I have always felt this time of year is one for new starts and fresh beginnings.
PUBLISHER
Ade Taylor
While January is, of
official start of the new year, September/early October has always felt more embryonic.
holidays are over, back to work/back to school. And perhaps the most traumatic
the start of the university year, with parents bidding tearful goodbyes to their
And after 70 years, we are now at the start of a completely new era following the sad death of the Queen - the Carolean age, as the King Charles period will now be called. That is going to take some getting used to.
However much we may want it to, time stands still for no one. Something that can certainly be said of the business scene.
Inside this issue we talk to Christian Thomson, founder of Marwick Marketing. We first came across Chris some 12 years ago, when he was running a surf tourism business and had been crowned Young Business Person of the Year at the Cornwall Business Awards. He has been on some journey since.
We also focus on the wider digital and tech sector in Cornwall and the latest trends which will be impacting and influencing businesses in the Duchy.
The biggest change we can influence is to ensure we keep our costs down to those who wish to use us. As businesses need to make new decisions on where to invest their marketing budgets, we will continue to be an affordable option.
We are in a managed office on a fixed term contract which means we are sheltered regarding the increased energy costs. This will allow us to maintain our rates. Whilst costs increase for other businesses, the first thing they will need to consider is where they can make savings. Normally, businesses stop spending and marketing is the first place they choose to make cuts. This is bad news, they should in fact continue spending, but review all options. The issues they face is by reducing or not marketing they could lose market share. Long term this could be severely detrimental.
We have very affordable options which should mean they can continue exposing brands, products or services which will prevent them from falling away to their competition.
For us there is not one big change we can make, energy makes up most of our business expenses and being a 24-hour office, everything is always on. However, we are looking at ways to reduce our usage, not only due to the energy crisis but also to reduce our impact on the environment. We already have solar panels installed in the building which provide a portion of our energy and we may look to invest in more for the future. We’ll also be assessing who provides our
energy and looking at the options available once the new prices are set and the market has settled. For our staff, we give them the option of working from home or being office based depending on how that works better for them with the cost increases in fuel and energy prices. It’s been a difficult time full of uncertainty, but we’ll keep assessing on an ongoing basis, and do what we can to keep our team and our customers happy.
At home we will be focussing much more on heating the person, not the whole house. Wearing an extra layer will become part of daily life and I have already become fastidious about turning unnecessary lights off! At work we have set up an initiative to reduce non-critical car journeys to reduce our fuel consumption and I have recently experienced the benefits of train travel to many of Cornwall’s towns. I have found that from Truro its quicker to take the train to towns along the mainline than it is to drive - and cheaper too, an added bonus!
While we wait to see if there is any support for businesses, we know that increasing energy costs are affecting many of our clients, especially those who have manufacturing or engineering operations.
From our side we are working with them in the short term to ensure they can still protect their valuable IP assets for the long term.
More positively, these pressures on businesses can be a driver for innovation
and a number of our clients are working on energy-saving inventions, which we will also be helping to protect.
We have installed lights on sensors, so they are only on when the room is in use. Being sat at a desk all day it is easy to feel cold, so we will have a supply of blankets and fingerless gloves instead of turning the heat up every time someone feels a bit cold.
Having purchased a new building we will be looking to ensure that anything we install into the space will be as efficient as possible. A mix of solar and air source as well as monitoring and managing our usage efficiently will keep our consumption under control.
Despite short term support measures from Government, many businesses face having energy bills rise significantly over time. Nearly a quarter of firms are holding back from investments and business expansion which will stifle growth. FSB have produced a report and given recommendations to ministers such as: expand the scope of the price cap, reduce business rates, offer direct cash support and cut taxes temporarily on energy. Influencing government policy will make big changes for all. You can read the full story on the FSB page (see p37)
Cornwall-born bar and restaurant, Hub Box, will be opening its first ever Dorset establishment in early October.
The new 120-seat premises in Brewery Square, Dorchester, will be the 12th opening for the burger and beer restaurant group, with venues spanning the south west and beyond.
Despite the pandemic, Hub Box opened three new restaurants in lockdown and
Under new ownership, Flybe is set to return to Cornwall Airport Newquay this month, operating daily flights to London Heathrow and Manchester.
Commencing on October 30, the regional airline will launch twice daily (Monday to Friday) flights to London Heathrow (daily service at weekends), while also adding a daily link to Manchester.
However, the UK’s largest regional airline, Loganair, will no longer be offering a daily service to Manchester (and onwards to Aberdeen) this winter, after announcing it was suspending all operations from the airport between November and March. This includes non-stop flights to Edinburgh and Newcastle – adding up to almost 300 flights in total.
Additionally, the carrier said summer routes linking Newquay with Teesside and onwards to Inverness will not return in 2023, and planned growth on other routes is to be redirected to other UK airports.
In a broadside to Cornwall Airport Newquay bosses, a spokesperson for Loganair said: “Despite all of the challenges that the pandemic has delivered, we’ve worked incredibly hard over the last two years to build up our presence at Cornwall Airport Newquay.
reported record sales of £12.6 million earlier this year.
Hub Box founder and CEO, Richard Boon, said: “Our Dorchester restaurant signifies a milestone in our journey as we venture into a new county, bringing job opportunities to the area and growing our passionate team culture.
“It’s a truly exciting time for Hub Box and we’re looking forward to welcoming the Dorset community through our doors this autumn.”
“We’re most disappointed that short-sighted and short-term decisions by the airport’s management to incentivise unsustainable operations by other airlines leave no prospect of winter flights remaining viable, particularly against a backdrop of high fuel prices and rising inflation.
“In the meantime, we’ll be directing our efforts towards other UK regional airports such as Southampton, Exeter and Cardiff, where airport managements recognise and appreciate the enormous value that year-round, sustainable regional air services can bring to their communities and local economies.”
Cornwall Airport Newquay said: “We are disappointed that Loganair have made the decision to cancel their flights to Manchester and Edinburgh this winter but would like to reassure our passengers that a daily service to Manchester is still available with Flybe and we look forward to welcoming Loganair back on both routes in the spring.
“As an airport we are committed to serving the people and economy of Cornwall and this is what drives the commercial decisions we make as an airport. We are delighted that we now have more airlines operating from the airport than before the pandemic, offering destination and airline choice to suit every traveller.”
A judgment of the Intellectual Property Court earlier this year carries a stark lesson: from sole traders to multinationals, everyone in business needs to take responsibility, and do their research, to ensure they are
free to use their business name.
The case concerns two businesses, both selling Chinese food. Beyond that, the two could hardly be more different. “China Tang”
Two lithium projects in Cornwall have received additional Government funding as they move towards full production.
British Lithium and Cornish Lithium were both announced as winners in the Automotive Transformation Fund’s (ATF) Scale Up Readiness Validation (SuRV) competition.
British Lithium has been researching and developing the extraction of lithium carbonate from the mica in Cornish granite over more than five years. Part-funded by Innovate UK, a pilot plant has been built near St Austell and, in a world first, new sustainable technology is being used to successfully produce 99.9% pure battery-grade lithium carbonate. Three patents are pending.
British Lithium’s pilot plant became operational at the end of 2021 and the team are now progressing towards large-scale lithium carbonate production in about three years’ time.
“Lithium has never been produced commercially from mica before, so it’s been very important to rigorously test, refine and optimise our technology,” said chief executive Andrew Smith.
is a Cantonese restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane, London. It is presumably not cheap. China Tang count among their clientele, apparently, Kate Moss, Tony Blair and Naomi Campbell. The other China Tang is (or was until recently) a Chinese takeaway in Barrow-in-Furness. There is a set menu for less than ten pounds a person, which was “not, it seems, ever served to Ms Moss, Sir Tony or Ms Campbell”
The problem for the second China Tang was of course that the one in the Dorchester had a registered trade mark.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the China Tang in Barrow flew beneath the radar for a while. But eventually when it came to their notice,
“The ATF grant is key in helping us move on to the next phase of our development and we’re delighted to have their support.”
Cornish Lithium, meanwhile, will use the money to fund the construction of the hydrometallurgical section of a demonstration scale processing plant at the company’s Trelith processing site, associated with the Trelavour hard rock lithium project, near St Austell.
The demonstration plant will form a critical input to the company’s feasibility study. And subject to the conclusions of this study, the company hopes to build a commercial lithium extraction plant in Cornwall with the production of lithium hydroxide expected to commence in 2026.
CEO Jeremy Wrathall said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this ATF grant as it will accelerate our progress towards the commercial production of battery grade lithium hydroxide in the UK.
“We believe that a secure, sustainable domestic supply of lithium is essential for the development of a resilient electric vehicle supply chain for the British automotive industry.”
the posher restaurant, armed with their trade mark registration, complained.
There was no allegation that there was any copying, or any deliberate aspect to the infringement at all. It seems to have been implicitly accepted by everyone involved that the second China Tang did not know about the first when the name was chosen.
In that context the proprietors of the cheaper China Tang pleaded a defence of “honest concurrent use”. This is a rarely-successful defence to trade mark infringement, and it did not work for China Tang number two either. Simply, they should have carried out a trade mark search to clear the name before they opened. A small
Candle manufacturer, St Eval, has become the latest Cornish company to become a certified B Corporation.
St Eval has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit organisation behind the B Corp movement, as having met rigorous social and environmental standards representing its com mitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.
St Eval is now part of a community of 5,100 businesses around the world that have certified as B Corps, including such brands as innocent, Patagonia and Ben Jerry’s, while in Cornwall the cohort includes the likes of Origin, Finisterre and Ward Williams Associates.
St Eval MD, Harry Young-Jamieson, said becoming a B Corp company was “one of the highlights” of his career.
“B Corp certification is a huge achievement for us,” he said. “It represents the innovative spirit of our company and the many people, past and present, who have driven it forward while remaining true to their values and those of St Eval.
“The road to certification was challenging; it required us to look at ourselves with a renewed sense of purpose and rigour. I am immensely proud to work for a B Corp company alongside people who continue to innovate and challenge the status quo.”
business they may have been, but the trade mark register can be searched online, for free, and quite easily.
Don’t get caught out. Contact us today to discuss how to find a brand which you can use lawfully and also protect as your own.
Work has begun on a new state-of-the-art private dental practice in Saltash.
The new Smile Together practice, at Keast Mews, is due top open in early 2023.
Dental director, Jonathan Bouwer-Davies, explained: “We currently practice from Saltash Community Centre on Callington Road but are overwhelmed with demand from local people wishing to access our routine and specialist dental treatments.
“We’ve long recognised the need for expand ing our service provision locally with addition al dental surgeries, high-tech equipment and more experienced clinicians and have been working hard to achieve this. Keast Mews represents a perfect location for us, located just off the high street with parking and public transport connections close by.”
Saint Piran Pro Cycling has issued a rallying call to the cycling community as it officially launches an ambitious journey to reach net zero and share its experiences of doing so across the cycling industry.
It is committing to a social impact plan that puts communities and the environment at the heart of its future - recognising its legacy of change and inspiration will far outlast its growing racing success.
Richard Pascoe, owner of the Saint Piran group, explained: “There is some incredible work being done in cycling - to improve lives and the environment, but there is a gap in learning.
“It is essential we are open about our journey because money and resources are limited across cycling, and costs are spiraling - we have to work smarter. We will
MD, James Williams, explained: “Our relationship with John Lewis started when we first launched three of our slipper styles online with them in October 2020. It was great to be able showcase some of our products which are handcrafted in Cornwall through such an iconic British brand.
“The partnership really started to develop last summer when we also launched our collection of clothing and footwear on the John Lewis website. Strong online sales have proven we’re a great fit with their customer, and we’re delighted to have been selected as part of their in-store range in two locations – including the Peter Jones store on Sloane Square in London.
be transparent about what we do and how we do it because if we don’t, how will we learn as an industry?”
The Saint Piran social impact plan has struck a number of key partnerships to help it make the impact it targets.
This includes working with the University of Exeter, leaders on environmental impacts, to understand its carbon footprint and working with Cornwall Council on sustainability projects including the promotion of cycling as a more sustainable way to travel.
A Cornish fitnesswear company has been successful at a major industry awards.
FittaMamma was awarded the Made for Mums Gold Award for its high impact maternity and feeding sports bra.
The bra was independently tested for sup portiveness, comfort, effectiveness, ease of use, quality, style, size offering and value for money and was voted “very supportive and incredibly comfortable when breastfeeding”.
Cornish fashion brand Celtic & Co has launched into two John Lewis stores in London and Cambridge.
This will be the brand’s first ever physical presence in department stores on the UK high street.
“This is a massive step for us as a brand in being able to reach new customers and promote the quality of our products. Always created using natural materials, there’ll be many tangible benefits of shoppers being able to feel the different textures of the materials we use.”
Alexandra McCabe, co-founder of FittaMamma, was delighted to receive the award. “The sports bra is a new product, designed to support women as their bodies change throughout each trimester and after their baby is born as well – we’re thrilled that it has received this accolade.”
Front cover and some CEO feature photographs by Toby Weller
When we last spoke to entrepreneur Christian Thomson 12 years ago, he was running a successful surf travel business in Newquay and had just been named Young Business Person of the Year at the Cornwall Business Awards. Since then, much has changed. In 2012 he moved out to Canada with his young family and started a digital marketing agency, Marwick Marketing. But now he’s back.
From Newquay to Vancouver and back again. So, what’s the story?
In 2012 my wife was suddenly diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkins lymphoma. At the time, we had three children, all under the age of five. She’s originally from Vancouver, so we decided that we would fly to Vancouver to go for her treatment and to be close to her family. We left Errant Surf behind. We were initially going to go there for a few months, but then a few months turned into a year, a year became three years and before you knew it, we had been there nine years.
It was all quite last minute to get her to Canada between chemo treatments. Errant Surf began to fall apart as much of it hinged on me. We had a surf school and lifeguarding training centre in Newquay, a guesthouse, a bar and a surf school in Spain. We were running surf tours to the Maldives and Morocco; it operated as a travel agency and an online shop. I lost focus on the business as I concentrated on my wife and our children.
In Canada, I couldn’t do anything surf related, so I had to reinvent myself. I went down the path as a marketing consultant, taking the skills I had learnt from growing Errant Surf in the early days and applying them to local businesses in Vancouver.
These skills were digital marketing, social media,
Google Ads, YouTube advertising, search engine optimisation and conversion rate optimisation. Back in 2012 a lot of these marketing channels were very new to local companies, in fact, at that time, it was more about convincing business owners that they needed to have their websites ready for the mobile revolution!
Then by word of mouth, Marwick Marketing grew from referrals and our own digital marketing. Within a year I employed my first four team members and the agency continued to grow.
In these early years, I made a concentrated effort to make myself redundant. Having seen what happens when you are everything to a business like I was at Errant Surf, I wanted to make sure that I was replaceable quickly.
That was one of the biggest business life lessons I have learned. And that ethos has helped because Marwick Marketing in Canada now employs 23 people and is a Premier Google Partner agency, which is one of the highest accreditations a digital marketing agency can have. Two years ago, we were ranked as the 11th fastest growing company in western Canada out of half a million SMEs.
Over the coming years, my wife Theresa beat cancer, our kids grew up into teenagers. We decided that it was time to leave the mountains in Canada and head back to the beach, and we ended up moving to Costa Rica for just over a year. One of the benefits of creating a business whereby you’re redundant! We sold everything in Canada and moved to Costa Rica forever! But then Covid
hit, and it all got a bit weird. The government closed the beaches and the schools closed. There was a lot of uncertainty. Had it just been myself and Theresa, we would have stuck it out, but with the three kids, it just wasn’t the wise thing to do.
We hadn’t thought of coming back to Cornwall, but in a bit of a wake-up moment, we considered that maybe now was a good time to go full circle and come home to Newquay.
In 2020, I was lucky enough to meet my now business partner, Angie Dosanjh. She was the marketing manager for the Business Development Bank of Canada. She wanted to leave the corporate world, so she bought into Marwick Marketing and continues to lead the Canadian team.
Angie has been a great asset to Marwick Marketing, and I’m grateful that we have such a great working relationship, even if we’re 5,000 miles apart!
Has Cornwall changed much since you’ve been away?
We’ve been back two years, and the time has flown by. Working alongside organisations like the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and the Cornwall Trade & Investment Company it’s been excellent. So great to see so much new support for local businesses.
From a Newquay perspective, it has changed, and for the better, since we left in 2012. Newquay has lost a lot of the stag and hen parties. And that was, to be honest, one of
To grow your business, you need to be helpful, visible and trusted by your potential customers
the reasons we almost didn’t want to move back with young children! But we’ve come back and seen it’s nothing like that anymore, it’s all trendy co-working spaces, lovely cafes, a cool entrepreneurial scene and, of course, a vibrant surf community.
Newquay is our home and the community is the best; it was something we missed while away.
And how does it differ from running a digital marketing agency in Cornwall, as opposed to Canada?
We are based in Squamish, which is located between Vancouver and Whistler. Whistler is well known for its skiing, and Vancouver is a big tech city. But Squamish has a population of 20,000, so very similar to Newquay.
However, we have access to seven cities within an hour’s drive of Squamish. Obviously, with Cornwall’s geography, we don’t have that volume of businesses. We look to support local businesses as much as possible, but equally, we strive to work with companies outside of Cornwall and across the UK. We even have a client in the Orkney Islands, Orcades Marine.
In Cornwall, our goal is to continue to build our in-house team in Newquay. Newquay has a lot of similarities to Squamish. The same sized population and people choose to live here for the lifestyle. By being based in Squamish and Newquay, we’re able to attract talented digital marketing experts who want that work-life balance.
You can work in an agency environment that you’d expect in London or Vancouver but spend your free time surfing in Newquay or snowboarding in Squamish. In turn, this creates a loyal, healthy and focused team.
And has digital marketing itself changed over the years?
Very much so; reflecting on the last ten years, it feels like another world. When Marwick Marketing was born, the only real social media platform was Facebook; 85% of websites were not mobile-responsive, SEO was not understood, and Google My Business didn’t launch till two years later, in 2014. It’s safe to say digital marketing changes at a breakneck pace every year.
Thankfully we have a big team of talented people between Newquay and Canada who are constantly keeping up to date with digital marketing. Our team are constantly learning, testing and strategising so that our clients can come to us in the knowledge that they are getting the very best digital marketing solutions to help them grow their business.
What are the most common requests you get from customers?
Our most significant request is to increase revenues and market share, that’s what we do. The mechanics of doing that are the tools we have in digital marketing, be it conversion rate optimisation or social media ads or web design or content marketing. To grow your business, you need to be helpful, visible and trusted by your potential customers.
Do many companies come to you that don’t have a significant digital presence?
It’s a mixture, for sure. Some companies will just be starting out, while some will have been
around for many years and simply want a fresh set of eyes on their growth plans and marketing strategy. You can have established companies in Cornwall that have been successful for many years and have little to no digital presence. This is fine, but when they want to recruit top talent or generate more business, they will want to consider putting their best foot forward.
What were the challenges of opening a Newquay office with Covid in the background?
It presented a couple of opportunities. In Canada, when Covid first hit, there was a dip in business for about four weeks when everyone panicked and paused their marketing campaigns, a knee jerk reaction to an unusual situation. Following that, we saw our most extensive growth period in Canada. So we were able to grow there, which then coincided with the launch in Newquay. So, I think it was good timing.
Is there much involvement with the Canada office on a day-to-day basis?
Marwick Marketing runs under one umbrella, and in terms of education, like internal training, it’s all the same stuff. But in Canada, we’re a team of 23, and in the UK, there are three of us at the moment with two new people coming this autumn. We definitely have our own little bubbles, but we share many resources back and forth, which is good. I like to think of Marwick Marketing as the local Cornish marketing agency with global expertise and experience.
Newquay is our home and the community is the best
We know that there’s a sweet spot for digital marketing agencies, and in Canada, we are at that sweet spot.
We’re not a large agency where clients get lost in an extensive list, we know every single one of our clients, and we get to really understand their business. Equally, we’re not a small agency, we don’t contract any of our work, everything we do is done by our team. This is important for the quality of work and security.
As an entrepreneur, do you have any thoughts of rekindling any surf type businesses?
When we moved back last year, I said I wouldn’t do anything within the surf industry. But then fast forward to more recently, I’ve been doing a lot more surf contests again, and recently I won the 2022 Masters British Longboard Union title. So I thought, you know what, I have this fantastic marketing agency and all this experience of Errant Surf, I should do something.
In the coming weeks, I’m launching an online surf shop called 10 Over Surf, driven by some high-quality content marketing under the banner of Longboarder Magazine, which will be digital first - lots of film, videos, podcasts and a once a year kind of coffee table magazine.
At Marwick Marketing, we’ve spent the last ten years growing ecommerce shops in Canada from start up’s to multimillion dollar companies - so why not have my own ecommerce brand?
Has your passion for surfing never diminished, even when you were in the mountains in Canada?
Due to the circumstances of moving to Canada, I blocked everything to do with surfing out of my life.
I didn’t choose to move to the mountains, and surfing has been a massive part of my life since I was nine.
It felt bizarre; it wasn’t very nice leaving something like that so abruptly, something ingrained in your DNA.
Work / life balance isn’t a thing; it’s just life
Landing in Canada, networking and growing Marwick Marketing was a real experience. I knew no one, and no one knew me. I had a blank slate as to how I wanted to be perceived. It was just peculiar. I was wearing a suit a lot of the time, walking around Vancouver, meeting people in their offices, just completely different from what my life had been like just a few months prior, running Errant Surf in a pair of shorts in Newquay and being a sponsored surfer for Fat Face clothing.
How has the experience of being taken out of your comfort zone changed you as a businessman and an entrepreneur?
It’s made me more resilient. Going through what we went through as a very young family. Theresa and I were still in our 20s, and Dylan, Summer and Joel (Summer and Joel are twins) were all under the age of five.
I remember trying to juggle everything and remain strong. Looking after Theresa, who couldn’t move out of bed, looking after the three children out and taking calls for Errant Surf. I’d hide in the toilet and cry.
I feel that if I can overcome that, in a new country and come out the other end successfully, we’d probably be okay in the future.
I’ve also learnt that there are opportunities everywhere, every day, every hour. It’s just how open we are to recognising them. I think one of the most interesting things about being a business owner is the ability to create something from nothing. Our imagination and belief in ourselves is the only limit in business growth.
Are those your strongest attributes as a business person?
but I know in three years, we’ll be taking another year out.
I think looking at life like this keeps your enthusiasm high, your energy levels boosted and motivates you to be your best. I can’t imagine just working hard now at 40 to retire at 70 - I’d lose interest quickly.
You seem to have the life and work balance sussed!
Family first. Then health, physical and mental. For me, this is being able to surf every day. Then business. I think of my businesses as additional children. I’m here to support them, grow them and nurture them until they become “adult businesses” my businesses aren’t me. So the work / life balance isn’t a thing; it’s just life. Not a tugging of one over the other.
Errant Surf. The business didn’t operate without me.
So, although I thought I had a business with Errant Surf, and even though we employed many people and had operations overseas, what I had was a very stressful job that I had created for myself.
That and just not being afraid to work hard.
I don’t think there’s any such thing as an overnight success. You have got to be prepared to work hard. If you’re not physically in front of the computer and working, it’s in your mind, thinking all the time. And I’m happy to do that.
In more recent years, I’ve been a big fan of hard ‘sprints’ followed by ‘miniretirements’. Big pushes for new business or projects followed by time away from the business. Like we did moving to Costa Rica for a year and Vancouver Island for a year. We’re in a sprint mode now, we are growing Marwick Marketing in the UK and about to launch 10 Over Surf Shop -
Is that a good business tip that all small business owners should embrace, that the business should be able to operate without them?
I don’t think that’s even a tip; I think that’s a qualification for whether you have a business or you have simply created a job for yourself. It was a hard lesson I learnt with
Whereas with Marwick Marketing, I own a business that is independent of me. Errant Surf was me. I would just wish I’d learnt that earlier. Our team are constantly learning, testing and strategising
Over the following 16 pages, we examine how Cornwall is playing a leading role in the tech sector.
The tech space is one of Cornwall’s fastest growing sectors, and is home to fastest growing tech sector in the south west with forecasted 18% growth by 2026.
However, one of the biggest challenges it is facing is the digital skills gap. A recent report commissioned by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Digital Skills Partnership highlighted a growing recruitment crisis facing the industry that is showing no signs of slowing.
The report reveals the significant growing shortage of software engineers, developers and programmers in the region despite the Cornish tech sector offering higher than the average UK wage for the positions.
Toby Parkins, founder and director at Pool-based software company Headforwards says the skills issues is industry’s biggest challenge in two ways.
“Helping people find the right route into the tech sector is a challenge,” he says. “There are so many destinations in terms of technologies and no travel agents to show you the way. Secondly, ongoing training to upskill existing people working within tech both for improving existing skills and for discovering new additional technology skills.”
Recruitment can be difficult and Headforwards has been
One of
forced to cast its net wide. Where once all of its teams were based in the Duchy, 26% are now based elsewhere and work remotely. But it is looking at ways of actively addressing this issue and how it encourages more local, young, people into the industry.
Toby says: “Locally we want to be part of the solution to the skills gap and partnered with Cornwall College to update their IT course and make it more relevant and integrated with industry. The development of the FibreHub was also in part as a solution to the skills gap. The challenge for the digital industries are that they’re not visible, so young people don’t know that there’s incredibly cool and well paid jobs on their doorstep.”
He adds: “Young people and their parents need a better understanding of the types of opportunities open to them in tech, and what skills they might need. It’s not just software development, but games, space and developing sectors all need tech-based skillsets. I think there’s still a belief that it’s the old school jobs that are the only ones that are well paid, like medicine and engineering. Essentially there’s a knowledge and I believe it contributes to the problem.
“It’s also important that qualifications are up to date and that the tech and digital sectors are able to provide opportunities.”
And it’s not just the software companies that are finding recruitment difficult.
“Getting the right people in a business is always a challenge but in the last few years it has become more difficult to find suitably qualified people,” admits Paddy Paddison, chief technology officer at internet provider, Wildanet.
“Recruitment of people with the right digital skills is a challenge for Cornwall. Like many others in the digital and tech space, we have to widen our search for talent to expand beyond the border of Cornwall and encourage those with the right skills to consider relocating to this beautiful part of the country.”
Penzance-based digital marketing agency, Target, is increasingly training its own people up and recently launched a new initiative –Target Academy.
Founder and head of growth, Josh Fletcher, explains: “The training tool will help to fast track new team members and accelerate their progression as SEO or Paid Media specialists, to help get them ahead of the curve sooner than usual, at a time where demand for performance marketing is at an all-time high.”
But navigating and overcoming the skills gap, is Cornwall a great place for a tech company to call its home?
“Yes and no,” says Paddison. “The reason Wildanet is in Cornwall is because there are many parts of the county that are still without access to fast, reliable broadband that so many other parts of the UK take for granted.
“So, for us it is the right place to be and
there is a clearly a need and market for our services. However, that means Cornwall is starting from the wrong side of the digital divide, which may be a barrier to other tech businesses, something Wildanet is passionate about correcting.”
But when you couple Cornwall’s fastimproving connectivity with the lifestyle and natural surroundings, it can be a winning combination.
“Cornwall has one of the most thriving tech and space industries in the world alongside an enviable work life balance and it’s clear to all that opportunities within the next decade will continue to grow exponentially,” says Halo founder, Jess Ratty. “It’s an incredible place to live and work, but with that comes responsibility to the communities around us.
see how the tech ecosystem in Cornwall looks in another ten years.”
Thought Quarter MD, Sam Armondi, also feels that buzz. “I believe we are in the early stages of a boom,” he says. “Cornwall has a history of taking a few years to find its feet in a market sector then exploding, and I think tech is building momentum.”
Sam believes some of the greatest opportunities lie in continuing to bring revenue from clients outside the county into Cornwall, while employing and training local talent.
“The sheer breadth and volume of the industries surrounding us - we have thriving marine, space, AI, manufacturing, digital, cultural and creative hubs, the community is vast - scratch the surface and you’ll find some of the brightest minds on the planet, right here.”
Peaky Digital assistant marketing manager, Fran Hampshaw, agrees. “As a digital specialist living and working in Cornwall for over ten years, having moved from Yorkshire, I can wholeheartedly say it’s an exciting place to be. There is a definite buzz in Cornwall, particularly in the last few years, with a large range of local businesses, national e-commerce businesses and tech companies all thriving in recent times.”
“There’s a lot of exciting businesses on our doorstep,” says Fletcher. “It’s even more exciting when you look at it in contrast to ten years ago, when I was a junior. I can’t wait to
“This means that we’re increasing Cornwall’s GDP, putting more money into our communities, and creating longterm, sustainable opportunities,” he says.
“This will have a compounding effect – research shows that if a business spends £1 outside Cornwall, it generates £1.14 back into the local economy. But that £1 spent in Cornwall generates £1.46 for the local economy.
‘In the medium term, that maths will help us transform our local economy to a more skilled one, with higher standards for everyone.”
Cornish broadband provider Wildanet is expanding its network bringing high-speed, reliable broadband to communities and businesses throughout Cornwall, including helping luxury accommodation provider Moyles Farm give its guests the perfect reception.
Amanda Woodward likes to make sure guests staying at her luxury holiday accommodation have everything they need, including highspeed broadband.
Moyles Farm, near Polzeath, is made up of a beautifully restored former working mill house, a converted stable and an authentic shepherd’s hut.
Amanda and her husband Mark, a retired emergency services helicopter pilot, bought the buildings back in 2003 and worked hard to turn each unique property into a high-end holiday let. The couple contacted Wildanet when it became clear that the accommodation’s existing WiFi set-up just wasn’t up to scratch.
“Oh, it was dreadful,” says Amanda. “I had guests texting me saying: where’s the best place to get a good WiFi reception? I would tell them, well, if you stand on one leg in exactly that spot, you might just get it!
“It wasn’t nearly good enough. You could barely make a WiFi call.”
The couple realised each of their properties needed fast and easy access to the internet for the comfort of their guests.
“When we first started back in 2006, we were saying we weren’t going to get the internet here because people are on holiday and they
should be enjoying themselves but gradually guests were saying, look, I just need to do a little bit of work,” says Amanda, explaining how holidaymakers’ needs have changed over the years.
“You can understand it,” she adds. “People don’t want their emails to back up or if you’ve got kids, sometimes it’s quite nice to switch off from them in the evenings. You’ve been surfing, waterskiing and coasteering and on a boat trip and you just want to chill. Or see what’s happening in everyone else’s happy world.”
Amanda had heard about Wildanet through another local business and decided to investigate.
“It looked too good to be true,” says Amanda, who had been told by her previous provider that the farm was at the end of the line and fibreoptic connection wasn’t due to be installed in the rural area for some time.
“A chap from Wildanet came out to see me and I asked him all sorts of questions and he said it would work.
“They came to set us up and I cannot fault it, I really can’t. It just works.”
Amanda says one of the best things about switching to Wildanet has been the customer service you get from a local firm.
“That matters,” she says, explaining the nature of the farm’s buildings and location has meant there have been times when she’s needed to contact Wildanet’s team.
“We had wildlife chew through a cable. But Wildanet were just so on it. Just being able to speak to somebody makes such a difference and they know the area, they know how far it is to get here. You ring them and they sort it.”
Moyles Farm has just enjoyed another busy holiday season, with dozens of happy guests able to download, stream and surf the internet to their heart’s content.
“You’ve just got to have good WiFi these days, wherever you are,” says Amanda. “I’ve already recommended Wildanet to another farm up the road.”
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At the heart of the Deep Digital Cornwall (DDC) project lies a steadfast commitment to economic growth in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (CIoS) through funding and directly supporting digital research and innovation.
DDC is forecast to award more than £775k in grant funding to businesses based in CIoS. Through financial support from the European Regional Development Fund, brand new digital products and consultancy services are being developed, creating new jobs, long-term collaborations between businesses and research institutes, and a regional cluster of excellence of digital businesses working with the underground environment.
The DDC project started in earnest in March 2021, led by Professor Frances Wall and Dr Matt Eyre in the Camborne School of Mines and the Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Exeter. In collaboration with partners Cornish Lithium, Cornwall Resources and the South West Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, DDC champions beyond stateof-the-art digital research and innovation across all sectors of the economy.
The project has already funded research and product development activities in new data processing methods, geothermal energy resource quantification, novel sensor networks, sensor development, data science for mineral prospectivity, groundwater and flood management, hyperspectral imaging, and more. By September 2023, at least 40 businesses will have received expert consultancy, researcher time and/or financial support from DDC. Keep an eye on the DDC website as we publish case studies of some of these projects.
At its physical location on the Penryn Campus, DDC hosts a state-of-the-art 3D and 4D visualisation suite and data hub. Powered by Virtalis-Geovisionary hardware and software, this technology is designed to stimulate one’s imagination and unlock new digital business opportunities, including, for example, the ability to visualise CIoS in 3D, using subsurface, surface, aerial and satellite data.
The DDC research team has been generating, digitising and compiling open-source datasets that can be used in combination with businesses’ proprietary data, to enable the 3D/4D modelling and visualisation of real-world scenarios.
Cornwall Resources conducted soil and gravity surveys in 2021 in the Redmoor area of east Cornwall. Cornish Lithium is planning airborne electromagnetic surveys and a soils campaign for late 2022/early 2023. The DDC Digital Assets generated by these collaborators will be made publicly available in the DDC Data Hub for exploration by eligible regional businesses. With project-dedicated research specialists in Digital Mining Innovation, Geology, Machine Learning and Satellite
Applications, in addition to its extensive pool of academic and commercial research expertise, DDC is successfully leveraging the region’s unique digital research skills, collaborations and SME network, to boost regional economic growth.
The project is funded until September 2023, after which date the project team is targeting funding to enhance DDC’s digital infrastructure. Indeed, the world-leading academics and industry partners involved in DDC have ambitious visions to co-define the future of the georesources sectors in the UK, in keeping with the UK Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy 2022 and Levelling Up agenda.
At a regional level, the focus of the DDC team is in direct alignment with Cornwall Council and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership’s Industrial Strategy priorities of clean energy (including geothermal), georesources, data and space technologies. Furthermore, Professor Wall is a member of the Sub-Group developing the new United Nations Resource Management System offering an important opportunity to share international best practice on the management of critical mineral resources. DDC is truly excited to act as a catalyst for the growth of digital Cornish businesses and support the development of products that have the potential to transform industries in Cornwall, the UK and worldwide.
Designed to stimulate one’s imagination and unlock new digital business opportunities
In a climate of uncertainty, some might be forgiven for assuming that the safest bet is it to hunker down. But as world events continue to offer up new challenges, workplaces are becoming more agile, careers are becoming non-linear, and Gen Z are embracing the flexibility and freedom to start their own businesses.
Without overlooking the significant, and for many, terrifying, financial and regulatory challenges facing lots of businesses, in some ways, this is a moment that could prove to be fertile ground for an emerging generation of graduates who are not only resilient, agile and plucky, but immersed in a culture where developing side hustles and SMEs is part of life.
As an anchor institution for Cornwall, Falmouth University is playing a critical role in boosting local economic competitiveness and growth and harnessing the power of creative, tech and digital knowledge. In an age where the fourth industrial revolution underlines the importance of the digital creativity, we’re determined to play our part in Cornwall’s progress.
Falmouth’s focus on CreaTech – where creativity meets technology - is supporting a range of wider initiatives within the region aimed at solving some of society’s most ‘wicked problems’. Under the stewardship of Prof Eunice Ma, we’re harnessing digital and creative technologies to work with the leading voices in Psychiatric care at Oxford University to develop a range of solutions to tackle childhood trauma.
Students specialising in virtual realities, immersive computing and robotics have been working with a range of partners to create the very first VR experience of Spaceport Cornwall’s satellite launch. Excitingly, colleagues teaching on our Sustainable Tourism course are also supporting a new pilot and bid as part of the ‘Good Growth’ pot to support new digital and storytelling approaches to revitalising the high street.
We’re also looking forward to welcoming our second cohort of ‘TechStars’ participants at Launchpad this month, a weekend will bring together a variety of budding entrepreneurs from across the county to devise and pitch a new tech start up concept in just 54 hours.
One of the most effective ways we can play a role in boosting prosperity and economic
competitiveness is though the nurturing of a strong entrepreneurial base upon which SMEs can thrive.
Seamus O’Brien, Professor of Entrepre neurship and Small Business Management and director of Cornwall Business School at Falmouth University outlines a lesson from the Swedish when it comes to developing appe tite for entrepreneurialism in young people. In many areas across Sweden, programmes at primary school age designed to foster a proactive culture of curiosity around the skills needed to succeed in business.
While some argue that entrepreneurship can’t be taught, what’s clear is that fostering the necessary confidence and mindset is a “win-win”, benefitting the young students, employees and the wider economy.
“Let’s not forget these schemes aren’t just about becoming a business owner in the future, it’s about entrepreneurial skills, helping to develop young people with the confidence to work on their own initiative. Entrepreneurial skills also encompass team building, budg eting, problem solving, analysing, presenting, pitching and managing teams of people.”
These are of course some of the most recited qualities and skills being sought by employers looking for graduates, according to the
We’re determined to play our part in Cornwall’s progress
OECD. Precisely the kinds of qualities that students at the Cornwall Business School and participants in Launchpad practice during the start-up phase of their entrepreneurial journeys.
Launchpad’s Vivienne Neale outlines the necessary mindset shift and innovative approach needed to develop new businesses.
“At the Launchpad Venture Studio we underscore the importance of agility, creativity, the need to move fast, and experiment. The adage ‘Build it and they will come’ has been replaced by ‘Test the market, create an MVP and keep testing.”
As part of Falmouth’s civic mission, we’re rolling out several programmes as part of the National Saturday Schools initiatives – helping young people from surrounding communities work on developing their skills in marketing, business and communication skills.
With many more opportunities to work and study flexibly, we’re also pleased to be able to bring to market more choice for students hoping to study remotely, study part-time and take up more short courses.
Applications are now open for ESF-funded six-week, online and heavily subsidised courses at Falmouth University. Spots are currently available for November’s cohort, with more planned for January and are intended to help SME businesses owners level-up their business with new knowledge and skills in UX design, digital marketing, video production and consumer behaviour expertise.
Stewart Noakes, Launchpad’s Entrepreneur in Residence, believes that there has been
an increase in support for the digital and tech talent in recent years.
“There is much more of an ecosystem for digital talent in Cornwall and the southwest than there was even 5 years ago. There are some really interesting companies such as Life Ledger coming to the fore and digital agencies like Buzz and Hiyield doing some great work. Cornwall is seen as a great place for work/life balance for remote workers - and this was really accelerated by the pandemic, along with more opportunities for online business communities and hybrid events online...”
With the precarious nature of the economy right now, innovation, says Professor O’Brien is more important than ever.
“We need to grow our SME base, we need students on degrees where entrepreneurial skills help support the employability skills employers are looking for.
“Thirty years of economic data shows that when there’s a recession, SMEs tend to flourish. People can sometimes be pushed into starting a business, that’s not always a bad thing. They can do this by innovating and this is absolutely key for all SME survival. The real challenge will be for UK Government to demonstrate that they are truly behind SMEs.
“It will take a lot to rebuild this in the context of the challenges we’re weathering in the UK at the moment with the cost of living, Brexit and restrictions around import and export. If local businesses feel that they would benefit from support with innovation and skills, we’d be delighted if they would consider looking at some of the ways we can help at Cornwall Business School.”
The demand for digital skills is greater than ever. Thankfully, the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub is here to help.
revolution
Through our conversations with businesses on a weekly basis here at the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub, there remains one area that seems to always find itself at the top of our listing of the most in-demand skills: digital skills.
The fourth industrial revolution is not only radically changing the way in which we live and work, it continues to re-define and challenge what it means to be human. These challenges are especially pronounced at the intersection between humans and technology, where the ethics agenda is ever-changing when it comes to the impact that technology has on both our workforces and society at large.
The ‘colonisation of convenience’ has made it easier than ever to get through a day’s to-do list, but these same pieces of technology also
serve as our biggest form of distraction.
While advancements in technology and the digital space can - and do - serve as connectors and comforts, how can we give serious thought to the role that technology will play in our workplaces moving forward? And most importantly, what are the key digital skills you need now to stay relevant and valuable for the future?
Here are three areas that we believe you and your team should be focusing on now to ensure that your workplace and workforce are fit for the future…
Knowing what you need to know and staying ahead of the pack is critically important in
the ever-changing digital space. As soon as one program or piece of software, or gadget or item of technology is made available on the market, it is sure to be superseded by something bigger and better in a matter of months. If not minutes.
Don’t let this put you off, however, if you’re looking to take the leap and add increased automation to your workplace or improve your knowledge of the Instagram algorithm to help with your digital marketing. You should stay on top of the latest trends and digital forecasts to make any new changes as seamless as possible.
A greater awareness and understanding of digital technology will also be of the utmost importance moving forward, as being adaptable and able to use new technology as
it comes to hand quickly will see your business and your people always ahead of the curve.
The conventional thinking when it comes to what our workplaces of the future will look like is that improvements in technology will make our jobs obsolete. However, according to the Harvard Business Review’s Project on Managing the Future of Work, this has proved to be a misconception.
Respondents surveyed felt that automation and artificial intelligence could help their future working environment, rather than hinder. In fact, respondents were far more concerned about their jobs being taken by freelancers or temporary workers and the furthering of the gig economy than a robot or supercomputer.
Automation and AI doesn’t need to be scary, either. Think of a few simple steps to dip your toe in the water on this such as automating your emails (Gmail and Outlook both offer the option of canned responses, for example), automating your social media by using online scheduling
software, and automating your invoicing – if you are still yet to do this. Using one of the many programs out there that can ensure emails and invoices are sent out automatically every month is a great starting point.
That isn’t too scary now, is it?
We spoke just above about automation, and this is something that falls under the umbrella of digital marketing, too. Now is the time to think about doing things differently, should you have yet to think more seriously about marketing your business online beyond a Google Ad here or there, or a twice-weekly Facebook post.
Think about how video could help your business, particularly on social media. 80% of the online content we see on a daily basis is
video, and according to those surveyed in the latest The State of Video Marketing report 87% said it provided them a positive Return on Investment.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the other – somewhat obvious, but often forgotten –essential skill for anyone wishing to add to their digital toolbox. SEO creates long-term brand awareness, expands target audiences, and ultimately drives more business revenue. So, what are you waiting for? If reading the above has left you thinking ‘I could do with these skills to improve my business’ than it is time to contact the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub.
We are the county’s independent and impartial specialists when it comes to all things skills, training and workforce development. We can equip you and your team with the skills needed to ensure that you’re ready to tackle whatever comes next.
Now is the time to think about doing things differently
When it comes to intellectual property, just because you pay for something, it doesn’t mean that you own it or have rights to use it. That is, unless there is a written assignment agreement in place or if there is an employee and employer relationship; even then, it is important to ensure the necessary protective provisions are in place. Thankfully, assignment and licensing of rights can be addressed at the contract stage! If work is underway or concluded, it is possible to put a retrospective agreement in place if the developer is agreeable to it.
of these
Whenever you are commissioning the development of software, websites included, it is recommended to put an agreement in place at the outset that not only deals with the intellectual property rights, but also the specification for the end product and any acceptance criteria. This gives you the right levels of controls if the end product is not what you wanted.
3. Know the code in use
Most web or software projects involve the use of external IP or open source code. It is prudent to understand when this is
in use and what, if any, restrictions come with the applicable licence. Consult the terms of your web or software developer to determine what warranties and/or indemnities are in place to protect you, should the end result infringe third party intellectual property rights.
Make sure you understand your legal obligations under the UK GDPR and that this is factored into any software development.
THE WORLD IS CHANGING AT LIGHTNING SPEED. BUSINESSES ARE INCREASINGLY TECHNOLOGY BASED AND CONSTANTLY INNOVATING TO STAY ONE STEP AHEAD. WHERE ONCE IT TOOK YEARS TO BUILD A BUSINESS, GROWTH CAN NOW BE EXPONENTIAL.
Whatever stage of the business lifecycle you’re at, our team can offer expert help and advice to ensure you meet your goals.
START UP - The start-up phase can be an exciting but daunting time for business owners. You need clear advice about what needs to be done, and also what you need to start thinking about as you plan your journey. From company formation guidance to accounting package choice, from setting up a payroll to understanding R&D tax credits, we help you navigate through the key requirements of this important stage. We are proud to support the tech start up community and regularly partner with universi ty incubators and start up accelerators to pro vide help and guidance to tech entrepreneurs.
more information,
SCALE UP - Bishop Fleming has over 400 tech clients and specialises in the scale-up phase, helping businesses to grow, expand and realise their business goals. As your business progresses from start-up to scaleup, we can help your business face change.
Whether your biggest challenge is funding the expansion of your business, talent acquisition and retention, or scaling your business to meet the needs of an international market, we have the industry insight to ensure your business is best equipped for future growth.
EXIT - Exiting your business is a huge milestone, and not just a flick of the switch. Maximising value and preserving the success you built for your business requires
substantial preparation through a well thought out, tailored process.
We recognise that your business is more than just a ‘9 to 5’ and the decision to step away is a significant moment in both your professional career and personal life.
The Bishop Fleming Technology, Innovation & Growth team fully understand the needs of this sector and can support your business, whatever the size, locally, nationally and internationally.
Cornwall VSF has appointed Emma Rowse as its new chief executive. The move will see interim CEO Kate Perkin become deputy CEO in addition to director of partnerships and innovation.
Rowse was selected by the board of trustees following an extensive and highly competitive search including stakeholder and staff panels.
Rowse, current chair of trustees at Volunteer Cornwall, has previously held the position of trustee on the board at Cornwall VSF and brings with her significant experience within the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VSCE) sector as well as the public sector.
Having worked for national charities, local clinical commissioning groups, public health and NHS England, she has over a decade of experience in integration of health and care services locally, regionally, and nationally.
She said: “I am really excited to be joining Cornwall VSF at a time when the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector is needed more than ever. The wealth of experience and expertise in the sector is an inspiration and by working in partnership with each other and our public sector colleagues, we can deliver more for people and communities in Cornwall.”
Law firm Hine Downing has welcomed the return of solicitor John Rutherford back into its property team.
Rutherford has been dealing with real estate transactions for more than 25 years and handles all aspects of residential property.
“It’s great to be back with Hine Downing after a decade working with other property departments,” he said.
Hine Downing partner, Diana Standen, added: “The Cornish housing market continues to flourish with Falmouth a particular hot spot where demand remains very strong.
“We are delighted to welcome John back to the firm, particularly in this climate. As a colleague he is very experienced in all aspects of residential property work and is a popular and valued addition to our busy property team.”
Cornwall Chamber of Commerce has welcomed a new chair of the board.
Laura Whyte is the MD of Whyfield, an inde pendent accountancy practice in Truro, and has been the financial director of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce for nearly three years. She has now stepped up and taken over as chair from Jacky Swain, who remains on the board.
Swain remains on the board and has been proffered huge thanks by the chamber team for her leadership and decision making over many years, as well as for mentoring Whyte into the role.
Chamber CEO Kim Conchie said: “I’m abso lutely delighted that Laura Whyte is stepping into the chair role at Cornwall Chamber so ably filled by Jacky for many years.
“Laura will bring real energy, problem-solving and business connections to the role in addition to her financial acumen which she has been providing in the FD role and which she will continue to fulfil. This is an exciting moment for the chamber.”
For a second year running, a record number of accountancy and tax apprentices are embark ing on their careers with PKF Francis Clark. The latest cohort of 58 new starters –including 12 from Truro – came together for a welcome day at Sandy Park in Exeter, where they enjoyed a chance to network over lunch as well as learning more about the firm’s values, specialisms and history, as well as a session on how to be your best self at work.
It brings the number of trainees to join the south west’s largest independent accountancy firm in 2022 to 67, based across eight offices from Bristol to Truro. The new intake is 59% female, ranging in age from 18 to 40.
Managing partner, Andrew Richards, said: “The arrival of new trainees who are eager to learn is always an exciting time for us, and it was great to welcome our latest recruits as they start their careers with the firm.”
Cornish Gems has chosen YoungMinds as its ‘Gems Charity of the Year’ for 2022pledging its support to fundraise and drive awareness of the charity’s work to support the mental health of children, young people, and their parents.
Members of the team are embarking on a 25k trek along the Southwest Coast Path to raise funds for the charity – as well as inviting their guests to also pledge their support by donating via the Cornish Gems website.
Emma Fashokun, Cornish Gems’ guest experience and CSR manager, said: “We believe that taking care of each other, both at work and at home, is a top priority. We hugely respect and value the vital work of YoungMinds and want to do our very best to help support their work with young people and their families.”
The Gems Charity of the Year initiative began in 2018 and has so far raised over £17.5k for worthy causes, with donations being shared with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the Cornwall Air Ambulance, the RNLI and Surfers Against Sewage.
According to a new study, two of the best hotel views in the UK can be found in Cornwall.
hawaiianislands.com scoured through thousands of reviews to find the hotels around the world which boast the most beautiful views, with Carbis Bay and the Headland both appearing in its UK top ten.
Other hotels in the list include the Tower Hotel in London and the Lodge on Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Great British Menu contestant Charlotte Vincent has taken on her next starring role, as head chef at Hotel Meudon near Falmouth.
A Devonian by birth, Vincent learned to cook with the British Army, before spending ten years working with Michael Caines at the Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter and the two Michelin Star Gidleigh Park.
Next, she took the helm at the award-winning Five Bells in Cullompton, where she steered the inn into the UK’s Top 50 Gastropubs, while also making a name for herself competing in BBC 2’s Great British Menu.
Vincent describes her food as ‘Modern British’ influenced by Scandinavian and French cuisines, which will be reflected in the new autumn menus launching at the hotel.
Hotel Meudon - which reopened in May 2021 under new ownership following an extensive refurbishment - has already notched up a string of awards for its dining, including a Taste of the West Gold and Cornwall Tourism Awards Silver ‘Restaurant of the Year’.
Commenting on her new position, Vincent said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of the wonderful team at Hotel Meudon. I’m incredibly excited to be drawing influence from the beautiful, abundant gardens here and using the wonderful larder that Cornwall has to offer. And working with the team to produce some delightful dishes inspired by the rugged beauty of the coast and Bream Cove.”
St Austell Brewery came away with four medals from the recent World Beer Awards, including a gold for Big Job double IPA.
The news comes in close succession to award wins at both the British Bottlers’ Institute Awards (BII Awards) and Europe’s Alpha King Challenge.
The internationally recognised World Beer Awards were held in London during the summer. Big Job was named Country Winner and Gold Winner in the Imperial/ Double IPA category. Proper Job IPA and Mena Dhu stout both won silver medals, while korev lager earned a bronze.
Big Job double IPA also came third in the
Alpha King Challenge. The competition, run by 3 Floyds Brewing, saw over 80 breweries from across Europe enter to be ranked among the world’s greatest hoppy beers.
The British Bottlers’ Institute revealed the winners of its annual BBI Awards in July, with St Austell earning silvers for its flagship Tribute pale ale and Big Job double IPA, while korev lager was awarded a diploma.
Brewing director Georgina Young said: “We are proud to be representing Cornwall on the world stage again this year. Earning national and international recognition from industry experts is the result of many years of hard work from our brewers and beer quality experts.”
Following three years on the high street in Truro, popular takeaway deli Sabzi is expanding and opening a second site in central Falmouth.
Established and owned by former Masterchef quarter finalist Kate Attlee, Sabzi aims to offer something different within Cornwall’s established food industry.
Attlee was born in Cornwall to an Iranian father and British mother - she has been surrounded by international flavours throughout her life.
“The business is very much designed to give people truly delicious and creative food coupled with exceptional service,” she explained.
“As a mixed race woman heading up a business in hospitality, I am keen to demonstrate that we can scale a food concept that has sustainable cooking at its heart, without compromising on style, service or how we look after our team.”
While Falmouth is the newest addition to Sabzi’s portfolio, there are plans to open a third shop in the spring.
Two Cornish brewing opposites have united to produce a new limited edition beer available in both keg and can
From an outsider’s viewpoint, it might appear that one of Cornwall’s largest producers of ales - Sharp’s - and the county’s smallest nanobrewery, Bluntrock, would be natural adversaries: they’re on opposite sides of the road, they have vastly contrasting scales of production and even their names are ‘opposing forces’.
Yet due to their close proximity and shared love of brewing and history, the two actually couldn’t be more excited to be working together. Their first co-conceived small batch brew, Camel Trail Pale Ale, is a hoppy, hazy 4.5% beer, brewed using a
special American IPA yeast strain, and it launched last month.
George Collins, Bluntrock’s head brewer started his career in beer when he moved from his home in Burton-on-Trent, aged 19, to take up a position as a brewer at Sharp’s. He then went on to work at Padstow Brewery before co-founding Bluntrock with Hugo Roads.
Sharp’s technical brewer, Jon Wide, said: “It’s been really fun to work with George and to create the same brew on both of our brewing kits. George’s nano-plant makes 150 litres and our small-scale pilot plant makes over 1,000 litres per batch, whereas our normal scale is up to 25,000 litres per brew so it’s great to brew at different scales and on different equipment.”
It seems I am never short of content for an opening paragraph for my column these days! Pandemic, energy bills, war, and now
the sad passing of our Queen - the only constant amid the chaos of the last few years, and the trials and tribulations of the last 70.
As a Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall, I feel privileged to have served Her Majesty in some small way. The life of duty, service, championing of our country at home and abroad and her unstinting energy made her a role model for all of us. I had the pleasure of meeting her once when I was invited to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party as Chair of my industry’s trade association in a previous life and, indeed, a previous millennium!
I have met our new monarch a couple of times before his elevation to the role of King Charles III - most recently at this year’s Royal Garden Party in Cornwall and before that at a Business in the Community conference in London. I found him to be as gracious and interested in people as his mother. It’s all change now and I, for one, am looking forward to welcoming our new Duke and Duchess of Cornwall to the Duchy soon –that’s William and Kate if you hadn’t heard.
I’ve been asked many times in the last fortnight to comment on the impact the death of our monarch will have on the business landscape in an already turbulent time. In one sense, death is another Horseman of the Apocalypse sent to test our fortitude, but I don’t begrudge at all an additional Bank Holiday to allow us all to pay our respects and contemplate her amazing reign. But the Queen’s death is different from the cost-ofliving crisis. It doesn’t have the same grinding impact on our lives and businesses.
I am old enough to have run a business through tough, inflationary times and some different skills as well as fortitude are needed. Do not offer fixed price contracts to customers when you can’t control your input prices, do not stop marketing, customer care or applying best practices. And be the best. There is a drift to quality in recessionary times and the good businesses will survive –prosper even.
Cornwall Chamber continues to act progressively and energetically on your behalf. By the time you read this, Sustainability September: Project Planet C will have come to a close. Mid-way through the month as I write this, I can already tell you
that it has been a roaring success, and our mission to train 200 Cornish business climate ambassadors to be carbon literate by the end of October is well on course.
Planet C was about making the journey to net zero accessible to everyone and changing the culture within a business so that climate action isn’t seen as an add on that drains resources and distracts from the everyday.
I really feel like this is just the beginning of Cornwall asserting itself nationally and showing that not only do we have the knowledge, resources and landscape here to lead the UK to net zero, we have the businesses who – regardless of sector – have brought the campaign into the fabric of their organisation.
We now look forward to our October Big Breakfast and Connected Lunch, our Chamber Innovation Investment Network - where angel investors meet thrusting young investable companies, and a series of masterclasses and advice. If you would like an event on a particular subject to help support you through these challenging times, please do let us know hello@ cornwallchamber.co.uk.
I hope September has been a good month for your organisation and despite business conditions being difficult, you are feeling strong and supported. Do get in touch if you need extra help in a particular area.
The qualification is backed by support from the UK Space Agency, Spaceport Cornwall, Goonhilly Earth Station, Airbus Defence & Space, the University of Leicester, the Open University and the University of Exeter.
Truro & Penwith’s University Centre has co-written the world’s first HNC/HND qualification in Space Technologies.
The new course got underway last month and marks a new frontier for space education.
The shortlist has been announced for the 2022 Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards.
Now in its seventh year, Truro & Penwith College’s annual Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards continues to grow and is well established as one of the leading training awards in the south west.
In total, 42 nominees have been shortlisted across 16 categories for the awards evening on November 18.
Learners can expect to gain insight into engineering for space missions and ground stations with topics including; satellite structures, in-space power generation, space craft altitude control, rocket propulsion and space communication to name a few.
The ever-popular public vote for the Achiever of the Year category returns, providing members of the public with the opportunity to vote for their winner of the category that recognises learners who have overcome a personal challenge or adversity.
College principal, Martin Tucker, said: “We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the seventh annual Cornwall Apprenticeship Awards.
“Apprenticeships are a key part of Cornwall’s economic strategy to deliver a high-quality workforce and career opportunities. 2022 is an exciting time for apprenticeships at the college with recent multi-million-pound infrastructure investments aiding curriculum development and boosting future skills.”
truro-penwith.ac.uk/caa
Dr Heidi Thiemann, ESF project manager for Space & Aerospace at the University Centre co-led the qualification team and commented: “We are thrilled to have partnered with Pearson and a large number of institutions and NGOs, including the UK Space Agency in the development of this University Level qualification that has been part-funded by the Smart Specialisation Business Needs through Higher Level Skills (SS HLS) project.
“We aim to be running the new HNC/HND part-time from September 2022 and will recruit a full-time cohort in 2023.”
A suite of new online courses is being rolled out by Falmouth University and partners this autumn.
The short courses are intended to provide SME businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly with the digital skills to take their business to the next level and compete with market leaders in their industries.
The courses have been developed through a project part-funded by the ESF (European Social Fund) in collaboration with local edu cational partners to engage with businesses in the region, identify training gaps, and scout out course development opportunities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
In association with University of Exeter, Truro & Penwith College, the University of Plymouth and Cornwall College, Falmouth University’s new courses on offer provide an opportunity for SMEs to level up their business with the latest thinking in UX design, digital marketing, video production and consumer behaviour expertise.
The six-week courses got underway last month with further dates set to be announced shortly.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is to lead a new project which will look at the future skills needs of businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and technical education provision in the area.
By working with local employers and key education providers, this project will seek to set out the key priorities and changes needed to make post-16 technical education or training in the area more closely aligned with the skills needs of local employers and the local economy.
The Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) is an initiative funded by the Department for Education, which has selected FSB as the lead Employer Representative
Body (ERB) to head up the LSIP in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
As part of the project, FSB will be holding a series of events during the autumn in conjunction with employers and education and training providers in across the county. This will influence the recommendations of a report to be completed by mid-2023.
If you are involved in either delivering training and skills or a business with experience or an opinion around what would improve the employment and skills landscape, email: Ann.Vandermeulen@ fsb.org.uk expressing an interest to be involved or simply with your comments or to put yourself forward as a case study.
Small businesses are fighting for survival from soaring energy costs as they turn to the new Prime Minister and Chancellor for immediate support to brace for the winter, according to latest FSB research.
The Out in the Cold report finds that the overwhelming majority (96%) of small firms flag concerns about rising energy bills. Concern is spread broadly across the economy, with 71% of small firms across all sectors reporting they are very or extremely concerned. Those in accommodation and food (68%), wholesale and retail (45%) and manufacturing (43%) report they are extremely concerned.
Compared to last year, nearly two-thirds of small firms (63%) say they are paying more for electricity and gas this year, with two in five (39%) seeing double, triple or even higher increases in their bills, despite many having yet to renew their energy contracts.
The soaring energy bills are forcing nearly half (45%) of small firms to raise prices. Two-fifths have taken steps to reduce energy consumption although options are limited. Nearly a quarter (24%) have cancelled or scaled down plans for investing in or expanding their business.
In light of the findings, FSB is urging the UK Government, alongside devolved administra tions as appropriate, to provide direct support
with their energy bills to small businesses.
It has set out a mixed policy package of fiscal and regulatory measures, including expanding the scope of the price cap, which currently only protects domestic customers, to include sole traders, micro and small businesses. It is also asking for a reduction of business rates to help small firms adapt to the energy price increases and direct cash support to small and micro businesses to help with energy bills.
Other measures it is calling for include:
• Cut taxes temporarily on energy for one year initially, with the possibility of extending the measure if global prices remain high.
• Issue £5k vouchers for businesses to spend on qualifying energy saving-products and services under a ‘Help to Green’ initiative.
• Commit to not disconnecting businesses from energy supply that are currently unable to pay for their energy bills this winter, and not asking for disproportionate upfront payments.
• Encourage consumers to shop locally and to support their local businesses.
FSB national chair, Martin McTague, said: “Small businesses themselves are doing all they can to cut their energy use and cut costs, but it won’t be enough to save many this winter without further help.”
The search is on again to discover and recognise the south west’s best and brightest small businesses.
The FSB has launched its annual ‘FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards’ which will culminate in a regional final in Weston-super-Mare followed by a national final later in the spring.
Small business owners and the selfemployed throughout the south west will have a choice of 12 different categories to enter including best family business, start-up, micro and larger business as well as awards for SMEs that excel with customer service, with their diversity and inclusivity practices and those who shine in their local communities.
The 2022 South West awards produced a record amount of entries and included winners from a wide variety of sectors like Cornish business ARCO2 Architects, who also went on to win at the Cornwall Business Awards. Organisers hope that this year will see an even bigger response from the region’s innovative small businesses.
For further information or to enter the awards – which are open to both FSB members and non-members alike - visit www.fsbawards.co.uk
A Cornish business has been named among a list of tech startups to join a programme designed to combat racial inequality in UK tech by supporting ethnically underrepresented founders.
Tech Nation, a leading growth platform for tech scaleups, announced 35 tech startups with black, south Asian, east Asian or Arab founders who have been accepted into Libra 2.0; the second iteration of the Libra programme for ethnically underrepresented tech founders in the UK.
Data Duopoly is one of just three businesses from the south west named to the list, and the only one in Cornwall. CEO and co founder, Tanuvi Ethunandan, said: “Data Duopoly is building the ‘waze’ for people management in places. We connect spaces, places and people using data and AI. We are excited to be on the Libra programme with Tech Nation to help us scale and expand our offering.”
The six-month Government-backed Libra programme was created to tackle the racial diversity challenges that exist in UK tech. Last year, Extend Ventures reported that between 2009 and 2019, three quarters of VC investment went to all-white founding teams, while under a quarter (23%) went to multi-racial founding teams, and just 0.24% went to all-Black founding teams.
By supporting ethnically underrepresented tech leaders based in the UK (who are growing and scaling despite VC funding challenges), Libra aims to strengthen the UK’s position as one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business - for everyone.
Wildanet has been rolling out a major expansion of its gigabit-enabled network across north Cornwall.
Thousands of homes across Launceston, Wadebridge and Bude will benefit once installation of new fibre cables is completed later this year.
North Cornwall MP, Scott Mann, joined Wildanet’s chief executive Helen Wylde on site in Launceston to see installation work taking place as part of the rollout.
He said: “I have been very pleased to meet with and offer my support to Wildanet as they bring great technology and its benefits to people in Launceston. In addition to the enhanced service available to residents, many businesses in my constituency will thrive from faster broadband and more stable connections. Wildanet are at the cutting edge of our mandate to level up rural and coastal constituencies and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”
Firefighters in Cornwall have road-tested an innovative bench which uses soothing sounds and mindfulness to help them destress.
The crew at Tolvaddon Fire Station, near Cam borne, have trialled the new ‘sonic bench’, and researchers at the University of Exeter have helped its creator to gather feedback.
The bench is the creation of Justin Wiggan, of Flushing-based Glass Twin, which specialises in using sound to help lower agitation and build resilience. Users sit down and press a button and are guided through a breathing exercise. The relaxation is accompanied by soothing sounds chosen by the firefighters, such as bird song.
Local filmmakers Callum Mitchell, Jonny Dry and Ella Turner are shooting their latest film – Mackling – this autumn in Penzance.
West Cornwall born Mitchell’s recent audio drama-documentary, Solomon Browne, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 last year to widespread acclaim and selected as Drama of the Week.
Working from a script by Mitchell, Jonny Dry is set to direct with Ella Turner producing for Studio Erma. The trio worked together on the set of BAFTA-winner Mark Jenkin’s latest feature, Enys Men, and will be supported by Bosena CEO & producer
Wiggan said: “Wellbeing is absolutely crucial in our fast-paced pressurised world, and firefighters work in particularly high stress situations. The bench is designed to provide a safe space. It guides users through a breathing activity, designed to lower agitation and to help create a calmer state of mind.”
The pilot project was supported by the University of Exeter’s Inclusivity Project, which aims to support Cornish SMEs to improve health and wellbeing at work. The project helped to create a simple and easy to use traffic light system to measure how firefighters were feeling.
Dr Daniel Derbyshire, of the University of Exeter, who worked on the project, said: “It’s fantastic to apply our research expertise to this innovative idea that could go some way towards helping firefighters reduce their stress levels, and I’m sure it is something we’ll be hearing more about in the future.”
Wiggan’s creation won Best Innovation in Everyday Life at the 2021 Sound of the Year awards. Similar benches have also now been installed at The Fire Fighters Charity’s three centres across the UK.
Denzil Monk for Mackling – shooting throughout West Penwith this November with a range of local cast and crew.
Set in a world of reclamation yards, house clearances and rural deprivation, Mackling is a social drama following the strange and off kilter relationship between two men, Bud and Sully, as they prepare for a local funeral.
Dry said: “Callum’s writing on Mackling captures something of the complex picture of magic, deprivation, community and isolation which can be found down here. To be working from such a piece of writing, and with Ella alongside, is very special.”
Payrolling Benefits in Kind (PBIK) was introduced in 2016 as an alternative to P11D’s, as a way to tax employees on benefits provided by their employer. Company benefits are becoming increasingly popular as employers look for new ways to recruit and retain staff in the current labour market.
Employees are taxed on their benefit each pay period via payroll, rather than using the end of year P11D method. The amount of the benefit is displayed on their payslip and they are subsequently taxed on this amount.
forms at the end of every tax year, saving the company time and administration, or the cost of additional accountancy fees if they are completed externally.
As employees are taxed on the benefit through out the year, they will not owe HMRC tax at the end of the tax year, which is then normally recovered by a change in tax code/lowered personal allowance in the following year.
Most benefits can be payrolled with the exception of interest free/low interest employee loans and employer provided accommodation. Benefits include private
You will need register for PBIK with HMRC using your Government Gateway account. It is important to note that you need to register before the start of the tax year. So, to use PBIK next tax year you will need to register by 5th April 2023 at the latest.
For more information contact
TalentTide, on how remote working can still benefit your business in a post-Covid world.
Does having your workforce in the office really make a big difference to your business? It’s been a couple of years since we were all forced to re-frame our mindsets when it came to office working and close our doors to staff amidst a global pandemic.
At the time, the idea of employees working from home was almost alien to some and, I’ll admit, even I was a little old-school when it came down to it – worried that productivity would drop when I couldn’t physically see my staff working at their desks.
This couldn’t have been further from the truth, though. If anything, my staff worked even harder from home. Without the stress and added time of a daily commute, people’s lives became more balanced and the flexibility it afforded meant they were more enthusiastic about getting stuck into their work when they were on the clock. After all, with the average UK commute taking around an hour each day (and, here in Cornwall, likely being longer due to the rural nature of the county), the time and fuel savings alone had many jumping for joy.
It went so well, in fact, that even now my staff still reap the benefits of remote working, and I don’t mind one bit. Why? Because, for us, it’s been a game-changer for our business, our staff and our clients – and the facts speak for themselves.
Today, we have two new staff members who we wouldn’t have been able to recruit without our flexible or remote working options, ensuring we have the best people on our team delivering real-time results. Even better, we’ve also dramatically reduced our carbon footprint, making us a more sustainable business and helping towards Cornwall’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2030. My staff are more than welcome to pick up their kids from school if it saves money in childcare because I know they’ll make up the time.
As restrictions eased over recent months, though, other businesses – particularly big companies – have started to push staff back into the office lifestyle. For those employees, it’s officially back to the daily commute and added costs that come with working away from home.
Whether it’s about filling an empty, alreadypaid-for office, or fear for productivity, we’re already seeing that rush hour traffic slip back into our lives as if the pandemic never happened.
In my opinion, this might be a big oversight by these businesses. While I would advocate that each company should do what feels right for them, we’re seeing many indicators on the ground that the time of remote working is still very much alive and kicking.
In an overly saturated jobs market, where recruiting the right people has become increasingly difficult, our team here at TalentTide is seeing a growing number of people hunting for jobs with more flexibility. Sometimes, they’re even willing to sacrifice a chunk of pay for the privilege.
I’ll agree there are some limits to remote working (for example, it’s not always easy to gauge an employee’s mental wellbeing over video call), but I would argue there are ways around this. Whether it’s through our fortnightly full-team meet-ups, or regular one-toones, it’s all about keeping those channels of communication open.
So, whatever is holding you back, consider it again. Remote working is about trusting your staff and believing they will give back as much as you give them – and you might just be surprised by the talent you reel in with such a desirable incentive.
TalentTide is seeing a growing number of people hunting for jobs with more flexibility
It’s getting close to that time of year again!
you ready for
office
Celebrate the festive season the way it should be celebrated, with top class food, great company and in stunning surroundings. Treat yourself this Christmas to lunch or afternoon tea at Hotel Meudon.
Festive Afternoon Tea including mulled wine £25pp.
Two-course Festive lunch £24pp and three-course is £30.
Available from the 1st to the 22nd December.
Red River Café, Heartlands
Heartlands business networking breakfast is a great way to start the day with friendly, relaxed networking and good grub. heartlandscornwall.com
Royal Cornwall Events Centre, Wadebridge
One of Cornwall’s leading B2B events, helping you connect with the region’s best B2B services and professionals to help you discover new trends, products and innovations. cornwallbusinessshow.co.uk
Pool Innovation Centre
Learning about developing a Minimum Viable Product and refining prototypes into workable solutions. aticornwallinnovation.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!
Mennaye Field, Penzance
Championship 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
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
St Austell Conference Centre
Access to Finance’s Finance for Start-ups course is designed to provide you with the essential knowledge and practical skills you need to get your business off to the best possible start. a2fcornwall.co.uk
Holiday Inn Express, Victoria CITIZENS ADVICE OPEN LUNCH Victoria Inn, Roche
WADEBRIDGE FORUM
The Pearl & Trawl, Wadebridge
WOMEN IN BUSINESS LUNCH Penventon Hotel, Redruth
BREAKFAST NORWAY INN Norway Way, Perranarworthal Ambassador: Gareth Looker
LIVE WELL FOREVER
Venton Conference Centre, Chapel Parc
NETWALKING
The Borough Arms, Dunmere
Reflections on how to create an effective circular economy at all scales. Theory and practice for local and regional development. eventbrite.co.uk
CORNWALL CHAMBER BIG BREAKFAST
Tregenna Castle, St Ives
The Cornwall Chamber of Commerce would like to invite you to Tregenna Castle for its monthly BIG breakfast event. cornwallchamber.co.uk
IMPACT 2022 University of Exeter, Penryn Campus
As small businesses are facing rising costs, energy, financial and legal experts are called on to offer their insights and practical support. eventbrite.co.uk
OPEN HOUSE CORNWALL
Victoria Inn, Roche Ambassador: David Brock
NETWORKING WORKSHOP
Victoria Inn, Roche
CHARITY, TRUST & CIC Victoria Inn, Roche
BUDE NETWORKING
House of Chaplin, Bude Ambassador: Edward Chapman
NETWORKING AT THE CATHEDRAL Truro Cathedral
HAYLE NETWORKING
Brewers Fayre, Loggans Moor Ambassador: Karen Looker
For further details of these and more networking events visit businesscornwall.co.uk
To publicise your event for free, email news@businesscornwall.co.uk
A free space for local businesses, start-ups, creatives, entrepreneurs to connect over (really) good coffee. Kindly hosted by Solskinn Coffee and Cocktail Haus in Falmouth. eventbrite.co.uk
Alverton Hotel, Truro
FC SAS Club – a forum where accountants can get together and explore areas where clients are needing support. eventbrite .co.uk
Championship 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
ONLINE :
BUSINESS FINANCE & ADVICE
Ambassador: Dionne Williams
Bedruthan Hotel, Mawgan Porth
Free one-day intensive workshop (part-funded by the European Social Fund). Explore how your business can be a restorative force, creating jobs, regenerating nature, and delivering social justice.
During this workshop you will: learn key principles of the circular economy, explore case studies of businesses successfully balancing profit, people and planet: Chocolarder, Circular & Co, Crowdfunder, Finisterre & Origin Coffee. arcacircular.org.uk
FITNESS & NUTRITION NETWORKING
Ambassador: Craig Smith
MEET UP WITH JON & WARREN Ambassadors:
Jon Iacomino & Warren D’Souza
THE BIG ONE Ambassador: David Brock TUESDAY MORNING CATCHUP Ambassador: Bill Christie
MEET UP WITH JON & WARREN Ambassadors: Jon Iacomino & Warren D’Souza
THE BIG ONE Ambassador: David Brock BUSINESS WITH PURPOSE Ambassador: Edward Chapman
MEET UP WITH JON & WARREN Ambassadors: Jon Iacomino & Warren D’Souza
MONTHLY MEETING WITH BJ STEPHENS Ambassador: BJ Stephens
THE BIG ONE
Ambassador: David Brock
TUESDAY MORNING CATCHUP Ambassador: Bill Christie CYBER SECURITY Ambassadors: Chris Windley & Kelly Thompson
yourpartnerships.co.uk
Octopuses and power rangers were among those taking part in the Via Ferrata Business Challenge, with a team from Coastline Housing conquering all!
Rip Curl and Women + WAVES welcomed the surf community to an exclusive launch of their new surf collection at the Rip Curl Store in Newquay last month.
The sun shone as Cornwall Chamber’s popular monthly Big Breakfast event took in a new venue, the Pig at Harlyn Bay, near Padstow.
More than 150 delegates were at the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay, for a special Inclusivity
Project-organised event which highlighted how both SMEs and larger organisations need to embrace the huge potential from employing discriminated groups, particularly disabled and older people.
PANEL DISCUSSION
EMMA BLAND
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?
This is a tough one, I had so many ideas! I was always making things and taking things apart, and most of the time I wanted to be an inventor. At one point I wanted to be a maths teacher!
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FULL TIME JOB?
I was a trainee accountant for a clothing retailer… it feels like a very long time ago!
WHAT IS YOUR BEST QUALITY?
I’m off-the-scale optimistic, and I can see the light at the end of any tunnel.
WHAT IS YOUR WORST QUALITY?
I’m not very patient!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RESTAURANT?
So many good ones to choose from! It has to be Coombeshead Farm near Launceston. Tom and his team have created a foodie paradise there.
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO RELAX?
Family, food, and fun. I love cooking (recipes entirely optional), and Allanah and I have a date night every Friday where we cook something exciting after the kids have gone to bed. Beyond food, I love making things out of wood and paddleboarding.
IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHAT SUPERPOWERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO POSSESS?
To never need sleep!
WHEN IS HONESTY NOT ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY?
Never. It’s always the best policy.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER?
Seeing Thought Quarter rise from the ashes of Covid without having to make job cuts, and growing sustainably but not slowly.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE WORST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER?
Early on in 2020 during the first lockdown, life as a business owner and director was tough. We fell between the cracks of Government support, and 60% of our revenue evaporated overnight. Even for an optimist like me, there were some very dark days.
WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED IN LIFE?
People buy from people. The more complex and expensive the product, the more basic the buying process can be.
Seeing simple, elegant solutions to complex challenges.
People hiding behind complexity or smokescreens to hide their incompetence.
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKE IN LIFE?
Early on in my life as a business owner, I didn’t fully understand the power of marketing. If I had done, we would be at least three years ahead in our journey.
WHAT WAS YOUR LUCKIEST BREAK?
Landing our first large contract as a teeny-tiny business. This gave us the launchpad to build our business upon.
Optimistic, driven, always happy.
