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Welcome to the 10th Anniversary bumper edition of the BITA magazine, NetWorks! BITA has been very busy this year hosting events, increasing the support available, and welcoming even more members to our friendly community.
The last few years has seen BITA grow exponentially, with new chapters opening in the UK, Ireland and internationally. Did you know we now have over 170 volunteers and supporters all over the world that help to make this organisation what it is today?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all their hard work on our Chapter Boards and behind the scenes. Sharing their expertise, contacts, and giving of their time; without them, we wouldn’t be here. The amount of people who support this organisation is overwhelming.
Celebrating the successes of our members give us enormous pleasure and the awards presented at this years Gala Ball were especially gratifying being the first ‘in person’ awards we have had in a few years. Well done to all the finalists and congratulations to the winners. If you haven’t caught up with our winners yet, you can find them listed on our website here: https://bita.ie/awards/bita-awards-2022.html. Marking our 10th anniversary at the Londoner was certainly an extravaganza! The amazing images have been posted on our social media sites and you can see some of them on pages 27– 33.
I don’t want to ignore the momentous events happening beyond our shores that are impacting everyone across the UK, Ireland, and the world. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia was a surprise to nearly everyone, and the impact of this, coupled with a difficult economy, lockdowns and general labour shortage, has caused severe challenges for many of our members in their supply chains and resources.
However, there are always opportunities, especially for those that work and grow together – we have had and will continue to stand by an ethos of collaboration rather than competition. To see how businesses can improve and grow together, see page 6. Our business community continues to thrive as we help each other and maintain our aim as being ‘The people who know people that help people’.
I’ll see you soon.
PAUL WHITNELL President
Sponsored by EnviroTech Energy Management www.envirotech-energymgmt.com
Sponsored by EnviroTech Energy Management www.envirotech-energymgmt.com
Campaigning for Better Business
Onwards and Upwards
Future of UK Housing Harnessing Innovation Future City Urban Jungles
Proving Delay and Disruption Claims
Celebrating Movember Playing Through
A Night to Remember: The BITA Awards
Communication and Customer Service Renewable Energy Tech: It’s Time!
BITA Chapters: Community Round Up Encouraging Participation Keeping up to Date Develop an IT Strategy Preventing HR Problems
In boardrooms up and down the country, Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 has been interpreted to mean that a business has a duty to maximise profits for its shareholders. It is unlikely that this is what was meant when the change to the act was passed, but as with many things it is the action, rather than the intention, that is most relevant.
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006, states that directors have a duty to promote the success of the company, to the benefit of its members. Specifically, that a “director of a company must act in the way he considers, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole, and in doing so have regard” to specified other interests and considerations.
We are all aware of the profound challenges that we face in the UK; social mobility appears to have stalledi, and our developed nation has citizens trying to choose between whether to heat their homes or have three meals a day.
In addition, climate change is having a noticeable impact on the weather, and a report in October 2022, published by WWF and Zoological Society of Londonii, showed that the global wildlife population has plunged by 69% in just under 50 years, with many stating that we are living through a mass-extinction event. Although the biggest drop, 94%, was seen in Latin America and the Caribbean, the UK was singled out as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
Climate scientists are now saying that there should no longer be a choice about whether to align the interests of the public with the well-being of the environment.
This all sounds bleak, but as always there are people working tirelessly to combat the challenges that we face, and we have the advantage of both the public, and businesses, being on the same page when it comes to the climate and wellbeing of workers. We can all make the choice to do better.
The Better Business Act is asking business leaders to urge the government to amend Section 172 and join the coalition to add four key principles to the Companies Act.
The interests of shareholders are now advanced alongside those of wider society and the environment. This establishes a new principle of fiduciary duty within Section 172 of the Companies Act.
This change must empower directors to exercise their judgement in weighing up and advancing the interests of all stakeholders.
This change must apply to all businesses by default. It must no longer be optional to benefit wider stakeholders beyond shareholders.
Following this change, businesses must report on how they balance people, planet and profit in a strategic report or impact report, where one is currently required.
With these amendments, businesses will be more able to act to the betterment of society, with an eye on long-term aims. It should not only address the climate issue, but also improve the opportunities for social mobility among workers, and improve wages, leading to a fairer society for all.
The plan is to continue to grow a coalition of business leaders from across all sectors, to ensure that businesses help to create a greener and fairer future. MPs are already supporting the initiative, so the more businesses that join, the more impetus the Act will have.
We know that profits are important, but there is also compelling evidence that businesses do better when they align the interests of shareholders, the planet and society. You can read more about this and other benefits of joining on the Better Business Act website.iii
Research from the Better Business Act has shown that businesses want to change, with 76% of UK businesses wanting to be legally responsible for their impact. Three-quarters of the UK public also want businesses to be held accountable for their environmental impact.
But for the government to ask companies to be ‘mindful’ and consider change without passing legislation; leaves us all standing still. If one company chooses to increase sustainable practices and reinvest more of their profits into R&D instead of increasing pay-outs to shareholders, other companies have a clear field to undercut them and take their market share.
Although many bemoan the impact of red-tape and the interference of the ‘nanny state’; legislation creates a level playing field for all businesses to play on.
The magazine has written before about the increase of market share that environmentally conscious businesses have, especially with younger people. According to research from Forbes in March of this year, members of Gen Z have an outsized impact on the shopping habits of their parents and grandparents and are demanding sustainable products. According to the same report, there is a massive disconnect between the buyers and sellers, with two-thirds of consumers saying that they will pay more for sustainable products, and two-thirds of retailers believing that people won’t pay more. This gap of understanding needs to close, and businesses need to start listening to the voices of their customers.
With the purchase power of Gen Z only increasing, and the concern about sustainability only growing with each generation, deciding to prioritise sustainability could be the key to the longevity of a business.
We are the people who know people that help people, and our members are some of the most community minded, generous people that I have had the fortune of meeting. So, I ask that you look into this proposal, discuss at your next board meetings, and decide if you can actually afford not to sign up.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO ASK COMPANIES TO BE ‘MINDFUL’ AND CONSIDER CHANGE WITHOUT PASSING LEGISLATION; UNDERMINES A CLEAR PLAYING FIELD.
The recent funeral of Her Majesty the Queen, just after her Platinum Jubilee, brought many film clips, not seen for years, to our TV screens, a poignant reminder of seventy years of change in all aspects of our lives.
Thanks to her late husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, millions viewed the Coronation in 1953 on recently acquired black and white TV sets. Few could have appreciated the changes in the built environment which would take place in the next seven decades, much less the challenges of all kinds to those involved in the construction industry.
The London Skyline and Motorways St Paul’s Cathedral, completed in 1710, had dominated the skyline for centuries as the tallest building in London.
It would not be surpassed until the 1960’s, when the Millbank Tower, the Post Office Tower and others heralded the arrival of the current giants, with nicknames such as the Shard, the Gherkin, the Walkie-Talkie.
The high-rise buildings presented massive new challenges, with steel structures replacing traditional building methods based on those used in the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, a ten-story building completed in 1885, widely recognised as the first to use steel skeleton frame construction with reinforced concrete.
Further changes were to take place in the UK, changing the skyline in every
county; in 1958 the UK’s first motorway opened at Preston, Lancashire – an eight mile stretch of the Preston Bypass, now part of the M6 motorway.
Until then, signage had in the main consisted of black lettering on a white indicator, the lettering being some four inches high. A pointing finger often helped.
For the speeds now obtained, the signage was now useless; In 1965 the road signage system created by London designers Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert was launched and used on all British roads.
Not only did the signage need to be legible, health and safety demanded that the immense signs remain in situ, whatever the weather, and an army of workers was needed for the installation.
Hearth, Homes, Energy, Environment
Some of the least visible changes may be the most significant.
The addition of nuclear energy to the National Grid has been supplemented by offshore and onshore wind farms, with current questions as to how our energy requirements can be fulfilled sustainably.
While television had changed family life and patterns throughout the period,
the leaps in information technology has, arguably, had the greatest effect.
A game of snakes and ladders in front of a coal fire has given way to a family apparently landing an aircraft using a mobile phone; access to the internet has given the opportunity to access new ideas to young and old.
While some two million new homes were built in the 1950’s, it is estimated that another 66,000 new homes need to be built per year for the next ten years to come close to satisfying demand.
All of these, including existing structures, will require water, sewage facilities, and power; all of that with due consideration for sustainability and the reduction of existing pollution.
We note that the former CIOB President, Sir James Wates, CBE, believes that radical change is necessary in the industry.
His forthcoming speech in December, indeed, is entitled “Total disruption; There has got to be a better way for construction”.
We understand he will be looking at why sectors such as IT, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals, have revolutionised their processes, leaving the construction industry behind.
Investment in innovation, as well as training the next generation will affect the supply chain; no doubt he will be looking at how private, permissioned, and consortium block chain models can be devised and implemented.
We look forward to the report on his speech, which is to be delivered at a private event at the Shard, and indeed the reaction of Government and industry alike.
As well as the next seven decades of change in the built environment.
As regulated Finance Brokers with over 30 years of experience, we are cleared to finance projects of up to one billion GBP in costs. CEO’s who would like to review their funding arrangements for commercial developments of all kinds.
Contact: cs@catherinespodeandassociates.co.uk
SOME OF THE LEAST VISIBLE
MAY BE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT.
When thinking of innovation, there are a myriad of associations: slick shiny gadgets, bio tech, big sustainability projects and many more.
Paint probably wouldn’t be in there, but I would like to make the case for that to change.
Innovation, modernisation and sustainability can be channelled across all aspects of a business, to varying degrees. But when considering this in conjunction with buildings, it’s not all triple glazing, cavity wall insulation and minimising waste; the building itself can be made to work for the environment.
Graphenstone has created a paint certified with one of the world’s lowest carbon footprint profiles in CO2(e), that also feature a significant CO2 absorption benefit during the curing process. One of our purifying products can actively remove air-borne toxins like NOx and SOx, year after year, using light energy. It can also self-clean!
Making lots of small tweaks to your normal process can add up to something big. Imagine if all buildings were painted with material that actively removed carbon from the atmosphere! Innovations like this mean that your building, by doing nothing after painting it, can contribute to a greener future.
Many paints have rather less-than green credentials when it comes to production, but I’m happy to say that ours are different, and harness cutting-edge technology
for the best performance, including developments that were worthy of a Nobel Prize.
Based on natural materials, the ingredients used are sustainable, minerals such as lime, chalk, clay and silicate are paired with graphene technology, made from pure inert carbon and the strongest material on earth. It was discovered at Manchester University in 2004 by two scientists, both of whom are now Nobel prize winners, due to the extraordinary potential behind this remarkable, clean-tech advancement.
Our products comply with Building Standards such as BREEAM, WELL & LEED and hold one of the widest ranges of respected certifications on the market, such as Cradle to Cradle Gold, Global Green Tag, and Eurofins Indoor Air Comfort Gold.
This unique combination of the oldest, most trusted minerals, together with 21st-century technology, has meant it is possible to produce an incredible product that is ecological yet extremely durable, with a clean-tech range to create safe and healthy environments, with no compromise on performance. Graphenstone’s range contains no plastics, man-made chemicals or microbeads, with only Trace VOCs (under 0.1 per cent).
Graphenstone paints have been widely used across all the key sectors of heritage, commercial and private dwellings. Facebook UK are using our products across all new buildings (including their new HQ at Brock St), as well as refurbishments. The products used, Graphenstone “GCS”, hold Cradle to Cradle Gold certification, are highly breathable (vapour open) and washable.
Perfect for heritage, these same products were used at Spetchley Park, a large listed stately home in Worcestershire, in multiple colour ways, some of which we matched to old paint colours already present. We now have a supply agreement with Eden Project, Cornwall and are soon launching a collaboration with Ashmolean Museum Oxford, with a limited range of magnificent co-branded colours.
Our paint can also improve working environments. Whether working from home or in the office, it’s incredibly important to consider the air quality of our workspaces. Our paints are anti-bacterial, absorb smells and are even anti-fungal due to their very high natural pH, so no black spots on the office walls. Ambient Pro+, our flagship paint, also absorbs CO2 in curing, and its photocatalytic capabilities offer an air-purification benefit, removing toxins like NOx, SOx and other harmful gasses, year after year, post application.
I am proud to say that Graphenstone is now the most independently certified, sustainable and ecological mineral paints brand in the world!
Kerry London Ltd is proud to be the trusted insurance broker and Platinum Sponsor of BITA. With over 35 years’ experience and a Lloyd’s of London accredited broker, the company is well-positioned to offer comprehensive, bespoke insurance support.
Due to the financial impact of recent global events, many companies are finding that they are contractually required to have a guarantee bond in place to protect their Employer in the event of the Contractor’s default on their contractual obligations or insolvency.
What is a bond?
Guarantee bonds are a type of financial security that covers direct loss or damage suffered by an Employer because of a contractual default. Performance bonds are amongst the most issued bonds in
If you have any questions relating to the information provided, please contact us: Tel: 020 7337 4025
Email: BITA@kerrylondon.co.uk Web: www.kerrylondon.co.uk
the construction market. They typically cover damages up to 10% of the overall contract value, although they occasionally offer 15% and less commonly 20% of the contract value.
Retention bonds effectively guarantee that the Contractor will rectify any defects after Practical Completion (PC) is achieved. The Retention bond would usually include a fixed date expiry 12 - 24 months after PC, or it would expire when the certificate of Making Good Defects is issued.
An Employer will typically require Advance Payment Bonds if a Contractor requests an advance payment to cover the costs of securing materials in advance of works
starting and would usually expire upon the delivery of materials to the site as certified by the Employer.
Section bonds guarantee that infrastructure works are completed to the appropriate standard required by the local Highways or Water Industry.
Other bonds that Kerry London Limited can arrange include, but are not limited to:
• Deferred Consideration Bonds
• Off-site Materials Bonds
• Warranty Bonds
• HMRC Customs & Excise Duty Deferment Bonds
• Environmental Agency Bonds
• Reclamation Bonds
• Pension Bonds
• Bid Bonds
Kerry London can arrange reliable cover for the most complex risks from the world’s most trusted market. We provide advice and risk management solutions to leading names in the construction sector and to well-known sporting organisations.
We may look back on the mini budget of Friday 23 September 2022 as the high-water mark for property prices in the UK for a period to come.
Immediately after the now reversed budget was announced, financial markets reacted with shock at proposed tax cuts to be funded by more borrowing by UK plc. This shock translated into a surge in borrowing costs which, combined with a likely slowdown in economic growth, threatens to trigger a softening in the UK housing market.
The most recent government data showed that just under two-thirds of 24.7 million dwellings across Britain were owneroccupied, with 8.8 million homes owned outright and 6.8 million owned with a mortgage or a loan.
Several lending institutions temporarily paused selling mortgages to new customers, while many others ramped up repayment rates for new loans. These rates potentially overstretch millions of existing homeowners and may make new mortgages unaffordable for many others.
Mortgage deals for new customers currently feature fixed rates at around 5%-6% which is a steep increase from the norm of around 2% for the last five years. This increase has prompted rising concern of a fall in the property market.
Historically low interest rates since the 2007/08 global financial crisis, and a low supply of housing stock, have fuelled the doubling of the average price of a British home to £292,000 from just £154,000 in 2009.
That fed a sense of affluence which in turn buoyed consumer spending and underpinned wider growth in the economy. The risk is this could unravel if the unintended consequence of the Truss/ Kwarteng bid to turbo-charge economic growth with tax cuts ends up forcing the cost of borrowing higher.
A Fitch Ratings study in July identified Britain as among the most exposed globally to a rise in borrowing costs because of the relatively high debt-to-income levels accepted by homeowners and its high proportion of loans on variable rates.
Even among those who did fix their repayment rate, some 1.3 million borrowers are due to reach the end of their fixedrate term this year, according to an analysis by UK Finance and Accenture published before the most recent rate rises.
Where repayment rates finally settle depends on shifts in debt markets plus the overall cost of borrowing set by the Bank of England - with money markets now expecting that to hit almost 4% by the middle of next year from 2.25% today.
The forecast increases in the cost of borrowing comes on top of a cost-of-living crisis driven by rising food and energy prices which is already biting many hard.
Beyond the immediate squeeze this will have on consumers ability to spend, rising borrowing costs also have the potential to send the years-long house market rally into reverse. HSBC analysts predict house price falls of 7.5% into next year.
Some top mortgage lenders are calling for calm, stressing they are still signing mortgage deals. They also state that the pullback in lending among smaller rivals is in no way indicative of a broader, exodus of lenders from the mortgage market.
The mortgage market may remain in limbo in the coming weeks as investors watch currency markets and how the Bank of England reacts. Assuming the pound stabilises, and the Bank of England avoids an emergency hike, banks can resume lending with some degree of confidence in their cost-of-funds modelling.
Predicting how the housing market will behave is notoriously tricky. However, we do know that a strong economy combined with wage inflation leads to rising property prices over time. According to a report in the Guardian from 2014, an average flat in central London could cost £36 million by the year 2050 assuming average annual price increase of 9%. This may sound ridiculous, but if you study the market in the capital over the last four decades, a similar increase has already taken place.
Perhaps £36 million is a little high, but prices will certainly grow to incredible levels by the middle of this century and any reduction in values next year should only be a bump in an otherwise rising road.
THE HOUSING MARKET IN THE UK IS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO PREDICT.Martin
Despite extolling the virtues of innovation, many companies struggle to truly innovate.i That’s not to say by any means that these companies aren’t thriving and successful, but their success is more likely to come from squeezing the best from an existing model, rather than shaking it up.
Great creative leaps, game changing ideas and significant discoveries are often conjured when thinking about innovation, but changes don’t have to be dramatic to have a significant difference. Modifying business models and implementing new methodologies can also be innovative and revolutionary for a business.
This magazine has written before about the death of Blockbuster, who were unable to innovate, and failed to recognise and grasp opportunity when Netflix came to them looking for a buy-out. Although this lack of foresight might be clear now, they are just one obvious example of something that many businesses struggle with.
McKinsey, the global management, and consulting firm, consider that there are eight essential practices and processes
that must be implemented to be truly innovative.ii These are split into two groups, four that ask questions about strategy and creativity, making sure that businesses have the right environment to innovate. The other four consider delivery and organisation, and how to make innovation meaningful for the business.
In their consultation with 2,500 global executives, many leaders said that they were doing well, with 100% saying they hit the first essential – aspire – perfectly. When researchers from McKinsey investigated the data, this dropped to 55%, due in part to the leaders being overconfident in the clarity of their intentions. They know that they have aspirations for their businesses, so reported that this was excellent. However, they had failed to set concrete targets, failed to provide clarity, or overestimated how much staff knew about their intentions.
A bold aspiration, like John F. Kennedy’s ‘to go to the moon in this decade’ can be the catalyst for unprecedented innovation, but it does need to be achievable (however unlikely), clear, and well communicated.
Making sure that business leaders, their managers and other employees are
on the same page is crucial. There are some common roadblocks (and solutions!) to consider if you want your workplace to be a hive of creativity and action.
As mentioned above, it is crucial that staff know what the company’s mission is – both long and short term. Staff need to be clear on the vision for the company, and the leader’s intent, or aspirations, for the company need to be clearly communicated and easily accessible, and with realistic targets attached and regularly reviewed.
Perhaps your business is filled with creative people developing excellent ideas that all seem to go nowhere. This could be due to a lack of staff or something as simple as an unclear pipeline to move ideas forward for consideration and implementation.
Consider your staff’s workload and talk with them about ideas that haven’t come to fruition in a constructive way. It is highly likely that staff will be able to tell
you if the issue was due to lack of time or manpower, uncertainty about how to move the process forward, or something else.
Employing a diverse workforce will not only feel more welcoming to staff, clients, and suppliers, but can also lead to exciting ideas and creativity. People’s background and first-hand experiences will have a dramatic impact on their contributions to the business. The person that can solve your problem might look or act different to the rest of your workforce.
People of different nationalities, cultures, gender, and the neurodiverse, will all bring something new to the table, but only if they feel comfortable speaking up. Which leads us to…
Are staff comfortable discussing problems that they face, or is there a pervading sense that not admitting to noticing a challenge means it’s not there? If something goes wrong, are people happy to speak up and talk about what happened or is there a culture of blame?
Cultures can be difficult to shift, but generally a top-down approach is needed. Make sure that all managers in the business are on the same page and start to emphasise a culture of ideas and innovation, with an open forum and a ‘no idea too stupid’ culture. Wrap up sessions following a project where employees are encouraged to explore challenges in a non-judgemental environment, and wins are celebrated, will be more likely to lead to solutions and creative ideas.
The increasing discussions about burnout, quiet quitting, work to rule, anti-work; it all speaks to a general dissatisfaction in the workplace. So how to motivate employees?
This will depend greatly on your business, and what is expected of employees. If you know that people are being overworked, address that issue, and the culture that leads to it. Let people know that it’s okay to go home at 5, or to have a sick day. Try and ensure that holiday allowances are used and offer flexibility where possible regarding working from home. Showing appreciation to employees, whether a thank you, an extra day off, or a pay rise or other financial incentive should all be considered. This will depend on the role of the employee; but think about setting up a reward scheme for anyone who comes up with a cost saving plan, or income generating idea.
Clear messaging, transparent processes, and a welcoming office culture that encourages people and rewards excellence might take some time to implement but shouldn’t be costly.
Hiring more staff to handle a burgeoning workload and increasing diversity should pay for itself by decreasing staff turnover, creating capacity to take on more work and develop innovative ideas. The cost of not innovating is stagnation, and what business can afford that?
MAKING SURE THAT BUSINESS LEADERS, MANAGERS AND OTHER EMPLOYEES ARE ON THE SAME PAGE IS CRUCIAL IF YOU WANT YOUR WORKPLACE TO BE A HIVE OF CREATIVITY AND ACTION.
As a member of a London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) group called “Connected, Liveable London”, I have a special interest in how London serves its inhabitants, workers, and guests.
Growing cities are exciting places, and civic leaders like to envision shiny futures for them. But urban expansion often runs unchecked with growth manifesting itself as a hodgepodge of uncoordinated, piecemeal development, that is more chaotic and dystopian than organised and visionary.
As the No.1 Global City in several indexes (second only to New York in others), home to over nine million people, and the economic heart of the UK, it is essential that London’s growth and development is appropriately safeguarded and guided.
Covid temporarily stalled things, leading to some pessimistic commentators suggesting that the Elizabeth line, an icon of the city’s strategic growth, would turn out to be unnecessary. In fact, the line is so popular that one in four Londoners have used the Elizabeth Line, and over 22 million journeys have been completed already,i proving those concerns to be unfounded.
London is growing again, but to do so for the better the built environment must be planned, sustained, coordinated, socially aware, green, and efficient.
The most obvious starting point for these initiatives is the green environment. That means not just contributing to tackling climate change and safeguarding green spaces but recognising London’s global influence and capitalising on it for the better.
Then there is the physical environment. What kind of place do we want to live and work in, and for visitors to experience? Key factors include air
quality, transport links, accessibility, and road safety.
Lastly, if our housing, workplaces, and infrastructure are to be truly joined up, we need a planning system that works for everyone from growing businesses to residents.
When it comes to the built environment, government and local authorities naturally focus on big schemes such as regeneration projects. But they
protections being rolled back. It’s becoming more the business of local councils and community groups to lead the charge in these areas.
Sir David Attenborough was right when he told the COP26 climate conference we need a mixture of government policy and grassroots innovation. One will always need to go hand in hand with the other; the government can’t drag people on a journey, it needs to have people willingly
Connected, Liveable London
CSB’s Matt Barker asks if enough is being done to create the conditions for a bigger, better, and sustainable built environment
should also be demanding good practice in planning and construction with a promise to support growing businesses.
This is a vast challenge with issues ranging from tackling climate change and cleaner air, reducing congestion, improving road safety, getting the right strategic plans in place, and overhauling the planning system so that it is a good fit for the 21st century.
Can we deliver on all that? Is there any evidence it is happening? What would it even look like?
The UK government has repeatedly picked up and then rapidly dropped reforms of planning laws when hit by backlash from voters, and the squeeze in cost of living has led to planned environmental
getting on the bus with them. Likewise, grassroots activism will always be limited in effectiveness if it doesn’t have a large proportion of the voting public (therefore bringing along the government) on their side.
Businesses can play their part as well, by making sure it’s not just profits that are a priority and putting staff-wellbeing and sustainable practices at the heart of their strategies. Businesses may also consider joining the Better Business Act Coalition (see page 6).
Ultimately, we all need to work together, and with our eyes on longterm payoffs, rather than short term inconveniences, to make sure that London, and the rest of the UK, works for everyone.
i https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/nearly-one-four-londonersused-elizabeth-line-b1015456.html
Despite many people showing interest in accessing local food products and growing food at home,i urban density increases, and the growing number of gardenless properties, mean many people find access to naturally grown healthy produce is not a possibility.
It’s a trend that continues through to industrial farming and agriculture. According to the National Farmers Union, the UK only produces 64% of the food consumed within our shores, down from 78% only 40 years ago. Today the UK is only 18% self-sufficient in fruit and 55% in vegetables. The shortfall is so pronounced, that if everyone in the UK ate their 5 a day sourced from UK produce, we would fall short by 2.1 million tonnes annually.ii
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ‘breadbasket of Europe’, the lack of self-sufficiency in food is of growing concern to governments, as well as the public, as costs of food continue to climb, and some items become scarce.
Another point of concern is the quality of food that we eat. Highly processed, nutrient sparse foods have negative outcomes for health, a point agreed by all major global health bodies, including WHOiii, NHS and HSE.
Although these issues seem insurmountable for the average person, and requiring large scale, government intervention, that isn’t necessarily the case.
There are traditional and cutting-edge solutions available that offer people opportunities to grow their own food with an aim to enrich their diets with food that is cheaper, more nutrient dense and more local. More home-grown food can reduce food costs at the checkout and improve our diets generally. It also has the benefit of being a fun and educational activity we can do with children.
Can healthy home-grown food be produced sustainably and contribute to conservation?
Home-grown food probably conjures images of an allotment or garden vegetable patch; however, lack of a garden, or poor soil or light in a garden, means that many can’t grow food at home.
Allotments used to be ubiquitous in Ireland, but they declined almost to extinction by 2004. This is now changing, and bodies like Community Gardens Ireland are working with the public to plot allotments and encourage new developments. The UK has a long history of allotments going back over 1,000 years, and even now the most common size of an allotment is 10 rods, an ancient unit of measurement.iv
Although numbers of allotments in the UK have also declined, from 1.4mil in 1943 to 297,000 in 1996 – mainly due to housing pressures and revenue requirements by councils – numbers are now holding steady due to a growing interest in home-grown food, and more community pressures on development of new-builds.
If you can get your hands on one, allotments offer excellent opportunities, at a low price per annum, for people to learn more about nature, have the satisfaction of supplementing their own food requirements, and discover new ways of cooking – with the added benefit that you can also teach this to children who usually love getting stuck in!
Onto the cutting edge… Investments in technology and recognition of environmental pressures have caused farmers and governments to work on increasing yields, whilst reducing pollution. There are also plans to diversify land use and step away from the culture of monocultures (see box out).v
Innovations in technology also mean that lack of access to a garden or allotment, doesn’t mean that you can’t grow your own food.
Tower Gardens are a BITA member who have developed a product that uses hydroponic and aeroponic technology to grow large amounts of food in limited space. This new development means that only 5% of the water and 10% of the space usually required, is needed. The plants can be grown using only water, air and nutrients, and the innovative method means that they grow up to three times faster and have larger yields. This is available for the individual, but also for local growers who want to meet demands of more customers, while having less of an impact on the local environment. https://www.towergarden.com/tg
For growers and farmers specifically, the system means that they can grow 10 times more plants, in the same amount of space; increasing saleable produce, but not increasing overheads.
Technology can also free us from seasonality of produce, increasing resistance of drought and pests, create more predictable yields, and in some cases; allotments and the Tower Garden, lead to hyper-local food, cutting down on transport emissions.
The continuing pressures of climate change and conflict means that nations will need to get better at sourcing produce for their citizens, and a desire for good quality, local, tasty food may encourage more people to start their own gardens.
It is extremely common for countries to invest and focus heavily on monocultures – where only a specific item, or items are produced. Ukraine produces wheat, cereal and oil seed crops, Ireland has focused heavily on beef and dairy due to their rich grasslands, and the UK produces dairy, wheat, and meat. Normally, trade takes care of surplus and fills gaps in requirements, but when the main producer is no longer producing, there are suddenly many nations competing for fewer producers, and nations that may suddenly take a protectionist attitude to trade, as seen with India in August when their cabinet approved restrictions on wheat exports.
Another shortage leaving our French neighbours très triste, is the shortage of Dijion mustard. Canada suffered a drought last year, which collapsed the mustard crop yields, and France was going through an opposite problem where three successive winters have been too wet. As France relies mainly on Canadian imports for mustard seeds, with supplementary input from home grown seeds, the nation has faced a large shortfall in produce and stores have been forced into rationing the kitchen cupboard staple – when it’s available at all.
i https://www.statista.com/statistics/1165879/uk-desire-to-grow-own-food-age-group/ ii https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/sourcing/how-can-the-uk-be-more-self-sufficient-in-food/653103.article iii https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2022/10/18/default-calendar/food-security-nutrition-essential-ingredients-to-build-back-better iv https://www.allotment-garden.org/allotment-information/allotment-history/ v https://www.nationalfoodstrategy.org/
THERE ARE SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE THAT OFFER PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW THEIR OWN FOOD AND ENRICH THEIR DIETS.
In our last article we explained the difference between delay and disruption and will now discuss how you prove these claims. The terms delay and disruption are used interchangeably without much thought as to what they are, but this is understandable as the causes of both are so interrelated. Whilst delay claims relate to the project’s critical path and overall completion date, disruption claims relate to reduced productivity often caused by multiple employer related events. These disruptive events may or may not cause delay to the completion date, it depends on where they sit on the critical path. What then is the critical path of a project?
The critical path is the longest sequence of activities on a project from its start to its completion. Provided the activities are appropriately sequenced and linked, any delay(s) to activities on the critical path, will cause a delay to the completion date. Delays to activities not on the critical path may cause the contractor to lose productivity (disruption) but will not necessarily cause delay to the completion date itself.
The best way of proving a delay claim is identifying any delay(s) to the critical path. Easy right? Not so fast. Whilst in theory this sounds straight forward, the reality is very different. As we said in a previous article, the success or failure of your delay claim will come down to the quality of your records. The same applies to proving disruption.
The best means of proving your delay and/or disruption claim is by maintaining an appropriately detailed programme from the outset of the project which is usually a contract requirement but is commonly overlooked. It is important that this programme is updated at regular intervals with accurate contemporaneous information. Note however, a programme is only as good as the information put into it. It must reflect the as built status of the project at the intervals for which it is maintained, usually monthly. Too often we see either (a) no programmes at all (b) programmes that do not reflect the original contract intent or (c) inadequately maintained/missing programme updates. Even where programmes are provided, they are often treated as a box ticking exercise to comply with the contract’s reporting requirements and often contain inaccurate logic and start/finish dates.
Retrospectively correcting poorly maintained programmes is a very time consuming and costly process and can be avoided if some simple measures are taken from the outset. We recommend (a) the regular submission of appropriately detailed progress reports, whether or not the contract calls for them, (b) taking of photos and videos of the progress of the works clearly setting out locations, dates and times they were obtained, (c) the use of integrated progress monitoring software such as Snag R, there are plenty of others available now, (d) designating a member of staff to undertake this role at regular intervals, whether office or
site based and (e) issue this information with contractual notices to the employer contemporaneously. All too often we see instances of contractors not wishing to upset employers meaning they refrain from issuing appropriate notices and records, even though they are available.
No programme is not fatal but it will help Whilst we do place a strong emphasis on properly maintained programmes, the courts are not afraid to take a commonsense approach in their absence, but they will not take a wild guess – they need suitable evidence. An employer providing late possession to a site does not need a fancy programme. However, it is more common for delay and disruption to arise well into the construction phase of the project and this is often where complications arise when multiple activities are undertaken simultaneously. Well maintained records are essential for filling these gaps. The courts will not be impressed with programmes containing contrived logic to suit fit a contractor’s delay. Further, delay and disruption analyses are often subject to expert evidence so any activities, durations and logic not supported by appropriate contemporaneous evidence such as concrete pour records, witness tests, photographs etc. will only undermine your case.
In the next article we will discuss proving losses associated with delay and disruption claims.
Disclaimer: this content is provided free of charge for information purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. No responsibility for the accuracy and/or correctness of the information and commentary set out in the article, or for any consequences of relying on it, is assumed or accepted by HD Construction Solutions Ltd.
When it comes to men’s health, there are a lot of things that can fall by the wayside. Men often put their health on the back burner in favour of work, family, and other obligations. But many men don’t realise that their health is vital not only to their own wellbeing but also to the wellbeing of those around them.
That’s why November is such an important month for men’s health awareness. So this year, take the time to focus on your health and wellness during Movember.
Movember is a global initiative that encourages men to grow moustaches during November to raise awareness for men’s health issues. These include prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health.
While growing a moustache may not seem a serious way to address these issues, it does a lot to open conversations about men’s health. And when it comes to men’s health, open discussion is critical.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men over 45, and testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men. Both types of cancer are highly treatable if they are caught early. But too often, men are reluctant to talk about their health concerns or go to the doctor for screenings.
Prostate cancer screenings usually involve a digital rectal exam and a PSA test. A digital rectal exam is where the doctor
feels for any abnormalities in the prostate gland. The PSA test measures the level of prostate-specific antigens in the blood. These antigens are produced by the prostate gland, and a high level can be an indicator of prostate cancer.
Testicular cancer screenings usually involve a physical examination, where the doctor feels for any abnormalities in the testicles. They may also order an ultrasound or blood test to check for markers of testicular cancer.
If you notice changes in your body, for example, in how you pee or poo, or you find any lumps anywhere - go to your GP immediately. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Although gaining more acceptance, mental health is still often seen as a taboo topic, especially for men. But the truth is that mental health issues affect men just as much as they do women. In fact, men are more likely to experience some mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK. Suicide rates among men have been rising in recent years, and it is now estimated that around 6,000 men take their own lives each year. And as you are aware, the construction industry has a very high suicide rate.
In fact, construction workers are three times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. This is partly due to the high rate of job insecurity and stress in the industry, as well as the job’s long hours and physical demands.
If you are a man struggling with mental health issues or know someone who is, it is important to seek help. There are several organisations that can offer support, including the Samaritans, CALM, and Mind.
WHAT YOU CAN DO DURING NOVEMBER
November is the perfect time to focus on your own health and wellbeing. Remember that to reduce your risks of serious illness and disease, you need to live a healthier lifestyle, and you can do that by:
Exercising regularly
Eating a healthy diet
Getting good sleep
Taking regular breaks
Having regular periods of rest
Being more mind and body aware when things are out of kilter for more than a few weeks.
Check your bits regularly
Go for medical screenings when invited
Make a difference in your own health and help others with theirs. And maybe grow a moustache for Movember!
For
information on Movember, go to: https://uk.movember.com/
Kent-born Matt Forde has a commitment to golf that you don’t see all that often. We spoke to Matt to talk about his love for the game, his plans in pro golf, challenges that he has overcome, and how he will be working with BITA.
Pursuing a passion is something many of us would love, but sadly things get in the way, whether it be pragmatic advice, or the promise of a great career in another direction so we keep our passions for our time off. This wasn’t the path for Matt, but there have been bumps in the road.
“2014 was the year that I nearly quit.” Says Matt, with an emphasis on nearly. “I had been working as a pro golfer since I was 25 – so around 10 years at this point. I had competed in mini tours and the Challenge Tour in 2014, but I was struggling, I was broke, and had decided to get a job with Royal Mail.”
But the passion and drive were still there, and with his wife’s encouragement, Matt took one final chance. “It was the best decision of my life” he grins.
The final chance he is talking about is a gruelling competition, 14 rounds
of golf, over 3 stages, with the final 6 rounds up against some of the best golfers in the world. Playing across the globe, Matt managed to finish 2nd in the Africa Open, and then 7th in the last event in Hong Kong.
“My wife has always supported me, she’s one of my biggest cheerleaders. When it came to taking a final roll of the dice with this tournament, I couldn’t have asked for anyone better – she told me that it was my dream, it was worth giving it another try, and that we’d put the costs on the credit card.”
Golf is his life-long obsession, but it shouldn’t have been that way. Asking if his passion for the game runs in his blood, Matt laughs; “My dad was actually a professional footballer!”
Football kickstarted his love of sport in general, but after starting to play golf at 10, getting his handicap down to -3 and being selected for the England squads, Matt knew that golf was his true love. At 25 years of age, Matt started professional golf with his PGA training at Cobtree Manor Park, Maidstone. In his first year he won the PGA National Assistants
and played the PGA Championships at Wentworth in 2005. Since then, he has competed in mini tours and the Challenge Tour and following lockdown, 2020 was an incredible year for him, winning the PGA National Club Professional Championships, several events in the PGA South Region and finishing 5th on the Challenge Tour, and being promoted
to the European Tour. However, the difficulties that lockdowns bought with reduced seasons meant it wasn’t easy.
The fortunes of most sports professionals’ ebb and flow, and it’s only a very small minority of the household names that don’t need to worry about off seasons. “Winter is the toughest, and I’ve never been shy about doing whatever is needed to make ends meet” explains Matt. “I’ve worked at Amazon warehouses, as a delivery driver and coaching wherever possible. The highs and lows are nail biting, but you’re always gambling that you will get that one shot, that one perfect game when it matters, or that one timeless connection”
Matt met Paul Whitnell, who told him about BITA and Matt has been involved in the Kent Chapter since; “it’s been a great way to meet people, to tell people what I do, and they have been kind enough to raise money to support me in entering tournaments which has been wonderful.”
As Matt travels around the world, meeting new people, networking, and developing relationships, he has taken up a position as a BITA Ambassador so that he able to share connections in different areas to help support and grow our members. He is currently looking for support – and not just monetary!
Transport and hotels are just a few things burning a hole in his pocket when he’s on tour. With our BITA members being increasingly diverse, they might just be looking for a pro golfer to sponsor!
Sponsored by GalTipp Solutions and The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
The 1st October saw members, supporters, celebrities, and finalists for the BITA awards arrive at The Londoner for our 10th Anniversary Gala Ball and Awards Ceremony. We were thrilled to host the incredible Vanessa Feltz as our Emcee for the evening, the indominable Sir Jeffery Archer as our Auction host, and truly unforgettable entertainment from the Diamond Boys and Swan Band. Flying in from Paris, the Swan Band provided non-stop, electrifying music that had our guests up dancing from the moment the doors opened.
In addition to celebrating our members and inviting them to kick off their shoes at the BITA awards, this event was also a fundraiser for the London Irish Centre and the Lighthouse Club, and we were delighted to raise £200,000 on the night for these incredible charities.
We would like to thank the generosity of all our guests, from raffle ticket winners to whiskey barrel purchasers!
A massive thank you to our wonderful sponsors on the evening. GalTipp Solutions and The Craft Irish Whiskey Co who sponsored the evening, and Kerry London who sponsored our awards. O’Donovan waste Disposal sponsored the wine, and PHD Access and Graphenstone sponsored the delicious favours. Without the support of our sponsors, events like this would not be possible – so thank you for your support.
The BITA awards this year were kindly sponsored by Kerry London and opened in January 2022, we started whittling down the final three or four per category in June, and our judges got to work selecting the winners in July.
The award categories had all been hotly contested, with over 100 companies being nominated for the awards this year.
Our judges were all independent and their votes were anonymous, even from each other.
The BITA Awards have kept a similar format each year, but we were excited to see the entries for the new category of Green Business Award this year. Well done to all businesses that made it through to the finals. There was very tough competition, with businesses across the UK and Ireland competing for the awards, and some incredibly strong entries.
Of course, despite this there can only be one winner, and we offer our congratulations to these amazing businesses!
This award is for companies demonstrating a successful record of adding value to their customers’ business through an understanding of partnership, responsiveness, and their customers’ own business drivers.
Our Finalists were:
Gallagher Group Hayward Hawk McGrath Quantity Surveyors RASCOR UK
RASCOR UK specialises in the development and production of structural waterproofing systems. With a pioneering spirit, they focus on tailormade waterproofing concepts in the international construction industry.
With a focus on sustainability, the winner of this award will be able to show a strong commitment to environmentally friendly business practices throughout and possibly incorporated into their company.
Our Finalists were:
OceanЯ
Envirotech Energy Solutions
Newton Waterproofing
The Graphene Company
OceanЯ are on a mission: to reclaim our oceans by removing as much plastic as possible and recycling it into something new: eye-catching, boldly designed clothing and product ranges for businesses and consumers.
This award is for companies who have been trading for a minimum of 2 years and who have a robust strategy for growth with a proven track record of profit increase over the last 12 months.
Our Finalists were:
Adamo property Group LTD Glencar Construction Ltd Poundfield Precast RASCOR UK
Glencar Construction Ltd is a fast-growing company, with a priority to realise this growth in a managed and sustainable manner. Glencar’s rapid growth, by an average of 441% a year over three years to September 2020, saw them become the top ranked company in the 2020 Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 league table.
This award is for companies or individuals that really ‘get’ BITA, and make sure that they are involved with the organisation - giving as good (if not more) as they are receiving! They are the “People who Know People that Help People”.
Our Finalists were:
Dermot O’Grady & Noel Byrne – Ardent Tide James Maguire – Crannull Bridie Cunningham – Portman Scott
Dermot O’Grady & Noel Byrne from Ardent Tide have been here from the beginning! They are incredibly proud of their association with BITA and promote the organisation not only to clients but everyone they meet. The BITA values align with Ardent Tide, and they take immense pride in helping people to do good business whenever they can.
Our contenders this year were:
Danny Dwyer, Peter Vanspall Will Polston, Elaine Martin
Danny Dwyer: “I became the Managing Director of the family business in 2017. Under my leadership, the company has prospered, and the success has been recognised across the industry with PHD winning ‘Best Access & Scaffolding Specialist of the Year’ three years in a row (Construction News Specialist Awards 2018, 2019 and 2020), Project of the Year 2018 - Turnover above £5mil (NASC) and voted one of the Top 10 companies to work for in 2017 (Construction Enquirer Awards).
This award is for companies that keep the needs of the community in mind, keeping locals and community at the heart of what they do.
Our Finalists were:
Halcyon
Krol Corlett Construction Ltd
Nationwide Managment Services Xerini
Krol Corlett are a Knowsley based contractor with a leading reputation for keeping the community within the local area, Liverpool, and the surrounding Northwest, at the heart of what they do. Working across sectors, Krol Corlett ensure they utilise local suppliers and subcontractors, typically totalling more than 55% of the workforce on any one project. Krol Corlett also add value to the local economy with their ‘local labour, local supplier’ goals.
This award celebrates a business that has successfully adapted or created a product, service, or process in the face of change. In the words of Charles Darwin; “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
Our Finalists were:
Cubbie
Stira Tower Garden
With Cubbie, Personalised Sensory Regulation (PSR), autistic and other neurodiverse people spend more time being productively educated and participating in society and less being supported to manage their needs. Cubbie is a digital, quick, easy-to-use, immersive personal space of sound and vision free of disruptions, driven by software and wheelchair friendly. Cubbie is customisable to the individual user.
This award acknowledges and celebrates exemplary leadership that has a significant and positive impact on staff, peers, and the wider construction community. This outstanding leader is insightful, passionate and has a singular vision that inspires commitment in their business.
This award acknowledges and celebrates exemplary Irish leadership that has a significant and positive impact on staff, peers, and community. This outstanding business is inclusive, welcoming, and has staunch ideals that they consistently live up to.
The winner of this award represents the best of Irish businesses and is committed to excellent performance in their industry. They have shown true dedication to their local business community, and the wider BITA business community.
The BITA Lifetime Achievement Award was kindly sponsored by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. And is a special award with the recipient decided upon within the leadership of BITA, and very important to us and our members.
We look at the entire picture, considering candidates’ impact in business, community, and innovation, across the whole of their career. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises the outstanding management and leadership of an individual throughout their career and is awarded only when a truly worthy candidate is identified. The Award is therefore given to
an individual whose contribution has made an outstanding impact on the wider community with their leadership skills. Previous winners of this prestigious award are Pat Gallagher, Danny Tim O’Sullivan and Michael Crossan, and we were excited to announce a fourth and fifth on the 1st October, Des and Ray O’Rourke from Laing O’Rourke.
Their foresight into the industry, their compassion and genuine interest in their staff, and investment into communities show that they truly deserve the highest award that BITA can give.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was kindly sponsored by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
In a fast-changing world with new post pandemic working arrangements, companies have had to evolve their communication methods to meet their customers desire for immediacy in response and resolution times.
After speaking to several companies about their newer approaches to communication, we’ve compiled our
A further consideration for companies when it comes to choosing communication methods, is the neuro diversity of your customers. As businesses we’re used to broadcasting information in a way that is easiest and most time effective for us but have we considered our customers’ ability to consume the information? Studies have shown that neuro diverse people often
Communicating in a way your customer can consume and understand the information prevents misalignment and frustration which in turn delivers greater customer confidence and connection with your brand.
thoughts on the top influencers to great customer communication.
Whilst customer service should run through the culture of a company as part of offering a seamless customer experience its often said that customer service happens only when the customer has a question or a problem. One of the top annoyance factors for customers are; while a customer may be irritated if they need to wait to speak to a customer service representative, they will be even more frustrated if they don’t feel listened to or if you don’t understand their problem. Great customer communication starts with active listening and understanding your customers’ needs.
More than ever before customers expect to be able to communicate with companies in whatever method they choose. Over 50% of people say they prefer companies that respond to customer complaints through social media.
Many companies are using an omni channel approach to give this choice to their customers. Utilising phone, email, social and video as mediums to be able to communicate and share information with their customers.
consume information easier through video rather than long emails.
If customers can’t connect with a brand, through messaging or being able to use your product due to complicated instructions, customer retention rate may suffer, and Net Promoter Score can drop.
Clarity of information is key to ensuring customers know that you understand the problem and know how to fix it. Often to create clarity in communication requires you to break complex information down into simpler terms that are more readily understood. If the complex information must be sent, then supplementing this with another communication medium such as video could help your customers to better understand what’s being said.
As well as ensuring the customer feels heard and responded to in an engaging manner, delivering great customer service is also largely connected to delivering a positive result to the customer: whether that’s through information exchange or fixing a problem. Often, we focus on customer communication as the things we say externally, yet so much of providing great customer service is how we communicate internally. Misalignment or lack of clarity in describing the customers problem as departments collaborate to resolve the issue leads to extended time periods to execute a task. Since the pandemic and increased flexible working, the ability of people inside businesses to communicate has changed dramatically. Those companies that are renowned for excellent customer service have come up with fresh approaches for how their teams communicate, including the replication of internal applications that mirror the functionality of social media to create more immediacy of chat, create networks and the ability to add images and video for clarity.
I’d like to leave you with one thought. Only 7% of communication is verbal whilst the non-verbal interactions, such as tonality is 38% and body language is a massive 55%. Does the way your business communicate with its customers enable
LovIT
please contact Nick at nick@lovit.uk
As energy prices continue to soar, business owners in Ireland and the UK are desperately looking for ways to reduce their energy bills. Investment in the use and delivery of renewable energy is becoming more popular. Solar, wind, battery, air source, biofuels, wave, ground source, thermodynamic and so on are now becoming increasingly relevant for both commercial and domestic applications due to events mostly originating beyond our borders. To gain a greater insight into the topic, we spoke to Stephen Jones from EnviroTech Energy Management who believes there are steps that businesses can take to address this ‘issue of our time’.
What is your background?
I was born and raised in Manchester, and I have spent over 30 years in the renewable energy sector. Having built and sold my own solar farms and worked on the Board of the major utility Centrica, I have seen this growing industry from every angle.
What is your view on the unfolding energy crisis?
We can only control what we can control. The energy crisis that we now face is a result of geopolitical uncertainty, political posturing, and long-term mismanagement of our own energy independence. Combined, this has resulted in the situation that we now all face where energy prices, gas in particular, are going through the roof.
Is this price surge likely to fade soon?
That’s very unlikely. Until the UK and Ireland move to energy independence, we will all be subject to the vagaries of the international marketplace. And we will continue to be forced to manage escalating prices from foreign powers or sources that we have little control over.
What can businesses do now to manage this situation?
As a business owner, several steps are well worth taking now to get ahead of the further price hikes coming our way.
Firstly, I would recommend talking to an energy broker who understands business tariffs and can negotiate a more favourable rate on your behalf. Better still, you could get your trade association or your business peer group to approach a broker on your behalf to negotiate even better tariffs for your businesses. The strength of the many can make a real difference in this situation.
Secondly, your broker will help you review your energy use closely, and to do a full assessment of what equipment in your business is using the most energy and when. Once you understand that, you should talk to a renewable energy technology supplier to figure out what combination of renewable technologies could work best
for your business, reduce your energy bills, and move your business toward energy independence. This could be something as simple as putting solar panels on the roof of your building, all the way to implementing a suite of sustainable power solutions such as solar panels on the roof, a battery in the property, infrared heating, thermodynamic hot water, and a EV-charging station outside. EnviroTech can provide all these solutions and more, and these options do make a massive difference not only to EPC ratings, which go up, but also to energy bills, which go down.
In addition, you should look around for renewable energy installation grants that could mitigate the investment costs for these new technologies. With pressure on the Government to reduce carbon emissions, there is a variety of funding avenues to explore that can make for a more seamless transition towards the use of renewable energy in your business than you might expect.
Finally, what is your prediction for the future of sustainable energy solutions?
I’m a plain-speaking chap from the north of England, and the reality is very, very clear to me. Renewable energy solutions are here to stay! The time to sit idly by and let external events dictate how much we pay for our energy is long since passed. So, it’s high time that we take back some degree of control and implement the solutions that I’ve mentioned to mitigate our energy costs and move quickly toward a state of energy independence. The ball is well and truly in our own court, so business leaders need to step up and embrace the new renewable technology available to them.
was great fun and gave us the opportunity to spend time with members OceanR and Accounting Pro.
Our Chapter has come a long way since its foundation in 2019. We now include some of the country’s top and innovative organisations, and we’re able to engage with businesses across Ireland, the UK and beyond. The wider BITA family are supportive and engaging with all our members, and we’ve facilitated and opened many doors for them as part of their membership.
It was late April 2022 when we had our first BITA Cork lunch, which sold out with a waiting list. Since then, we have hosted social networking evenings on the final Thursday of the month in Sober Lane.
We also participate in various initiatives supporting many local charities. During our April lunch, we raised funds for Cork Penny Dinners. We also raffled two All-Ireland tickets in Limerick for Corpus Christi in Moyross. Supporting the #beplasticaware campaign this September with beach cleans in Cork and Kilkee,
Most recently, ahead of the Cork Jazz Festival in October we welcomed businesses to the Clayton Hotel in Lapps Quay for an event with a difference. The day started with an opportunity for our sustainability, innovation, and enterprise sector members to showcase their businesses at an exhibition, which was then followed by our tried and tested networking lunch, and of course our BITA social that evening in Sober Lane.
As Cork is the second city in Ireland with leading international companies in IT and Pharmaceutical industries alongside two top universities and with graduates involved in innovative projects, BITA Cork is the ideal not-for-profit connector on all levels.
It’s safe to say that 2022 has been exciting for Ireland West, not least because we were finally able to launch our chapter. After a year of false starts, we received the green light and organised our first event for April.
Now, we set an ambitious target of 45-50 people for our first BITA Ireland West networking lunch on Thursday 7 April at the stunning Hardiman Hotel Ballroom. As it turned out, we welcomed 80 guests and BITA members, all of whom were curious to know what the BITA experience was all about.
The event, kindly sponsored by STIRA, GalTipp Solutions and EnviroTech was a huge success. There was a palpable energy in the room, and the feedback from all was highly complementary. As one attendee commented, “the BITA way is the only way.”
Sponsored by www.envirotech-energymgmt.com
The networking continued into the evening and the night at various Galway city hostelries.
We’re now excited about the run into the year-end as numbers and interest grows for our events.
We hold the BITA Ireland West Social Networking on the third Thursday of each month at The Hardiman Hotel from 18:00–20:00.
Our chapter is small but growing. We’re looking for members to join us and expand our growth, which will benefit those looking to local, national, and international markets. Our president Paul Whitnell is preparing a week-long trip between now and Christmas to introduce people and companies to BITA and how it can benefit them.
We’ll also be supporting the Cork and Dublin lunches in the coming weeks, and we’re planning our next BITA Ireland West networking lunch, currently pencilled in the calendar for 3rd March 2023. Needless to say, our future looks very exciting!
basis with in-person meetings throughout the year. In the meantime, membership numbers continue to increase.
More recently, numerous Irish chapter chairs attended the BITA 10th Anniversary Gala ball at the Londoner Hotel in Leicester Square, at the end of September. Special awards were won by some of the Irish attendees, including Denise Harris of Harris group who scooped the Irish Excellence award, and for myself, I was honored to receive the Irish Business Leadership Award 2022.
In the aftermath of significant Covid lockdowns in Ireland over the winter, we finally held our delayed 2021 Christmas lunch on 11 February 2022 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin. It was nerve-wracking as we weren’t sure if the lockdowns were going to be extended, and this event was taking place the same week they were supposed to be lifted! But we stuck to it and ended up having one of, if not the, first post-lockdown events in Dublin. We welcomed over 200 people, and ended on a high note, with an impromptu performance of songs from Billy and Christy from Aslan, following Christy being presented with a BITA Award.
Following that event, we held our Spring lunch in the Westin Hotel on 13 May. This was attended by nearly 200 people, and it presented a fantastic opportunity for both UK and Irish members to reengage with each other after the lifting of the remaining restrictions here in Dublin.
Since then, the Dublin chapter has continued to meet monthly. This was initially done remotely, and then on a hybrid
Former Irish international rugby star, Barbarians player and Heineken Cup winner Peter Bracken is in the midst of a journey which emphasises his commitment towards sustainability, and he hopes to share his message. He has pledged to drive his electric VW ID4 vehicle around every single one of the 240 rugby clubs in Ireland, with the primary goal of emphasising the advantage of driving electric vehicles and to promote green energy. Some of the rugby clubs that he has recently visited include the likes of Creggs RFC, Leinster Rugby Club, Ulster Rugby Club, Connacht Rugby Club and Terenure College RFC.
His journey also passed through all 32 Irish counties in September 2022 during one 24-hour period. The intention on that occasion was to raise funds for Rare Diseases Ireland. He was joined by fellow former rugby star Mikey Smyth, and their efforts were hugely successful, as well as further highlighting his EV commitment by travelling through the country in his trusty electric VW ID4.
Peter has brought a smile to many faces as he has toured these fantastic rugby clubs of all sizes and styles, and he has fully enjoyed the unique opportunity to drop by while delivering a positive and productive message.
Our final Dublin event of the year will be the 2022 Christmas lunch on Friday 25th November, when we will be back at the Westin Hotel for what promises to be a great round-up of a memorable year.
We continue to increase our profile, as well as enhancing the impact of our new members, with meetings and events now developing across three Irish chapters. Regular events are now scheduled across the calendar.
BITA IRELAND IS GROWING RAPIDLY AND HOSTING MORE EXCITING EVENTS, FROM TRADE DELEGATIONS TO LUNCHES AND WITH A CHAPTER IN KILKENNY LAUNCHING IN 2023.
We are looking forward to the launch of BITA Northern Ireland in the coming months, with several board members and the Chapter Chair, Robin Nesbitt, already in place.
They will be hosting monthly networking events and growing the BITA community in Northern Ireland. If you are interested in joining BITA Northern Ireland, or want to be kept up to date with events, please contact enquiries@bita.ie
Iam always amazed by the feedback we receive from our Liverpool chapter lunches and the way our members truly embrace the ethos of BITA as a community of ‘People who know people that help people’. Starting a business and joining BITA as chair of Liverpool in 2018, I had not realised how much of a village this fantastic city is. Where people do come together and support each other and our lunches, held at Liverpool Football Club, are evidence of this great community in action.
We started 2022 with a guest speaker in the form of John Aldridge, ex-footballer, and a sell-out crowd of 150 attendees; the event was a great success. Our guests came together to build new and cement long-standing relationships with our colleagues in the Isle of Man, Ireland, the wider UK, and even Australia. Fast forward to our latest lunch held in September and we wondered how we would follow the previous events, but as always, the BITA board fully
OUR NETWORKING EVENTS ARE HELD AT THE CLAYTON ON THE THIRD THURSDAY OF THE MONTH, I INVITE YOU TO JOIN US.
As the new board members of BITA Manchester come together to cement its reputation as one of the networking groups to be seen at, the biggest challenge has been the move of our social networking to the Clayton Hotel in the City Centre. It has however, been an overwhelming success and has attracted a much larger number of members and visitors on a monthly basis than previously.
The growth of these events, which take place on the third Thursday of every month is testament to the hard work and brand awareness of BITA being developed across the North of England.
A growing membership base is supporting the success of the ever-popular lunches, which have also played a key part in our
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engaged with members and businesses that were likely to benefit from the event. The result was a lunch that sold out 3 times in the week leading up to the event, and we sincerely thank the very understanding chef at LFC who was kind enough to let us increase numbers to a final total of 170! With the maritime sector being a key employer in the city it was fitting to have CEO Chris Stirling-Rooke lead the event with insights into the vastness of the industry, its impact on business and how the businesses in the room could be part of this growth.
Our reputation continues to grow across the city with the membership increasing into construction, hospitality, and finance sectors. The board is being strengthened to ensure that members are gaining true value from the supportive community they are part of. The city continues to welcome businesses and now we also look forward to welcoming Eurovision in 2023!
growth in 2022. These have seen many members from across the BITA community coming together to benefit from our eco system of like-minded businesses who are actively supporting each other.
The Northern chapters chosen charity, Fréa, has been overwhelmingly supported by guests at the lunches and the May Northern Golf Masters. Being able to donate at a ‘tap’ thanks to the innovation of Manchester member Ben Rowlands of Tip Disc Limited, has helped us raise money, as well as awareness, for this worthy charity.
With a broadening range of sectors joining the network including technology and finance, the board and I are looking to 2023 to capture this expansion with several different focused events.
LIVERPOOL IS A CITY WHERE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER.Tim Ternent, Chapter Chair sees Manchester go from strength to strength
As we at BITAx look back on our achievements in 2022, one thing that stands out is growth. Indeed, we have run a series of successful and strongly attended breakfast events throughout the year. This has helped us to engage with new members more closely, and to create a truly natural connection with existing members.
Additionally, our biggest success comes from a promotional package which includes a free ticket to the next breakfast event if they sign up as a member at the first event they attend. This ensures that attendees can always return for no extra charge, and they may make some strong new contacts prior to joining on a permanent basis.
Another positive involves us having a really engaged board of ‘doers’ who have been allocated a specific role that match their own skill sets. These include the likes of membership conversion, events liaison, sponsorship, and member relations along with
communications and marketing. We’ve also introduced a WhatsApp group for board and member engagement.
It has been great to create engagement and to add value for our members. On that note, it’s a positive sign that we have seen a real spike in growth of new members; our highest rate of growth in a single year to date. As for next year, we’re planning to introduce numerous events that will bring members even more closely together. These include the attendance of a London Irish rugby game, as well as such activities as Tough Mudder.
If 2022 has taught us anything, it’s that you have to offer something that is both enticing and worthwhile to attract new members and to satisfy the needs of existing ones. We believe that BITAx has demonstrated a variety of ways to achieve these goals, and we’re looking ahead with real promise to 2023. Simply put, if you think that 2022 has been strong, just wait to see what BITAx accomplishes in 2023!
Since taking over as Chapter Chair of Leeds over the summer, I have been busy getting to know more about our members and planning for the growth of the chapter. My sincere thanks to Tariq Hussain who finished his year as Chair, and who continues to share his experience as a board member. We have been happy to welcome some new members, while other business owners and employees have expressed an interest in learning more about BITA and joining.
Currently, the Leeds Chapter meets on the third Wednesday of each month, and our next event will be held at The Restaurant Bar & Grill, part of The Old Post Office on 3 City Square, LS1 2AN. This is a brand-new location for us,
but feedback from our members, and increasing numbers of attendees, mean that we’ll be staying at our new home and continuing to improve our events, and grow our community.
We’re looking forward to becoming a crucial part of that Northern Powerhouse as we link up with Chapters in both Manchester and Liverpool. Leeds is an exciting and vibrant city, filled with incredible businesses and people that we can’t wait to work with, and we plan to host our first lunch in 2023, which will offer an excellent opportunity for businesses looking to work with Leeds businesses. In the meantime, though, keep an eye on the work that we do, as we continue to grow and have an increasing positive impact for members.
Moulton, our Leeds Chapter Chair has been talking about how the chapter is gaining real momentum through our successful networking events
LEEDS IS A
OF THE NORTHERN POWERHOUSE, AND WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO LINKING UP MORE WITH LEEDS AND MANCHESTER CHAPTERS.Will Polston Chair of BITAx reflects on growth and lessons for 2023
The first was a 3-day event that incorporated some great networking which brought together a wide variety of programmes in conjunction with the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce, the Department for Enterprise, and Beach Buddies. Not to mention a whole host of local businesses and thought leaders capitalising on this event.
The key theme was sustainability, with the main aim of the 3-Day Spectacular being to showcase the Isle of Man for both business and leisure purposes. The guest of honour on the first night’s Cheese and Wine event at House of Manannan was Laurence Skelly MLC (president of Tynwald), whilst there were presentations on the second day as BITA supported the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce by Anne-Marie Martin (director of Global Business Networks for the British Chambers of Commerce) and David Corlett (Head of External Relations at the Cabinet Office).
Other notable attendees over the long weekend included Bill Dale BEM (founder of Beach Buddies) as members came
The summer of spectacular events continued for BITA as June saw Ambassadors for BITA Portugal, Dr Catherine Hallahan and Andrew Coutts CEO of ILM Real Estate Group, come together to arrange an amazing event held across 3 days. Their aim; to introduce Paul Whitnell and BITA to the many opportunities Portugal presents, from property, investment and development to health, sport and lifestyle.
The event was held at Palmares Ocean Living & Golf and of course, there was an amazing game of golf at Espiche Campo de Golfe. Across the event, we were joined by many key individuals from the business and finance community to share with us some of the many financial benefits and business opportunities Portugal has to offer.
Thank you to Ricardo Ferreira and Sofia Távora Seruya of Martínez Echevarría, Ferreira & Rivera Advogados who joined us at Espiche to share with us the reasons why so many people are choosing Portugal to move to and shared with us some more information on the Golden Visa and the many tax benefits
together at Bradda Head, not only highlighting another beautiful location on island but also how we can come together to create a sustainable future. Chapter Chair Brendon Kenny joined the presentation to talk about the work Changing Streams are doing to an audience that included Joney Faragher MHK (leader of the Manx Labour Party). We must give a special mention, though, to the attendance of Dean Koocher who travelled all the way from Rhode Island, USA. Dean is managing director of the New York-based Kidstream.
The tremendous success of this event influenced the other strong offerings including a garden party at Ballacooiley Estate and Triskelion Polo Club in Ballaugh this past August, with more exciting events lined up for 2023.
Portugal offers. And to Gerry Fagan and Petrina Fagan of DDM, Sharon F. and Arnold Delville of the Ireland Portugal Business Network, Karen Sneider Shears of B and P Estates, and Alexander of Wyndham Grand Algarve who spoke to us about the thriving property market in the Algarve and the many opportunities that Portugal presents to businesses and individuals, in the beautiful beach restaurant.
Our Portugal journey continues as we further develop relationships and a community prime for BITA members’ expansion both in terms of business, finance and dental healthcare provision.
IOM has been pioneering this year by organising networking opportunities with a difference!
Algarve launch hailed a great success for Golf, Sunshine, and Investment
It’s great to see BITA expanding across England and with it so is the London Chapter. Over the last few months, we have concentrated our efforts on catching up with all members, both new and old, and that engagement is proving successful with more conversions and increased renewals.
We are honoured to celebrate BITA’s 10th Anniversary with a special and memorable extravaganza at the very impressive Mansion House. Hosted by the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of the City of London, Vincent Keaveny, this marks our special year with a different format to our regular and successful Construction lunches which will be back at the Royal Horseguards next year.
As the country tries to make sense of the increasingly challenging economic situation, we were privileged to be hosted by our good friends SEC Newgate for an evening in September (the day after Liz Truss was appointed PM) where our guests took advantage of the incredible expertise on offer. They provided some
excellent speakers from the construction and property industries, where they shared their views on the next 12 months and answered audience questions.
Also in November, we will be supporting one of our new members Grafters as they host a BITA event at their new location in London. Look out for further information on this. Meanwhile, our monthly Thursday night socials (held on the second Thursday of the month) at the Rising Sun on Carter Lane near St. Paul’s, always gather a good crowd to have a few drinks over a friendly chat and we have been trialling new formats like our sell-out Darts and Fizz Summer Social.
Finally, our Friday morning on-line networking via the Remo software ensures that we stay connected with our members in a different format than the usual online meeting arrangement. Sign up via the events page on the website and even if you are unable to attend, you will be included on the weekly invitation list for future events.
We have an extremely committed and likeminded group of members here that eagerly and regularly attend our networking events and on some occasions even host them! As well as our expanding monthly social networking evenings, we run quarterly breakfasts meetings based in Turkey Mills which is also the home of the Kent Regional Office.
One of the highlights of 2022 included our smash-hit golf day at The Cave, which will be expanded for 2023 and our second stint at the Kent Construction Expo, gave us the opportunity to meet more of Kent’s magnificent construction industry.
Our board are committed to the BITA values and above all are dedicated to connecting the right businesses to each other. We feel that our success is accomplished because we work as a team and enjoy social time together too. Fellow board members and I, Julie Anderson, Natalie Whitcombe and John Fitzgerald enjoyed a simply superb night that celebrated the well-deserved reward and recognition of BITA members at the 10th Anniversary Awards and Gala Ball, and we all participated in World Clean Up Day.
Our next focus is our charitable contributions for local homeless charity Porchlight and as our membership grows, so does our repertoire of events raising the bar again in 2023!
Launching a chapter during the Covid-19 pandemic is no mean feat but testament to the hard work, dedication, and determination of the South West team we won through!
The membership and local business community is seeing value in the support of a diverse board of businesspeople with finance and growth at their core. Providing an opportunity to network with businesses across the vast area that is the southwest has proved vital to building awareness and creating a drive for people to want to come together.
The membership is gaining traction in sectors of Hospitality, Finance and Construction with the board dedicated to providing
opportunities for sector specific round tables and focused opportunities to support and find solutions to challenges being experienced.
With Exeter being the home of the Exeter Chiefs Rugby Team, we are centering our lunch events around exciting games like the match on 11th November against the London Irish; a well-supported team of many BITA members!
As we move in to 2023, we will continue to support our members, with small networking round table lunches and morning seminars at iconic locations around the Southwest.
Luke Piper, East Anglia Chapter Chair reflects on life as one of the newest chapters!
BITA East Anglia has hosted fantastic events every month since their hugely successful launch event in February 2022.
Feedback from local businesses has been incredibly positive so far focusing on the venue, the food and, of course, the quality of people in attendance. East Anglia have recently appointed our fifth board member, Mr Andy Byrne of Ashview Consultants, who will be a great asset to our growing chapter.
Our host venue, which is situated directly next to Cambridge Train Station, provides a vibrant yet relaxed atmosphere, which is ideal for networking and is proving very popular with our rapidly growing attendee list. As a new Chapter, we’re actively listening to our members for ideas to help us grow and are now attracting some very wellconnected people to the membership, which is great news for all.
We are planning to introduce numerous different events throughout 2023, including breakfast networking and lunchessomething for everyone!
Orla O’Leary, Chapter Chair Southwest Region reflects on launching in lockdown!The Global Forum is run by members of BITA with representatives from the United Kingdom, Ireland, IOM, and the United States, and has a partnership with Hibernia an organisation in Australia. Our international Ambassadors join the group by invitation to contribute on matters within their sphere of expertise.
The forums focus is to communicate and engage our membership on global sustainability and pollution issues and they use the hashtag #beplasticaware as a means of bringing attention towards the overuse of plastic within the construction industry and pollution in our oceans. Their aim is to facilitate the international expansion of BITA members working within the sustainability and innovation sectors.
This initiative is a long-term focus for BITA, with contributions through charitable action and organisational dedication to plastic reduction being carried out by our members and communities. The work we have already delivered with other organisations such as Changing Streams CIC, Beach Buddies and Ocean Conservancy has brought about a great start towards being more plastic aware, and we hope to continue this work into the future.
At a time when climate change is at the forefront of so many international government policies, alongside major events such as COP 27, it’s crucial for all BITA members to be mindful of how they could bring about a positive change to the environment.
A particularly significant focus of the Global Forum is to drive awareness of and participate in the annual World Clean Up Day. Each year we are very
appreciative and gratified at the number of our members that get involved in the initiative with this year’s participation taking place from across the UK and Ireland, Turkey, Isle of Man and even stretching as far as the United States of America and Australia!
Furthermore, members of the forum and BITAx partnered with Powerday for their annual canal clean-up. This took place along London’s Grand Union Canal, and resulted in the collection of more than nine bags of litter. The efforts of everyone who came along to help are appreciated enormously, as even the smallest act is still one step closer to a cleaner world for the future.
We must give special mention to Kevin Deasy. His team, covering a variety of age ranges, helped to clean up Kilkee Beach by collecting a large amount of plastic and jetsam. Not forgetting Paul
Whitnell, Tina Coy and their amazing team, who gathered a significant amount of rubbish from beaches stretching right across East Cork.
We are so pleased to see the challenging work that BITA members have done to help make the world a cleaner place, and we’re excited about what we can achieve on this front in the months and years to come.
Finally, BITA members who are planning to expand internationally can use the Global Forum as a key resource to start their global expansion journeys by virtue of tapping into the wider Global Forum network and to work with ambassadors in their target countries.
You can learn more about the Global Forum by visiting https://bita.ie/chapters/global-forum/
Meanwhile, you can discover further information about World Clean Up Day 2022, as well as plans for World Clean Up Day 2023, by visiting @worldcleanupday on social media or https://www.worldcleanupday.org/ Make sure to use the hashtag #beplasticaware for the latest updates or when you are posting to Social
#BEPLASTICAWARE IS A LONG-TERM FOCUS OF BITA, BRINGING ATTENTION TO THE ISSUES PLASTIC OVERUSE AND POLLUTION CAN DO.John FitzGerald, Chair of the Global Forum, stated it has been another productive year for the BITA Global Forum
In attempting to deal with stress, most of us can deal with the pressure that builds or we make a decision to seek a safe space to collect ourselves and regulate our sensory needs before returning to what we were doing. However, finding a suitable space can be a challenge for some, and without such a space, it can be hard to participate fully in education and society. Talents can be missed, and socialisation skills may be impacted.
Participation is an essential component of a healthy and fair society, whether religion, race, sexual orientation, disability or neurodiversity, society benefits from different perspectives (see page 17).
Neurodiversity is the concept that brain differences are natural variations – not deficits, disorders or impairments.i
Neurodiversity is a broad spectrum, it can mean ADHD, autism, dyslexia and others, and each of these affects the person differently. These individuals can face significant challenges daily; in many cases, their challenges are not visible to those around them, and others may be masking their symptoms to fit in which can be exhausting. Just like everyone else, no two neurodiverse people think, feel, or experience life, in the same way.
A trait that many of these people do share, is that they are more sensitive to noise, light and the environment than neurotypical people, and overstimulation can lead to a feeling of dysregulation and being overwhelmed.
Traditionally this has been managed by a sensory room, but these take up a lot of space, take time to use, and used properly, should be managed by an occupational therapist which is also costly. These factors mean that they are rarely found outside of specialist environments.
What was needed was something smaller, more reliable, faster and self-sufficient. Luckily that is exactly what Cubbie offers; a product manufactured in the UK and Ireland and with their head office in Co. Mayo.
David McIntyre, whose was inspired by his real-life family experiences, is the brains behind the Cubbie, and it’s those experiences that inspire him to continue to refine and perfect his product.
David explains: “I am the inventor and managing director of Cubbie. I have four wonderful children and a lovely wife. Two of
our children are autistic. Until we noticed their sensory sensitivity, we had no idea about autism.
Their school tried to help, but they, too, struggled for knowledge and resources. Like the teachers, we found this frustrating. I quickly decided I wanted to help solve the problem rather than fight the system.
I am an engineer by trade and used this skill to build the first Cubbie in my garage in my spare time. I wanted to help my children initially. It worked amazingly well; and my family loved it. Since then, Cubbie has become a successful business helping thousands of neurodiverse people participate more fully in education and society.”
So, what is a Cubbie? It is an easy-to-use, immersive, safe, personal space of sound and vision free of disruptions, driven by software and wheelchair friendly. It measures 1.7m square and is 2.3m high and runs off a standard 13-amp plug. Not just confined to schools; stadiums, hospitals, respite care and libraries are also installing them.
Most users have their own unique Cubbie Profile in the cloud created by the Cubbie occupational therapist in combination with their software. The advantage of a personalised Cubbie Profile is the software helps schedule Cubbie Sprints to prevent dysregulation keeping disruption to a minimum. It also means that users can pick up where they left off at their last session and progress is monitored. A session is called a Cubbie Sprint and lasts for between 5 and 15 minutes.
David explains, “We want the student to have maximum time in the classroom, not the Cubbie”.
Users can regulate their sensory needs predictably and reliably within five to fifteen minutes, and students are able to leave
STUDENTS, PARENTS AND STAFF REPORT CALMER, HAPPIER AND MORE SETTLED CHILDREN. THE CHILDREN RETURN TO THEIR CLASS READY TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR WORK.
whenever they want. This gives the student sufficient time to benefit from the experience while also being able to return to their daily routine very quickly, maximising participation. It also reduces teacher stress and disruption to the class.
The results have been incredible. With Cubbie, schools can do more with less. Schools report that they can manage more than twenty students with a Cubbie, verses a maximum of 4 without, freeing up precious teaching time. Although those with autism benefit the most from using a Cubbie, they are also extremely helpful for anyone with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia. Not to mention neurotypical students and teachers can use a Cubbie Sprint to ease their stress, anxiety and for mindfulness. Many Schools want a Cubbie but are facing a funding crisis and risk being unable to solve a real problem quickly, but businesses are stepping up. They partly or fully fund Cubbies for schools. Recent support has come from Walls Construction, AWS and Aviva as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Cubbie has received numerous awards for its lifechanging technology, such as the Innovation Award at the National Enterprise Awards 2022, an honour at the Diversity In Tech Awards, the BITA Charles Darwin award and the Causeway Exchange Health and Wellbeing award. But to David, the true triumph comes not from plaques, trophies, and nominations but from the ability to impact those who may require support the most positively. David concludes: “Society is rapidly changing to be more inclusive. There is more understanding and desire to include people, whether that be ramps for wheelchair users, hearing loops or textured pavements. A Cubbie helps neurodiverse people participate in and benefit from a full education and become active members of Society.”
Ultimately there are many things we can do to encourage participation and therefore enjoyment from our communities. Shopping centres have started having sensory hours when the lights are dimmed and music turned off, there is more acceptance of people wearing headphones in the workplace and a greater desire to find out what someone can do, rather than what they can’t. With the Cubbie, schools and parents can help children when they are still developing, help them back into the classroom to learn and socialise with others, and show them that they are cared for and understood.
If you want to learn more about Cubbie’s incredible work, you can visit their website https://cubbie.ie or www.Cubbie.co.uk
Check out Cubbie’s various social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. It could just prove to have a tremendous impact upon the lives of those that are closest to you, if not your own life too.
https://www.thebraincharity.org.uk/
UK based clients with Irish companies either as stand-alone entities or subsidiaries within their groups often ask us about the requirements to keep their company up to date in Companies Registration Office CRO (the equivalent of UK Companies House for republic of Ireland companies).
There are two separate filing points in the UK, the filing of a compliance statement and a separate time for the filing of year end accounts.
Unlike the UK there is no requirement for a confirmation statement to be filed in Ireland. Instead in Ireland these filing obligations are a single event. The filing is made up of the annual return (From B1) together with the year end accounts of the company attached at the same time and this becomes the information available on public record.
An Annual Return (Form B1) is required to be submitted by all companies, whether trading or not to the Companies Registration Office (CRO) at least once a year. After the initial 6-month return, all other returns must have financial statements attached.
The Annual return date (ARD) is set in the following ways:
• After incorporation – The company’s ARD is set as 6 months after this exact date and is exempt from uploading Financial Statements.
• When the financial year/period end is set for a company, the ARD must be submitted 9 months plus 28 days after this date. (Where the ARD falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a bank holiday Monday the 28-day period is extended to the next working day).
• The Annual Return must be e-filed online, and payment must be made by a CRO customer account or debit/credit card.
• After submitting the Annual Return, if Financial Statements are required (all subsequent annual returns except initial 6-month post incorporation return) you have a further 28 days to upload them and issue the relevant documents to the CRO.
• Where an annual return is sent back by the CRO for corrections or for fees, the CRO requires the corrected documents to be delivered to them within 14 days of the request letter from them.
For an initial meeting or discussion, please contact:
Aidan Scollard FCA
Partner and Registered Auditor - Roberts Nathan Email: aidan.scollard@robertsnathan.com Office: + 353 1 876 4550, Mobile: +353 86 25 23 026
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Many new companies will have difficulty in having financial statements ready for filing 19 months post-incorporation.
• Form B73 – One option available is to extend the Company’s second ARD to a later date to obtain the optimum gap of nine months between its financial year end and its ARD by filing A B73 form.
• Court appeal – If a company requires extra time to file its return, an application may be made to the District Court or the High Court by a company, on notice to the CRO, for an order extending the time for filing of a particular annual return.
It is important to make annual return filings on time as the company will otherwise incur a late filing penalty. Where an Annual Return (or if the Financial Statements are uploaded late the full Annual Return is deemed as late), resulting in late filing fees and where relevant the company will lose its audit exemption for the following two years. Late filing penalties apply at €100 + €3 per day up to a maximum of €1,240 per return.
Careful consideration is needed and consultation with the appropriate professional advisors should also be obtained (tax, accounting, or your legal advisors etc.,) in maintaining your Irish company.
With our services you have a professional and dedicated service with local knowledge and international experience from a contactable team to assist your company.
how to keep your
An IT strategy is a comprehensive plan that encompasses a business’ vision and strategic roadmap for IT. Including objectives, principles, tactics and goals, an effective IT strategy will focus on improving the IT infrastructure and services as well as plans for future development.
what are the benefits?
With an effective IT strategy, your business can reap a plethora of benefits: • Enhanced data collection, processing, governance and analytics • Strengthened cybersecurity and increased protection of data • Streamlined communication across employees improves processes • Increased efficiency and productivity
Outlined below are eight simple steps to help ensure you implement an effective IT strategy
First and foremost, an effective IT strategy should be tailored toward the overall goals and requirements of your business. Thus, the first step in any IT strategy should be to outline and understand the goals and requirements of each department within your business, as well as your overall goals and requirements. Once this holistic understanding has been achieved, an IT strategy specifically moulded to the makeup of the business can be devised; and maximum efficiency and success can be achieved.
If you don’t have someone within your organisation, engage an outsourced CIO (sometimes known as a Virtual Chief Information Officer or vCIO) to deliver essential business advice and offer the best solutions for your business. They consult on a range of aspects such as:
• Budget requirements
• Industry expectations and trends
• Business targets
• Existing infrastructure • Employee needs or concerns • Goals for the future
An IT strategy should not only focus on improving current business needs, but also forecast future industry developments to support your business’ ongoing progression. To achieve this, an understanding of the latest technological trends is required. This can be obtained from key stakeholders across departments who can tell you how they’re using technology and what the specific requirements needed for growth are. This will enable your business to remain competitive in all areas; utilising a well-detailed and comprehensive IT strategy to deliver industry-leading service.
Ideally, find people who are equipped with the knowledge and sector-specific expertise to design you a bespoke plan adapted to your industry and specific needs.
Once the business objectives and future projection have been outlined, an accurate timescale within which these goals are to be achieved must be decided. This will ensure the IT strategy addresses not only current business requirements, but also the future direction of your business. To make sure the long-term vision is met, milestones should be implemented along the way with regular periods to review the progress and effectiveness of the IT strategy.
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An effective IT strategy should have minimal disruptions and be cost-efficient. For this to be achieved, an audit of your IT requirements and the infrastructure available must be completed. From this, gaps and shortcomings can be identified and avoided, paving the way to a smooth and successful future.
With the aforementioned steps having been carried out, you now understand your IT position, what infrastructure is in place, and the direction needed. The next step is to map out the IT architecture that will drive your business toward its end goal. This is required of each specific department and must be integrated into the holistic needs of the business; this will allow you to obtain an understanding of how your entire IT infrastructure fits together.
6.
To know if an IT strategy is effective or not, a set of KPIs must be defined and analysed. This enables you to understand if you’re heading in the right direction and achieving the specific business objectives you predicted.
Now that the IT strategy has been designed, there must be financial support in place to execute it. Outsourcing your IT can regulate your spending and save you money because IT providers normally have the expertise to optimise your technologies and the experience to identify price-conscious and proportionate solutions. With their recommendations, you can improve efficiency and boost your performance all whilst reducing costs.
The final stage is making sure that the right resources are in place to see your strategy through. Whether that is using internal resources or by outsourcing, you need to ensure you have the right tools in place to achieve the ambitious objectives of your IT strategy.
To talk about your strategy, you can contact Mark at Pensar Systems Ltd: 0333 006 9550 www.pensar.co.uk - hello@pensar.co.uk
Practical HR have used technology to help deliver aspects of HR to help SME organisations save time and money, while reducing risk and ensuring compliance.
We asked Paula Fisher, Managing Director, to explain how they approach this and the benefits it brings to their clients.
“We have been providing HR services to our clients for over 20 years and we have always looked at how we could use technology to improve delivery and service levels.
A few years ago, we asked ourselves a simple question. What is the most common problem our clients (who are mainly SMEs) have when it comes to HR? The answer was easy. They struggle to keep up to date with HR & employment law, and the challenge of communicating important HR information to employees.
We understand why. SMEs are busy people with limited time and resources. However, not getting HR right can be fraught with danger. Case law is littered with examples of organisations losing employment tribunals because they could not evidence the right documentation, and/or that they had communicated this to employees.
So, we asked ourselves, how can we solve this problem? The answer was to develop our HR Portals, YourHR.space, which solves this problem and quite a few others! Our HR experts draft and tailor all the required HR information for the client, i.e., everything you would find in a good employee handbook, including HR policies and procedures, codes of conduct, working practices etc. We then present this on an HR Portal that is branded for the client. Every employee can access all the information they need via their company HR Portal using a secure log-in.
Importantly, when there is a change in legislation, we update the HR Portal for the client and communicate the change to every employee for them.
We also recommend additional content and policies when there are changes in social trends. For example, our HR Portals now have an optional wellbeing area and policies on home working and video etiquette. We can also automate the process of issuing contracts of employment to new starters via the Portal.
It’s very reassuring for our clients to know that they are always up to date and compliant. For employees it sends an important message that the business takes a professional approach to HR and provides them with access to everything they need.
We could not have provided this service 20 years ago as the technology
be that it guarantees compliance and communicates changes”.
But what about those SMEs who don’t want to invest in an HR Portal? They may be very small and don’t have the budget or prefer to do things themselves, but maybe with a little help.
“Ahh! This is where the HR Hub –YourHR.guide - comes in. This is the service that is included in your BITA membership and that gives you access to useful HR guides and templates.
There is an extended service that gives SMEs a really cost effective but comprehensive solution to their HR. YourHR.guide allows SMEs to put in place all the HR documentation they need themselves, using the templates provided. It also provides guidance on the most common HR problems that arise in the workplace.
was not available, and we have seen technology progress even further since the humble beginnings of YourHR.space that has allowed us to add many more tools, including a holiday management system and employee database, so that employee data and personnel files can be stored online, and lots of other useful tools to make managing HR easier. But its uniqueness continues to
And there are updates and notifications so you can keep everything up to date. Of course, its not the same as the HR Portal when everything is done for you, but it is an easy and cost effective tool for all your HR”.
Paula and her team will keep innovating and developing their HR solutions to make HR easier, so that SMEs can get on with running their businesses.
You can access the BITA HR Hub from your member support area: https://bita.ie/member-support/hr-hub.html
BITA has been working with our members to create our BITA Support Hubs. Full information about them is on the BITA website under ‘Member Support’, which includes information about the HR Hubs for the UK and Ireland that Paula has created, with help from PeopleTime for the Irish Hub. Our members benefit from free access to the hub, where they can find HR Guidance, HR Downloads, HR Templates and HR Compliance information. They can also upgrade to BITAHR membership which includes complete access to the whole site!
Contact enquiries@bita.ie for more information.
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