Members News

Hertfordshire Surveillance Company receive Queen’s Award for International Trade

SILENT SENTINEL, a Hertfordshire-based manufacturer of thermal imaging and threat detection platforms exported around the world, was today presented with a prestigious Queen’s Award by the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Robert Voss CBE CStJ.

The surveillance and security equipment company, founded in Hertford in 2002, expanded in 2017 into its manufacturing facility in Stanstead Abbotts, which provides some 60 local jobs. The local brand meets security surveillance needs around the world, with Silent Sentinel products exported to over 55 countries across six continents.

In 2019 Silent Sentinel opened its sister company, Sentinel Engineering, in Sandy, Bedfordshire, to bring fabrication of its metal components in-house. Silent Sentinel expanded into North America with the establishment of Silent Sentinel Inc in St Petersburg, Florida in 2020, and into the Middle East with Silent Sentinel DMCC in Dubai, UAE. Recently in 2021, Silent Sentinel Inc reinforced its global commitments by supplying Mid-Wave Infrared thermal imaging platforms to safeguard the Mexican coast, as well as providing drone detection and tracking in East Africa. The company’s product range has also been expanded with the introduction of a Rapid Deployment Kit (RDK), Aeron Laser Range Finder, and the Jaegar Sonus acoustic hailer, all unveiled at DSEI 2021. Silent Sentinel also demonstrated its agility in combating the COVID pandemic by developing its Modum body temperature detection cameras, which were delivered rapidly and ordered in vast quantities for use in transport hubs, industrial facilities and workplaces. The Queen’s Awards are the most prestigious annual awards for UK businesses, recognising outstanding achievement. Silent Sentinel will receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2020, reflecting the company’s growth and global reach. Paul Elsey, Managing Director said: “Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade is a huge honour, and it shows the extraordinary global export level our team have achieved from our facilities in the UK and US. Silent Sentinel continues to expand and grow, and we look forward to continuing to provide our expertly manufactured products to meet threat detection needs all around the world.”

New Youth Mayor and Deputy Youth Mayor elected

A Year 12 student from Goffs Academy has been unanimously elected as the new Youth Mayor for Broxbourne.

Ethan Yardley was chosen by members of the Broxbourne Youth Council at the latest meeting, on Wednesday 6 October. 2021/22 will be his first term as the Youth Mayor for the Borough.

Ethan’s priorities this year as Youth Mayor are recruitment to the Youth Council, encouraging young people to actively participate in their community and working to protect the environment and the Borough’s green spaces. Ethan said: “It is an honour and privilege to have been elected as Youth Mayor and I am looking forward to a year of hard work for the young people of the Borough.” Adesola Jinadu-Adewale, a Year 11 student at Presdales School but resident in the Borough, was elected as Deputy Youth Mayor for the 2021/2022 academic year. Elections for the Cabinet positions within the Youth Council will be held in the New Year.

The Youth Mayor is a young person aged 11-18 who is elected by young people to represent young people. The Youth Mayor will contribute to discussions impacting on young people, raising issues where appropriate and make an annual report on the work of the Youth Mayor and Youth Council. The Youth Mayor will also chair the Broxbourne Youth Council, which is open to all young people aged 11-18 who live or study in the Borough of Broxbourne. The Youth Mayor and the Youth Council are politically neutral.

SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN THE COMMUNITY

Every day children, young People and families miss opportunities to help them reach their goals.

Our mission is to support them by building self esteem, improving mental health and wellbeing whilst ensuring they have the personal tools to recognise and utilise those opportunities.

WHAT WE DO

CHEXS bespoke 30 week programme offers

an innovative whole family approach.

Supporting children and young people though age appropriate activities, one to one coaching and small group work as well as offering parenting workshops, support groups, activities and advice thereby ensuring a unique and whole family support programme.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

There are a variety of ways for businesses to get involved, including corporate sponsorship, charity of the year, developed donor relationships and volunteering your skills, to support CHEXS’ mission.

For more information on the difference CHEXS make:

www.chexs.co.uk/impact-and-evidence/

Business of the year East Herts winner 2021 – Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards. Pete Maiden: 07974 262 875 Email: petem@chexs.co.uk | www.chexs.co.uk

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Ring Doorbells

Nathanael Young recently acted for the successful claimant in the ‘Ring Doorbell’ court case. He talks about the case and some points to consider.

What’s the issue with a Ring Doorbell?

Of course, the case wasn’t really just about a Ring Doorbell! There were four security devices involved, one of which was a Ring Video Doorbell 2. However, many people do not realise just how capable these devices are, both in capturing sound and audio over a wide area. When private individuals capture sound or audio in their own property – including a garden or private parking space – they aren’t likely to infringe any laws or annoy their neighbours. If they capture video and sound outside their property, that is another issue. Ring cameras and other popular security devices can capture neighbours’ movements and conversations for some distance from the device. They can carry out surveillance not only of your own property, but areas around. In this case, the judge actually found the neighbour had harassed and intimidated my client, so the devices themselves were not the main issue. However, anyone who uses these devices on their home should be careful that they comply with the law. Q What are the legal rules?

All security devices are capable of capturing personal data, within the meaning of data protection legislation. If you are only capturing video and sound around your own home or garden, you benefit from an exemption. Capturing footage beyond that area is not automatically illegal. However, you have become a data controller with obligations under data protection legislation, a bit like those owed by businesses for their security systems. The difference is that while businesses are now used to complying with data protection law, that is not the case for private individuals.Do you really want to deal with subject access requests from your neighbours, for example? Because of the stark difference between capturing footage outside and inside your property, it is very important to understand the capabilities of your own equipment. If carefully placed, you can save yourself a good deal of trouble and risk.

Q What if the neighbours agree? Just because you have legal obligations as a data controller, it doesn’t mean anyone will enforce them. You may find your neighbours are happy with you fitting security devices that cover a shared driveway, for example. For that reason, if you do capture any footage outside your boundaries, you need to consult with neighbours that may be affected. Once again, you will have to be clear about what your equipment can do. If they agree, you may find you don’t have any issues in practice. Bear in mind this isn’t necessarily Q the end of the issue, though. For example, what if new neighbours move in? Even if you don’t get your neighbour’s agreement, the fact you consulted with them is an important factor if a dispute arises later, as it will help show you complied with your duties as data controller. However, you should definitely consider taking legal advice in that situation. A

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Please note the contents of this article are given for information only and must not be relied upon. Legal advice should always be sought in relation to specific circumstances.

www.longmores.law

01992 300333 enquiries@longmores.law 24 Castle Street Hertford SG14 1HP

The pandemic has severely impacted the entire economy, but it is often local communities and small businesses that have taken the biggest hit. This Patronage is our chance to give back through networking with other local businesses and scouting five-star talent, bolstering growth and support for the area.

Britvic benefits from Chamber Patron status

BY PAUL GRAHAM, MD, BRITVIC

How long has Britvic been a Chamber Patron?

This is a new, but fantastic relationship between Britvic and the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. We are headquartered at Breakspear Park in Hemel Hempstead, with around 300 to 400 people on site. Supporting stability and growth in our local community is extremely important to us and there is a natural fit for Britvic to be a Patron. Currently, we are recruiting for a wide range of roles in the area and are eager to see how the Patronage can help us to dip into Hertfordshire’s talent pool and offer residents an exciting and fast-paced career with some of the best-loved brands in the UK, such as Robinsons, J2O, and even Pepsi through our 20-year franchise bottling agreement with PepsiCo.

Why did you get involved?

At Britvic, we have two core pillars that guide us: Healthier People and Healthier Planet. The wellbeing of our employees and customers is paramount to us; from offering tailored support programmes during the pandemic for staff, to low and no calorie options to consumers, we want to empower everyone to lead healthier lives. Being a Chamber Patron means that we can extend this ethos into the local community, alongside our commitment to creating a healthier planet. We were the first UK soft drinks company to have an approved 1.5°C carbon target, showcasing our commitment to protecting the environment and building a better future for everyone, in Hertfordshire and beyond.

What’s it like working with the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and local businesses in Hertfordshire? What benefits have you gained from it?

Although our working relationship is new, we are delighted to be involved with the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and are looking forward to seeing what value Britvic can provide to the area. From our side, we hope to be able to hire more individuals from the county and it’s great to be offering local job opportunities for the people of Hertfordshire. Now that restrictions are easing, we are particularly enthusiastic about upcoming events, especially those centred around the supply chain and ‘Meet the Buyer’. The pandemic has severely impacted the entire economy, but it is often local communities and small businesses that have taken the biggest hit. This Patronage is our chance to give back through networking with other local businesses and scouting five-star talent, bolstering growth and support for the area.

How confident are you of prospering as we move into a post-COVID world? What opportunities will there be for Britvic to grow the business?

While the full course of the pandemic is unknown and the impact of Brexit is contributing to shortages across the sector, Britvic still saw encouraging revenue growth in 2021, with an increase of 22.8% in 2020. As markets reopen and the holiday season approaches, we are confident that we can continue our strong performance and bring our consumers the drinks they know and love, or are yet to discover. The soft drinks industry is a dynamic and resilient one, and has been able to meet not only the needs of the pandemic, but the planet too. For example, it is Britvic’s intention to switch all GB-made bottles to 100 percent recycled PET by the end of 2022, to reduce the detrimental impact of plastic waste on the environment. As well as bolstering sustainability, another core focus for us is our continued commitment to our Healthier People and Healthier Planet strategies, notably through our recent acquisition of plant-based drinks company, Plenish. We are eager to see what opportunities stepping into this sector will bring us, and hope to be able to bring a wider portfolio of healthy choices to a larger audience.

At Myers Clark, we are serious about your ambitions (but we are not serious people).

We are in the people business. Although we have been in business for 100+ years, we are far from a ‘traditional fi rm’. We are on the journey with our clients, and we take their goals in business as seriously as they do.

Doing what is necessary to stay compliant with HMRC just scratches the surface. We encourage our clients out of their comfort zone but supporting and challenging them on their path to success.

Our Values

Get off the fence:

• infl uence goals and ambitions • make a recommendation and help make decisions • innovate and solve problems • be honest, don’t just say what people want to hear

Achieve high standards:

• hold yourself to account • take pride in what you do • learn from your mistakes • don’t settle for good, strive to be your best

Enjoy your work

• be respectful and expect the same • promote a happy environment and be positive • fi nd a healthy balance • don’t blame yourself or anyone else, just put it right

Grow, support and challenge

• be prepared to adapt and change • develop ourselves and others - share what you learn • infl uence key decisions and hold to account • don’t just do what you’ve always done

Because at Myers Clark, we believe in relationships, not transactions.

Of course, we deliver the normal accountancy service that you would expect from a fi rm of Chartered Accountants such as the year end accounts, management accounts, corporate and personal tax, bookkeeping, VAT, payroll etc but our clients are more than just a number to us.

We utilise tech and help all our clients make the most of technology in their business, but the support is delivered by real experienced people who care about the real challenges and successes you will face. We want our passion for true partnership to be integral to any relationship.

Get in touch to see if we can help you to achieve your ambitions. Visit www.myersclark.co.uk

26.11.21

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD SCHOOL

CHARITY NO. 1097185