift for the stairs and rather than eating at your desk get up and move about.

Be physically active Being active is good for your mind and body.

Employees who are physically active take 27% less days of sick.

You don’t have to join a gym or set up a rigid exercise programme. Walking and cycling to work are good low-cost ways to increase your physical activity and can be fitted into you daily routine.

Many companies encourage their staff to use walk and cycle to work.

However, a visit to the gym is a good idea as well and some enlightened companies provide gym membership as part of employment packages for their staff, recognising that healthy workforces benefit everyone.

Eat well Poor nutrition can effect your energy levels, concentration and health and make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight.

With almost two thirds of adults overweight or obese in England it is important to ensure that you eat a range of food and cut down on foods high in salt, sugar and fat.

Stop smoking If you are a smoker, stopping is probably the single biggest thing you can do to improve your health.

Smokers on average take 4.4 more days off in sickness absence than non smokers.

Stopping smoking will improve your health and fitness.

The Coffee Alternative

By Tania Barney, Sensoria Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not against coffee! I love a good coffee, my preference being for a simple black cafetiere. I tend to reach for a coffee mid-morning, the perfect pick me up which keeps me alert up until lunchtime. But, if you’re using coffee as your main way to remain alert, it’s likely to leave you feeling more wired than fired. So, I think it’s good to have some alternatives.

As we go through our day, we are constantly fine tuning our level of alertness to get in the optimal state. When we feel too tired and sleepy, we need to alert ourselves or wake up.

Conversely, when we feel our minds getting too busy or stressed, we need to calm it down. Often referred to as ‘the zone’, the ideal brain state is both calm and alert.

When we are in ‘the zone’ we are more productive and able to perform at our best.

What many people don’t know is that it is our senses that help to

control how alert and awake we are. For those interested in neuroscience, it’s all about the brain stem, the primitive part of our brain. In a nutshell, sensations go into your brain, hit the reticular activating system and set the level of alertness.

Incoming sensory information then goes on to influence your emotional state and higher brain functions.

You can change the level of alertness of the brain by changing the incoming sensory signals. So, next time you’re feeling drowsy, try one of these instead of reaching for another coffee…

1. Get up and move - if you’ve been sitting for some time, a quick walk around the office can help.

2. An icy cold drink - drink a cold glass of water, add some ice if you can. This can be as effective as a coffee in alerting you.

3. Eat a snack - crunchy and chewy foods also help us to

get and stay optimally alert.

You could try dried fruit (mango is a firm favourite in our office) or some vegetable sticks if you want to keep it healthy.

4. Have a mint - there’s a reason why we’re all given mints at conferences - they help everyone stay awake! Take your pick as to your favourite type, although chewy types work especially well.

5. Turn up the volume - some people find it helpful to listen to music while they work (obviously, use headphones if you are in an open office, it will distract others).

There are some general rules about the types of sensory inputs that are alerting.

However, everyone is different, and what works best for you will depend on your own unique sensory profile.

Mind in Mid Herts runs mental health awareness for managers More now than ever before people are aware of mental health and its importance in the workplace.

It is still tricky to start those conversations. Time to talk campaign is on 4 February every year to encourage people to talk about their mental health.

1 in 4 people are known to suffer with a mental health problem that means that we all know someone who is or has suffered but were we aware?

Training managers in Mental Health awareness at MiMH is designed to give managers, supervisors and colleagues the confidence to ask the questions and not be frightened of the answer. The rate of suicide in men is rising 78% in the latest statistics compared to 22% women. One of the ideas about this is that women will talk about their worries, stress etc. Men wait until they become over whelmed.

By engaging in conversations about mental health we can stop problems from escalating and people becoming over whelmed and then either becoming very unwell, having time off work, leaving good jobs because of stress or other issues that affect the whole team - “should I have done something”, “why did I not notice”, “who else is feeling that bad”.

Contact us today to find out how we can support you to build a strong and resilient team. www.mindinmidherts.org.uk 01727 865070 email admin@mindinmidherts.org.uk

For further information visit www.sensoria.info

INSPIRE

45

24Hours

24.Hours Working day that continues a long and proud history

Claire Austin Funeral Director Austin’s Family Funeral Directors For Claire Austin, the working day officially begins when she gets into the Stevenage head office of Austin’s Family Funeral Directors at 8.30am. However, she has usually been working well before that, checking emails.

Austin’s Family Funeral Directors has a long history and managing director Claire is the tenth generation to work within the business.

The company was established in 1700, in Graveley, a small village in Hertfordshire. The original firm, W. Austin & Sons Limited, traded as a builders and undertakers, using its resources from the construction trade to make coffins and provide pallbearers. Three centuries later, Austin’s is still based in Hertfordshire.

Letchmore Road premises - now Austin’s Head Office

Claire said: “We moved to Stevenage in about 1750 and we’re still in the same premises we used then, more than 250 years ago.

“I was brought up with the business around me. At that time it was much smaller. My father would carry out removals in the middle of the night or on Christmas Day. I’d visit the office with him and we knew all the staff but I never really knew that I’d go into the business one day.

“I thought it was important to do something else first so I actually went into the Metropolitan Police and worked as a Fingerprint Expert and Forensic Scene Examiner for ten years before I came here. Because I had experience working for another organisation I felt more equipped to come into Austin’s.

“I had always said to my father that if I ever came into the business I would contribute with a proper role, not just as a name over the door. So, when he said there was a vacancy for assistant manager at the crematorium, I took it. In 2000 my father decided he was looking to retire so I took over the group. I now run the funeral business and the crematorium under one umbrella.

“On a typical working day, I tend to get up and check my emails from home, answering emails and attending to items of correspondence.

“Technology has changed so much. When I started out in the funeral business there was not really much technology about, pagers and that was about it, but now people get in touch you from all sorts of technology and the day becomes extended.

“I am not really public-facing because my role is to oversee everything beneath the umbrella of the business, everything from marketing to opening new offices, of which we have nine now.

“That means that I can have varied days. They do not tend to include a lot of meetings but I am in and out of the office all the time, attending to various things connected to overseeing what we do.

Fleet and staff at Harwood Park

“We have focused a lot on rebranding and the quality of the business. It was a small family business for a long time and as we grew and took on more branches it needed to be formalised.

“We now have a formal staffing structure. We make sure we adhere to all the health and safety guidelines. We actually do some fairly unusual things - radio advertising and advertisements on roundabouts - which many funeral directors won’t even entertain.’

“I organise and manage the refurbishment of our premises and put my own spin on the interiors.

It’s something I enjoy doing because I’m passionate about the way our premises look; they need to reflect a welcoming, very warm and homely atmosphere.

“I don’t like the idea that you walk up to a funeral director’s window and all you see is tinted glass or drapes, I think that’s a bit foreboding. All of our offices have open windows and look very welcoming and comfortable. I like to think people feel as though they’re sitting in their own home when they're arranging a funeral.

“Our funeral arrangers don’t sit behind a desk, they use a lounge arrangement on a sofa with a coffee table so it’s just a little bit more comfortable. I take it upon myself to do the designing and make it look attractive so that takes quite a lot of my time.

A new branch will take a few months to refurbish and design.

“The business is growing all the time and this time of year in

particular is very busy. December and January are busy times for funeral directors and these days a lot of people do not like to have a funeral between Christmas and New Year, preferring to wait until January.

“That can have a knock-on effect for us in terms of caring for the deceased and also making sure that the funerals can take place in good time.

“Depending on the kind of day I am having I will stay in the office until five when everyone else goes home but very often I will check emails from home at night. I am not very disciplined at saying no to that extra work.”

And when not working? She said: “To unwind I do some running, although not as much as I used to, and I do like to socialise.”

Arthur Austin and Arthur ‘Billy’ Austin (Father and son outside Letchmore Road premises in 1923)

INSPIRE

47

Dacorum

Investing in the Future of Hemel Hempstead As the regeneration programme in Hemel Hempstead moves forward, the business community have joined forces through a business ambassadors programme to encourage more businesses than ever to invest in the area.

Lt to Rt Hon Mike Penning MP; Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government; Sally Marshall, Chief Executive, Dacorum Borough Council; Andy Cook, Managing Director, FFEI; Councillor Andrew Williams, Leader of the Council.

Hemel Hempstead Business Ambassadors are an innovative group of local business leaders, who have come together to share information on investment, planning and future business trends, and spread the word about why Hemel is their number one choice.

The programme is developing a network of influential business people. Through their work and contacts these Ambassadors will actively promote Hemel Hempstead’s considerable business assets and help promote the area as a great place to work, invest and do business.

The scheme was launched at a special celebratory event on Friday 11 December 2015

at Breakspear Park, with a special keynote address from Greg Clarke, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. After welcoming the audience of over 100 business leaders Mr. Clark joined them in hearing how the scheme will see direct investment into the local economy in order to build and strengthen the reputation of the area as the prime choice for business.

Sally Marshall, Chief Executive at Dacorum Borough Council who spoke at the event said: “We wanted to celebrate a decade of collaboration between the Council and the business community, and look to the future of the town that has been rebuilt and regenerated.

With Maylands Business Park

transformed into a dynamic hub of industry, attracting big businesses, a £30m town centre regeneration programme plus world class leisure facilities and attractions - there is much for the Ambassadors to recommend to potential investors, to grow the economy for everyone’s benefit.”

FFEI’s managing director Andy Cook, who also spoke at the launch, commented “If we’re going to attract businesses and jobs, secure the ones we have, bring in or develop great people, transform the visitor economy and be a leading player in the wider region we have to come together, be clear on where Hemel Hempstead is going, stand up and be counted when it matters and put ourselves on the map. This will produce an

economically successful and prosperous area that will benefit the whole community”.

Since the launch a diverse range of local businesses have invested into the scheme, leading the way in shaping the future of Hemel Hempstead’s on-going success. These include Abode Bed and Continental, Aubrey Park Hotel, Barclays, Bourne Leisure, Brasier Freeth, Dacorum Borough Council, Eurotech Services, FFEI, Frasers, Furnells Transport, Gyron, Hemel Gazette, Henkel, Hopespare, Hightown Housing Association, John Ellison Electronics, Kings Langley School, LT Consulting Solutions, MRK Associates, My Mustard, Regency Homes, Satellite Creative, Sopra Steria, Symbio and Synergy.

To find out more information about the Hemel Hempstead Business Ambassadors and how your business can get involved contact Gary Stringer, Place Manager on 01442 228808 or email gary.stringer@hhba.work or alternatively visit www.hhba.work 48

INSPIRE

LastWord

Welcome to Kate Bellingham Ltd Name: Company: Job title:

Q What do you do?

As an engineer and TV presenter, I host events and awards, chair conferences and I am a keynote speaker.

My specialism is women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and I am a champion for girls’ opportunities in engineering. I also run the School Gate SET project, I am a STEM Ambassador and trained to deliver the ‘People Like Me’ resource that helps teenage girls explore how they can be happy and successful in STEM roles. More information at www.katebellingham.com Q Why did you join the chamber?

I worked with the Chamber on their STEM pilot last year with a number of local schools, and I realised what excellent networking the Chamber offers, as well as being an opportunity to encourage other businesses to work with schools, whether in STEM, or more simply improving information for young people on subject and career choice.

Patrons

50

INSPIRE

Kate Bellingham Kate Bellingham Ltd Director

Q What do you get from it?

As a truly ‘micro’ business, networking is hugely important to me. I have only recently joined, but already I have met and worked with a social media marketing expert (MMSparks).

I have also learned that 'the skills agenda’ is a hot topic in all areas of business, not just STEM. Q How has it helped your business network?

Being part of the Chamber has enabled me to network beyond my own sector of education and STEM. I’ve been to a number of Chamber events, and I always get more out of it than I expected from the session title!

Q What advice would you give someone starting out?

If you are setting up your own business, particularly in uncharted territory, get a lot of advice.

You don’t have to take it all, but if you don’t investigate the many opportunities for business support (much of it free, or very good value), then you don’t know what you are missing.

Q What do you think is the biggest challenge affecting running and growing a business?

I am sure many micro companies / sole traders face the same challenges I do, whatever sector they are working in.

The top two for me are marketing (ensuring potential clients are aware what I can offer them) and getting my product and price right, so the business can grow while the clients still feel they are getting good value for money.

Social Media and digital services have completely changed the nature of my work and will continue to do so.

Q What support do you want from Government?

My needs are probably unusual, but I would like to see serious investment in careers information, advice and guidance, and ongoing commitment to increasing and improving apprenticeship opportunities. It is one thing to ‘commit’ to this, but we need effective investment - which should pay dividends to the whole country in the longer term.

Q How confident are you your business will grow in 2015/16?

The fact I’m in such a rush writing this speaks volumes :)

Our farm shop is bursting with easter treats ready for you.

Our butchery counter is stocked with new season lamb, our very own home reared beef and pork together with seasonal vegetables, all for that perfect easter lunch.

Enjoy Granny Smith’s Tea Room with the family

Come and enjoy a Traditional English High Tea, comprising of a choice of 10 fine Teapig Teas, finger sandwiches and home made cakes. Or have a delicious cream tea with a freshly Baked Scone, Devon Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam, followed by a gentle meander around our farm.