A Berrylands Based Building Company

We're an in house team of local builders based in Berrylands specialising in all aspects of building including extensions and refurbishments. We have a portfolio of projects stretching across our 10 years of trading. From Landscaping to Luxury Bathroom installations, our team of local trades is here to assist with any project you have planned for 2023

There are usually signs of an employer finding trading conditions difficult. In the short term that may not affect you at all, but it’s wise to be aware of what your rights are should job cuts be announced.

What are the signs?

A struggling business will have put a number of cost-saving measures in place well in advance of enacting any staff cuts. Hiring freezes (including not replacing leavers), no annual pay rises, no upgrades to technology or equipment, and calls coming in from creditors chasing overdue invoices are indications that all is not well.

It could just be a temporary cash-flow issue, but you should ensure your CV is up-to-date before any bad news hits, not after. This is also your chance to review your career and consider if this is an opportunity to make a long overdue change.

Redundancy

If voluntary redundancies won’t sufficiently reduce the workforce, a company will announce a programme of compulsory redundances. You may be eligible for certain things including:

• Redundancy pay

• A notice period

• A consultation with your employer

• The option to move into a different job

• Time off to find a new job

Your employer may well offer you better leaving terms than their statutory obligations, but otherwise you will need to have worked for your employer for a continuous period of two years, with the amount due being based on your weekly pay, age, and the length of time that you’ve worked at the same place.

It’s worth checking your employment contract well before any bad news lands.

Administration

Many companies go into administration rather than liquidation, which means that it’s not necessarily the end for the business.

Companies can be restructured and sold on as a going concern, with staff being transferred over to a new employer under strict protective regulations.

If this happens, the first fourteen days are crucial for employees.

• If you’re made redundant during this period, you become an ‘ordinary creditor’ and are placed at the bottom of the list for payment.

• If you’re retained as an employee after the initial fourteen days, this makes you a ‘preferential creditor’ and puts you in a better position financially if you’re made redundant later on.

Liquidation

In the case of company liquidation where the business stops trading, all employees are made redundant and those eligible for statutory redundancy pay will claim their entitlement through the National Insurance Fund. Note that regardless of what your contract said, you will only be entitled to statutory payments.

Your employer will have appointed an insolvency practitioner who will normally send you all the forms you need to claim any money you’re owed. If this doesn’t happen, you can contact your employer’s insolvency practitioner, who will advise you how to claim payments from the NI Redundancy Payments Service and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

What next

Whilst it’s natural to want a bit of time to assimilate the news of possible changes to your working life, you should get your CV out to recruitment consultants or other companies in your industry sector as soon as you can.

Starting at 1 and finishing at 49, track your way from one square to another, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally, placing consecutive numbers into the empty squares as you go. Some numbers are already given.

Cervical screening

Cervical screenings, also known as ‘smear tests’ are offered to all women and people with a cervix aged between 25 and 64. It’s designed to check the health of cells in the cervix, to prevent cervical cancer from developing in the future. It’s offered every three years for those aged 25 to 49, and every five years between the ages of 50 and 64.

Breast screening

If you’re registered as a woman at a GP surgery and aged between 50 and 71, you’ll be offered an NHS breast screening (mammogram) every three years. A mammogram checks your breasts for signs of cancer, and save around 1,300 lives each year in the UK.

Bowel cancer screening

The NHS’s bowel cancer screening (which is a home test) is offered to everyone aged between 60 and 74. If you fall within this demographic, you’ll receive a screening every two years. However, the programme is currently in the process of expanding to make it available to people aged over 50.

Diabetic eye screening

From the age of 12, all people with diabetes are offered an annual diabetic eye test to check for early signs of diabetic retinopathy – which can lead to sight loss if left untreated.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening AAA screenings are offered to men during the year they turn 65 to detect abdominal aortic aneurysms. This is a bulge or swelling in the aorta, the main blood vessel that runs from your heart down through your stomach, which if left untreated could burst causing dangerous bleeding inside the stomach.

Pregnancy screenings

The first screening is for sickle cell and thalassaemia, offered before 10 weeks, followed by blood tests for HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis. Mothers will be offered screenings for Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome between 11 to 14 weeks, before a final check of the babies’ development between 18 to 21 weeks. As with any screening, you can choose which tests, if any, are right for you.

Newborn screenings

Newborn babies’ tests start with a physical examination straight after birth that covers the eyes, heart, hips and testes (if the baby’s a boy), closely followed by a hearing test.

When a baby is about five days old, they’ll be offered a blood spot test to check for nine rare but serious health conditions.

Private screenings

While the tests outlined above are looking for specific conditions, many private screenings are often more of a preventative nature. A health adviser will review your weight, fitness, mobility, blood pressure and even mental health.

If anything comes up as a result of the test, the service will often work with you to ‘coach’ you for a time through a combination of online tools and follow-up calls.

Encore Singing Group:

We are a sociable community who love singing together under the expert tutelage of Dr Charles MacDougall, meeting at: St. Matthews Church, St Matthews Ave KT6 6JQ 10am to 12noon Mondays term time. All most welcome. Pop in or contact Liz for free

The best bathrooms are both briskly functional and luxurious, relaxing havens. Replacing an out-of-date bathroom is costly, but it may possible to update some aspects without a lot of trouble or expense. Here are eight suggestions.

On the walls

Scrape old grout from between the tiles on tiled walls and regrout. It may be possible to replace the tiles entirely or tile on top of what’s there. This isn’t the cheapest or quickest option but is the most effective. Walls that are not tiled can be covered with a fresh coat of paint (choose one suitable for humid environments). Wallpaper is a great way to introduce colour and pattern without tiling. Provided it’s not too near a watery zone, a splashproof or wipeable wallpaper makes a fabulous focal point.

Lighting updates

Choose new lights to go in the same positions as your existing fittings and, while you have your electrician there, consider swapping the light switch for a dimmer to create a relaxing ambience in the room when desired. Change to low-energy LED bulbs to save money in the long run.

Window treatments

Changing the window treatment gives the room a whole new look. Roller blinds are inexpensive and practical, but also consider a Roman or Venetian blind, or even custom-made shutters.

Storage

Clear out the bathroom clutter first, then consider whether anything can be stored elsewhere. For the bathroom itself, look for wall-mounted or tall and thin storage options. For small items, choose a coordinated selection of woven baskets, acrylic and wooden boxes, ceramic pots and so on, adding texture as well as places to hide things away.

Mirror on the wall

A large mirror is useful and helps increase the feeling of light and space. For ultimate luxury, swap a conventional mirror for a heated one with a backlight and perhaps a shaver/toothbrush charger socket – and even a Bluetooth speaker.

Taptastic taps

Replacing the taps is an easy job for a plumber but make sure you choose like for like – a mixer tap where there is only one hole, and a pair of taps where there are two. Old shower heads and hoses benefit from an occasional upgrade, too.

Plant perfection

Provided you have enough light in your bathroom, adding a selection of pot plants brings a calming sense of wellness, colour and interesting textures and shapes. Choose plants that enjoy heat and humidity, such as ferns and bromeliads.

The finishing touches

A new set of coordinating towels will make your day. For softness and absorbency choose 100% cotton, and look for closely stitched edges and a weight of at least 500 grams per square metre. For a spa-like feeling, try ribbed, waffle or honeycomb towels, while lightweight linen gets softer as it ages and is lovely for hand towels.

Spring-flowering plants – choose wisely

The sap is flowing! Peer closely at a few twigs and you will find buds galore. You can’t fail to have noticed beautiful bulbs are already brightening up the borders. There are wonderful hellebores that never fail to enchant, ravishing rhododendrons and azaleas, elegant camellias, and marvellous magnolias, bergenias and a host of other early spring beauties.

Don’t assume that you can grow anything, anywhere, however. Plants are like people in that they have their own particular needs and dislikes.

By Caroline Knight

Rhododendrons and azaleas were once categorised as separate species but they are now grouped together. There are subtle differences. Azaleas are always evergreen, whereas some rhododendrons are deciduous. They all need slightly acidic, moist soils and prefer dappled shade and sheltered conditions The leaves of a rhododendron are thick and leathery, but azalea leaves are generally smaller, often with fine hairs covering the surface. Rhododendrons produce large trusses of multiple flowers whereas azalea flowers appear at the end of the stem, in smaller numbers. The range of colours within this genus is impressive, from the purest white flower, through to yellows, oranges, reds, lilacs and purples. These shrubs were introduced to the UK way back in the sixteenth century and are currently enjoying a revival in popularity.

Camellias are newer arrivals, having been brought here early in the eighteenth century. These evergreen shrubs also need an acidic soil and they like dappled shade, sheltered from wind. Avoid an east-facing position where morning sun can scorch the winter and spring flowers. It is important to keep these flowering shrubs well-watered in summer when they are forming next year’s flower buds. Use rainwater, where possible, because tap water is generally too alkaline.

Magnolias are shrubs with shapely forms and wonderful creamy-white and pink spring flowers. Some of these are giants but they are often shoehorned into spaces that are too small. The resulting pruning tends to spoil their shape and often promotes a wild growing frenzy that makes matters worse. Many magnolias produce goblet-shaped flowers, whilst others delight the season with glorious star-shaped blooms. It’s important to appreciate that their ancestors inhabited primitive, ancient forests. This tells you that they like a little shelter, even though the modern cultivars can tolerate city living and even bright sun.

Hellebores are woodland-edge plants that like dappled shade and moist (but not boggy) soils. They can thrive in most types of soil, provided it is nutrient-rich. Give them the right conditions and they need very little care, save a mulch to help retain moisture within the growing position.

Bergenias are brilliant ground-cover evergreens that can grow almost anywhere, even though they prefer slight shade and moist soil. Elephant’s ears, as they are commonly known, are great perennials for the beginner as they also help to supress weeds. The early spring flowers are generally pink but can also be red, lilac or white. These are held on stalks and they create a truly uplifting scene at a time when colour is scarce.

By Katherine Sorrell

Can you go green when redecorating or buying new furnishings and accessories? Beautiful products, good vibes – it’s a win-win!

Choose eco-friendly paint and wallpapers if you can. Pea Green 91, from £52 for 2.5l Absolute Matt Emulsion; Hencroft wallpaper in Pink Primula – National Trust Papers, £109 per roll, both littlegreene.com.

Multipurpose furnishings with a difference – these pieces are constructed with a recycled table top made from yogurt pots and children’s toys. Poppy side table/stool, £150, woodmancoteretro.com.

Different from every angle, this light fitting is constructed from curves of sustainably sourced timber, fasted with two brass screws. Small SEYA pendant in ash, £215, tomraffield.com.

Hand-poured with a natural, plant-based wax, this candle uses an organic cotton wick, is scented with essential and botanical oils, and comes in a reusable ceramic pot. Aromatherapy Restore scented candle, £48, greathousefarmstores.co.uk.

Natural, recycled, sustainable…

• Consider buying pieces made from recycled and/or upcycled materials, such as wine glasses, rugs or throws made from plastic (they feel as soft as wool) and furniture from reclaimed timber.

• Natural materials such as wool, linen, sisal, cork or timber are a sustainable choice and always make beautiful additions to a home.

• When buying new timber, check that it’s from a sustainable source. Ask your retailer or check for an identifying label.

• Question where items are made and how they’re transported – there’s obviously a larger carbon footprint when products are moved across the world. Buying things that are handmade locally can be a lovely treat.

• Opt for long-lasting quality if you can afford it. Although the initial cost is higher, if a piece is wellmade it could last for generations.

• Buy water-based paints where possible – fewer harmful chemicals are not only kinder to the environment but also to the air quality in your home.

If you are considering getting a dog this spring, make sure you weigh up the pros and cons fi rst. Here’s a guide to what to consider before committing…

They’re cute, cuddly and a bundle of fun –but adorable little puppies don’t stay puppies forever, and as they grow so do their needs and demands, which can be particularly tough if your family life is a busy one. So, no matter how much you (or the children!) may want a dog, it won’t be fair on your furry friend if you’re unable to fully commit and cater to their needs, and to give it a happy, healthy life.

While it may feel quick and easy, it’s not advisable to buy a puppy online. Pictures can be misleading, and it’s impossible to tell if they’ve come from a reputable source. On 6th April 2020, Lucy’s Law was introduced, which bans the sale of puppies or kittens in England from third parties or ‘middle men’, meaning that anyone looking to get a new animal should go directly to a breeder or a rescue or rehoming centre. Is a dog for you?

Remember, a dog will be a big part of your family, hopefully for many years to come, so before you make any decisions, ask yourself eight key questions:

1. Can you commit to this long-term?

2. Can you afford to maintain a dog?

3. Do you have enough space?

4. Do you have enough time?

5. Can you commit to exercising your dog?

6. Can you keep your dog company?

7. Have you talked about it with your family?

8. Will a new puppy get along with children and other pets?

A perfect match!

Do your research to find the best match for you, your family and your lifestyle. Try to learn as much as you can about the breeds you’re interested in. This can be a fun task to get the children involved with – after all, the new arrival is going to be as much a part of their lives as it is yours.

Find out about both the good traits and the downsides of owning any breeds you’re considering. Meet different breeds in person (Discover Dogs and Crufts are great places to discover dog breeds) and talk to friends or family who already have dogs.

Don’t be in the dog house!

When getting a puppy, it is important that they learn not only how to behave but also how to be around and communicate with other puppies and dogs.

Whether you sign up to local puppy-training classes or train your dog at home, give them the best start in life by teaching them not only basic commands, but also socialisation and other life skills that will help them in the future. New or rescue?

Rehoming a rescue dog is very rewarding, however, it’s good to know what their background is before you decide to rehome them, as this may affect their behaviour in a variety of ways.