Southwark Business Today December 2019

Southwark

BUSINESS TODAY

Issue 26: December 2019

Learning from experience proves crucial to thriving business Kristen O’Connell Page 18

• Baroness Crawley on the

long hard road for equal rights for women. Page 10

• Remembering when a small

sailing ship named the Mayflower set sail from Rotherhithe at the start of an epic voyage to North America in July 1620. Page 26

• Full speed ahead with 1Gb Broadband. Page 15

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Welcome

Welcome to Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

Contents

The Southwark Chamber of Commerce magazine for all businesses in Southwark

A sobering start to the festive season A warm welcome to this last edition of 2019!

Whilst writing this, the news came through of the atrocities on London Bridge and Fishmongers Hall with chilling reminders of that fateful Saturday evening in June 2017. So, I start by offering my heartfelt condolences and thoughts to those who have lost loved ones and all others injured or affected by this heinous act.

I would also praise the emergency services for their rapid response along with the brave individuals who ran towards danger.

The Chamber sees its 95th birthday this year and to celebrate we are having a special event on the 16th December, kindly hosted

by LSBU and sponsored by British Land. We are delighted to have Sir Simon Hughes as our guest speaker for this event. We would love to see as many of you there as possible and booking can be done via Eventbrite but places are limited; for more information see page 32.

As well as our 95th Celebration we have events planned through 2020 up to July and we kick off the year with an event on Cyber Crime and Social Media on 29th January, a very apposite subject for today’s way of doing business and commerce. Full details of all events can be found on page 33.

I went along to the launch of the London Living Wage week presented by the Living age Foundation and it was great to see a local business, Mercato Metropolitano, an accredited London Living Wage Employer, winning an award at the launch.

Also, congratulations to Southwark Council as a Living Wage Employer for successfully driving the take-up of the real Living Wage in a place/area by receiving a Places Champion Award.

We see the launch of the prestigious Southwark Business Awards 2020 on 21st January being held at 12th Knot, Sea Containers House. An amazing venue for an amazing event and thanks to White Label.

I encourage you all to take place and apply for the one or more of the categories available to businesses of all sizes and type.

Previous winners have said they benefitted greatly from obtaining publicity, marketing, increased business and a sense of pride being one of Southwark’s many diverse businesses.

I am a strong supporter of the real living wage, which is currently £10.75 / hour and ask all businesses to sign up to this where they can. Living Wage employers have found that paying a decent wage, as well as being the right thing to do, has real business benefits. They talked of lower staff turnover and a better bottom line. Staff felt valued so they went the extra mile.

It’s hard to escape the short days becoming colder by the day but they will be brightened by the Festive Holiday buzz and sometimes frenzy anticipated by many, locals, tourists and businesses alike. It’s the time of year where many businesses display their specialty wares and fayre, which are truly global and all kinds can be found in the wellknown spots for market stalls as well as shop windows.

It is probably more significant now to show a community spirit, solidarity and defiance against those who plot to terrify us.

I would ask us to remember those who grieve, those who reflect on the past and also ask us all to remember the homeless and rough sleepers in our Borough this time of year which truly is a dichotomy and how your business may be able to help make their Christmas!

Thanks also to the many charities for their priceless support too.

Season’s greetings and best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year.

Les Johnson

Chairman Southwark Chamber of Commerce

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4-5 Up Front 6 Legal 8-9 News 10 Baroness Crawley 11-12 Skills 14 Economy 17 Education 18-19 Big Interview 21 Skills 22-23 British Land 24-25 Arts & Culture 26-27 Remembering When...

29-31 Health & Wellbeing 32-33 Chamber Events 33 Last Word 34 Join Us

Enquiries

Southwark Chamber of Commerce 169 Walworth Road, London SE17 1RW Tel: 07477 581977 Email: admin@southwarkcommerce.com Web: www.SouthwarkCommerce.com

Editor

John Dean Email: deangriss@btinternet.com

Contributing Editor Susan Isaacs

Publisher

Benham Publishing Limited Aintree Building, Aintree Way, Aintree Business Park, Liverpool L9 5AQ Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: admin@benhampublishing.com Web: www.benhampublishing.com

Published

Dec 2019 © Benham Publishing

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When we say best business broadband, we mean it Named 2019’s Best Business Broadband and rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot. Find out more at hyperoptic.com/business Disclaimer Southwark Business Today is mailed without charge to all Chamber members and distributed to businesses in the Borough. All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at Southwark

Chamber of Commerce. Views expressed in publication are not necessarily those of Southwark Chamber of Commerce. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission of the Editor. © 2019. 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.

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 3

Up Front

Southwark Council raises the roof with new development principles Southwark Council has outlined a set of principles that will guide a proposed programme of rooftop development to provide new council housing.

New agreement to address mobile ‘not spots’ and make London 5G ready The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has published a new standard agreement to help commercial landlords and public property owners address poor areas of mobile phone coverage.

He says that the new arrangement, driven in part by calls from businesses, will speed up the process which allows mobile providers access to rooftops and other sites to install kit to address mobile ‘not spots’.

Access to mobile services is an important requirement for Londoners and businesses – with Londoners currently using 38 million gigabytes of mobile data – a fifth of all the mobile data in the UK. Each year the amount of data used rises by an estimated 25% to 42%.

The standard agreement delivers on the Mayor’s manifesto commitment to better use public sector property for digital connectivity, and forms part of his Connected London programme, which aims to enhance mobile and fixed fibre connectivity in London through investment, new data and working with local authorities.

The agreement has been developed in partnership with the British Standards Institution, with the support of City of London, and a steering committee made up of legal representatives of landowners and from the telecommunications sector.

The move will support existing 4G mobile users in areas where connectivity is poor and assist the future roll out of 5G - which will also require access to buildings - by establishing a consistent approach to be followed across London.

Leading business group London First has welcomed this agreement and released a report, Enhancing Digital Connectivity, arguing that steps must be taken now if full fibre is to become the norm across the capital.

Theo Blackwell, London’s Chief Digital Officer said: “Today, good mobile coverage is an expectation for all those who live, work or visit London. This guidance is part of the Mayor’s commitment to enhance mobile and fixed connectivity in the Capital. It helps end uncertainty which has stopped or slowed infrastructure being put in place across London with a new, consistent approach.”

Catherine McGuiness, Policy Chair at the City of London Corporation said: “This new mobile standard agreement is a landmark achievement in ensuring improved mobile coverage across London and the UK, eradicating ‘not spots’ and expediting roll out of new 5G networks.”

Jasmine Whitbread, CEO of London First, said: “Making it easier to deliver the digital connectivity the capital needs is a critical part of keeping the city competitive now and into the future.”

Southwark is facing an acute housing need with more than 12,000 families on the waiting list for housing and more than 2,000 children living in temporary accommodation.

The council has one of the most ambitious council house building programmes in the country with a commitment to build 11,000 brand new council homes by 2043.

More than 600 council homes have already been delivered, and more are on the horizon, but with available land in short supply the council is now looking at new ways to build more housing, including unlocking potentially hundreds of new homes with upward extensions on existing blocks.

Cllr Leo Pollak, Cabinet Member for Social Regeneration, Great Estates and New Homes, said: “Rooftop housing has a great potential to not only deliver hundreds of high quality new council homes and improve existing homes, but also to help de-carbonise the development supply chain.

“We’ve spoken to residents about the opportunities and challenges linked to rooftop housing and the kind of preferences that were raised were things like their desire to remain on the top floor, being prioritised for the new homes and improvements being made to the rest of the block.

“Unlocking a new dimension of council housing supply like this is not going to be straightforward, but we are driven by the potential for hundred, potentially thousands of new council homes in our borough. We plan to offer a quicker on-site construction time by doing most of the building off-site, first refusal on the new homes to those living underneath, and improvements to the existing block, with any costs associated with the new homes - such as a new roof, lift and landscaping - non-rechargeable to leaseholders.

“We are also developing an accompanying rooftop design guide that will detail some of the best options to complement and enhance an existing block well, maximise internal living and amenity space and solutions for connecting new homes to existing services.”

One of the ways the council is promising to minimise the impact of existing residents is to build rooftop homes in a modular form off-site and craning them onto adapted blocks, significantly shortening the time construction is on site.

Residents living immediately underneath the new homes will be given the first opportunity to move into them, so people previously living on the top floor will have the chance to stay on the top floor and in a new home.

Transformational programme starts work in Southwark Heart of the City, a charity which helps small-to-medium sized businesses (SMEs) across London to make a positive impact on people, places and the planet, has started work to transform businesses in Southwark - with Chamber of Commerce support.

Since its founding in 2000, Heart of the City, which is funded by the City of London Corporation and City Bridge Trust, has helped more than 850 companies to introduce responsible programmes that have changed their businesses for the better.

The two-year foundation programme includes account management, workshops,online resources and mentoring, all focused on coaching businesses to become a force for good. Thanks to grant funding by the City of London Corporation and City Bridge Trust, the organisation can offer free places to eligible SMEs in the first year of the programme.

Heart of the City was awarded five-year funding by City Bridge Trust from July 2018, with three aims: to establish strong local networks of businesses that engage in Heart of the City’s successful responsible business programme, to consolidate its existing network across London and to build the capacity of charities to have enduring connections with businesses.

In July 2018, the team prioritised two boroughs to target for recruitment; Islington and Camden.

4 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

Now, Heart of the City has started work in Southwark. The borough was selected because of its operational place-based giving scheme, several active business improvement districts (BIDs) as well as an active list of Heart of the City contributors to support the programme (including EY, PwC and Gowling, among others).

Heart of the City has started to recruit businesses in Southwark and is working with relevant organisations and membership bodies in the boroughto support their efforts to encourage Southwark SMEs to join them as members next year. Scheduled presentations to local businesses were organised in partnership with two Southwark BIDs (Better Bankside and Team London Bridge).

Through conversations with local stakeholders, the Southwark Chamber of Commerce has also been identified as a potential resource for conducting outreach with local businesses and will be working with the organisation to promote the programme.

To find out more about Heart of the City please visit theheartofthecity.com

Southwark calls for employers to offer a working wage Southwark Council marked the recent Living Wage Week by calling on more local businesses both large and small, to follow its example and become Living Wage employers.

Living Wage Week is a national campaign run by the Living Wage Foundation to promote and support the idea that a hard day’s work deserves a hard day’s pay.

Southwark is an accredited Living Wage employer, meaning it pays a real living wage to all staff, including its apprentices and contracted staff, through its supply chain. 164 businesses in Southwark are Living Wage employers already.

In 2018 the council committed to doubling the number of accredited Living Wage businesses and are well on the way with 48 new accredited employers in past 20 months.

On Tuesday 12 November, as part of the celebrations for Living Wage Week, the council – with its partners Lambeth and Lewisham held a special event for businesses in the borough to learn more about the benefits of offering a living wage. The event was hosted by LSBU, one of Southwark’s largest

Living Wage employers, in their apprenticeship hub the Passmore Centre.

Guests heard more about the Living Wage Foundation, bidding for council contracts and promoting health and well being among employees.

Cllr Stephanie Cryan, cabinet member for jobs, business and innovation, said: “Southwark Council is committed to being a full employment borough. This means more than just getting people into jobs, though that is what we are doing helping over 8,000 people into work over since 2014.

“It also means giving people opportunities to grow and develop in their work but this is only possible if people are being paid a fair and decent wage for their wok, which is why we actively encourage our local businesses to offer their staff a Living Wage.

“There are benefits for the employers, too, as staff who are paid better are more likely to be

hard-working, loyal and stay with the business.

“As a council we have lead the way, making sure all our staff and contractors get at least the London Living Wage. It’s fantastic news that so many other employers in our borough are following suit.

Now we want to support the rest to do the same.”

Julie Abraham, CEO of Richer Sounds, a Living Wage employer, said: “Richer Sounds opened their first store in Southwark in 1978 and have always firmly believed that happy colleagues = happy customers.

“The formula for us definitely includes paying The REAL Living Wage – everyone should be able to afford housing, food, travel and entertainment, and the odd luxury every now and then. We are proud to be a Living Wage employer and encourage all companies, big and small to join us and help improve the lives of the lowest paid workers in the UK.”

Southwark becomes first London council to set its own good design framework Southwark Council has become the first to set up a framework of architects it can call on to design hundreds of new council homes and wider regeneration schemes in the borough – with the unique aim of promoting and encouraging small and emerging practices in particular to promote innovative new design.

The Council – in a unique partnership with the London Housing Consortium - has developed its own Architects Design Framework, which will be made up of the larger, well-known firms as well as smaller, more local but pioneering new architects.

Cllr Leo Pollak, Cabinet member for New Homes, Great Estates and Social Regeneration, said: “Southwark is on a journey towards building 11,000 new council homes within a generation, and as we are expanding and accelerating our programme we are also bringing on new sites on existing land, as well as buying up small and large sites for new housing estates.

“We want to put the message out that there are really great opportunities for designers who want to help shape the future built environment of Southwark, across at least 50 new sites over the coming years.

“We also want with this framework to elevate the expectations and status of public sector design by making explicit our commitment to good design throughout the process, from how we write site briefs, to how we bring the influence of residents into the design process, to how we follow through on the details with contractors. Our hope is this framework will provide a springboard for a new race to

the top in public sector design and I would encourage all architects large and small, young and old to be a part of it.”

The new Southwark Framework takes a different approach to the normal procurement frameworks. Instead of asking non-design-related questions and setting thresholds that can exclude some smaller firms, Southwark’s Framework pitches itself to architects of all sizes and experience, and deliberately sets low financial thresholds, focusing on value for money.

The new Framework is set to come into effect from April 2020 and will be available for all London Councils to access.

Up Front

Mayor announces new London Living Wage The Mayor of London has announced that the London Living Wage rate is to increase to £10.75 per hour - meaning that 60,000 Londoners are set for a pay rise. This is a 1.9 per cent increase from last year’s rate of £10.55 per hour.

There are now more than 1,758 accredited London Living Wage businesses and organisations, employing approximately 60,000 people - double the number since 2016.

In the past year, newly accredited businesses include London City Airport and Crystal Palace Football Club.

In July, the Mayor launched his Good Work Standard, a new benchmark for good employment standards. The London Living Wage is at the heart of the scheme, which has already accredited 40 employers including the likes of UBS, EY, KPMG, PWC and Deloitte.

The Mayor has also ensured that all organisations within the GLA group (Transport for London, Metropolitan Police Service, Mayorís Office for Policing and Crime, London Fire Brigade, London Legacy Development Corporation and Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation) pay the London Living Wage.

Despite the notable progress made in London nearly one in five jobs in the capital pays less than the Living Wage.

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 5

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News

U.C.O Graduation Ceremony

Chamber members, the University College of Osteopathy, held their Graduation Ceremony in Westminster Central Hall on Tuesday 26th November.

The Sun says ‘Thanks a Million’ with launch of charity fund Britain’s best-selling newspaper has launched a major new campaign as it celebrates its 50th birthday, inviting readers to nominate the charities that mean the most to them for the chance to share in a £1m year-long giveaway.

The Chancellor of the U.C.O. Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal, the Princess Anne, conferred the degrees on over 150 graduates and presented awards to the outstanding graduates.

The U.C.O have been based in Southwark since the 1980’s and have been Chamber members since 1998.

They run a low cost clinic for local residents in their clinic in Southwark Bridge Road and run a homeless clinic locally as well.

60 years of a Family run Pub The Lord Clyde Public House in Clennham Street, London SE1, a Truman Hanbury and Buxton Pub, (which is in the shortest residential street in Southwark), is going to lose the oldest family running a Public House in Southwark as the Pub Co who own it are not renewing the tenancy of the pub that the Fitzpatrick family have held since the 1950’s.

Martin Fitzpatrick, the current tenant, who is the grandson of the tenant that took the Tenancy in the 1950’s, when Public houses were local community Centres, long before Community Centres were invented. When I came to live in Southwark in the 1970’s I discovered this historic gem of a back street Public house. I would entertain business contacts to good food and drink having done business.

In the 1990’s Martins Dad, Michael won the Daily Mirror London Pub of the year with a cash prize of £2.000. . Michael put that prize over the counter for his regular customers, as he said,’ my regulars won this prize as you are the ones that make it a great pub.

The current tenancy runs out in January and a chapter of local history will close.

It is well worth a visit to this hidden gem, before it is changed.

Ken Hayes

The Sun, which is owned by News UK, whose headquarters are in the London Bridge area, was born as a tabloid on 17 November, 1969 and Tony Gallagher, current Editor-in-Chief, said: “Our strength has always been our ability to mobilise our army of millions of readers to get behind the campaigns that are important to them.

“They have been enormously generous over the years, from knitting blankets to donating their hard-earned cash. By our best estimate, our readers have raised around £100 million supporting our good causes.

“On our 50th birthday, we are proud to be launching a £1m Reader Fund, inviting them to nominate the charities closest to their heart to receive donations across the coming year.

It’s our way of saying ‘Thanks a million’.”

Nominations will be welcomed from readers across the UK, with particular focus on six charitable areas: Children and Young People, Health and Wellbeing, Veterans, Emergency Heroes, International Aid and Animals and The Environment.

They will be longlisted by The Sun’s editorial team, before approaches are made to the

8 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

charities to apply for funds for a specific project which could earn them a grant of anything between £2,000 and £20,000, and maybe even more.

Sun columnist and TV presenter Jane Moore, who will be fronting the campaign, said: “The Sun50 Reader Fund is undoubtedly going to create a whole new generation of inspirational stories as readers nominate the charities that have touched their lives.”

The final recipients will be chosen by a panel of famous faces from The Sun, including Jane Moore, the nation’s agony aunt Deidre Sanders, political columnist Trevor Kavanagh, legendary Royal photographer Arthur Edwards, Executive Editor Dan Wootton, The Sun’s General Manager Jo Bucci and Help for Heroes spokesman Derek Derenalagi.

Rebekah Brooks, News UK Chief Executive, said: “I’m excited that The Sun celebrates its 50th birthday as it began, celebrating ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”

Readers can nominate their favourite charities to be part of the Sun50 £1m Reader Fund by going to www.thesun.co.uk/50

News

Major funding announced for communications upgrade Large areas of London are set to be upgraded from copper cables to full fibre optics using the Tube network and public buildings, thanks to a £10 million investment launched by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

The plans will make it possible for more of London to access gigabitspeed connectivity – starting with 118,000 properties in south London – by tackling ‘not spot’ areas which suffer from poor connectivity.

Gigabit-speed connectivity is the next generation of broadband internet service, which is typically delivered over fibre optic cables all the way to the home, and provides speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second – fast enough to download a two hour-long film in high definition in just 25 seconds.

New fibre optic cabling will be laid along TfL tunnels to create a ‘fibre backbone’ across London. The investment announced by the Mayor will cover the installation costs of linking the fibre optic cables to public buildings, such as community centres and libraries.

The work will also reduce the cost to providers of laying cabling between the public buildings and Londoners’ homes and businesses. This will particularly benefit areas with little or no existing fibre, which had previously been deemed financially unviable and which suffered from poor connectivity as a result.

Currently, about 90 per cent of London is served by fibre only reaching local telecoms exchanges. Most homes are

then connected with copper cabling, which offers much lower speeds.

London currently lags behind other cities due to its reliance on copper: only 11 per cent of properties can order full fibre connections, compared to 70 per cent in Spain and Sweden.More local fibre will also pave the way for next-generation 5G mobile connectivity, which requires an extensive full fibre network.

The announcement comes after the Mayor announced the start of 4G connectivity on the Tube earlier this summer.

Sadiq Khan said: “London’s future digital connectivity will be built on fibre.

High-speed connectivity is crucial for businesses of all sizes and sectors, not to mention Londoners accessing digital services at home and around the city.

“I hope this provides the catalyst for further investment from the public and private sectors, I’m urging them to match my ambitions to get all Londoners connected.”

Chief Technology Officer at TfL, Shashi Verma, said: “This work is on top of our wider plans to remove one of London’s biggest not-spots by bringing 4G to the Tube network, with the first section on track to go live from March 2020.”

An additional £1 million is also being allocated by the Mayor to drive future investment from the public and private sectors, in light of the significant need for further funding.

Chief Executive of London First, Jasmine Whitbread, said: “Gigabit-speed connectivity is critical if London is to sustain its position as one of the best cities in the world to do business, and this investment will help London’s government work with the private sector to plug the digital blackspots across the capital.

“Rolling out 5G and full fibre across the capital is a challenge, and one we must meet if we are to avoid falling behind our international competitors.“

“London’s future digital connectivity will be built on fibre. High-speed connectivity is crucial for businesses of all sizes and sectors, not to mention Londoners accessing digital services at home and around the city.”

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 9

Baroness Crawley

The Long Hard Road to Equal Rights for Women Baroness Crawley in the House of Lords

by Susan Elizabeth Isaacs Arts and Culture Correspondent A towering building with vaulted ceilings and coats of arms stands smothered in vast swathes of scaffolding at the heart of Westminster.

The armed security guards look incongruous against a backdrop of stained glass windows. The building feels like a cross between an airport lounge and a medieval church. I am entering one of the most powerful places in Britain, the House of Lords and meeting a lady who has done a great deal to improve the world we live in today, Baroness Christine Crawley. Starting as a councillor for South Oxfordshire, she sat as an MEP for Birmingham East, before being sent to the House of Lords in 1998.

She glides lightly along the high ceilinged corridor towards me, her face framed in Mary Quant type hair style, and greets me warmly.

It is the day the General Election has been announced. Her warmth is not at odds with a first class mind. We are to discuss the changes she has seen in her lifetime in women’s rights, and she has prepared with the thoroughness of a true professional.

She takes me over to a 1950’s painting which covers most of the back wall.

I can see a sea of hundreds of men in dark suits sitting on bright red seats of the House of Lords, and, almost invisible in a row near the back, two grey haired ladies sharply observing the proceedings.

It says it all.

“You have to remember when I started in politics in the 1970’s

there were far fewer women in the world of paid employment, and the pay gap was much wider. Subsidised child care was not widely available. Now three quarters of women are in paid employment which is the largest percentage ever.”

“And what do you think helped things to change?”

“Well there was the equal pay act in 1970 brought in by Barbara Castle.

I knew her well as I worked with her in the European Parliament” “And was this Act successful?”

“Well it was a start, but it was fairly narrowly defined. It took a long time for men and women’s work to be easily compared and to be of equal value. Yes, you could look along a factory floor and see quite easily that a woman was doing the same work as a man, but being paid less for it. But some other types of work could not be so easily compared so the pay gap remained wide. Women’s average hourly pay was 63 percent of men’s.

The pay gap today is 81 percent.”

“And what about the pay gap in the House of Lords today?”

“Ah, that is completely the same for men and women.”

“Have you seen many other changes in women’s rights?”

“Well there was no such thing as the minimum wage and as women made up the majority of workers on low wages, that affected them badly. And there was no such thing as parental leave in 1970.

Nowadays women can have children and still keep a foothold in the world of work, and know that there is a job for them when they return. Also domestic violence was seen very much as a private matter.

Police and judiciary would rarely intervene. I well remember it described as a “domestic” ?

“Do you think the world is better for women now.”

“Oh unquestionably. Back then there was no Me Too Movement.

Young people nowadays won’t put up with behaviour that people suffered in the past. There was no national discussion about women being represented on public bodies. There was no discussion about getting more women into the work place or into Science and Technology. There was instead, an ocean of obstacles.

In 1979 there were 19 women in the House of Commons, just 3 percent. But in 1997 that jumped

“It took a long time for men and women’s work to be easily compared and to be of equal value.

Yes, you could look along a factory floor and see quite easily that a woman was doing the same work as a man, but being paid less for it.

10 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

to 18 percent, with 120 women.

Nowadays it is 32 percent with 211 out of 650, and the last 5 by-elections all won by women.’

“This is fantastic progress. What has been your own personal experience, as a woman in a man’s world?”

“Well I was very fortunate when I had my children in that my then husband was very supportive and took over a lot of the role of childcare. I was constantly on the phone about everything from games kit, to homework, but working in Brussels I had to be away part of the time. It was hard for us all and I think it is still hard for working women today.

I take great joy in looking after my grandchildren now whenever I can.”

“And how were you able to help in the fight for Women’s Rights.”

“The thing I am most proud of was to get the Maternity Leave Directive through in the early 1990’s. This gave British women the right to fourteen weeks maternity leave, and I was dealing with a British government that was, shall we say, unenthusiastic. It was only fourteen weeks, but it was something to build on and it was at a time when a lot of European governments were offering far better. I think it is so important that we now have the Me Too Movement, and that pay gaps are being measured, in order to make progress.

I am full of admiration for this lady who has achieved so much. As a woman I am so glad to know she is there in the House of Lords, fighting our corner.

Education

Get set to study from January 2020 at Southwark College The New Year is a great time to start studying for a course which will boost your career prospects, and Southwark College is ready and waiting to help you do just that.

The College will be welcoming visitors for an Open Day on Thursday 9 January 2020, and has a fantastic range of vocational courses starting in the new year so you can get started on your future right away!

Whether you’re a school leaver or an adult looking to get back into education, Southwark College’s Open Day will be the perfect chance to check out the huge range of courses available, find out how to apply and get advice on financial support.

workplace. The College has partnerships with renowned companies across London, and many courses include work experience, industry visits and talks from external speakers.

You will be able to meet course lecturers, get advice from careers advisors and chat to current students about College life.

You will also get a chance to see the great teaching spaces in Southwark College, including Business, Accounting, IT, Health and Social Care, Fashion and Art, Media, Science, Performing Arts and Travel and Tourism. The College also runs a range of ESOL, English and Maths courses as well as Higher Education programmes.

All Southwark College courses are focused on giving you the skills you need for today’s

Southwark College Open Day takes place on Thursday 9 January 2020 from 4-6pm at Southwark College, 25 The Cut, London SE1 8LF, which is easy to reach by bus, tube or rail.

Visit southwark.ac.uk or call 020 3757 4000 to find out more and pre-book your place at an Open Day.

OPEN DAYS Register at Southwark.ac.uk/opendays Thursday 9 January 4-6pm | Thursday 6 February 4-7pm SOUTHWARK COLLEGE The Cut, London, SE1 8LF

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 11

Skills

At LSBU Business School, we’re delighted to offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as higher and degree-level apprenticeships In summer 2019, we moved to our new Business School home. For the first time, staff, students and entrepreneurs work alongside each other in one building.

This space gives us the opportunity to not only hold lectures, but also conferences, like green accounting focused Accountants Will Save the Planet as well as business events like the Southwark Chamber 95th Year Celebration.

their skills to become strong strategic decision makers, whilst MSc Human Resource Management is accredited by the CIPD and aims to develop skills and knowledge of HRM practitioners.

For those looking to develop their knowledge, MSc Accounting and Finance brings an international context, addressing current challenges of businesses around the world.

Our undergraduate degrees give you the opportunity to develop skills in accounting, finance, business, economics or marketing. With a practical focus, courses are designed for real-world application, and are developed in conjunction with employers, ensuring they meet industry needs and expectations. Chartered Manager Degree Apprentice, Lisa Brown, says “this apprenticeship programme has benefited my work by broadening my understanding of many different subject areas”.

The scope of the modern business is vast – so we need to make sure our graduates are equipped for these challenges. Our MBA programmes give the breadth and depth of knowledge needed to succeed at senior level. MBA student, Miriam Morris says “an MBA shows an all-round extended knowledge; it covers a wide range of topics and shows commitment to your own personal development”.

Miriam also advises the course supports real-world application; “the holistic view matches the work environment, as you are considering many aspects to find a solution, not just one area at a time”.

Business is constantly evolving, which is why we offer January starts, in addition to the traditional September start date.

Many of our students study alongside employment, so we offer both full-time and part-time courses, as well as degree apprenticeships, to allow studies to fit around other commitments.

With a range of support, LSBU Business School puts your development at the heart, and is committed to seeing you grow and succeed both personally and professionally.

At postgraduate level, students hone their skills in areas they have studied or may already be working in. Our MSc Business Project Management and MSc Marketing programmes allow students to develop

For those already working in or looking to pursue a career in accounting, our undergraduate accounting and finance courses provide a firm foundation, as well as valuable exemptions.

12 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

Open Days and Open Evenings are the perfect opportunity to explore your options; take a look at lsbu.ac.uk/opendays to book on.

To find out more about LSBU Business School, please visit lsbu.ac.uk/BusinessSchool

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Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 13

Economy

Redundancy ‘leads to new opportunities’ New research from Direct Line for Business reveals that Britain is home to millions of ‘redundant-preneurs’, people who took being laid off work as an opportunity to work independently rather than find another job working for someone else.

After being made redundant, four million people (35 per cent) decided to use the opportunity to become their own boss.

Of these, 2.2 million (57 per cent) started working for themselves as a freelancer or consultant, 1.8 million (48 per cent) started a business and 445,0002 (12 per cent) invested in another business and started working there.

According to the researchers, this entrepreneurial spirit helps contribute to the millions of micro businesses, those with fewer than ten employees, operating in the UK, which account for 96 per cent of all businesses.

Collectively, those who have chosen to set up their own business have spent £34 billion doing so, working out as £8,700 per person, which would be covered by the average £9,000 redundancy package received.

The cost of set up can vary substantially depending on size and scale of the business, reflected by the 15 per cent who spent between £10,000 and £20,000 and the same proportion who spent more than £20,000.

Interestingly, younger redundantpreneurs (aged 18-34) spent the most of any age group setting up their business, £12,113 per person

which is 41 per cent more (£3,527) than those aged 35-54 (£8,586).

The leading reasons for people choosing to work for themselves after being made redundant are wanting to try something different (37 per cent) and liking the idea of being their own boss (34 per cent).

More than a quarter (28 per cent) thought they could earn more money while working for themselves. For others, redundancy provided the ideal opportunity to do something they had always wanted to but never had the required lump sum investment (25 per cent) or the time (24 per cent).

The majority (68 per cent) of entrepreneurs set up a business in something related to their previous job, whether it’s the same type of work (48 per cent) or in a similar role but a different industry (20 per cent). However, a third (32 per cent) used redundancy

as an opportunity to change paths completely, setting up a business in a different industry and choosing a different role to their previous career.

The industries most choose following redundancy are education (18 per cent) and retail (17 per cent). One in nine (11 per cent) choose to start their own business or management consultancy while similar numbers have set up their own IT or web design business (nine per cent) or engineering firm (eight per cent).

Nearly 13 million (38 per cent) working adults have been made redundant at some point in their careers, with men more likely to be made redundant than women (44 vs 34 per cent). Despite being a stressful situation, many workers have seen redundancy as an opportunity, choosing to study for academic or professional qualifications (23 per cent), take a career break (25 per cent),

“Although redundancy is a stressful period of anyone’s life, many people retrospectively feel it was a positive change.

More than half (56 per cent) were unhappy about being made redundant at the time but think it was for the best.”

14 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

retrain for a different career (19 per cent) or do charity or volunteering work (16 per cent).

Although redundancy is a stressful period of anyone’s life, many people retrospectively feel it was a positive change. More than half (56 per cent) were unhappy about being made redundant at the time but think it was for the best.

Just 10 per cent are unhappy with their business’s performance since it was set up, with 39 per cent saying that their business has performed better than expected.

Just two in five (44 per cent) would like to go back to being an employee in the future.

Karneet Chowdhury, Business Manager for Office and Professional, Direct Line for Business, said: “Being made redundant can be one of the most stressful and unsettling periods of anyone’s working life.

But it can also be a catalyst for change and force people to take a step back and think about what they want in their future career.

“It’s great to see so many people have turned redundancy into a positive experience by starting their own business and working for themselves. This entrepreneurial spirit is why there are so many small businesses across the UK providing numerous products and services.”

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Education

Advanced Learning and Higher Education at Morley College London: time for a new career?

They say that you’ll have five careers over the course of your lifetime. And according to a 2018 study, now might be the time to start thinking about the next one.

From stagnant salaries to long hours, uncomfortable commutes to zero progression, over 70% of Londoners are having trouble feeling happy at work.

HIGHER EDUCATION At Morley, we understand that life can get in the way. Adult learners face various challenges when considering studying for a career change – not least the potential impact on family, work and finances.

Where previously we might have wallowed in our unsatisfactory jobs, convinced to keep calm and carry on, now we’re more empowered than ever to make a positive change – and people who change careers report a greater sense of fulfilment in work and life.

If you’re ready to make a change, Morley College London can help you achieve those key qualifications and climb a new and exciting career ladder. With Higher Education courses in Fashion, Music, Ceramics, Business, and Performing Arts, plus a wide range of Advanced Learning courses, we offer a selection of one- to three-year programmes that provide you with recognised qualifications and practical work skills at every stage of your study.

Our HNDs require a two-year commitment, but if that’s not right for you or you need to take a break in your studies, our HNC courses will give you a recognised and well-respected qualification after just one year of study. You can then return to your studies and work towards an HND when the time is right for you. And that’s not all – in September 2019 we launched the first of our top-up degree programmes in Fashion and Music. So once you finish your HND, you can choose to stay with us for an extra year of study and a higher qualification… or move into the world of work and come back when you’re ready to take your study further.

ADVANCED LEARNING Maybe you don’t want the commitment of a uni-level course but still want to build your work skills. Maybe you already have a career and want to improve your opportunities to progress.

Or maybe you do want to return to uni and study something completely new, but you don’t have the right qualifications. We can still help!

and counselling, and advanced diplomas in music production, art and design, and textiles.

Plus, we offer a wide range of Access to Higher Education diplomas that will not only give you a good grounding in a subject of your choice, such as Creative Digital Media, Business Studies, or Medical Biosciences, they’ll also help you develop the study and research skills you need to get the best experience from a Higher Education course – either at Morley or another institution.

Our Advanced Learning courses start at a level that’s roughly equivalent to A-levels, but they’re strongly geared towards giving you the right skills you need for work. We run Advanced Learning courses across all of our schools of study, and options include AAT accounting qualifications, courses in childcare, teaching,

MORLEY HIGHER EDUCATION AND ADVANCED LEARNING OPEN DAY If you’re ready for a change and want to find out more about how Morley can help you reach your goals, pay us a visit at our next Higher Education and Advanced Learning Open Day on Wednesday 29 January, between 4pm and 6pm.

This is a fantastic opportunity to meet our staff, find out more about the courses we offer in detail, and tour our facilities to get a feel for student life with us.

We can also advise you on your funding options for our

Advanced Learning and Higher Education courses, and guide you through the application process on the day if you decide that we’re the right college for you!

We hope we’ll see you there!

For full details and to reserve your place, visit our website at www.morleycollege.ac.uk.

Alternatively, give us a call on 020 7450 1889, or pay us a visit at 61 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7HT.

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 17

Big Interview

18 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

Big Interview

Learning from experience proves crucial to thriving business Businesswoman Kristen O’Connell has become a success in the highly competitive world of recruitment through an approach that has seen her company expand by being innovative and adaptable.

That success is built on her strong belief in learning from experience and that means embracing success but also treating failure as something that can teach business-people, a philosophy she feels is important for all start-ups.

Kristen knows what she is talking about.

Go back more than a decade and her first business failed, something that the founder of Superlative Recruitment regards as having been an important learning process in her career as a business owner.

Today, taking into account the many lessons she has learned, she owns and runs a thriving recruitment business with a team of twelve who handle many elements of the process for companies seeking mainly sales and administrative staff.

US with my tail between my legs and I did not want to do that. I realised that I had the purpose and desire to run my own business and I took on board the lessons learned from my first experience.”

Kristen believes that the key to Superlative’s success in the eleven years that followed its launch has been its flexibility, both in adapting to clients’ needs and the changing priorities of job-hunters.

She points to changes in the nature of the job market and believes it is important to tailor packages to clients seeking staff rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Kristen said: “In the past decade, we’ve worked with more than 300 SMEs in more than 100 cities across 12 countries on four continents.”

and Generation Z looks mainly to social media for their job details and are much more interested in the ethics of an employer.

“I think that the nature of jobs is changing as well. Go back ten years and the idea of a sales person working from home was pretty much unheard. However, today we are seeing a lot of them involved in remote working and working from home and a lot of them working on a freelance basis.”

The business’s success in adapting to the challenges was recognised in the 2019 Southwark Business Excellence Awards, which have become an eagerly-awaited event in the area’s business calendar since their launch two years ago. Organised by Southwark Chamber of Commerce, with the support of a range of organisations, the awards celebrate the achievements of the borough’s business community and Kristen was Commended in the Best Women in Business category.

Headquartered in London, they work with companies in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Canada and Kristen’s native USA and handle everything from advertising the posts and writing the content to screening the applicants and selecting people for interview.

“Every client is different. Some businesses want us to handle the entire recruitment process, from advertising through screening to selection, others like to retain more control themselves. To succeed, I think you have to be flexible and adapt to what the client requires, which is what we do.

Kristen came to the UK from the United States in 2007 as part of a team sent by a global company that was expanding and needed to recruit sales teams.

“Job-hunters are changing as well and I think you need to understand what has been happening. You cannot do today what you did ten years ago.

The venture was a success and encouraged Kristen to set up her own business doing a similar thing but it failed after three months because it did not have the resources to handle the rapid turnover of staff that characterises the sales industry.

“It is about understanding what job-hunters want and you cannot simply draw up a list of applicants for the clients, they have to be the right people.

Kristen believes that the flexibility that saw her and the business recognised will continue to be crucial as the UK heads towards Brexit and the impact it is likely to have on businesses who recruit workers from abroad.

“The baby boomers, for example, are seeking stability, Generation X is seeking career advancement, Generation Y, the Millennials, are much more interested in work-life balance

She said: “2020 will be a year of change and the key to our continued success is adapting to all those changes. We are confident that we can continue to grow.”

Kristen took another job but knew that what she really wanted to do was run her own business.

Within a few months she tried again, creating her second business Superlative Recruitment, which has proved a success and grown steadily over the past eleven years.

She said: “My first venture into business had given me the taste for being an entrepreneur and I learned from the pain of what went wrong.

“My back was against the wall. The only other option was going back to the

Kristen said: “I was nominated for a second award in the category of best employer.

I was really pleased with that nomination because Superlative doesn’t actually employ people, but rather uses self-employed contractors and I appreciate being recognised because it highlights the changing attitude towards what ‘employment’ means.”

“Every client is different. Some businesses want us to handle the entire recruitment process, from advertising through screening to selection, others like to retain more control themselves. To succeed, I think you have to be flexible and adapt to what the client requires, which is what we do.”

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 19

Hire Smarter

Superlative Recruitment!

Do you want to find more of the right people for your business without paying traditional recruitment agency fees?

Are you thinking there must be a better way to find the talent you need without relying on an agency every step of the way?

If so, you’re not alone, and that’s exactly why Superlative Recruitment operate differently!

We believe traditional recruitment agency methods are outdated and ineffective, and we understand that different employers want different things and so do different job seekers!

Instead of playing match-maker between clients and candidates, Superlative Recruitment specializes in job advert copywriting to ensure our clients are reaching the right audience with the right message. This provides a better employer experience, a better candidate experience and a better return on investment!

In the past decade we’ve helped over 300 SMEs in over 100 cities, throughout 12 countries hire more of the right people faster and cheaper than they would have on their own or through traditional recruitment methods!

But, don’t take our word for it; listen to what some of our satisfied clients have to say: “Kristen and the company she directs - Superlative Recruitment are a vital part of my business. As a client of hers, requesting not only volume, but also quality of recruitment I am very impressed.

Every project that she has undertaken for us, she had delivered immediate and outstanding results to it.”

Lyudmil Borisov, MD at Uproar Vision

“Kristen is a very valued business partner.

Her value and that of her business is second to none. Without Kristen and her team our recruitment would not exist at the level it does today.”

Paul Tapscott, Managing Director at Baseline Direct

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Skills

Campaign takes training to the Next level A campaign has been launched to help tackle the UK’s skills shortage by raising awareness of the new T Levels starting in September 2020.

With less than a year to go before the first T Levels are taught, the Government launched the NexT Level campaign, which will ensure young people have the information they need to apply.

T Levels, a response to employers’ concerns about the quality of some young workers coming out of educational institutions, are high-quality technical equivalents to A levels.

The new courses have been cocreated with leading employers, including the Bank of England, the British Army, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Fujitsu, and awardwinning hairdresser Lee Stafford, so that they provide the knowledge and skills industry need and will set more young people on a path to a rewarding job, an apprenticeship or university.

The ‘NexT Level’ campaign will feature across social media, ondemand television, posters and other digital platforms so that young people preparing to take their GCSEs next summer, and starting to consider their next steps, will have all the information they need.

Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, said: “T Levels are a complete game-changer – highquality technical courses that will give young people a head start in their careers and that will rival top

performing technical education systems like those offered in Germany.

“With less than a year to go before the first T Levels are taught, we want to make sure young people and their parents know all about the brilliant opportunities these new qualifications will offer. Our new campaign will help make sure they have all the info they need.”

The 25 T Levels are being phased in over the next four years. The first three T Levels in Digital, Education and Childcare and Construction will be taught from September 2020 at selected schools, colleges and other further education providers across England.

An additional seven will be rolled out from 2021, which includes three in Health and Science.

T Levels in Legal, Finance & Accounting, Engineering & Manufacturing and Business & Administration will be introduced from 2022. From 2023, T Levels in Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care, Creative and Design, Hair and Beauty and Catering and Hospitality will also be available.

Lee Stafford said: “The Hair and Beauty industry has been crying out for a qualification that recognises talented young people and offers high quality on-the-job training.

The new T Levels, which I helped to develop, give students the time and skills they need to be job ready and have a successful career.”

Dr Elaine Cloutman-Green, Clinical Lecturer Infection Prevention and Control, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, UCL, said: “Deciding which degree to choose can be challenging, especially when young people aren’t always aware of the job routes available to them.

The new Healthcare T Level, which I helped to develop, prioritises the skills the NHS needs so that students are prepared for work as well as higher education.

“By offering students insight into roles such as a Healthcare Scientist, they are offered the opportunity to progress in a highly sought-after vocation that’s right for them.”

Sir Gerry Berragan, Chief Executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, said: “We are extremely excited about launching T Levels that will provide a gold standard of technical education on par with A levels.

“The Institute fully supports this campaign. We know that many young people are looking for an exciting alternative to the academic route and want to start training for their chosen careers after completing their GCSEs.” T Levels will be two-year courses equivalent to three A levels.

They will combine classroom theory and practical learning and will be available to 16-19-yearolds who have completed their GCSEs. A unique part of a T Level is the completion of a high-quality industry placement of at least 315 hours (or 45 days) so that students can build the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a workplace environment.

Part of the funding being made available by the Government to deliver T Levels is a £20 million investment to help prepare the further education sector for the introduction of the new courses.

This includes the £8 million T Level Professional Development offer which is already helping teachers and staff prepare for the roll-out of the new qualifications and the £5 million Taking Teaching Further programme which aims to attract industry experts to work in the sector.

An opportunity to celebrate apprenticeships The 13th annual National Apprenticeship Week will take place from 3 to 7 February 2020.

National Apprenticeship Week is an annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships across England and is a time to recognise and applaud success stories.

Employers use the opportunity to promote the success of their apprentices and highlight the huge benefits to other employers, of all sizes, who are thinking of taking on an apprentice.

Apprentices across the country will also be celebrated throughout the week, with events in schools and colleges. Many current and former apprentices will go back to school to tell their story, attracting the next generation of apprentices.

Throughout its 13 years, National Apprenticeship Week has brought together apprenticeship supporters from across the country, with MPs, ambassadors, apprentices, training providers and top employers involved in recognising the value and importance of apprenticeships.

For 2020, the organisers would like even more people to get behind the week, to build on last year’s success, which included more than 1,250 events taking place across England and a successful #askanapprentice day with employers, including TUI, Bentley Careers, Siemens UK, AXA Insurance and Cisco, all involved.

More information on National Apprenticeship Week 2020 will be announced on GOV.UK and on social media channels. Follow @Apprenticeships on Twitter and National Apprenticeship Service on LinkedIn to keep up to date.

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 21

Working with the London Borough of Southwark to create a vibrant, inclusive, mixed-use development at Canada Water

Find out more at: www.canadawatermasterplan.com www.britishland.com

Creating opportunities for now and the future through the Canada Water Masterplan

Canada Water

In September 2019, Southwark Council’s planning committee approved British Land’s outline planning application for an outstanding new town centre for Southwark and London, known as the Canada Water Masterplan.

Resolution to grant planning consent is the first step in the approval process for the project and comes after five years of extensive consultation and input from the local community, including targeted local business engagement.

The Masterplan covers 53 acres and will provide new homes, workspace, retail, leisure, and community facilities set in a network of new streets and public spaces including a town square and enhanced dock edge.

We know the importance of ensuring that the Masterplan benefits local businesses and workers in and around Canada Water and we are committed to making sure those local businesses can benefit from the development and the opportunities it will create.

1. Supporting a thriving community and economy The new town centre delivered by the Masterplan will help to support a thriving local economy and the community. We estimate that the proposals have the potential to see c.£100m a year spent in the local area by bringing a substantial number of additional workers to the area, plus visitors, businesses and investment.

The Masterplan will see up to 100,000 sqm of retail, leisure, entertainment and community space delivered, which is more than three time the size of the existing Surrey Quays shopping centre, with the elements alongside anticipated to bring an additional 2,000 jobs in these sectors.

Nearly 5,000 sqm of the retail space will be allocated for discounted rent for 10 years with incentives to support business growth.

In addition, we will provide up to 320,000 sqm of workspace accommodating c.20,000 jobs and support local businesses by allocating 7,000 sqm available at 75% of market rent for 15 years – providing space for around 500 people working in companies with their rents reduced.

As part of this commitment, during construction there will be training and employment programmes to help people from Southwark to access some of the c.1,200 construction jobs that are predicted to be generated throughout the construction of the project. We will also provide initiatives to get people into apprenticeships with a target of c.350 apprentice or NVQ starts by the end of construction, and c.40 in Phase 1 alone.

We will also partner with local organisations and experts to deliver employment programmes which focus on the needs of specific groups, such as older people returning to work, and getting women into the construction industry. We are already doing this with local schools to help raise awareness of career opportunities and grow the relevant skills with our partnership with Construction Youth Trust, which we are continuing to support.

3. Additional funding for public services

2. Bringing employment and career opportunities for local people

The masterplan will generate around an extra c.£46 million in business rates and c.£3 million in Council Tax annually for Southwark Council, plus as much as £20.2 million from the Government through a New Homes Bonus over the next four years.

We aim to deliver a major commitment to jobs and training throughout the construction and completed development including apprenticeships, focusing on getting unemployed residents, those on zero-hour contracts and school leavers into quality, sustained employment.

Further to this, the Masterplan will generate one off payments totalling roughly £60million in Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) for the Council, with c.£15 million of this to be reinvested locally, as well as a further c.£30 million of CIL for the Greater London Authority (GLA).

Our full list of commitments to Southwark and Canada Water residents and businesses can be found in our Local Commitments document on the website. Visit the ‘Our Local Commitments’ page on the website by visiting www.canadawatermasterplan.com/our-local-commitments.

If you have any questions or would like to be added to the mailing list to receive direct updates about the project, please get in touch by emailing team@canadawatermasterplan.com

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 23

Bursting through the Wallpaper An exhibition at the Tate Modern of work by surrealist artist Dorothea Tanning.

By Susan Isaacs Arts and Culture Correspondent The soft white back and bottom of a very beautiful woman break through the wall and wallpaper of this final room of the exhibition.

iconic self-portrait Birthday 1942. The two played chess, fell in love, and embarked on a life together that took them to Sedona in Arizona, and later to France.

You can just see a leg and foot making its way into the room. This is one of the soft sculptures of American artist Dorothea Tanning. It is both frightening and beautiful. You feel as though other figures are waiting on the other side of the wall, ready to burst in.

Their love story is illustrated in the Tate by this very portrait “Birthday”. It shows a woman naked to the waist standing by a series of open and closed doors. The doors were a theme she loved and represent endless possibilities. A large sinister bird perches on the floor and it seems anything could happen. The chess they loved playing also appears in a painting ‘End Game.’

A large white silk shoe tramples on the black and white, and black and red squares of a chess board, represents the interplay with other members of the surrealist set.

Dorothea Tanning was born in Carlsberg, Illinois, where, as she said “nothing happened but the wallpaper.” In the 1930s she travelled to Chicago and then New York. She supported herself as a freelance commercial artist. She met the German painter Max Ernst in New York.

He dropped by her studio to consider her work for an exhibition, Tanning recounts in her memoirs, and was enchanted by her

One of the most memorable paintings is called tango from 1977 and shows a naked man and woman dancing across a white background. The movement in the

24 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

painting is so superb you almost feel as if you’re in the dance yourself.

Dorothea Tanning was an almost completely self taught artist and she also wrote stories and poems throughout her life. The work at the beginning of the exhibition is controlled and precise, and detailed, but by the end the strange shapes of bodies in her sculptures appear to evolve before you in the womb.

Detailed paintings with the precision of a photo give way to fragmented sculptures, and you feel you may go slowly, but inevitably mad. This is not an exhibition to read from a catalogue. Tanning’s work so throbs with life, that you really miss out if you do not see it in person.

Do see this collection, a must see summary of a career that lasted more than seven decades.

Charcoal and Chalk Dust A Summer Drawing Course at the Art Academy in Southwark.

By Susan Isaacs Arts and Culture Correspondent Way up high over a charmingly named alley called Mermaid Court, is an attic room with towering ceilings and a semi-circle of vast wooden easels.

People suck their breath in, smudge great areas of black charcoal, and scrub away with an eraser at the vast sheets of plain newsprint. Oh how difficult it is to get the angle just right. The air is thick with concentration and chalk dust.

In the centre of the semi circle stands a beautiful girl with flowing strawberry blonde hair, and equally flowing black skirt and top. She looks like the muse for a Pre-Raphaelite painting.

She is an Italian-born artist, who specialises in human anatomy and scientific illustration, and she is our tutor for the week.

It is day one of a weeklong summer course in drawing at Southwark’s prestigious establishment, Art Academy London. The Academy provides art courses in painting and

Paris spending her hard earned holiday in London. No-one is a Southwark local, but all revel in the setting when we venture out to sketch in Borough Market, and walk along the Thames to the Millennium Bridge and St Pauls Cathedral. Art Academy London should be congratulated for introducing the joys of Southwark to a truly global group of students.

drawing, sculpture, and digital and 4D media and students can take short evening courses or degrees if they so wish. Over mugs of coffee in the kitchen downstairs, we students sit and tell our stories. One tall thin bespectacled man is a banker from Rumania, another is a housewife from the United States. There is a salesman from Romford, who hasn’t drawn since he was six, and a friendly Irish girl, who is a make-up artist in

The tutor not only looks the part, she certainly knows how to teach. She explains one of the things I’ve never been to work out, which is how to use a pencil as a measuring tool. Her keen eye shows each of us how to adjust our drawings to achieve certain effects, and measure one shape in a drawing against another. We dip our hands excitedly into the black bags containing the drawing pack, thin dreamy sticks of willow charcoal, chunky sticks of chalk and, surprisingly addictive, a putty rubber that you roll round and round like a piece of plasticine.

You can re-shape it to get those tiny awkward bits of chalk out to form the tip of a nose, or an eye, or whatever fiddly bit you like.

We drew a naked model from life, skulls and skeletons, and lastly, and far more grisly than the skeletons, sat in front of a mirror, and drew ourselves.

I defy anyone over the age of forty to really relish depicting the wrinkles and blemishes that creep up on you as you age.

By the end of the week I was surprisingly exhausted. Those vast sheets of paper on huge easels can take a lot of covering.

But since I finished the course I’ve drawing incessantly, everything from teaspoons to tigers, and loving all of it. What more could you possibly ask?

“We drew a naked model from life, skulls and skeletons, and lastly, and far more grisly than the skeletons, sat in front of a mirror, and drew ourselves. I defy anyone over the age of forty to really relish depicting the wrinkles and blemishes that creep up on you as you age.”

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 25

Remembering When ...

From the Mike Haywood Collection, The Mayflower Society

Remembering when... a small sailing ship named the Mayflower set sail from Rotherhithe at the start of an epic voyage to North America in July 1620.

By Ken Hayes Honorary Secretary

26 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

Remembering When ...

The Mayflower, which was built in Harwich, was part owned by Captain Christopher Jones of Rotherhithe and he sailed to the near continent of Europe with mixed cargos and shipping back wine.

The Mayflower was not the size of ship that was usually large enough to sail across the North Atlantic Ocean.

Captain Christopher Jones took a commission to transport a human cargo to the fledgling British colony in Massachusetts another small sailing ship the Speedwell was going to make the same voyage with the Mayflower.

It had sailed to Holland to collect the religious dissenters from the Church of England, who had fled to Leiden in Holland over ten years previously to escape religious persecution by the authorities.

It left Holland on 22nd July 1620 and was to meet up with the Mayflower in Southampton where the Speedwell needed a leak repaired.

Both ships set sail from Southampton on 15th August 1620 but the Speedwell again started to leak and they put into Dartmouth for more repairs.

They set sail again after a week and were about 300 miles past Land’s End when the Speedwell started leaking again and both ships turned back to Plymouth.

Where the Mayflower was re-provisioned and the Speedwell’s passengers transferred to the Mayflower and they left Plymouth on 16th September 1620 to North America with a crew of 30 and 102 passengers, made up of men women and children from different backgrounds and different places in England.

A baby was born during the voyage and another when they had reached Cape Cod.

The Autumn storms in the North Atlantic had made it a slow and very rough voyage, having to drift at times without being able to use the sails. The human cargo suffered from severe sea sickness in cold damp conditions.

The Mayflower eventually dropped anchor in Cape Cod on 9th November 1620. where Winter had already set in.

The Mayflower Compact As they did not have any right or permission to set up a colony in that part of Massachusetts, the 41 men on the Mayflower drew up a legal document called the Mayflower Compact to give them some legal standing.

The Compact stated that they would cooperate for the general good of the colony and would deal with any issues by voting and they would establish constitutional law and rule by the majority. And was dated 11th November 1620.

The emigrants were rowed ashore and they started to build a settlement at a place they named Plymouth after Plymouth in Devon the last place they set sail from. Their voyage had lasted three months from when they had originally left England.

From Smithsonianmag.com

There was a tribe of Native Americans in this area of Massachusetts called the Wampanoag tribe and when the immigrants landed the natives retreated. The immigrants tried to follow them, but they disappeared in the dense undergrowth. They eventually made peace with the tribe and they both cooperated and a year after they arrived in N. America, they held a Thanksgiving Celebration with the Natives Americans feasting on Roast Venison, (not Turkey), which is still celebrated annually in both the U.S.A. and Canada.

It is estimated that over

From Mayflowerhistory.com

“It is estimated that over 30 million Americans can trace their ancestry back to the immigrants that travelled on the Mayflower commonly known as the Pilgrim Fathers.”

30 million Americans can trace their ancestry back to the immigrants that travelled on the Mayflower commonly known as the Pilgrim Fathers.

Although there were very few passengers from Southwark, apart from the crew, on the Mayflower some years later, John Harvard, a Cambridge graduate who owned the Queens Head Inn on Borough High Street sold it and emigrated to Massachusetts in the 1630’s.

When he died in 1638 he left his library and half his wealth to the Massachusetts College in his will, which was renamed Harvard University in his memory and they changed the name of the town it where it is situated to Cambridge.

Next year there will be celebrations in America, Holland and England, (in Plymouth, Lincolnshire and Rotherhithe in Southwark). There will be many events happening in Southwark during The Mayflower 400 Celebrations from April to November.

The Southwark Chamber of Commerce Annual Riverboat Cruise next year will be Mayflower themed.

My acknowledgements to the Mayflower400 organisation 400 and to historian Dr Rita CruiseO’Brien for images.

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 27

Thinking of recruiting, expanding or maybe taking on an apprentice?

Want to avoid recruitment costs?

Want to support your local community but not sure how to find a local candidate?

If yes, then come and talk to Southwark Works. We’ve been successfully working with businesses for many years – helping to make a big difference to the lives of many local people.

We don’t charge for our recruitment services and we can source quality local candidates for your business through our strong links with local referral partners and training providers.

We also offer free office space for interviews, employer meetings and screenings.

You save time, money and staff resources – we support the entire recruitment process – including apprentices.

Southwark Works has been successfully working with businesses large and small for over 15 years. Whatever your company size and recruitment needs, we can tailor our services to support you and there is no cost involved in the recruitment process. From sourcing candidates or apprentices to helping with job descriptions, screening and applications, we can provide an end to end service that suits your business needs.

possible – including Facebook, Twitter and through our provider distribution networks.

This resulted in 200+ people being screened by us for interviews. 4 members of the Sainsbury’s team spent 3 days with us, interviewing 50+ people. 31 people were offered jobs. Following another round of screenings and interviews, another 30 local people were taken on - Sainsburys’ managers were impressed with the screening and recruitment process we offered.

Examples of our work : •

Working on the opening of a new Sainsburys superstore - looking to recruit 90 people.

They were keen to take on people who lived locally and had heard about Southwark Works from other local store managers. We advertised through as many channels as

•

Working with hotel chains such as ShangriLa, Park Plaza and the Hoxton Southwark, recruiting for Food and Beverage and housekeeping roles plus, finding apprentices to work in admin and finance back office roles

Call us today on 0800 052 0540 | e: info@southwarkworks.org.uk

www.southwarkworks.com

•

Supporting small businesses and start ups with recruitment in Peckham Levels, Biscuit Factory etc – taking on apprentices, helping with job descriptions and supporting work placements and internships.

•

Working with local care homes and nurseries, helping them to source local candidates

•

Supporting Southwark Council’s Apprenticeship programme

We could help your business with any future recruitment needs – don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to find out more about how we can support you.

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Health & Wellbeing

Why health and wellbeing are vital to business success As the saying goes, a happy, healthy workforce is a productive one and that can only be good for business. But what conditions do employees need to thrive in workplaces around London Bridge, Borough High Street and Bermondsey? Business editor Jez Davison finds out...

Companies have a basic duty to protect staff under law and should ensure they have proper procedures in place – to minimise the likelihood of accidents, for example, or to provide ergonomically sound, comfortable workspaces with adjustable chairs.

They also need to ensure employees know what their roles are and how they fit into the overall structure of the business; that way, they’ll be far more confident about doing their jobs efficiently.

However, these should be minimum requirements. There are so many other things that an employer can do to make staff feel valued.

Flexible working options are a big tick in the box for many employees, especially those with family commitments such as looking after children or older relatives.

Making staff feel they’re important and involved in decisions can also

motivate them to go the extra mile when needed. To achieve this, companies should ensure they employ managers with top people skills.

Giving them the option of a phased return to work may help, as could reducing their workload, amending their duties or introducing other workplace adaptations.

Even relatively small things can make a big difference to staff wellbeing. Allowing pets into the office or offering stress-busting digital tools such as Headspace can help improve morale and calm the mind. Introducing initiatives that encourage staff to socialise with colleagues and keep physically active are also often appreciated by members of the workforce.

Poor mental health is a huge issue that affects workplace wellbeing and productivity; the estimated annual cost to UK employers is up to an eye-watering £42 billion.

Having trained mental health ‘ambassadors’ on site who can spot early warning signs can often help to head off problems before they become too serious. Managers could also assign a mentor or buddy to support and monitor the employee or signpost him/her to

Naturally, events that are outside an employer’s control will inevitably occur; staff may need to take time off due to ill health or a family bereavement, for instance.

It’s therefore vital that the right policies are in place to ensure employees are given the best chance of getting back to their day jobs as quickly as possible.

additional support services outside of the organisation.

If this all sounds reasonable enough, some companies still fall short of these standards.

Some have a poor management structure and ask staff to take on unreasonably high workloads.

Others have even been accused of creating a bullying culture where employees operate in a climate of fear.

Inevitably, this can result in high staff turnover and absence rates, poor customer service, low morale and a drop-off in productivity – hardly essential ingredients for a successful business.

“Poor mental health is a huge issue that affects workplace wellbeing and productivity; the estimated annual cost to UK employers is up to an eye-watering £42 billion.”

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 29

Health & Wellbeing

Nutrition and dietetics clinic now welcoming patients The Integrated Nutrition and Dietetics Clinic at the University College of Osteopathy (UCO) Clinic exists to provide expert nutrition and dietetic care to our patients and the wider community.

At the new clinic we aim to help individuals with a range of nutritional concerns and we offer services including addressing digestive issues; helping to meet nutritional requirements to optimise health and promote a healthy lifestyle; providing full body composition assessments and advice on how to achieve healthy body weight; supporting patients with chronic pain, autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, metabolic syndrome and mental health problems; supporting expectant mothers and mothers with prenatal, postpartum and perinatal nutritional needs; giving advice for sports performance and rehabilitation; and supporting healthy development and aging.

Registered Dietitian, Anna Kallianteri, who recently joined the clinic team, said: “Healthy eating and maintaining our body’s nutritional needs are the fundamentals of a healthy and prolonged life. Dietetics and nutrition can educate individuals to make informed choices about their food and lifestyle in achieving both physical and mental health. It is simply an ongoing process of understanding our own bodies to not only overcome illnesses but also prevent major health implications to occur in the first place.”

The importance of nutrition in achieving optimal physical and mental health is increasingly understood, and research supports the role of nutrition and dietetic interventions in positively impacting all systems and functions of the body.

Anna, who has a background in weight management and obesity and has worked in private and public healthcare, as well as community settings since 2014, said: “At the clinic, we work with patients and service users to create a nutritional support plan tailored to individual’s unique needs. Patients can benefit from a thorough nutritional assessment and a full body composition analysis, individualised nutrition support according to specific needs and lifestyle choices, and we can also design personalised meal plans based on personal targets and needs.”

30 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

The clinic runs weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Times vary so please call or email for more details. Please allow approximately 1 hour 30 minutes for your first appointment – this will include time to complete intake forms on arrival.

As a special introductory offer, we are pleased to offer a £10 discount on initial appointment fees for new patients. * To book an appointment at the clinic, call 020 7089 5360 or email clinicappointments@uco.ac.uk, or find out more on the website at www.clinic.uco.ac.uk * Offer valid until 31 January 2020 and is applicable to new patients only. Initial appointment fee: £80, follow-up appointment fee: £55.

Become a Community Partner The UCO Clinic runs a Community Partnership Scheme which is open to local businesses and organisations. Employees or members of organisations who have signed up to the scheme are entitled to a discounted rate on appointments at the UCO Clinic. There is no cost to partner organisations to join the scheme.

Find out more at www.clinic.uco.ac.uk/community-partners or contact marketing@uco.ac.uk

Health & Wellbeing

Starting the New Year as you mean to go on Many of us will make a healthy New Year’s resolution – maybe to lose weight, get fitter or follow a more nutritionally balanced diet – but what’s the best way to stick to it?

2. Create a plan Before you start your exercise program, answer three questions.

• When will you exercise?

In light of this, Everyone Active has shared their top 5 goal setting strategies to ensure you can keep on track with your resolutions and continue to involve yourself in fitness well into the new decade.

Read on to find out how to keep yourself motivated…

1. Be prepared When looking to kick start your fitness journey and to be successful, we recommend you: • Have confidence in your exercise ability - So many people have improved their fitness and you can too!

• Find a form of exercise you love The leisure centres in Southwark, which are operated by Everyone Active on behalf of Southwark Council, have a range of facilities on offer so you can always find something to suit your needs. From Paddle Boarding at Surrey Docks and swimming at Dulwich Leisure Centre to gymnastics at Camberwell and Boccia at The Castle Centre, every form of fitness is possible • Have a goal in mind - If personal goals aren’t your thing, Everyone Active often runs member challenges throughout the sites that you can get involved with.

Compete against others for the fastest rowing times or try and be voted member of the month for your weight-loss results.

If you have a goal in mind that you’re working towards, you’re more likely to have the drive to succeed.

Identify three days and times that are convenient for you and stick with them so you are working out at the same time each week.

You might want to pick a group exercise class, like Spin at 3pm on a Wednesday. This way you’ll get yourself into a routine and it will feel natural to get up and go.

• What type of exercise will you do?

The best type of exercise is one you enjoy.

Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.

• How much time will you spend exercising?

Start with as little as 10 minutes per session and build up to at least 30 minutes. If you can’t make it to the gym in time for a class one day, there is always On Demand, virtual online workouts you can do from the comfort of your own home. By downloading the Everyone Active app you can access a whole range of workouts to complete from home.

If you need some extra support in understanding the sorts of programmes which might be best for you, Everyone Active Personal Trainers can help. Just book in for a consultation, share your thoughts and the team will do the rest!

For any stay at home mums and dads out there, Everyone Active also offers its Active Kids programmes which gives the chance for children to take part in activities at various centres across Southwark including gym and swim sessions, soft play, tennis, gymnastics etc. Whilst the little ones are happily running around, you and your friends can be in the gym working on your own goals.

4. Be realistic One of the biggest problems with New Year’s resolutions is they can be unrealistic.

Setting goals is a great idea, but they must be feasible. For example, a goal to lose 10lbs by Easter or to run a 5k by March are reasonable and achievable. Start slow with low intensity and duration exercise, develop a solid foundation of fitness and then build up. You never know where it might take you.

You might be doing an Ironman before you know it…

5. Celebrate your success Be proud of your achievements and give yourself rewards for reaching key milestones in your plan. Equally, if you deviate slightly, don’t punish yourself or slip back into old habits. Use it as a learning experience, discuss why the slip-up happened and focus on getting back on track and into the right mindset for change.

3. Bring a friend With so many people looking for a fresh start, you’re bound to find someone who is keen to join you in your fitness regime.

There will be times when you don’t feel like working out, but a partner can be just the motivation you need to get going. They will hold you accountable so you can’t use easy excuses to stay at home and not bother.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the leisure activities available to you, get in touch with the Everyone Active teams across Southwark or visit www.everyoneactive.com

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 31

SOUTHWARK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS CELEBRATING

95 YEARS OF SUPPORTING BUSINESS IN SOUTHWARK

Join us for the festivities on 16 December 2019 WITH A KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY SIR SIMON HUGHES

Book your ticket for £25 at https://celebrating-95-years-of-supporting-business.eventbrite.co.uk Ticket includes finger buffet and arrival drink. Cash bar will be available.

Sponsored by

16 December 2019 6pm to 8.30pm

Supported by

LSBU Business School Learning Lounge, Level 1 105 Borough Road London SE1 0AA

32 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

Last Word

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Last Word

Join our informative and engaging range of events.

A perfect opportunity to make new business contacts.

Our events are designed to help you broaden your network, learn something new or get involved with key topical issues for businesses in Southwark.

David Henderson-Begg Managing Director

Our networking events are great for regular members to make and maintain useful contacts, and we always welcome first-timers.

Event: 95th Anniversary Celebration Date: 16 December from 6pm to 8.30pm Venue: The Business Lounge, South Bank University, 105 Borough Road, SE1 0AA Event: 2020 Southwark Business Award Launch Date: 21 January 2020 Venue: TBC Event: Talk on Cyber Crime and Social Media Date: 29 January 2020 from 8.30am to 10am Venue: TBC

Labyrinth Technology

Event: Entrepreneurial Peckham Date: 11 February 2020 Venue: Peckham Theatre Event: Twinning Event with Langenhagen and Clichy (Southwark’s Twin Towns) Date: March 2020 Venue: Bermondsey Beer Mile Event: How to Finance and Grow your SME Business Date: April 2020 Venue: TBC Event: Re-enactment of Pilgrim tour – Mayflower 2020 Date: 16 July 2020 Venue: Aboard Golden Sunrise vessel along the River Thames

I am reliably told that as I was growing up I always wanted to be a Police Officer, and that was my first real adult job. I had an incredibly interesting time in a ten year career that included Special Branch and Operational Planning.

My love of all things tech took over however, and for the past 18 years I have been MD of Labyrinth Technology Ltd, a fast growing IT Solution Provider focusing on SMEs in the London area.

Q1. What was your first job and what was the pay packet?

Professional Treble Soloist. I played the violin and the piano when I was young but I most enjoyed singing and I was privileged to have opportunities to sing in many of the major concert halls in London. As a 12 year old a few hundred pounds for a night’s work seemed a fortune!

Q2. If you were prime minister, what would be your first decision?

I would significantly increase the National Insurance Employment Allowance. Of all the attempts that the government has made to help Small Businesses over the years this has been the most useful for us.

Q3. What is the biggest challenge in your business?

Southwark Chamber of Commerce welcomes its latest member companies

IT really isn’t a “one size fits all” proposition.

Every business has different needs and expectations. For some, security is paramount, for others, usability is most important.

Balancing customer requirements against our principle of “Best Advice” can be challenging but we try to work as trusted partners with our clients to achieve this.

Q4. If you could do another job, what would it be?

Best Western London Peckham Hotel 110 Peckham Rd, Peckham, London SE15 5EU SALES@LHG.CO.UK

Halyard Wealth Management David Brister David.Brister@sjpp.co.uk 267 The Circle, Queen Elizabeth St. London SE1 2JW

Optimity Ltd Christopher Burfield cburfield@optimity.co.uk 5-25 Scrutton Street, Zetland House, Greater London EC2A 4HJ

Barclays Bank Plc Parminder Kanda parminder.kanda@barclays.com 27-29 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LY

I’ve always had an interest in law and this interest is only growing over time. If I had my time to come again I would definitely consider a career in the legal sector.

Q5. What’s your favourite London building?

I love walking about London during the summer partly because there are so many iconic sights. To choose one is hard but I think I would have to go with Tower Bridge. It’s a testament to Victorian design and engineering and probably one of the most recognisable buildings in the world.

Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 33

Join Us

Join Us The Chamber is made up of active and successful business people from a wide range of sectors, who are based in Southwark, believe in Southwark and wish Southwark to prosper.

Making the most of your SCC membership Successfully helping Southwark Businesses for 95 Years

Our Committee Chairman Les Johnson President Neil Coyle MP

(MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark)

Vice President Lord Roy Kennedy (House of Lords)

Vice President Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP

Once you’ve joined us you have access to the opportunities we provide to help support you and your business. Whether you simply want to attend our networking events, run a seminar or sponsor or run an event, we’d love you to get involved. We like our members to make the most of their membership and get as involved as much as they can.

Membership Application • • • • •

Sole trader ​​​​​ £100 per annum Small/Medium sized companies 2 to 50 employees ​​​​​​£150 per annum Large companies - 51 employees plus £300 per annum Corporate/PLC’s ​​​​by agreement.

All new members pay a one off administration fee of £25 Company:

(MP for Camberwell and Peckham)

Patron The Worshipful Mayor of Southwark Patron Sir Simon Hughes

Address:

(Former MP)

Post Code:

Council and Community Representative Councillor Stephanie Cryan

Telephone:

(Cabinet Member for Jobs, Business and Innovation)

Email:

Executive Members

Vice Chair Peter Mantell Vice Chair Richard Kalmar Honorary Membership Secretary Ken Hayes Honorary Treasurer Karon Cook Diversity and Inclusion Shade Abdul Events Emily Bentley-Leek Corporate Membership Edward Cree Membership Katharine Glass /

Craig Levick Employment/ Apprenticeships William Harwood Publicity Susan Isaacs Small Business Parminder Kanda Tourism and Leisure James Kislingbury Education Sarah Moore-Williams Welfare Cait Wilkinson Administrator Sonia Sutton

Number of Employees: Full Name: Position: Payment Details: BANK DETAILS: Handelsbanken SORT CODE: ​40-51-62 ACCOUNT NO:​ 76489843

To join, please send your details to:

34 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY

Southwark Chamber of Commerce 169 Walworth Road, London SE17 1RW Tel : 07477 581977 Email : admin@southwarkcommerce.com www.SouthwarkCommerce.com Twitter : @southwarkcomm Facebook : southwarkcommerce

CONSIDERING A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT? LJPM Ltd is a Construction Consultancy serving London and the South East.

WE HAVE OVER 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN DESIGN AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT ON A BROAD RANGE OF PROJECT

Our services includes providing professional and technical advice, assisting with project planning from concept to completion.

Working closely with private and commercial clients on various projects, including private residential, schools, offices and other building types.

Collaborating with other Architects and consultants, providing Principal Designer services and Client advice in accordance with CDM 2015 Regulations.

Our approach and expertise will add value to your project saving you time and money in achieving your goal.

TYPES FROM SMALL TO LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENTS.

The Services we offer include:

Architectural Services: • planning and building regulation submissions

• Client Advisor • Principal Designer (CDM 2015 Regs)

• construction drawings

• Design Risk Management

Building Surveying Services: • Building Defects

• Independent Certifier / Monitor of construction works

• Condition Surveys

• Project Management

• Contract Administration

• Party Wall Matters

LJPM Construction Consultants Zealds House, 39 Church Street, Wye TN25 5BL & 3 More London Riverside, London SE1 2RE

www.ljpm.co.uk email: info@ljpm.co.uk

Contact Les Johnson on 01233 800808, 020 313 79808 or 07931 231 898 Proud members of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

WANTS A HEALTHY WORKFORCE Flexible membership packages with Everyone Active that suit your company needs, including monthly and annual discounts!

• Free trial days • Range of facilities and activities including state-of-the-art gyms, swimming pools and group exercise classes

• Free access to our online fitness platform with 100’s of workouts, training plans and workout videos • Family members qualify for the same corporate discounts

Visit www.everyoneactive.com/corporatemembership for more information or to sign up today. PLUS! All members receive a free introductory personal training session.

everyoneactive @everyoneactive