Business Cornwall Nov 22

Nick

nick@businesscornwall.co.uk

Toni

toni@businesscornwall.co.uk

Morveth

morveth@businesscornwall.co.uk

caroline@businesscornwall.co.uk

Ade

design@businesscornwall.co.uk

WELCOME

Tonick

BY EDITOR NICK EYRIEY

Always look on the bright side of life

These sure are crazy times.

Business needs certainty and stability, but with all the political turmoil at No 10 at the moment, certainty and stability has been replaced by total flux.

We’re on our fourth Chancellor in as many months, and who knows, by the time you read this we could be on our fourth Prime Minister in three years.

Those hands on the Governmental tiller are anything but steady.

But while these are challenging times to be running a business, there is a remarkable resilience being shown here in Cornwall. The feeling on the ground at the recent brilliant Planet C events and a really vibrant Cornwall Business Show was, despite everything, overwhelmingly positive.

Business networking is certainly back with a vengeance and there have been some great events in recent weeks. In this month’s magazine we meet one of the main drivers of the networking train here in Cornwall – Your Partnerships founder, David Brock.

Over the years, networking groups have come and gone in Cornwall with varying degrees of success. But what Brock has managed to achieve in a relative short space of time, you have to doff your cap to.

Finally, there is still time to enter your company into our quest for the Best Places to Work in Cornwall.

If your business has more than 15 employees and you think it’s a fantastic place to work, then please shout about it. Head over to www.bestplacestoworkincornwall.com for full details.

The big question

JOE NICHOLLS

Stephens Scown

The workplace has been redefined at scale over the last few years. For many, it is no longer identifiable by physical premises, but by a culture. That has perhaps always been true to some degree, but it is the broader environment that really attracts and keeps people engaged and enjoying what they do. Engagement is fundamental to creating that environment. It is achieved by ensuring a clarity of expectation in any given role or project, in recognising the value that each employee has, both in terms of what they bring and what they deserve to receive, and in empowering people to become accountable for their part in the bigger picture. However, it is also about balance. It is about developing a culture of understanding that work is an important part of someone’s life, but only a part. Through providing flexibility and recognition of the attractions, enjoyment and challenges that life outside of work brings, employers can reduce or remove the barriers to fulfilled and sustainable careers with them. Finally, there is fun to be had at work and encouraging this is essential.

TONY SAMPSON Naked Solar

I think there’s a lot of key ingredients to make work great so in no particular order….

1. A goal/target for the whole team to work towards.

2. An agreed purpose for the company (purpose over profit).

3. Regular team activities to ensure everyone gets to spend down time with everyone.

4.

to get a view of what everyone in the company does so you appreciate them more and are more appreciated yourself.

5.

6.

and compassionate approach to each other and to customers.

like health insurance, travel insurance, extra holiday options, flexibility, gym membership, employee discounts… all the usual stuff.

7.

8.

career paths with training and pay to ensure achievement is clear, progressive, achievable and rewarding.

in the

JOE TURNBULL Bull & Wolf

For me there are two key things. A workspace that looks nice, has great facilities and is generally a nice place to work in. Think plants, well stocked drinks, comfy chairs. But more importantly, it’s about the culture you create. You can have the nicest workspace, but it means nothing if your environment isn’t friendly, kind and collaborative.

NEIL EAMES

Federation of Small Businesses

There are so many things that can make a great place to work. Ultimately, it is determined by the people, who create the culture of the business. Great workplaces have a unique culture, which should be fun, collaborative, positive, encouraging, and trusting. This can be enhanced with strong leadership, and good company

values, but always focussed on the people, ensuring support, recognition of employee contributions, and creating an environment that encourages a positive and sustainable work/life balance.

CAROLINE CHILDS Careers Hub

Decent coffee, great colleagues to work alongside, approachable leaders, access to natural light and fresh air, a place for well-behaved furry companions too!

LAURA WHYTE Whyfield

A workplace is made great by the people. Of course, leaders need to be innovative and empowering but if the team aren’t invested with the company ethos it won’t feel genuine. People should feel safe and supported in their work environment and around their peers, and able to enjoy a role where they can develop and strive to be the best they can without judgement or constraints that stop creativity and collaboration from happening.

TOM BEAUMONT St Petrocs

A great workplace unites colleagues around a clear purpose and a shared set of values that are firmly embedded into the fabric of the organisation: for us at St Petrocs, our mission to end homelessness in Cornwall unites staff in all aspects of our work. In a great workplace, employees are treated fairly, compensated generously, developed continuously, and trusted whole-heartedly.

CONTENT AUDITS NEED TO BE PART OF YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY IN 2023

Consumers were 131% more likely to purchase from a brand with effective content. (Source: Conductor)

Besides showing you whether your content is working in general, a content audit also gives you concrete direction on areas you need to improve.

For example, you might find broken links you weren’t previously aware of, keyword opportunities you’re missing, absent metadata, and other issues you can easily address to improve your content’s usability and search visibility.

If you have a lot of content on your website, an audit can be a mammoth undertaking. However, completing a content audit is the only way to dig through your entire trove of content and get a true understanding of whether it’s serving your business or simply missing the mark.

Even if you have a very small business and not a lot of content, a content audit is still useful. It will help you optimise the content you do have so it performs at its peak.

CHRIS THOMSON, CEO, MARWICK MARKETING

LEGAL 500 PRAISE

Stephens Scown LLP and Coodes Solicitors both received glowing praise from industry guide, The Legal 500.

In addition to receiving the highest possible ranking for commercial litigation, employment and family law, the latest Legal 500 guide ranks Stephens Scown in a total of 18 sections based on the feedback of clients and peers. On top of this, 13 of the

POP-UP INNOVATION IN ST AUSTELL

The latest Pop-up Innovation Centre is ready for business.

Opened by Councillor Andrea Laxon, Mayor of St Austell, the St Austell Pop-up Innovation Centre is the latest fully-funded centre delivered by Acceleration Through Innovation 2 and the University of Plymouth to open for the business community.

Located within the White River Place complex, the facility is available for hot desking and business support, and will be open until the end of the year.

ATI2 programme manager, Jo Hancock, said: “We aim to support business owners and entrepreneurs who are wanting to work and connect to help spark new ideas and grow their business in Cornwall and beyond. The centre moves around the county and St Austell is our 12th opening since the programme began.”

ADVERTORIAL

firm’s legal advisers are singled out for praise, from rising stars to leading individuals.

Coodes’ personal injury and clinical negli gence, agriculture and estates and conten tious trusts and probate teams were under scored as “brilliant lawyers” in the directory.

Legal 500 says: “It has honed a deserved reputation in the region as worthy competition, with brilliant lawyers, a growing practice and a very longstanding pedigree of quality work.”

A luxury boat built by a Cornish company has been starring in a high-profile promotional campaign for fashion brand Michael Kors.

Cockwells Modern & Classic Boatbuilding’s Titian Tender can be seen speeding along the River Thames in London as part of a campaign for Michael Kors’ Fall 2022 collection.

The advertising campaign - titled ‘The Thrill of the Chase’ – shows “ultimate jet-setter, Bella Hadid leading Alton Mason to new heights in a case of mistaken identity”.

COCKWELLS ON THE CATWALK

Cockwells founder and MD, Dave Cockwell, said: “When Michael Kors contacted us to ask if they could hire the Titian Tender for their latest ad campaign, we relished the opportunity of partnering with such a prestigious luxury brand and are delighted with the result.”

PATENTS, ARE THEY WORTH IT?

By Frederick Noble, British and European Patent Attorney at Albright IP.

“Why bother getting a patent? I’ll never be able to afford to take anyone to court over it.” It’s something we hear quite a lot, and

it’s perfectly understandable that clients are concerned about the cost of enforcing rights. It is true that litigation is expensive – but not

sapc.co.uk

AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR CLEANER SEAS

Bude-based Cleaner Seas Group has secured nearly £1 million investment from business angels, institutional investors and high net worth individuals to help further develop its innovative washing machine technology, designed to significantly reduce microplastic pollution.

This latest investment exceeds Cleaner Seas’ initial target of £700K. The company has now launched a crowdfunding campaign seeking to raise a further £460K from members of the public who share its ambition to tackle the harmful level of microplastics going into the world’s oceans.

There are an estimated 1.4 million trillion plastic microfibres in our oceans, which

is devastating marine life and also impacting human health and wellbeing. Earlier this year microplastics were discovered for the first time in human blood and lungs.

The Cleaner Seas-designed retro-fit and integrated filter, which is compatible with all washing machines, captures and recycles microfibres as small as one micron.

The self-generated filter requires no mains power and includes a recyclable cartridge which prevents up to 700,000 harmful microfibres from being released into the environment every time a washing machine is used.

CEO Dave Miller said: “We’re very excited with the success of our last investment round and we hope to carry this momentum forward in our current crowdfunding campaign.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Local entrepreneur, Sam Downing, has received a £15k Start Up Loan to develop his running apparel business, Ponnek Ltd. The funding will help secure an ethical supply chain and purchase initial stock. Downing is currently the sole employee at Ponnek, however, he plans to take on a part-time employee within the first 12 months of trading.

Seasalt Cornwall has launched a major campaign in support of the mental health charity Mind.

All profits from sales of its Between The Lines Sailor Shirt, incorporating Mind’s signature blue against white, will go to the charity with the aim of raising £45k to provide help to anyone experiencing poor mental health.

The Alverton Hotel in Truro has named a new head chef. Ollie Wyatt joins the two AA Rosette restaurant from Michael Caines’ The Cove, where he was sous chef.

The Retail Fixers, run by retail specialist Michèle Poynter and offering specialist advice for retailers, has launched a new website. theretailfixers.co.uk offers a clean modern design, with improved functionality for easy navigation, that is user friendly.

Tickets are now on sale for the Cornwall Christmas Fair, which returns to the Eden Project on November 24, with a preview and shopping evening the day before. There will be more than 70 gift and craft stalls, with fundraising in aid of the Cornwall Community Foundation.

understanding the full range of options and benefits can lead to businesses, especially small ones, missing out.

Firstly, a patent can bring financial benefits just by being granted – the Patent Box tax relief applies a reduced rate of corporation tax to profits which are attributable to a patented invention. For a profitable company selling products, the annual benefit from this tax relief can work out at many times the cost of getting the patent in the first place.

Next, if you do need to enforce your patent, there are now a range of ways in which IP litigation can be funded. Insurance is an option well worth considering, and for

smaller businesses a range of “off-the-shelf” policies are available.

An annual premium is paid to keep the insurance in place, and as long as the policy is kept up, it will pay out in the event that you need to take legal action to enforce your patent. Importantly, policies are also available to pay your legal costs if an allegation of IP infringement is made against you.

A patent provides a deterrent, and our experience is that the deterrent works. For every patent infringement case we have been involved with in court, we have settled dozens of them without ever issuing a claim. That includes cases where we have acted

for an individual or small business against a large, sometimes multinational, company. The sheer size of an adversary can sometimes seem overwhelming, but a strong patent for a strong invention can be a powerful tool in anyone’s hands.

Albright IP, Pool Innovation Centre, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 3PL fnoble@albright-ip.co.uk +44 (0)1209 316161

COSMIC GIRL LANDS IN CORNWALL

The converted Boeing 747 that will be used for the first-ever satellite launch from the UK has touched down at Cornwall Airport Newquay.

Cosmic Girl will carry seven payloads into lower Earth orbit from Cornwall via the LauncherOne rocket on the aptly named ‘Start Me Up’ mission, Virgin Orbit’s first international launch.

It will now take part in a series of dress rehearsals in the run up to launch day, which is anticipated to be later this month.

Onboard Cosmic Girl was flight lieutenant Mathew Stannard, who will pilot the inaugural mission from Spaceport Cornwall.

He said: “It feels amazing to bring Cosmic Girl home to the UK. We are weeks away now from the first UK launch at Spaceport Cornwall so it’s all very real, I’m really excited to be here with the Virgin Orbit team.”

Melissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport Cornwall, welcomed Cosmic Girl to Spaceport Cornwall. She commented: “This is the moment we have been waiting eight years for and my team could not be more excited to welcome Cosmic Girl to the UK.

“A converted 747 using a converted airport to get to space is a perfect example of what we are working to achieve at Spaceport Cornwall. By making use of existing assets we want to set the bar for responsible launch - Starting Up launch in the UK with ‘Space For Good’ at its core.”

Mark Duddridge, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, added: “We’ve backed Spaceport Cornwall from the beginning, promoting Newquay as an ideal location and investing £2 million in new facilities. The arrival of Cosmic Girl marks an historic chapter for Cornwall’s space ambitions and we look forward to seeing the first satellites launched from UK soil.”

ADVERTORIAL

FSB MEMBERS WAVE GOODBYE TO TAX ENQUIRY WORRIES

By Ann Vandermeulen, development manager Cornwall

Whether you’re a sole trader, contractor or limited company, a letter from HMRC can fill you with dread - but it doesn’t have to.

With essential tax advice, protection against the cost of professional fees and expert

representation, FSB will cover you for up to £100k as part of your membership. Why me? Well it can be triggered by an error, something unusual or inconsistent or late payments. Around 7% are random

PHOTO: OLIVER TURRELL

WES INVESTING IN GROWTH

WES Engineering Solutions has invested over £420k in a new top of the range CNC milling machine as a consequence of new market growth, expanding its 24/7 machine running capabilities by 200%.

Group commercial director, James Gazzard, said: “2021 was a huge success for us. We grew our client base by 20%, developed new products and expanded our order book by 50%. With a forecasted 43% growth across the group for 2022/23, this latest investment is in direct response to customer demand.”

In the past year, the Redruth-based precision engineering firm has fought against the weakening automotive sector - which has been historically core to its product line - and strategically focused on expansions in the subsea, nuclear, oil and gas markets. The company says this has not only delivered greater sector infiltration in these markets but also led to an evolvement of the company’s manufacturing strategy as it migrates more into the ‘big batch’ engineering field.

but you must respond and you should have support to do this. It can take 3 to 6 months for simple cases and 18 months plus for anything really tricky and that can be costly.

Did you know that if it is found that a careless error has arisen, HMRC can go back six years and if the error was deliberate then HMRC is able to go back 20 years! Real potential for significant liabilities including statutory interest and much harsher penalties.

FSB have a team of experienced professionals who are all former tax inspectors. We don’t cover using your own

OLTCO REACHES LANDMARK

Newquay-based resin bound surface specialist, Oltco, continues to enjoy rapid growth having signed up its 50th franchise.

Oltco launched its first franchise business in 2019 and in its first year saw the network grow by 450%. In just three years, Oltco now has 50 franchised areas across the UK and Channel Islands and is looking to expand further.

Commenting on the latest addition, which covers Harrow, Ruislip and Hayes, codirector Johnny Pearce said: “Launching our 50th franchise area after three years is a huge business highlight. We aren’t stopping here as we look to continue our expansion across the UK and internationally.”

HUSA WORKSPACE OPENS

Hall for Cornwall has officially opened its new public and enterprise spaces.

The ‘Ope’ connects two popular Truro shopping streets via a walkway to the rear of the Cornwall Playhouse giving visitors a rare behind-the-scenes look at a working theatre.

And elsewhere within Truro’s creative hub, new workspaces have been unveiled to support emerging artists and the creative industries through Hall for Cornwall’s Husa brand.

accountant. However, where we require assistance from your accountant, any reasonable fees agreed in advance will be met.

If the enquiry starts by looking into your business accounts and then HMRC decide to look at your personal finances, our tax investigations service will even cover that. We don’t cover personal finances only but in certain instances we have been able to assist in cases where there is a business connection.

You can also call our tax line for general advice and guidance at any time, investigation or not.

Husa was officially opened by Chris Pomfret OBE, honorary vice president of Hall for Cornwall, and Mark Duddridge, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which helped fund the project with support from the Government’s Local Growth Fund and Getting Building Fund. Husa has also received support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Programme.

“The official opening of our new Ope and Husa workspace is a culmination of the spirit and vision that has guided the transformation of Hall for Cornwall,” said Julien Boast, CEO and creative director at Hall for Cornwall.

However, you need to be a member before the letter arrives. www.fsb.org.uk/join or call FSB Customer Services on 0808 2020 888

We meet David Brock, more commonly known by friends and business contacts as Brock. When he founded networking group

Partnerships nearly five years ago, it was only meant to be a little hobby. How times have changed!

DAVID

Your accent kind of gives away that you’re not from these shores. How did an American come to be in Cornwall?

I’m retired US Navy. I met my wife while I was stationed up in London through mutual friends. And we went back to the States and got married. And then I was posted to St Mawgan.

My wife is from the Kent area, so the whole plan at the time was when I finished with the military, was to get on the property ladder and go back to Kent or Surrey, something like that. But after six months of being in Cornwall, we didn’t want to go anywhere else. I was stationed at St Mawgan for four years and retired about 15 years ago. So, we’ve been in Cornwall now 19 years.

What was your first venture after leaving the Navy?

When I came out of the military I was running hotels and resorts, which happened to me by accident. I had a friend I knew through the children at the childcare centre on the base. And she invited me for coffee to talk to a hotel owner about something. And next thing is I’m running hotels and ended up working in the hospitality for about nine years.

My job in the military was in logistics, but they moved me into public affairs and community relations. So, I’ve always pretty much been a ‘people person’. But the thing with the hospitality industry is I was soon working 100 hours a week. I don’t mind, I’m a workaholic. But I never got to see my family. So, I stopped everything and started volunteering at the Cornwall Air Ambulance, which had just started up.

And then I was invited for

lunch by some business people who had an idea about me running a networking group in Cornwall. That had not been on my radar whatsoever. I’d been to about three networking meetings in my entire life before that. So, I had a look about what was happening with networking around Cornwall and everything at the time. And it started off just as a little part time hobby. We had this conversation in late 2017 and the first meeting was the following January.

Being fair about it, the FSB wasn’t really doing anything at that time. The Cornwall Chamber were doing a few things, but not a lot. And apart from a few pockets here and there, there just wasn’t much else going on. To begin with, our networking group was only designed to be for mid Cornwall and just one or two meetings a month, that was the plan.

Do you have vivid memories of that first meeting?

That was a quite a funny experience. It was up at the Victoria Inn at Roche. So, I said to Steve, who still runs it up there, can I book your little conference room upstairs which takes about 20 people. And he said we could also have the conservatory as back up, just in case. I didn’t think we would need it, but 67 people showed up for that first meeting. So, it was a good thing we had the backup room! It was a shock, an absolute shock. They just kept coming through the door!

And remember, this was just going to be a little hobby, that’s all it was ever supposed to be and it’s gone crazy!

When did it stop becoming a hobby? When did you see the beast it could be?

It’s just happened over time. As we were going along in Cornwall and moving into

new areas, then I had a gentleman come over from Devon to a meeting because he’d heard about it. Remember, we started out as Cornish Partnerships. But then he started his area, Devon Partnerships. And then we started getting interest throughout the south west going up into Somerset. So, in 2019 we rebranded as Your Partnerships. And then, of course, we all know what happened in 2020.

That must have been tough, running a networking business in lockdown?

It was interesting because I got very lucky just before lockdown when I met a person who had done a lot of online networking. So we were already set up by accident.

And I thought, the best thing we can do is make it free access for everybody. And by June 2020 we were holding 63 meetings a week! We had ambassadors in South Africa, all over Europe, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada. It was just nuts.

There seems to be a Your Partnerships meeting going on somewhere all the time.

Pretty much. There’s usually four or five things happening a day. Online has drawn down significantly since we’ve come out of lockdown, because people like to be face to face, but we still do about one a day. And we just opened up in Reading as well. But our strength really is from Bristol down to Cornwall. That’s the core and the large part of that core is still definitely Cornwall.

But not just new areas, we’re always looking at new types of meeting, industry specific meetings.

We’ve just started a Women in Business group and we’re in conversation of possibly a Men in Business group as well, to concentrate on health care needs of men.

Does networking change much outside of Cornwall, in terms of the style and vibe?

Networking is not selling to each other, it’s relationship building

It goes back to that original meeting with those gentlemen who asked me to think about starting a networking group. I did a lot of research on it, and it’s never really worked for those BNI-type larger networking groups in Cornwall. So the conclusion I brought to that is exactly what you’re alluding to, that if something’s ‘cookie cutter’, then it only fits if it fits. Right now we have people volunteering to be ambassadors in London, which is a whole different beast. So we’re working on the London project as we speak, about what that will look like, what will work for them, because it’s not going to work there like it works here.

Why does your model appear to work so well?

I think it’s just because it’s open, honest and friendly. And by just talking to people and asking what they like and what they don’t like. And one of the things they didn’t want is to be tied to contracts. So our core business is x amount per month for online and x amount for being a full member, and no contract. I see trends all the time where a person will get excited and join, be an active member for a few months and then quit, because they’re too busy. Then, and you can almost time it, six months later you’ll see them back again because they’re not so busy anymore. They remember how they got busy - by talking to everybody. So that’s fine, let them come and go as they as they need.

How do you strike a balance with number of events you have? Having so many, is there not a danger of spreading the jam too thin and numbers drop off?

I wish I had a magic answer for you. Sure, we have peaks and troughs and we have closed down some meetings, but not very often. We’re open to suggestions from members

and will try anything to see if it works. The women’s networking came that way, as did our new health and nutrition meetings. That’s exactly why the title is Your Partnerships. Whatever the network wants, it’s not mine, it belongs to the network.

In hindsight, I guess lockdown must have helped your business, with the online meetings engendering great loyalty.

The answer is, yes. The number of people who’ve said to us we’d given them a reason to get up. That human interaction became such a bonus for so many people.

You’ve gone beyond from just being a business group, haven’t you? There seems to be social group element, as well. Can mixing business with pleasure be a difficult thing to do?

Smart branding people might say Your Partnerships is ‘networking your way’ for the reasons I’ve already said, but I like the tagline ‘we like to have fun, but we want to get shit done’! It’s not a social group, but it is approachable. Going back to that London experiment, London is all about ROI, so the focus is different. They need to see results today. Whereas in Cornwall, and most rural areas to be honest with you, it’s more building the relationships. Relationships in London and the big cities is still important, they have their trusted network as well, it’s just done with a bit of a twist.

How many members do you have now?

We have 4,500 members totally. But as I said, we don’t have contracts and every single meeting also allows you to have guests. Some guests might attend only once every three months, some 10 or 12 a month, which

is not cost effective. To be more cost effective you should be a member, but it’s what they choose to do. So active paying members, that’s about 1,200.

What is the typical type of Your Partnerships member?

Around 85% of our businesses are startups, small SMEs and micros. But then again, that’s the makeup of the business scene in the UK. I would say a typical business is someone newer to an area, whether it be here or Plymouth or wherever it might be, trying to get established and build a network. That’s one type. And the other ones, of course, are the bigger players in the area that want to be seen. And one of the things we do pride ourselves on is as soon as we hear about a need, we’ll connect them. An example of that would be if I have a new member that says I really need a website, so I will then connect them with every single website developer in our membership that fits their criteria.

It can be a lonely thing running a small business.

Yes. Many might just be sole traders. It’s nice when they come to an event. Some will tell me they can’t take on more business, but they want to come to an event just to be around people and just to bounce ideas off. And that’s the biggest thing with networking, I don’t care where you go, the more help you give, the more help you’ll get back.

You’re probably too modest to agree, but without you Your Partnerships probably wouldn’t be anywhere near as successful as it would. Just your energy and enthusiasm. Do you never get weary?

I have no idea how to answer that! I’m not going to take any credit, I give it all back to the members.

We’re open to suggestions from members and will try anything to see if it works

I actually get energy from it. I’ve always been a workaholic, I love it. If I’m awake, I’m working. But at the same time, it doesn’t feel like work. I don’t feel like I work a single minute. There are certain things, like with any business, I want to grow to the next level, so I can dump some of the admin things, things you typically enjoy doing less. I now have an admin assistant which helps, but it’s also my personality, I just can’t let go of stuff either.

Does that stem from the early days, when you were in the military?

There’s probably a bit of that. Who knows, who knows. I just keep doing it the only way I know how.

I always call it a hobby that just got out of hand! Simple as that. After leaving the military, I couldn’t stay home, my wife would have killed me. That was

part of the motivation, she married a navy man. I’m not supposed to be at home. She changed the locks anyway!

But Warren D’Souza helps me out in Cornwall all the time. And we have 57 Ambassadors now all helping run the various meetings. All these people are taking a little bit of the load off me. We share it together.

With new meetings up in Bristol, Reading, London and everywhere, you must rack up the miles!

The van does do some miles, that’s for sure. But it’s what it needed after sitting around during the pandemic. I got my van delivered two weeks before the first lockdown. We said at the time that you got three or four months to the tank. Now it’s about three days!

I try to get around to as many meetings as I can around the country to support the ambassadors but they’re the ambassador, it’s their meeting, so I sit back as much as possible.

The ambassadors wasn’t even my clever idea. It was from one of the members, John Pomeroy, who said you need ambassadors because you can’t be omnipresent, you can’t be everywhere. And he said, then it would be really nice when you come in, because we could say “look, there’s a guy that started it.” That was the part I didn’t like, because it’s just not my personality. It’s not about me, it’s about the network.

And you let these ambassadors be their own people. No presentation training as such?

We just do the general stuff about what they want their meeting to be like. We’ve got one ambassador who always loves to do thought provocative questions. We’ve got other ones that literally just do social networking with no structure whatsoever, it’s just getting people together. So yeah, it just depends on what we’re doing.

One thing I would like to do more of is social events, gigs, comedy, theatre, things like that, where you can take the whole family. It’s not really a networking event as such, but mixing business with pleasure.

Networkers are going to talk business, no matter where they are. You could put them at a wake and they’ll still find a way to talk business.

I listen to lots of people to learn lots of things

Your business is your family as well, of course. So if there’s a nice event that we’re doing, and you’re bringing your friends, your relatives and your neighbours, they just happen to go “what is this Your Partnerships stuff all about”? They might be an independent taxi driver, I don’t know, it might mean X, Y, or Z, so if it turns into business turns into business.

You’ve enjoyed fantastic success in relative little time.

We’ll be five years old in January, with two years of pandemic thrown in the middle. And now people are talking about economic decline, blah, blah, blah, but as with anything in life, that also brings opportunity, so you just have to have to roll with the changes.

But I guess networking is not for everybody?

No and that’s important to understand. I would estimate it’s only between five and 10% of businesses that will ever network. It can be easily dismissed. Once a month we do a networking workshop, because a lot of people don’t understand enough about how to leverage it.

And it can be quite intimidating for first timers, walking through that door when everyone else knows one another. How do help those people?

We know when someone’s new because they’ve taken a guest ticket or whatever. We make sure to be looking for them and welcome them. And then also whenever an event is going on, always be looking around, this is really a bad way to put it, but looking for the wallflowers, those looking in from the outside and bringing them in.

Here’s a little networking tip for anybody. If you see someone new, take someone you know over to the new person or bring that new person to a you and introduce the new person to the person you know, talk all great things about this person that you know, and about how they help people, find out about the new person, and then walk away.

And the reason that’s important is because the person you helped by telling how great they are, they’ve got a new conversation, the new person has been welcomed in which is most important, but then the person that you talked well about, well, they’re going to they’re going to want to repay you for that kindness! Then the new person will think, what do you do, and will then seek you down! It’s interesting and it absolutely works.

Do you get many people who come to just the one meeting and never return?

Of course and we try to follow that up. But there are some people who have said over the years, “it’s just not for me”. And the opposite. We’ve a few face to face networkers that could not stand the online and literally tried a couple of times and then let me know, “It’s just not for me”.

You can’t build the same type of relationships online, I don’t care when anyone tries to tell me. The other thing, and I hate to I hate to say it but it’s just the truth, but online also attracts a lot of sellers, Networking is not selling to each other, it’s relationship building. It is selling eventually, but it’s through that whole process.

You must also get people in the face to face meetings, who are there purely to sell. Salesmen sent by their boss to sell, sell, sell!

We do and then we retrain them. But another thing I always say, every time we open a meeting we open two doors. We open the front door, let everybody in and greet them and we open the back door because anybody who is there just to sell to the room, they can just keep going through the room and go out the back door because it’s not going to work.

Are most people at the meetings the business owners and managers rather than salespeople?

You get a real mixture. And it’s real funny because sometimes the business salesman or even the some of the lower managers actually network a lot better than the owners. A lot of business owners just aren’t comfortable networking.

A good example of that is we’ve got a really good business owner who does very highend techy work. The problem that she has is her techie guys are all of that type thing, they have that type of personality, there’s no way in the world they want to network. But then she tries to get BDM salesmen to go sell what they do. But because it’s such a high in tech, trying to get a salesman to understand all of it is hard as well. So we’re doing this experiment, we’re actually trying to have one of our hypnotherapist members to talk to a couple the techies who might be able to be okay at

networking and help them break that barrier. It’ll be interesting to see how it works.

You really are a networking guru aren’t you! (laughs) You just see what works and what doesn’t work. I’m no genius, you just pick it up. I’m interested in people, that’s all. I listen to lots of people to learn lots of things. Every day’s a school day, as I say, I used to have an old saying, you learn something every day, right? And just have fun with it. That’s the main thing. Just have some fun. And that’s what works. Don’t take life too seriously, because nobody gets out alive.

We’re always looking at new types of meeting

Over the next few pages we present seven worthy causes who deserve support from the business community.

helpinghands

Len Dean, VAT partner at accountancy firm Bishop Fleming, explains the VAT implications of ‘Non-Business’ for charities.

Following significant VAT caselaw developments in recent years, HMRC notified a major change in its VAT policy on the question of ‘Business / Nonbusiness’ with Revenue & Customs Brief 10 (2022) issued on 1 June 2022.

The VAT determination of ‘Business/Nonbusiness’ is not defined in detail in the VAT legislation, is complex, and often has significant implications for affected taxpayers, such as charities, not-for-profits, funded organisations, and in HMRC’s view, some commercial circumstances. This is important as VAT

can’t usually be claimed on costs relating to Non-Business activities. On the flip side, there are some valuable charity VAT reliefs that only apply to Non-Business use by the charity, such a zero-rating new Relevant Charitable Purpose buildings, reduced rate VAT on fuel and power, and some VAT recovery rules for specific types of charity.

I recently presented on this subject at the Charity Finance Summit in London with the aim of helping organisations to interpret HMRC’s new policy, look at the key points from VAT cases before and since the HMRC Brief, and to identify how to navigate this issue.

In summary, the 2018 Court of Appeal VAT decision in Wakefield College has established a 2-step test to determine if something is Non-business, and HMRC has based their new policy on this, as follows:

• Stage 1: The activity results in a supply of goods or services for consideration

• Stage 2: The supply is made for the purpose of obtaining income therefrom (remuneration)

These need to be considered on a caseby-case basis, and the VAT Tribunal has continued to use the Wakefield 2-step test in relevant cases since, applying them in a “wide-ranging objective test of economic activity”.

It remains to be seen how HMRC will seek to apply this in practice, and whether it will simplify the position for charities, but our VAT team would welcome the chance to discuss with affected charities.

For further information or advice on Charity VAT, contact Len Dean at ldean@bishopfleming.co.uk or on 01392 448803

Often has significant implications for affected taxpayers

Cornwall

From

To

Meet

This

PENTREATH PROMOTING GOOD MENTAL HEALTH

Pentreath is a Cornish mental health charity that was established over 30 years ago.

We pride ourselves on working with people on a 1:1 basis to help them

alongside mental and emotional

often involves inclusion within the community, education,

employment.

advisors are skilled and

well as being friendly, supportive and inclusive to all.

Our Recovery College delivers courses across the whole of Cornwall

is open to both unemployed and employed learners. We offer

help

people who are experiencing mental ill health. These courses

to identify and manage your mental

live the

want.

challenges

CITIZENS ADVICE SUPPORTING PEOPLE

CORNWALL

“Suddenly going from full time employment to sick pay

a huge strain on my

especially when trying to

to and from appointments with only one

and children that needed to get to school.

“It was hard enough going through the diagnosis and

without having to try and work out what support

could get to help us with everyday living. We hadn’t

benefits before so it was all new to us.

“Citizens Advice Cornwall helped us work through it all and find what we were entitled to, which saved us so much time and stress enabling us to focus on other things.” –

To find out how you can help us to continue to

Let’s face it.

Every team and every organisation is fighting a battle.

So,

if you struggle to work toward a common goal

if you know your organisation isn’t reaching its full potential or

if you worry that low morale is damaging workplace culture if you want effective teams and engaged, motivated employees ...

…Active Plus are here to help.

The leadership skills learned in the British military are second to none. So, our military veterans design and deliver award-winning courses which provide lasting change.

That’s how they help your organisation win.

But Active Plus’ story is about helping veterans win too...

Leaving the armed forces can be a tough transition. But by joining Active Plus, veterans learn to recognise the enormous value of their skills in the workforce. Here they continue to make a difference by transforming businesses and changing lives.

Take a lesson from the military, and everybody wins.

Half day sessions for 4-12 people just £650. Courses available:

• Teambuilding

• Confidence and motivation

• Resilience

• Leadership.

Training that gets remembered. Results that last.

We’ve helped 7,000 people grow in confidence, resilience and leadership. Book your course today by calling 01326 567174 or emailing admin@activeplus.org.uk

AT ST PETROCS, WE BELIEVE NO ONE SHOULD BE HOMELESS IN OUR SOCIETY.

We provide advice and support to those who are facing losing their home or experiencing homelessness, and provide accommodation around Cornwall with support tailored to each resident.

Our Vocational Development Programme offers a sustainable approach to ending homelessness for good, supporting people towards employment. Shaped by the needs and interests of each participant, the programme gives opportunities with training providers and employers around Cornwall (image shows Jason at work with his new welding business).

Business Club members help our work to end homelessness by directly supporting the Vocational Development Programme.

Over a year, a monthly £100 donation could support three of our clients into employment and out of homelessness, equipped with skills, qualifications and experience.

•

•

•

•

Funds could cover:

needs

of work clothes/PPE

experience

costs

•

•

• Engagement and wellbeing activities

Our relationship with every business is unique, developing meaningful connections with each team to find the best way for businesses to support our work. To find out about exclusive opportunities available for members, please visit our website.

The St Petrocs Business Club is for organisations who wish to regularly donate and see the benefits of changing lives. Become a member and help end homelessness in Cornwall.

Visit stpetrocs.org.uk/businessclub or call 01872 260948 to find out more.

SEA SANCTUARY LOOKING AFTER EMPLOYEE WELLBEING

From entry level to C-suite officers, the wellbeing of workers is an important aspect for any business. Studies have shown happier teams are more productive, so having mental health initiatives in place is vital for an organisations success and retaining top talent. One way to boost employee wellbeing is to provide specific workplace wellbeing support. Employee Assistance Programmes are designed to raise awareness of how to look after mental health and offer employees regular check-ins with mental health specialists. Another, is to nominate a Wellbeing Champion for your business, who can provide support to teams after undertaking a short course.

Sea Sanctuary offers both these services on board The ARC, a 180ft floating wellbeing hub in Falmouth.

Visit bit.ly/3yeiF1V to find out about their upcoming 2-day Wellbeing Champion course on November 22 and March 14. Alternatively, email hello@seasanctuary.org.uk or call Kim on 01326 378919.

Scan to watch our Vocational Development film.

Photo: Redruth Enterprise Park

Alder King’s most recent Market Monitor report says much of the south west commercial property market enjoyed a “buoyant” first half of 2022.

It says headline rents for new business space has risen to record levels, while enquiry and transaction levels across all sectors has held up well, despite the gloomy economic backdrop.

In Cornwall, or Truro more specifically, the report says office “supply remains consistent, but with a greater level of reasonable quality space now available in the city centre” but that while locations outside the city have on occasion achieved higher rents, “this is not consistent”.

In the industrial and logistics sector, the Market Monitor says that “applicants continue to report difficulty in acquiring space that meets their requirements, which is resulting in continued rent and price growth”.

It also points to an increase in new development “as rental growth is improving viability issues around new build, balanced in part by rising build costs”.

The Market Monitor, however, reflects on the first six months of the year. Much has happened in the interim.

John Lowry is partner and head of commercial at Falmouth-based law firm Hine Downing. He says that having weathered the pandemic, the commercial property sector in Cornwall now faces the challenge, like all business and residential sectors, of unprecedented rises in utility and supply bills.

“This comes at a time of steeply rising interest rates which have been at historically low levels

for so long that we have all become slightly blasé about the prospect of them risingwhich they have now done quickly over a short period and look set to continue upwards.

“This hardening of rates has made finance more difficult and more expensive to negotiate than it has been for the last few years.”

He says all these factors make for a difficult environment to start up and sustain profitable businesses in.

“The political and economic uncertainties are not encouraging of business start ups and landlords may yet again face the prospect of empty properties attracting business rates if they hold out for too high rents.”

Demand remains high across Cornwall and the wider

Freehold

sold to a private developer off an

2 Princes Street, Truro

price of £350,000

Forming part of the iconic Tudor-Gothic building in central Truro,

Boscawen St, boasting a number

Grays Wharf, Commercial Road, Penryn

to a

investor

industrial unit in Bodmin’s main industrial estate

property

sold with vacant possession

an asking price of £800,000 and let in it’s entirety to a global communucations

1 Frances St, Truro

an asking

of £675,000

A multilet former warehouse property fronting the Penryn

a

an

sold to a private investor off an asking price of £315,000

In an enviable corner position on one of the main routes into Truro centre,

the

a

Robert Churchill, senior commercial property manager at Treveth, points to a common challenge in Cornwall – a lack of quality supply.

“Within the office sector, there has been limited enquiries, but due to the current lack of availability, tenants have resorted to looking at general industrial units with the view to installing a mezzanine to create the necessary additional floor space.

“Demand for the larger units is less apparent as these tend to come to focus once developments are active and the project can be seen to be progressing.”

viability of the schemes we are progressing and even with the positive increases in the rental values now being realised in Cornwall, there is still a large viability gap that we are seeking to bridge.”

MARKET OPPORTUNITY

More expensive debt is putting downward pressure on the commercial property transaction market as a whole, however we are still seeing significant appetite for businesses and investments from local and national buyers. Looking at foreign investment into Cornwall, the weakened pound has fuelled appetite from American buyers, who see this as a particularly good opportunity to ‘get their feet on the ground’ here.

Rising prices and the economy are having a clear impact.

Finishing this roundup on a positive note, however, Duncan Powell, group planning director at Acorn Property Group, says that since the pandemic increasing numbers of people from up country have been wanting to live and work in Cornwall. And this has helped benefit local communities, as year-round demand for retail and services had historically been an issue with commercial ventures in the county.

demand and an influx of new, interesting, and importantly viable businesses.

“The growth of Newquay Aerohub and Spaceport are also factors.

“Newquay demonstrates that a good and varied supply of homes results in a strong commercial sector – building where people want to live and work.

“Traditional retail units focused on a covenant-based leasing strategy struggle in today’s world of rising costs, we’re now seeing flexibility/repurposing and ESG being key market drivers - it’s no longer about creating identikit high streets.”

He says the focus on repurposing existing buildings is bringing to light the need to think more broadly about town centres.

“Increasing numbers of landlords are moving away from covenant-based leasing to a more flexible partnership-based strategy, especially in areas like Cornwall with a greater proportion of independent businesses.

“Flexible leases, turnover leases and a range

James Laskowski – Laskowski & Co

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MATTERS

The

ENERGY – Since April 2018, the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards Regulations (MEES), have required a minimum energy

standard of E before a lease of commercial property can be granted. Come 1 April 2023, landlords won’t be able to continue to let commercial properties on existing leases without meeting that minimum standard, unless certain exemptions apply.

This latter requirement was always planned but many landlords had their energy strategy knocked off course by Covid and would be well-advised to assess their portfolio now to identify any sub-standard properties, assess

works needed to improve energy

consider whether any

apply – while developing a longer-term strategy to achieve a B rating by 2030 in line with the Government’s 2020 Energy White Paper. It’s also a good time to be fine-tuning some ‘green’ clauses for your leases.

RATES – April 2023 also sees the business rates revaluation, which will place new rateable values on business properties based on rental values as at 1 April 2021. The current ratings list runs from April 2015, so it’s likely there will be significant changes to reflect variations in rent

since then. However, there is concern that high inflation could result in the ratings list being set at an uncomfortable level for many businesses, with many company owners too distracted by wider pressures in the economy to focus on challenging their rates bill. We recommend you seek the advice of a business rates specialist to check you’re going to be paying at the right level before the list goes live in April.

WHERE IS THE MARKET HEADING?

As a commercial surveyor working in the agency department, I am regularly asked how the market is performing.

The answer is perpetually evolving and is often best answered with “we cover a broad spectrum of commercial property and Cornwall is a microclimate of further microclimates.”

However, there remains a consistent thread in our responses and that is the performance of the industrial market where demand continues to outstrip supply.

business owners relocating their businesses, as well as their families, to Cornwall and from startups reacting to redundancies caused by the pandemic.

Demand continues to outstrip supply

Prior to 2020, rental growth of industrial units was continuing to grow at a steady rate and breaking the ‘magical’ £10 Per Square Foot barrier was almost unheard of for smaller premises.

As the market reacted to the easing of lockdowns, demand for industrial properties increased primarily for two reasons: Firstly, logistics companies and web-based retailers required more properties to satisfy the demand presented by online shopping which soared during the various lockdowns and has largely remained in place since.

The second, source of demand was from

Prior to the outbreak of Covid, the Cornish industrial market was already undersupplied with very few new ‘speculative’ developments having been undertaken for the last 15 years. The end rental values were generally so low that without grant funding, building into negative equity was more of a probability than a maybe. Furthermore, the values of residential development land exceeded the value of commercial land, so it was natural for developers to focus on house building instead – this is still largely the case in many areas.

However, the events of the last two to three years have seen rental values increase sharply and not only has the £10psf threshold been passed, it has been exceeded significantly with rents as high as £16.50 psf achieved for

lock up industrial space near Redruth with many other lettings at similarly high levels.

We have also seen a new focus on industrial developments from investors and developers alike who are developing speculative industrial units as the increase in rental figures not only makes it viable but offers attractive advantages over traditional house building. As one of our customers commented:

“Why would I build houses when industrial units are in short supply and not only simpler but quicker and cheaper to deliver?”.

That’s before they discussed the ability to retain all or some of the units within a tax efficient wrapper.

So where do we see the market heading?

As Energy Performance Ratings affect all property sectors and the cost of utilities is a significant consideration for all businesses, the demand for modern energy efficient, well insulated properties are going to become increasingly sought after and our advice to developers will be to focus on creating units that deliver these benefits.

Thomas Hewitt, commercial surveyor at Miller Commercial, offers his thoughts.

Showcasing

The Cornwall Place Board doesn’t want to be Cornwall’s best kept secret any more… the small team of volunteer trustees who have been diligently building the resources to help Cornwall take the world by storm have just reached another major milestone in that journey – their 1,000th ambassador.

Formed as a Community Interest Company at the end of 2017 and chaired by James Staughton OBE DL, the four trustees and advisory board have succeeded in creating a real buzz around promoting the capabilities, prospects and ambitions of the county. The main vehicle for this is the

cornwall.uk website, a resource for the whole of the Duchy.

Set up by The Place Board as part of the G7 legacy, it signposts and complements, rather than competes with, existing mainly sector-based resources such as Visit Cornwall, Cornwall Food and Drink, Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, Business Cornwall and indeed Cornwall Council’s own website.

With page views doubling every few months and with up to 5,000 impressions a day, it is fast becoming a go-to portal for all things Cornish. Great stories about the Duchy’s heritage, environment, business and community

are all showcased on the site, with new contributions always welcome.

But it is the authentic voice of real people which really has an impact, and so, with this in mind, the Place Board started an ambassador programme. Launched only last year, the scheme is intended to mobilise a ‘Trelawny’s Army’ of people passionate about Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. With cornwall.uk behind them to provide context and support, ambassadors are encouraged to spread the word about Cornwall each in their own individual way.

Feedback from the growing cohort of ambassadors is also used to shape the tone and much of the content of the website. Drawn from the widest cross-section of society, and with many outside the Duchy

With over 1,000 ambassadors from as far afield as California, Japan, Nigeria (and even Devon!), the Cornwall Place Board is well on its way to achieving its ambitious goals by championing Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for One and All.

A Trelawny’s Army of Ambassadors!

Cornwall to the world

(and indeed the country), ambassadors are able to add a digital badge to their social media, as well as wear a pin-badge denoting the Cornish Bezants, with pride.

The 1,000th ambassador to sign up was Mark Mitchell, chairman of Cornwall Glass, which spans glass manufacturing and retail across over a dozen sites in the south west.

“Having seen someone with an ambassador badge the other day, my daughter and I jumped on the website to find out more. As a manufacturer, retailer and employer of 300 colleagues in the south west, we are always flying the flag for Cornwall across the UK and this scheme feels like a great way for more people to get involved. Getting the call that I was the 1,000th ambassador put a real smile on my face!”

But it isn’t just business folk signing up –students, fishermen, nurses, surfers and councillors are all out there proudly sporting their badges and having a real influence on how the Duchy is being seen by the rest of the world. The goals are of course to improve the long-term economic outlook of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and changing perceptions, attracting inward investment and promoting the business opportunities the Duchy has to offer are all part of the plan.

But this is a long game, and mobilising real people to share their stories is giving the Duchy a wider audience, building the image of Cornwall as a great place to work, create and live, and not just the perfect holiday destination!

Robert Salvoni, a director on The Place Board

and a local business mentor, says: “Now that we have hit 1,000, let’s go for 20,000 – a Trelawny’s Army of Ambassadors!

“Signing up is easy – just go to cornwall.uk and click on ‘join us’. We welcome ambassadors from every background, and from all over the world. To be born and bred in the Duchy is a great privilege, but if you weren’t, that doesn’t mean you need be any less passionate about Cornwall nor able to be a great ambassador. We all share the same goals, and in my experience, converts often make the strongest evangelists!

“We are delighted that Business Cornwall has been named as cornwall.uk’s official business media partner, and we look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration acting in the interests of the Duchy.”

A small-scale, sustainable sardine fishery in Cornwall has won the backing of the UK’s largest retailer, Tesco, with the launch of a sardine product marking the first time the Cornish sardine is being canned in the UK for sale within the domestic market.

The launch of the new Tesco Cornish sardine product follows a remarkable turnaround for the fishery after pilchards were rebranded as Cornish sardines in the 1990s later becoming certified as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) Fisheries Standard in 2010.

The Cornish sardine fishery is made up of 15 vessels under 15m in length, usually consisting of a skipper and two crew. The vessels, which use ring nets, leave from Newlyn, Mevagissey, Falmouth and Plymouth from the start of the season in July through to February.

One of the fishermen, Tom Pascoe, says: “This fishery has been a huge success and we want to ensure it goes on as much as possible. It’s fantastic to have this new Tesco product in store and the backing of a major retailer.”

While MSC labelled sardines have previously been available in UK supermarkets, they have mostly been sold fresh on fish counters, or in frozen or chilled packs. Most sardines consumed in the UK are sold in a can and the vast

majority of canned sardines sold in UK supermarkets come from Morocco from a fishery that has not yet gained MSC certification.

In order to start canning this new product in the UK, Tesco has worked closely with International Fish Canners, which has been involved in the fish processing business for over four generations and remains the only fish canning plant in the UK.

Carmen Stone, buying manager for packaged food at Tesco, explains:

“Together with our supply partners, Interfish and International Fish Canners, as well as support from MSC, we’ve been working behind the scenes to help our Cornish fishermen and create a wholly British supply chain for Cornish sardines.

“They really are a versatile, costeffective lunchtime option, and thanks to their MSC certification, customers can be reassured they’re playing their part in helping to promote healthy and sustainable marine environments.”

Sardines, or pilchards as they were previously known, have been fished in Cornwall for 500 years and at the beginning of the twentieth century there were dozens of plants salting pilchards in Cornwall supplying the booming Italian, Spanish and French market. But by the 1980s, with alternatives of fresh and frozen fish, little pilchard fishing took place due to limited market opportunities.

A FISHY BUSINESS TALE…

In the 1990s, ring nets replaced drift nets and pilchards were rebranded as sardines which led to a rise in demand.

In 2007, under the EU’s protected names scheme, the name ‘Cornish sardine’ was granted the Product of Geographical Indication (PGI) status, meaning that sardines can only carry that name if the fish are caught within six miles of the Cornish coast, landed and processed within the Duchy of Cornwall or the port of Plymouth.

MSC UK & Ireland programme director, George Clark, says: “Cornish sardine fishermen have been looking for this kind of support from UK retailers for a number of years and it is fantastic to see that Tesco have now put their catch on the canned aisle shelf at hundreds of stores.

“The Cornish sardine has an incredible history, a story that goes back centuries, and at one point the preserving of sardines was the bedrock of the local economy for fishing communities in the south west. The canning or preservation of Cornish sardines is as relevant now as it was back then, with the introduction of this new product.”

The Cornish sardine is currently the only MSC certified source of the species (Sardina pilchardus) worldwide. To be certified as sustainable a fishery must fulfil three core principles: the fish stocks must be at a level that fishing can continue, the environmental impact must be minimised and the fishery must be well managed.

£500K INVESTMENT FOR DRINKS BRAND

North Cornwall-based drinks brand, Pentire Drinks, has secured a £500k equity investment from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) as part of a £3 million funding round.

The CIOSIF investment, along with matchfunding from private investors, will be used to grow the team by creating ten new positions over the next three years along with expanding multiple areas of the business.

Pentire is a direct-to-consumer led, omni-

channel business with its non-alcoholic botanical spirits championed by chefs across Cornwall and the UK, including Rick Stein, Nathan Outlaw, Paul Ainsworth and Emily Scott. The company’s products can also be found in Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Fenwick, The Pig Hotels, Soho House Group, Daylesford and Planet Organic.

The business has created Pentire Seward and Pentire Adrift, which are made by distilling plants native to the local coastline. Pentire is also a certified B-Corp business and donates proceeds to the Blue Marine Foundation.

Co-founder, Alistair Frost, said: “The non-alcoholic spirits sector is thriving and Pentire is growing along with it. We’re well on the way to becoming an easily recognisable brand and this funding will enable us to continue this rate of growth and put Pentire firmly in the drinks cabinets of people across the globe.”

TRENCHERMAN’S TURNS 30

The latest edition of the south west’s original fine dining guide has been published.

For 30 years, the Trencherman’s Guide has revealed the most notable dining experiences in the south west, including places to dine and stay.

Over its three-decade history, the guide has tracked the careers of some of the region’s most notable chefs – from Michael Caines MBE to Nathan Outlaw.

The 30th edition features 116 Trencherman’s member restaurants spanning from Cornwall to the Cotswolds. Restaurants are only invited into the guide on meeting strict scoring criteria based on AA, The Good Food Guide and Michelin Guide ratings, along with grading visits by experienced

Trencherman’s food journalists.

Trencherman’s chairman, Michael Caines, said: “This 30th edition is a fantastic opportunity to look back at the progress that’s been made in the south west dining scene over the last 30 years.

“I think what’s driven the success of the south west as one of the UK’s leading areas for restaurants and hospitality (and why people like to visit) is our connection with the produce grown and reared here.

“We also have a fantastic food community and a wealth of talent – both chefs and service staff. And when you combine those with the natural beauty of the place, it’s no coincidence the south west hospitality scene is buzzing.”

NEW BREWERY OPENS

St Ives Brewery has opened new, larger premis es on the Marsh Lane Industrial Estate in Hayle.

Having secured significant investment, a new brewery and tap room has been built in Hayle, with a capacity for 40,000 litres, or 80,000 bottles of beer a week.

MD Marco Amura said: “We have always been ambitious and single minded in perfecting the art of brewing. We believe that the market for high quality craft beer is still growing and we want to grow with it. We want to provide a home for beer enthusiasts locally and help to share Cornwall with a wider audience.”

St Ives Brewery started over a decade ago and is no stranger to big projects. Its original home in St Ives was shaped from an old toilet block, but it has continued to grow, rebranding and launching and launching a new website over the last couple of years.

The new facility features a state-of-the-art brewery with bottling and canning facilities. The brewery is a four vessel brewhouse with integrated fermentation tank farm.

SKINNERS IN ADMINSRATION

Truro-based Skinner’s Brewery has ceased trading. The brewery, which was founded in 1997, called in the administrators last month.

Owner Steve Skinner said in a message posted on Twitter: “Our strong hope is that a buyer can be found, and that the brewery in some form will continue to be part of life in Cornwall for many years to come.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff, stockists, suppliers, the ‘Skinner’s Beer Tribe’ and the whole commu nity for so many years of steadfast support.”

Bishop Fleming has been appointed administrator.

COUNTDOWN TO TOURISM AWARDS

The finalists have been announced for the 21st year of the Cornwall Tourism Awards, which will be presented in Truro Cathedral this month.

After three months of judging, 63 finalists have been announced for this year’s awards, with the winners announced on November 17.

This year’s awards have taken ever greater account of entrants’ commitment to the environment and community, as well as displaying an exemplary digital presence. The awards organisers have evolved too, this year winning their own ‘Outstanding’ accredi

tation in the Awards TrustMark scheme.

Successful businesses in many categories will be fast tracked into the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in March and possibly invited to represent Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the 2023 national VisitEngland Awards, in which Cornwall has often excelled.

Awards organiser, Robin Barker of Services for Tourism, commented: “After a tough two years for tourism, it has been gratifying to see so many tourism businesses excelling, demonstrating their passion for

PREMIER INN EYES ST IVES

It is also estimated that guests of the St Ives Premier Inn would spend around £2.5 million per year in the local economy – £1.2 million of which is expected to be spent during the off-peak season.

the industry and showing their commitment to both the environment and community in which they operate. My heartfelt congratulations to them all.”

The 23 award categories cover everything from dog friendly, active experiences and cafes to glamping, hotels and pubs.

A Winner of Winners title, a Tourism Leadership award and special Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award will also be presented on the night.

For a full list of finalists, go to cornwalltourismawards.org.uk

LOVE IT, BUY IT

Plans have been released for a 100-bedroom Premier Inn hotel in St Ives.

A public exhibition was held last month to share proposals from Whitbread, the parent company to Premier Inn, for the site of the Trewidden Care Home, Trewidden Road next to Trenwith Car Park.

The proposed hotel has been designed to a high environmental standard in a contemporary style, with design touches that “reference existing architecture” in St Ives. The proposed hotel would be clad with copper as a nod to the mining at Wheal Trenwith which operated close to the site. If approved, more than £10 million will be invested in the construction of the proposed hotel and 30 new permanent jobs in a variety of roles will be created on opening.

The Trewidden Care home site already has planning permission for a 39-bedroom apart hotel that was granted in 2016 and would occupy a large portion of the site if built.

The York Hotel operated from the building until the 1980s and, if approved, Premier Inn’s plans would bring the site back to this original use through the development of a new hotel building.

Trewidden Care Home is made up of 39 beds and the current residents of the home, their families and the on-site care team have been informed of the plans to redevelop the site by Cornwallis Care Services, which operates the home.

A planning application for the proposed hotel is anticipated to be submitted to Cornwall Council before Christmas.

The Headland Hotel & Spa has become the latest hospitality provider to join a new ecom merce platform that enables guests to buy the products they encounter during their stay. Standing for ‘Love it, Buy It’, LiBi uses QR code access to enable guests staying in the hotel’s rooms to purchase items varying from mattresses and beds to art and design, food and drink to consumer tech by simply scanning the corresponding code – allowing the hotel to earn incremental income with every transaction.

LiBi, which launched in February, has partnered with a number of hospitality providers across the UK, including the 137-room Alan Hotel in Manchester, 4-star Mount Pleasant Hotel in Doncaster, and Lake District-based Rothay Garden Hotel.

RIGHT ON TARGET

LIFELINE FOR MUSEUM

Cornwall Council is providing initial transitional support while Royal Cornwall Museum reviews its business plan and applies for funding from partners to create “a museum for the 21st Century”.

The museum is set to receive £100k of financial support which will help it while exploring long-term solutions for stay open.

Earlier this year, it appeared as if the museum faced closure after an unsuccessful bid to the Council’s culture and creative investment programme.

Royal Cornwall Museum has been working with strategic partners in the Cornwall Culture Investment Board and with Cornwall

Performance marketing agency, Target, has won ‘Best Small Agency’ and ‘Best LongTerm Strategic Use of Social’ at the UK Social Media Awards, as well as an Agency Award where it won in the ‘Best Social Media Campaign’ category.

Following last year’s win at the UK Search Awards, the agency continued its winning streak by bringing home gold at both the UK Social Media & The Agency Awards for its 12-month integrated strategy and paid social campaign with FMCG brand, Elbow Grease.

Museums Partnership to explore solutions that keep the museum’s collections open to the public.

Councillor Carol Mould, Cornwall Council Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods said:

“This is a unique situation. The partners in the Cornwall Culture Investment Board are keen to ensure that the public are able to continue to enjoy the collections at the Royal Cornwall Museum which tell key parts of Cornwall’s story. Our transitional support will enable the museum to commence its longer-term transformation and reinvention plan.”

Jonathan Morton of the Royal Cornwall Museum said: “We are extremely grateful that Cornwall Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Arts Council and Historic England have recognised the positive trajectory of RCM’s long-term plans for a sustainable future.”

Commenting on the agency’s recent success, Josh Fletcher, Target’s founder and head of growth, said: “Target has experienced a period of significant growth, with revenue up 120% last year and the business currently 28% ahead of its forecast numbers for 2022/23.

“This growth is underpinned purely by the business-building PPC, SEO & Paid Social results that the agency is delivering for its clients every single day. The awards are testament to the team’s hard work, tenacity and skill set.”

A GAME TO REMEMBER

This autumn sees the launch of a new game celebrating Cornwall’s rich past.

Born out of successive Covid-19 lockdowns, The Cornwall Memory Game is a passion project created by Merryn Threadgould, a Cornish-born author and TV producer with a love of local history and culture.

Essentially a simple ‘find the pairs’ activity,

The Cornwall Memory Game is a “beautifully made treasure trove of intertwined stories which shines a light on the people, places, inventions, discoveries and achievements Cornwall has given to the world”.

Threadgould explained: “I’m a storyteller at heart and fascinated by social history, so I’m interested in finding new ways of telling stories that connect us with our past.

The Cornwall Memory Game is my way of giving children fun, bite-sized history stories through play and conversation.

“My ambition is that The Cornwall Memory Game will connect the current generation of children living in Cornwall with the millions of years of fascinating history they’ve inherited. This is a unique place, and I want them to see that anything is possible.”

The Cornwall Memory Game is available to buy online and from selected retailers across Cornwall, including Wayside in Zennor, The Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro, The Museum of Cornish Life in Helston, and Watts Trading in Lostwithiel.

HOME, SWEET HOME

Cornwall-based broadband provider Wildanet has been celebrating the official opening of its new Westbourne House headquarters in Liskeard following an extensive refurbishment project.

The Grade II listed landmark building has been totally transformed as the company accelerates the roll-out of its gigabit-capable fibre and wireless network to towns and villages across Cornwall and Devon, and the wider south west.

Westbourne House can now accommodate around 80 Wildanet staff from a workforce of more than 130 as the business continues its rapid growth. What was a dilapidated tired old building from 1816 has been brought back to life, bringing high quality jobs to the heart of Liskeard.

Westbourne House was officially opened by South East Cornwall MP, Sheryll Murray and North Cornwall MP, Scott Mann.

Wildanet chief executive, Helen Wylde, said: “We are thrilled to bring this much-loved landmark back into use and have been overwhelmed by the positive response from local people.”

CORNWALL CHAMBER CHIEF EXECUTIVE, KIM CONCHIE, REFLECTS ON A RESOUNDINGLY SUCCESSFUL PLANET C MONTH

Project Planet C may be over, but it feels like in many ways the campaign has only just begun; we’ve entered a new chapter and

things are really ramping up.

Our events throughout the month of September attracted hundreds of local business people, all learning, sharing and planning for the future.

At the Chamber, we now have a responsibility to ensure that the passion and excitement coming from our local businesses can be channelled. It’s our job to lobby hard so that our MPs and Government are giving Cornwall the airtime and resources it needs to assert itself as a leader in the green and blue economy.

Last week, I met with my opposite numbers in South West Chambers, to start hatching a plan for how we can promote the South West Peninsula as the powerhouse for the blue economy.

Collectively, we’re setting our sights on making sure the oceans surrounding us are a differentiating factor in the economic and

environmental growth we experience over the 21st century.

I’ve also written to all Cornwall’s MPs, striking while the iron is hot and getting our campaign at the forefront of their minds as they try and impress the new Prime Minister. I’ve also urged them to fight the corner of SMEs, given the mini budget seemed to be far too focused on big business.

If you couldn’t make any Planet C events, you can still sign yourself or your employees up for Carbon Literacy Training. The programme covers climate science, carbon footprints, refining individual behaviours and how to embed environmental solutions into an organisation.

On completion, learners will also understand the urgency of action required and how to best communicate the message to others.

Let’s keep the momentum going, bring sustainability into our everyday, and take the reins on this crucial campaign.

PAUL ATKINSON, GREEN WORKS CONSULTING, PROJECT PARTNER

According to a recent survey by the SME climate Hub, the biggest barrier for businesses to turn climate ambition into climate action is a lack of knowledge and tools.

Planet C month was all about overcoming these barriers in a bid to drive and empower local businesses to take action in the climate crisis.

There was a real sense of community at our social sustainability event at Mount Pleasant Eco Park. We brought together local charities and businesses, showing how SMEs can work with charities to drive real tangible change locally.

The Future of the Built Environment day focused on an important industry: buildings make up around 16% of the UK’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We discussed the challenge to retrofit the UK’s draughty old housing stock, shared ideas and got excited

about projects like Kensa’s Heat the Streets project in Stithians.

Planet C’s headline event was the conference at ESI Exeter University Penryn campus. The main theme for the conference was the big net zero challenge, so our common goal was clear from the outset. Fantastic speakers shared their journeys with such transparency and honesty, talking about their successes, but also the challenges and where there is more work to do. It is this transparency that makes other companies think they can do it too, inspiring others to join in.

One of our attendees, Mel Connell from Melwyn Marketing, posted on LinkedIn: “I came away feeling, for the first time in a while, like maybe we can turn this ship around and also proud of the level of attention given to Cornwall. We just need to get more of the country converted.”

And that’s just it! This positivity and

is absolutely key. We only have eight years to bring about the change needed, so the time to act is now. Let’s use this momentum and build on it.

from as little as

you

Cornwall’s second Techstars Start-up Weekend, hosted by Falmouth University’s venture studio, Launchpad, took place recently bringing to life a set of innovative new business ideas.

On the opening night participants pitched 28 ideas with the top seven chosen for development over the weekend where the ideas were taken from concept to creation – testing, prototyping, validating, and culminating in a final pitch night to a panel of judges.

The range of ideas included an immersive AR application that allows you to ‘be there’ for any occasion, a VR gallery experience, a remote worker onboarding platform and a digital hub for student freelancers. The

STUDENT-RUN RESTAURANT BEST IN UK

Cornwall, home to some of the best restaurants and eateries in the country, can now add another venue to its growing list of accolades after Senara Restaurant at Penwith College in Penzance was crowned Best College Restaurant in the UK at a glittering award ceremony in London.

Senara, which has long been known locally as one of the best restaurants in the area, has now seen its appeal go national, after judges for the AA Hospitality Awards scored its students 100% for their final presentation, a top score not matched in any previous year.

Professional cookery students – Emily Earley and Shay Uren - from Penwith

TECHSTARS SHINE

winning team, SpaceforU, led by Launchpad student Lauren Packham, explored the concept of a digital marketplace listing all the co-working spaces in the region. Packham said: “It was so amazing to see my idea take first place – this is my third Techstars Weekend so I’m really happy. Huge thanks to my team, who worked so hard over the weekend. It’s an intense environment but you learn so much, and we definitely think this could be a viable business to keep working on.”

Part of the globally renowned Techstars Startup Weekend movement, the event is designed to support and encourage budding entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, creatives and anyone with new business ideas.

UNI IN GLOBAL GAMING LIST

Falmouth University’s Games Academy has been recognised as one of the best in the world.

The academy features in the top 20 of The Global World Schools Rankings list in three categories – Best Games Design Schools, Best Concept Art Illustrations Schools and Best Games Design & Development Schools for Production Excellence.

OF THE TIMES

College travelled to London for the glittering award ceremony on Tuesday, hosted at the Grosvenor Hotel by television sport personality Gabby Logan.

The event is a highlight in the industry calendar with over 1,000 guests from hotels and restaurants coming together to celebrate the best in the UK.

The students were joined at the ceremony by catering lecturers Dean Bungay and Dave Izzard, who said: “We know how good Senara is and reviews from our customers back this up, however being awarded ‘the best in the UK’ by such a prestigious awarding body is fantastic.”

Cornwall College has received a donation of construction-related signs from a leading local housebuilder.

Persimmon Homes Cornwall has donated several health and safety signs that will be erected in the College’s Skills Centre.

The signs will ensure construction students of all trades from bricklayers to carpenters have a greater awareness of working on a ‘live site’ environment.

The donation was made earlier this

‘The Rookies’ league table recognises the most influential colleges and universities in the field of game design, development and concept art and 2022’s results were based on more than 58,443 portfolio reviews assessed by a team of more than 150 industry professionals.

Dr Douglas Brown, head of games at Falmouth University, said: “We’re delighted in the Games Academy to see the recognition from industry body The Rookies in more of their global disciplinary leagues than ever before.

“Branching out into Game Design and Concept Art as well as keeping our place in the Game Development league table show that our students’ personal work is just as strong as the things they can create together.”

month by Persimmon Homes regional apprenticeship manager, Andy Wallis, who said: “With many developments across Cornwall, we know how important it is to support local construction students and help develop a diverse, talented workforce for the years ahead.

“Demand for new homes for Cornish people shows no sign of slowing, so it is vital we maintain a pipeline of fully trained talent to meet the needs of the local economy.”

NEW CHAMBER PATRON

Robin Teverson, Baron Teverson of Tregony, a Liberal Democrat peer and former Member of the European Parliament has been appointed patron of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s a real privilege to be patron to Cornwall Chamber of Commerce,” said Lord Teverson. “I really admire its work.

The chamber brings together businesses throughout the county and is so often a part of their success. It is great at helping keep everybody ahead in a fast-changing world. As a past member, I’ve seen it in action.

“I’ve always been involved in and enjoyed business. But I have also been a strong campaigner on environmental issues. What I’ve learnt is that the two are utterly compatible. Indeed, a successful economy and its business sector needs to work within its environmental limits to guarantee its future. I am proud that Cornwall has a chamber that understands all of these values.”

Chamber CEO, Kim Conchie, added: “I know Lord Teverson will make sure we don’t let up on this activity. We are honoured that he has agreed to become our patron for many years to come.”

Penryn-based video agency Bull & Wolf Film Co. has hired two new team members to support its continued growth.

Libby Gibbons has joined the growing team as a creative content producer, having previously worked at Truro and Penwith College in its marketing department. She recently finished a Masters degree in film and television.

Tyler Cross also joins the team at Bull & Wolf as senior editor, having previously worked at Sideways. At Sideways, he worked on

Nature’s recovery must not be pushed to the sidelines, the new head of Cornwall Wildlife Trust has said as communities in the south west face multiple pressures ahead this winter.

Dr Matt Walpole, who takes over as chief executive of the trust, said the extent to which the country could flourish would be fundamentally underpinned by the state of nature. He called for action to be ramped up to tackle the loss of wildlife locally and for communities across Cornwall to come together to play their part.

In his first statement as head of Cornwall Wildlife Trust, he said: “These are times of great uncertainty and it’s proving to be a difficult year for many people in Cornwall.

“Nature loss and climate change will understandably be far from the biggest concern this winter. But it’s now that nature is needed more than ever; to lift our spirits, boost our health and wellbeing, support our farming and fishing and regulate our climate.”

Dr Walpole joins the trust having held senior roles for international charities such as Fauna & Flora Internal and WWF International.

He also directed a ground-breaking, UK-wide assessment of the value of nature to society for the UK Government.

His arrival comes at an important time for Cornwall Wildlife Trust as it celebrates its 60th anniversary.

TRUST IN DR WALPOLE

LIFE IS A BEECH

Hayle-based Cornwall Building Supplies has appointed a new business development manager.

Jim Beech joins from the education sector where he spent 25 years as a design and technology specialist and senior manager.

He said: “I’m delighted to have been invited to join such an experienced, dedicated and professional team who offer so much to the local community but also the wider industries.”

a number of production projects for clients such as Finisterre, Manchester United, Philips, SAP and Volvo.

Founder Joe Turnbull said: “We are delighted to be welcoming two new members to our growing team. Tyler brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, having worked for some of the biggest brands in the UK, while Libby will enhance our creative preproduction processes. They are already working on some exciting projects and we can’t wait to see them develop.”

KICKSTART FOR IDENNA

Cornish creative agency Idena has given a full-time role to one of its juniors.

Having completed six months as a Kickstart marketing assistant, Jake Redman has taken up a permanent web and marketing assistant position.

Creative director James Neale said: “Over the 18 months that it was available, Idenna have welcomed a number of young creatives through our doors via The Kickstart Scheme, it was an absolute pleasure to be able to offer Jake a permanent role in the Idenna team.”

The Kickstart Scheme was a UK Government initiative which ran between September 2020 and May 2022, providing funding for businesses to create new jobs roles for people aged between 16 and 24.

Redman originally studied Music Business at the BIMM Institute Manchester, before graduating in 2021 and relocating to Cornwall later that year.

PHOTO BY: SUZANNE JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Thegeneration next

Just over a year on from hosting the G7 summit, the eyes of the world are yet again on Cornwall as we ready for the first ever rocket into space from UK soil. A monumental moment in Cornwall’s story, pivotal for its future, offering a tantalising opportunity to update the narrative for our county.

Headed up by Melissa Thorpe, Spaceport Cornwall is not only pioneering commercial space launch and “Space for Good” with powerful partners here in Cornwall and across the world - but also pioneering women at the forefront of this thriving industry. How exciting that we have a woman at the helm of the UK’s first space launch.

What is happening in Cornwall is a powerful image for our young people and a potential future they can visualise for themselves. With a space, deep tech and a digital industry cluster developing, we are in a great position to lead our young people and women to the top of any STEM related career they can imagine.

I believe that communicating technology, spearheaded by leaders breaking boundaries, is vital to the strength and resilience of our society. This is why I created Halo. I feel passionately that in order to inspire people, we have to invite them in. You can’t be what you can’t see.

Halo stepped up to the mark to pave the way for transformational, influential, impactful communications - not just here in Cornwall but across the UK, across the world. Our partners span from the south west to the north of the UK, to Finland,

America, Singapore, and importantly, to lower Earth orbit - we deliver on and off-planet communications.

Even still, our digital skills can divide us with access to technology, resources and opportunity - a postcode lottery. And yet the skills needed in the tech industry are varied, with a place in the sector for everyone’s ability and knowhow - a line I’ll never forget from the brilliant Dr Heidi Thiemann “Space is Business too” - we need to remember this.

In the past, working in the space industry would never seemingly be a career for a kid fresh out of St Austell (myself as an example). But in reality it is becoming accessible, and it is having a global impact right on our doorstep. At Halo, we are not rocket scientists, but we do get to work with them.

By opening up the narrative, bringing transparency across multiple verticals, we are able to build partnerships that are inspiring a generation - from redistributing wealth with Crowdfunder, to sharing the narrative of brilliant engineers tracking the Artemis Moon Mission from Goonhilly.

I love living in Cornwall, born of granite with salt water in my veins, I really do believe we have opportunity here and we don’t always need to leave for career prospects up country. We have a real opportunity to transform the future for young people with exciting, radical careers. More importantly, we have a responsibility to do so.

Digital careers can fuel Cornwall’s economy and boost living standards in a region which has, on average, a lower earning capacity than other areas in the UK. Even in the more traditionally Cornish industries of farming and marine conservation - the digital innovators who we work with are changing the way these long-established industries operate and how profitable and sustainable they can be.

To coin a phrase from Melissa Thorpe - it’s Space for Good - we are doing the same at Halo - working with Innovators for Good. The mavericks we stand alongside are changing the landscape - satellite technology to better understand our oceans to counteract climate change, AgriTech clients creating systems enabling farmers to increase yields, understand weather patterns, and use less pesticides. Fashion tech clients creating new materials for circular economies and Digital Out Of Home campaigns influencing society during times of crises.

My passion for what we do is unrivalled, my belief in the importance of communication, education and opportunity is endless and I’m driven by a limitless ambition to leave this planet better than we found it. The only way we can do that is by joining forces, bringing our strengths to the table, and showing the world how it’s done.

Given this is ‘Just a Thought’ and the brilliant Business Cornwall team have let me claim some space on this page you are reading right now, I just want to shout out to those who believe in this passion of mine and that of my team. You all know who you are, you all know how Halo wouldn’t be flying high without you, thank you - and you, reading this, thank you too.

Communication can unlock the world of tech, unlock its potential and, in turn, our place within it, says Halo CEO, Jess Ratty.

We are in a great position to lead our young people to the top

My belief in the importance of communication, education and opportunity is endless

3 SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Bedruthan Steps, Mawgan Porth

One day workshop: Explore how business can be a restorative force, creating jobs, regenerating nature and delivering social justice. eventbrite.co.uk

PENZANCE BUSINESS BREAKFAST

The Exchange

Opportunity to meet other local businesses and professionals, gain contacts and establish mutually beneficial relationships. Everyone is welcome! eventbrite.co.uk

CORNWALL CHAMBER LUNCH

Healey’s Cyder Farm, Penhallow

Do not miss out on the chance to expand your Cornish connections, while joining in on some great conversation.

cornwallchamber.co.uk

Your Partnerships is Cornwall’s largest networking group, with meetings up and down the Duchy

Growing a business can be challenging. You want your business to be visible to the right people, so it’s important to know how and where to meet them. Your Partnerships is Cornwall’s largest networking group and it events enable you to connect with other members, gain referrals and build trusting relationships with customers and suppliers. Your Partnerships, can help your business grow!

KING NETWORKING Victoria Inn, Threemilestone

The Kernow Independent Networking Group gathers every fortnight on Wednesday mornings. Members each give a one-minute presentation on their business and the kinds of referral they would particularly value. king-networking.co.uk

BEING AGILE IN INNOVATION

HWIC, Truro

Starting and growing your health and well-being organisation. eventbrite.co.uk

NETWORKING AT THE PARK

The Park Mawgan Porth

You’re invited to the second relaxed, fun and informal networking sessions at The Park Cornwall in Mawgan Porth. cornwallchamber.co.uk

BREAKFAST NETWORKING IN CORNWALL Victoria Inn, Threemilestone Ambassador: Mike Bee WADEBRIDGE FORUM

The Pearl & Trawl, Wadebridge WOMEN IN BUSINESS LUNCH Penventon Hotel, Redruth BREAKFAST NORWAY INN Norway Way, Perranarworthal Ambassador: Gareth Looker PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION Holiday Inn Express, Victoria POWER LUNCH Penventon Hotel, Redruth

20 2324

PRACTICE MANAGER CONFERENCE

Atlantic Hotel, Newquay

This conference is the first of its kind - hosted by the IGPM and supported by Kernow Health CIC and Kernow Local Medical Committee.

eventbrite.co.uk

CORNISH PIRATES V AMPTHILL Mennaye Field, Penzance

Championship Cup rugby action. For a full matchday experience why not try a hospitality package – the perfect way to entertain clients and colleagues alike.

cornish-pirates.com

CORNWALL CHRISTMAS FAIR

Eden Project

Cornwall’s biggest, most vibrant Christmas Fair returns to Eden on November 23, raising funds for the Cornwall Community Foundation. Tickets can only be purchased in advance.

cornwallchristmasfair.com

NETWALKING

The Borough Arms, Dunmere Ambassadors: Annie Page & Edward Chapman

OPEN HOUSE CORNWALL Victoria Inn, Roche Ambassador: David Brock HEALTH AND WELLNESS Heartlands, Pool NETWORKING WORKSHOP Victoria Inn, Roche CHARITY, TRUST & CIC Victoria Inn, Roche BUDE NETWORKING House of Chaplin, Bude Ambassador: Edward Chapman

BUSINESS SHOW

JESSICA BENTS (PB & J WEB DESIGN)

BEN CLEMENTS (PEAKY DIGITAL)

Former Gadget Show presenter, Jason Bradbury, delivered a thoughtprovoking presentation at the Cornwall Business Show last month.CARLYON SYSTEMS’ F1 SIMULATOR

MORVETH WARD, TONI EYRIEY AND CAROLINE CARTER (TONICK BUSINESS PUBLISHING/BUSINESS CORNWALL)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER JASON BRADBURY

GOODFEST

SUPERCHARGED CORNWALL

TV star Robert Llewellyn of Red Dwarf fame hosted a special event at Truro College to showcase electric vehicles.

ROBERT LLEWELLYN

TIM BRYANT (BYD EUROPE)

JELLE MUL (PATAGONIA)

BRADLEY HARRIS (HAWKINS)

MARK PICKEN

MATT TREVASKIS (DRIVE ENERGY)

FUTURE OF BUILD ENVIRONMENT

All

PLANET

CONFERENCE

The

at ESI

a month-long series of events organised by the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, highlighting the fight against the climate crisis.

at ESAM Carlclaze.

SCOTT JAMES (WARD WILLIAMS ASSOCIATES)

LISA TRESEDER (KENSA)

DARREN BUCKLEY (CORNWALL CHAMBER)

JACKIE SADEK (URBAN STRATEGY)

LUCI ISAACSON (CLIMATE VISION)

SARAH WALKER (ORIGIN COFFEE)

JOHN CARLEY (CARLEY’S OF CORNWALL)

KIM CONCHIE (CORNWALL CHAMBER) AND IAN GREAVES (ST EVAL CANDLE)

BLUE & WHITE BALL

The inaugural Blue & White Charity Ball took place at the Penventon Park Hotel, raising money for Citizens Advice Cornwall.

CHAMBER BIG BREAKFAST

David Harland, chief global growth officer at Eden Project International, was among the speakers at the environment-focussed event held the Eden Project.

DAVID HARLAND (EDEN PROJECT)

MAGICIAN JON MARTIN

JOHN CATCHPOLE (FOOT ANSTEY)

JOHN BROWN (DON’T CRY WOLF)

MELISSA THORPE (SPACEPORT CORNWALL)

CITIZENS ADVICE CORNWALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE GILL PIPKIN WITH THE MAYOR AND MAYORESS OF TRURO

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?

I remember wanting to be an architect but I was rubbish at maths so I am not sure that would have worked out very well!

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FULL TIME JOB?

When I left university, I came back to Cornwall and got a job as a trainee reporter on The Falmouth Packet based in their old Ponsharden offices in Penryn. It was like stepping back into the 60s with sub editors who had worked there for years, lots of cigarette smoke and sarcasm. One of the best jobs I ever had – more laughing than working!

WHAT’S IN YOUR POCKETS?

My phone. I spend far too long on my phone.

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO RELAX? I like to swim in the sea especially early in the morning when it’s cold.

IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE?

My husband and I own some land in Sumbawa, Indonesia. We used to live there for many years, so the ultimate plan is to be able to spend more time there again one day.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT CORNWALL?

I was born in Penzance and brought up in Breage. For me Cornwall is a way of life.

VICTORIA AMRAN

MD of The Cornish Food Box Company

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER?

Surviving running a food delivery company through Covid. It really felt like an accomplishment to survive that level of stress and work while supplying food boxes to those who were most vulnerable. It’s only just calmed down!

WHAT HAS BEEN THE WORST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER?

See above. I have never suffered from anxiety but for the first three weeks of the pandemic I was having physical reactions to the pressure of the demands being placed on the business, my team and my own ability to manage it.

IF YOU COULD INVITE ANY TWO PEOPLE FOR DINNER, WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY WOULD YOU INVITE THEM?

Trump and Clinton. Would be fascinating.

IF YOU COULD BE GOD FOR A DAY, WHAT MIRACLE WOULD YOU PERFORM?

For everyone to have a decent, warm home.

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKE IN LIFE?

Not always thinking about the future. I tend to live for the moment and I am realising that having a plan isn’t such a bad idea!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?

I’d like to have more of a work – life balance. I’d definitely like the freedom to flip a coin for left or right and see where the road takes me.