9 772514 842001 09 09 LEADERTHOUGHT THE SEARCH IS ON... BE RECOGNISED AS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO WORK IN CORNWALL BUSINESSCORNWALLSHOW THURSDAY OCTOBER 6 WE MEET EMMACEO,CHANCELLORUNIVERSITYFALMOUTHVICEANDPROFESSORHUNT CORNWALL'S PREMIER BUSINESS RESOURCE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION businesscornwall.co.uk SEPTEMBER 2022 | ISSUE 160 | £3.95
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BUSINESS CORNWALL | 1 INSIDEFEATURES 10 CEO INTERVIEW WE MEET FALMOUTH UNIVERSITY VICE CHANCELLOR AND CEO PROFESSOR EMMA HUNT 15 SEARCHWORKFORCETOMORROW’SDEVELOPINGBEGINSFORTHE BEST PLACES TO WORK IN CORNWALL 26 CORNWALL BUSINESS WESHOWPREVIEW LEADING B2B EVENT 28 SUSTAINABLE CORNWALL DRIVE TOWARDS NET ZERO 44 MANUFACTURER PROFILE HEWASWATER 46 DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY HITTING THE SUPERFAST SWEET SPOT 48 CHARITY PROFILE CORNWALL AIR AMBULANCE 52 ACCESS TO FINANCE PROGRAMME CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS REGULARS 4 EVINCOMINGORNOTEV?THAT IS 6 BUSINESS NEWS TRELAWNY PLATE HONOUR 51 BUSINESS CLINIC GET YOUR BUSINESS SEEN 54 FOOD & DRINK BREWERY BOSCASTLEBUYSHOTEL 56 CREATIVE & DIGITAL HFC CO-WORKING SPACE 57 FEDERATIONFSB OF SMALL BUSINESSES 58 EDUCATION & TRAINING NEWS INVESTMENT FOR NURSERY 59 CHAMBER NEWS CEO KIM CONCHIE 60 ON THE MOVE MOVERS & SHAKERS 61 EVENTS DIARY WHAT’S ON 62 WHAT’SCONNECTEDGONE 64 THE LAST ENTREPRENEURWORDTOMHANSON SEPTEMBER 2022 ISSUE 160 PHOTO: BOARDMASTERS 2022 SEE PAGE 62 FOR FULL STORY
2 | BUSINESS CORNWALL SEPTEMBER 2022ISSUE 160 Business Cornwall Magazine is proud to be associated with Get your digital copy Read a digital edition of Business Cornwall visit https://issuu.com/businesscornwall
And in a packed Business Cornwall this month…
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WELCOME
And talking about awards, we are very excited this month to be launching a brand new awards scheme – Business Cornwall’s Best Places to Work in Cornwall. I encourage you to participate. It’s an opportunity to have independent validation that your company truly is one of the best. It’s completely free to enter, full details on page 16.
DESIGN Ade Taylor design@businesscornwall.co.uk
Listen to our podcast
This month’s magazine is very much focused on the future. The future of our workforce and the future of our planet. Falmouth University plays an important role in shaping tomorrow’s workforce and in this issue we meet Falmouth University vice chancellor Professor Emma Hunt. We also hear from a number of other experts in Cornwall on this important topic.
ACCOUNT MANAGER Caroline Carter caroline@businesscornwall.co.uk
09 LEADERTHOUGHT THE SEARCH IS ON... BE RECOGNISED AS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO WORK IN BUSINESSCORNWALLSHOW UNIVERSITY CEO,CHANCELLORVICEANDPROFESSOR
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nick Eyriey nick@businesscornwall.co.uk
PRINT Printed in Cornwall by Deltor BUSINESS CORNWALL is published 10 times a year by: Tonick Business Publishing Pool Innovation Centre Trevenson Road, Redruth TR15 3PL Tel: 01209 718688 SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@businesscornwall.co.uk ON THE COVER FALMOUTH UNIVERSITY VICE CHANCELLOR AND CEO PROFESSOR EMMA HUNT SEE PAGE 10 BY EDITOR NICK EYRIEY
The second main focus of this month’s magazine is the environment. As we move towards net zero, we take a look at a number of local initiatives and how Cornish companies are playing their part. We look forward to an exciting Cornwall Chamber programme of events – Planet C – and fire the starting gun on the 2022 Cornwall Sustainability Awards.
Shaping the world businesscornwall.co.uk
PUBLISHER Toni Eyriey toni@businesscornwall.co.uk BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Morveth Ward morveth@businesscornwall.co.uk
4 | BUSINESS CORNWALL The questionbig carsElectric – do you believe they’re the solution to motoring? Are you planning on making the switch or maybe you have done already? Join the /businesscornwall/ @biz_cornwall /businesscornwallconversation business cornwall. co.uk THE CONVERSATIONINCOMING
How? The answer is “piece” of mind. Piece of mind refers to positioning one’s business in the mind of customers. This mental real estate is valuable at the best of times, but during an economic downturn, it becomes even more important.
PETER HEATHER Miller Commercial
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 5 THE CONVERSATION INCOMING
In a study on advertising during and after a recession conducted in 1999, the marketing and advertising data of 1,000 companies was analysed, with the firms split into three distinct groups. The first group decreased their marketing and advertising during difficult times. The second group chose to stay the course and maintain their marketing expenditures. The third group not only maintained their marketing efforts but increased their spending. The result?
Yes, they are the solution to motoring and I hope to see many more on the road. But in saying that, horses are still ridden by those who know and understand the feeling that riding a horse gives. Equally, there will still be a place for the combustion engine and for the feeling it can give.
So hell yes to electric cars AND the combustion engine. There is room for both on the road.
ERNEST CAPBERT TOG Knives
JON HART St Austell Printing Company
CHRIS THOMSON, CEO, MARWICK MARKETING
MARKETING & BUDGETS DURING
As the economy began to recover, the group that decreased its marketing efforts saw its market share drop by 0.8%. Those that maintained their marketing and advertising at pre-crisis levels had an increase of 0.6%, while the companies that increased their advertising saw an increase of 4.3%.
TAOR McDOUGALL Leopard Print
I honestly believe that electric is the way forward, however, as a business that’s travelling up and down the UK on a frequent basis and doing over 30,000 miles a year, the range of electric vehicles isn’t quite there yet. I’m hopeful though, that in the not too distant future we’ll get there!
Future generations will grow up with a quiet car, with a dashboard that looks like an iPad and this is what they will know and there is nothing wrong with this. I grew up with lots of switches, a stick that engaged the gear your heart wished, the smell of petrol, maybe even some oil on the bottom of my shoe. These feelings are never going to go away from my experience with the motor car, they run deep, as these experiences were shared with people I love and admire, my dad particularly.
I have an electric company car and I personally find it great to drive and with a range of 330+ miles, it’s perfect. My car is one of two electric vehicles we have recently added to our fleet, with three on-site electric charging stations too, and we hope to add an electric van at some stage, but the mileage ranges are not quite there yet. I would say with one eye on the 2030 ban on the production of all petrol and diesel cars, we certainly need to up our game when it comes to the UK infrastructure to meet the demand of charging vehicles.
A RECESSION
To learn how you can instantly save 10% on your budgets visit co.ukSwitch2Marwick.http:// or call 01637 226 229
There was an article in the news yesterday which I think was in the business section of the Telegraph noting that a Cambridge professor or something similar had just received £50 million worth of investment grant from I think a Chinese or Japanese tech company to develop a new way of charging batteries to 90% within five minutes. If this takes off, and in any event, I fully expect electric cars to be very prevalent in five years’ time which will have a huge impact on the use of fossil fuels, greenhouse gases etc. I do not profess to know enough about this to be able to make any proper judgements as I do know that many think that the future is actually hydrogen. Either which way, I fully endorse every effort that is made to move away from fossil fuels.
I am skeptical about whether electric cars are the future after hearing a Cornwall Chamber talk recently about hydrogen. I am not sure if we will go down the electric car route with the way energy prices are going up but never say never.
SAM OATEY Oatey Media
The Crown Estate has announced that plans that competition for the for floating wind pro jects will begin in 2023. In April the Govern ment outlined its ambition for 5GW of floating wind by 2030 in the British Energy Security Strategy. A&P Falmouth and Morwind will use their combined knowledge to explore the nature and scale of local opportunities associated with future floating offshore wind development.
REGISTER YOUR TRADE MARK… AND THEN KEEP AN EYE ON IT!
NEW VENTURE IS SPLICE OF LIFE
6 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
Port development director, Drystan Jones, said: “Floating offshore wind is fast transitioning from concept to reality and A&P is delighted to be collaborating with Morwind to explore opportunities in the Celtic Sea.”
By Frederick Noble, British and European Patent Attorney at Albright IP.
A&P COLLABORATION
BUSINESS NEWSCORNWALL
A&P Falmouth has announced details of a new collaboration with specialist wind developer Morwind to explore the potential local opportunities and benefits that can arise from the development of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.
Cornwall, which has significant deposits of lithium and tin, is singled out for its mineral wealth and the ‘world renowned’ Camborne School of Mines for training generations of mining engineers and geologists around the Theworld.Critical Minerals Strategy highlights that lithium, cobalt and graphite are needed to make batteries for electric cars; silicon and tin for electronics; and rare earth elements for electric cars and wind turbines. By 2040, the world is expected to need four times as many critical minerals for clean energy technologies as it does today. The strategy has been welcomed by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which has invested £2.9 million from the Government’s Getting Building Fund in a £4 million pilot lithium extraction plant near Redruth. The project has been built by Cornish Lithium to demonstrate that lithium can be recovered from geothermal waters.
VITAL ROLE IN MINERALS STRATEGY
LEP board member and renewables lead, Steve Jermy, said: “We’ve got a wonderful mining heritage in Cornwall and some of the resources here, particularly lithium, are world-class. If we can invest early and get it running early, it’s going to be an industry of national significance.”
ADVERTORIAL News earlier this year (reported worldwide!) of the lawyers’ letter received by the Star Inn at Vogue unsurprisingly caught our eye. After landlords Mark and Rachel Graham incorporated their established business as a limited company, Condé Nast, publishers of SPONSORED BY focus-technology.co.uk
Cornwall’s vital role in supplying minerals like lithium and tin to the UK’s economy has been highlighted in the Government’s firstever Critical Minerals Strategy. Published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, it sets out how critical minerals will become increasingly important to bolstering energy security and UK industry.
CORNISH LITHIUM’S MIKE ROUND (LEFT) WITH STEVE JERMY
A family venture which breathes new life into old fishing gear is celebrating overwhelming support from the county’s business sector. Cornish Spliced, which makes a range of products including dog leads and toys, mats, bowls, keyring and floating fobs from repurposed fishing ropes and ghost gear, is now working with 16 wholesalers from across Cornwall and Isles of Scilly within just a few months of 15-year-oldlaunching.BethPerkin, who started Cornish Spliced last October with her Grandad, said: “When I had the idea for my grandad to make me a dog lead from his old fishing rope, using his splicing skills, I thought I might be able to sell a few leads to friends to make some pocket money. I never imaged that nine months later the whole family would be splicing and making all kinds of goodies from rope, supplying 16 businesses around the county.” Beth makes the products with her mum Rachel and grandad Frank Plummer – a retired St Ives fisherman, who is passing on his traditional fishing skill of splicing to his family, who are all getting involved to support the new family venture, including Beth’s aunty Helen and little cousin Ailla.
SEASALT SEAGRASSAND UNDERWATER SEAGRASS MEADOW OFF THE COAST OF ST MAWES.
PHOTO: MATT SLATER & CORNWALL WILDLIFE TRUST
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 7
SPONSORED
The Lord-Lieutenant’s office commented: “His exceptional work, his campaigning and his compassion for people facing great difficulty, single him out as a remarkable community leader, fully deserving the accolade of holder of the Trelawny Plate.”
BY sapc.co.uk BUSINESS NEWS CORNWALL
The museum has been dubbed “the most beautiful building in the world” by the emirate’s ruler and UAE vice president Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Designed to be “an architectural and cultural icon”, the seven-storey building contains a combination of exhibits dedicated to the future and workshops for testing and developing emerging technology. “Having had the opportunity to bring clay into the luxury realm has been an empowering creative challenge for us,” said Clayworks founder Adam Weismann. “Earthen building materials can be a vital tool in tackling the big challenges of our time and it is fantastic news for us, for natural building materials and for Cornwall that clay plasters have been used in the most futuristic building in the world.”
Vogue magazine, wrote to say that use of the word “Vogue” as part of the company name “might cause problems”. It’s not the first time a letter defending a trade mark has hit the news for being a little heavy-handed. In this case at least the publishers have apologised and admitted that “further research” should have been done before firing off the letter. The swift correction seems to have done the trick, and the mistake apparently hasn’t caused any serious hard feelings.
Ellis has been chosen to receive the award following 20 years of outstanding leadership of St Petrocs, working tirelessly to support some of the most vulnerable people in Cornwall. He has recently stepped down from the chief executive role, which he has held since 2002, and continues his involvement with St Petrocs as vice president.
PHOTOGRAPHY: GIOVANNI EMILIO GALANELLO COURTESY OF ATELIER BRUCKNER
A new project to restore Cornwall’s carboncapturing seagrass meadows has been Fundedlaunched.by clothing brand Seasalt Cornwall and implemented by Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the ‘Seeding Change Together’ project aims to restore intertidal seagrass found in the Fal SeagrassEstuary.plays a critical role in absorbing and storing the world’s coastal blue carbon. Using technology never previously trialled in Cornwall before, marine experts will identify and test restoration methods that can be scaled up in the fight against climate change.
Clayworks has created and provided a wide range of interior wall finishes for The Museum of the Future in Dubai.
Albright IP, Pool Innovation Centre, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 3PL +44fnoble@albright-ip.co.uk(0)1209316161
Leader of St Petrocs for 20 years, Steve Ellis has been awarded the Trelawny Plate, the prestigious Cornish award, at a special service held near the home of Trelawny’s living descendants in Pelynt. The plate, awarded biennially, is presented to the person who has “contributed most to the spirit of Cornwall”. Unique to Cornwall, the Trelawny Plate is chosen by a committee of senior Cornish figures led by Colonel Bolitho, Lord-Lieutenant of Cornwall as a mark of significant recognition in the county.
CORNISH STYLE IN DUBAI
At Albright IP we can provide both of these essentials – computer-based watching, and a team of attorneys who promise to check carefully before sending letters. So, if you want to discuss protection of your brand, please get in touch.
HIGHEST ACCOLADE FOR STEVE ELLIS
The three-year project, based at Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Fal Ruan nature reserve, will begin with an important research and development phase. The trust will conduct on-site and aerial surveys, as well as water quality tests, to better understand the environmental conditions affecting the seagrass beds. Thousands of seeds will then be collected and planted by volunteers. Marine conservation officer Matt Slater said: “We want to see seagrass habitats in Cornwall restored towards their historical levels and for seagrass to be present in all locations that could support it. This partnership with Seasalt will allow us to make headway towards that goal.”
The publishers of Vogue very sensibly have trade mark registrations protecting their valuable brand. Your business may well have done the same. But do you have a watching service to monitor for potential conflicting marks or business names which come into use? Ongoing watching for conflicting trade mark registrations, company name registrations, and other uses of your brand is a vital part of protecting the value and uniqueness in your name. Nowadays, technology makes effective automatic watching affordable for businesses of all sizes – and this really is something that everyone should have in place. As the Vogue story demonstrates though, you do need the human touch as well – a real person to check the notices from the computer-based watch and to decide what (if anything!) needs to be done with them.
CIOSIF funding will be used to increase the stock of technical equipment it holds, which is available to customers for lease and hire. This will enable the company to meet demand which has increased significantly. This upturn in business has been boosted by the launch of a new Feritech Innovation Centre in April. This new facility offers a full range of services including product design, fabrication, machining, electronics, electrics, embedded software, hydraulics and 3D printing services.
Previously known as Cornwall Consultants, the new website for Cornwall Mining Consultants includes an improved version of its MineScanner tool which provides an instant answer as to whether a specific property requires a Mining Search.
• Over 30% of businesses supported during 2021/22 were actively working to improve the wellbeing of people within their communities.
Accountancy firm Bishop Fleming has been ranked 14th in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list for 2022, which seeks to showcase the very best apprenticeship programmes over the previous 12 months.
FERITECH SECURES £1M CIOSIF LOAN
• 43% of lending to female-led businesses, up 10% from the previous year.
A mining consultancy has launched a new website to coincide with a brand refresh.
NEWS IN BRIEF 8 | BUSINESS CORNWALL SPONSORED BY focus-technology.co.uk BUSINESS NEWSCORNWALL
Treveth has completed on its first commercial real estate transaction as it focuses on growing its commercial activity alongside the delivery of more than 300 new homes currently on site across Cornwall. The portfolio of commercial properties includes 8,680m2 (93,432 sq ft) of assets in Bodmin, Falmouth, Pool and Helston, all of which were previously owned by Cornwall Council.
SWIG Finance’s has published its annual Social Impact Report for 2021/22, shining a light on how its finance is being used as a force for good across the south west. During the 2021/22 financial year, SWIG Finance lent more than £10.8 million to SMEs and start-ups across the region and beyond, making this another record year of Evenlending.though many SMEs have continued to battle the multiple challenges brought about by the pandemic, global conflict and inflation, SWIG Finance says it has doubled down on its efforts to reach target customers and reports “much optimism” among the business community, with a strong demand for growth capital.
SWIG Finance’s chairperson, Christine Allision, said: “It is a pleasure to be associated with SWIG’s 2021/22 Social Impact Report, which tells an upbeat story of an organisation continuing to grow and expand its support to small businesses throughout the south west. “In particular, it demonstrates the importance of diversity in the provision of business finance, and the DevelopmentbespokecontributionuniquethatCommunityFinance Institutions (CDFIs) make.”
Key findings from SWIG’s latest impact report:
Truro-based financial planner Watson French has joined the Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF) Business Club. Since establishing 14 years ago, the CCF Business Club has invested over £390k into communities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, awarding over 200 grants.
• Record lending of £10.8m to 502 StartUps and SMEs
• Over 1,000 jobs created or safeguarded • 25% of lending to businesses in the most deprived areas of the south west.
• 15% of lending to businesses led by ethnic minorities, up 2% from the previous year.
• Up to 34% of businesses supported have plans in place to support sustainable consumption and production.
China Fleet in Saltash has invested over £100k installing a 165kWp array of solar panels, to help in its quest to become carbon neutral within the next ten years. It will save 95,000kg of carbon per year and will provide 16% of the club’s energy Libertyrequirements.Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has announced ShelterBox and Cool Earth as its new charity partners, following an employee vote. As part of a three-year commitment, LSM will be supporting each of the global Cornwall-based charities with a corporate donation of £50k per year. LSM will also be holding a variety of engagement activities to further support and promote the charities.
A Cornish advanced engineering company that specialises in supplying solutions for subsea and harsh environment applications has secured a £1 million growth loan from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund Falmouth-based(CIOSIF).
Wadebridge manufacturer Piran Advanced Composites has been awarded a £79k grant from the BIG Productivity fund. The cash injection has gone towards a new piece of machinery which can create master patterns to make moulds for aircraft parts.
• A combined 27% of businesses were actively working to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of life on land and below water.
SWIG’S IMPACT
Feritech Global, which was recently named Exporter of the Year at the Cornwall Business Awards, designs and manufactures a market-leading range of marine geotechnical equipment for customers across the world.
BE RECOGNISED AS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO WORK IN CORNWALL Business Cornwall is on the hunt for the best companies to work for by launching a survey and recognition programme for 2023. Does your organisation have what it takes to be honoured in the first annual ‘BC Best Places to Work’ listing? To register your company or to find out more visit: www.bestplacestoworkincornwall.co.uk ENTRIESOPENSEPT12
Over the next 16 pages we focus on the theme of developing the workforce of tomorrow. Falmouth University certainly has a key role to play in this, so to kick this feature off, we meet the recently appointed vice chancellor and CEO, Professor Emma Hunt.
HUNTEMMA 10 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
EmmaHunt
CEO feature and cover photographs by Toby Weller
What attracted you to Falmouth?
I’ve always had my sights on Falmouth. I mean, Falmouth is and was a competitor for Arts University Bournemouth, so you were always looking over your shoulder to see what’s going on over there. I knew a lot of people who either worked at AUB and who had worked here, or vice versa. But there were so many things that attracted me to the role and one was that I’m a West Country girl. I grew up in north Devon in Biddeford. So,
Having been here for less than a year, I don’t have that sort of cycle of activities. Yes, you started in January. How have things gone?
The first one is around cementing our already leading role and really taking that forward and building a reputation around creative technology. That is developing on the brilliant work we do in our Games Academy; the brilliant work that we do in film and photography and also understanding technology and new technologies that will impact on our design courses and on our fine art courses. It’s not that fine art only works with paint brushes and paint, there is a lot of technology in terms of new ways of looking and creating artwork. So, it’s right across the whole curriculum.
There are several things and we’re just about to relaunch our new vision statements.
HUNTEMMA BUSINESS CORNWALL | 11
Not at all. We’re planning for our welcome week for the new students joining us in September; I’ve been doing a lot of work on the strategy refresh, and we’re appointing new board members, and I have just rushed from an interview for one of those. And annual planning for next year takes place now. So yes, it is quite a busy time. And, of course, every day is a new day for me at the moment.
nottickinganotherofentrepreneurshipdevelopedwhichSo,entrepreneurship.workmyreputationIofcreativeup.IpatchwasCornwallnorthDevon,northmywhenwasgrowingIknewtheartssideeducationwell,knewFalmouth’swell,butPhDanddoctoralwasalsointhewayinFalmouthhadalotofthatwasreallyinteresttomeandtickedbox.Intheend,itwastoomanyboxesformetoapply!
Has it matched your expectations over the past few months?
What are the goals for the year ahead?
Largely, yes. I think there are things that need to be done and that’s not necessarily because Falmouth did anything wrong in the past, but because the world has changed. Not just because of the pandemic, but Brexit, the Department for Education and the way in which the current financial crisis is impacting. There are challenges about how we might want to consider moving forward, and how you consider that in a fairly uncertain environment. But that’s also quite liberating in a strange sort of way, it can lead to huge opportunity.
learning.thisthattakingofoutUNESCOThere’screativetheCornwallintakingisexternally,peoplearoundarolehowwehelpbecomecountyforlearning.abigprogrammetherearound‘CitiesLearning’,butthisisthatideafurtherandthecountybecomesplaceforcreative Help countybecomeCornwalltheforcreativelearning
The second area, which I think is really interesting and I’ve shared this with quite a few
I’ve really enjoyed it; Cornwall is such a welcoming place. It has always been my intention to meet as many people as quickly as possible. And everybody’s just made me so welcome. The whole territory isn’t unfamiliar to me because I was a deputy vice chancellor before, but every institution has its own way of doing things. I’ve come in with a need to refresh our strategy because the world’s changed massively with the pandemic everything.andAnd then, of course, we’ve got a Government that’s in an ‘interesting state’, I think we had three education ministers in three days! You were most recently with the Arts University in Bournemouth, so your background is very much on the creative side of things I’ve worked in universities pretty much all of my career now. Going down the classic academic route into universities and then taking the management and executive leadership roles as part of that. But it’s always been in higher education, on the arts side. My interests are in creativity. My background is in design and business.
As we’re talking it’s the summer holidays. Is this quite a quiet time for you?
Over 25% of students stay in Cornwall to start their own businesses, which is higher than Oxford and Cambridge, it’s a phenomenal percentage. Now we know there’s a journey that business startups go on. They develop, some fail, some continue, some regroup, merge, and all those sorts of things. But that is where Launchpad is so important. And it’s more than just leisure type startups, or social startups, they are businesses doing real things. And that’s been a big ambition for Cornwall and a really important one. And I think that’s where we can really build on those strengths. Is it a growing trend across universities where they specialise more in particular areas?
HUNTEMMA
I assume you must work quite closely then with the business sector in general in Cornwall?
As vice chancellor of the university, you have a huge remit, lots of difference
The third one is around reinforcing the role that we can play around employability. That’s not just our graduates going into jobs, but trying to retain those students to help with productivity locally, getting good jobs, but also being good employees. And that includes entrepreneurship, it includes enterprise, it includes business startups, and building on the success of Launchpad and everything that Launchpad does. We have a role to play with employability, upskilling and retraining, particularly in the digital creative sectors, which became crucial through the pandemic. How can we maybe help people come back into the workforce by using some of those skills? What role can we play in all of that?
And then the final one is around the role we play in research and innovation, which is obviously key to being a university - teaching, research and knowledge exchange. A recent national assessment classed every single thing we did here in Falmouth as world leading. That is fantastic, but it’s through the lens of creativity that we’ve become world leading in our research. We have to demonstrate the impact of our research through particular case studies. We put in six case studies, every single one of those was world leading, and every single one of those started with research that impacted in Cornwall, but could then be replicated and taken outside of TheseCornwall.vision statements aren’t in isolation. They all interrelate. Our brilliant research, including innovation and research in creative pedagogies feeds into creative learning, which can then create better opportunity and ambition for employability that then feeds into the growing sector around creative technologies. So it’s building on this really fantastic strong position and taking it to the next stage. What percentage of students stay in Cornwall after they’ve graduated?
Every university up and down the country differs and has a particular mission as to what it does. There is a group of universities that are more specialists towards the creative subjects, but they do branch out into other aspects of the business of creative industries.
We do and I’ve already met quite a few people. I’ve been invited on to the LEP board and I’m going to chair the creative industries task force. I’ve always worked really strongly with the local business community. I don’t think any university can ignore its business community.
Through the lens of creativity we have worldbecomeleading
BUSINESS CORNWALL Our particular role is in higher education, but can we use our research in creative innovative pedagogies to help support schools, to help support retraining and upskilling. We know some of the challenges in aspiration and attainment lower down the educational levels. Can we help that in some way by being aspirational? Can we help with the understanding that creativity can help attainment in other subjects, not just creative subjects. But it is also about the whole idea about our place as an anchor institution for Cornwall, and the importance of that for Cornwall’s economic productivity going forward. That’s a really key part and something I’m really wedded to.
12 |
We have our formal business school. Lots of arts universities have a business side of things, because it’s around production, it’s around events, it’s around how you become an account manager for those areas. Our sense of it, is it’s just not a pejorative view of art, it actually feeds into the whole production cycle of the creative industries. Other universities will have another mission related to their particular role in their particular region, and I think we play that as well. We have a particular role around supporting the next generation of employees into the vibrant industries across Cornwall, including Spaceport for example. You might think we don’t do engineering, we don’t do physics, we don’t do space science. But we do a lot through our immersive business lab around AI and AR. We’ve created and designed the content and the visuals to simulate that experience of the plane going up and the satellite being launched, for example. And that’s a creative industry route into the space sector. And I think we’ll do a lot more of that as well as we go forward.
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 13 roles, because you’re running a business as well as an education establishment.
HUNTEMMA
It’s in the title. My title is vice chancellor and CEO. So yes, the CEO bit is running the business, the vice chancellor bit is really being the lead academic. That’s a crude way of putting it, but that’s sort of how the two roles come together. And to me, it’s an exciting combination. For the CEO part of the role, you really are looking at your corporate responsibilities, your financial, and your HR responsibilities, and that is significantly challenged at the moment with educational policy and with the financial situation of the country. So the two roles are separate, but then they cross over very, very carefully. Some people will talk about students as consumers, some people talk about students as a financial model. I never do that, because they’re students in my mind; they might demonstrate consumer behavior in terms of what they want, and when they want it and there’s quite a lot in that in terms of trying to provide the very best that you can. So, you can see how those things cross over. And we are in a more marketised environment in the university sector in the UK, generally. But I think that’s quite positive in a way, it keeps you on your toes. But I have a great team around me. How many people work at the university?
I think Cornwall is really attractive if you have a creative mindset. We talk a lot about the big sky, the heritage of the artistic economies of Newlyn and St Ives. So there’s a lot that attracts because of the environment. The two campuses we run are also very attractive. They’re the only ones I know that have these most beautiful tropical gardens. And then the other thing is because the county is very creative, and the rise in creative and digital industries means there’s a lot of attraction to that. And then when you think about the cutting edge research that our staff do, there’s some real currency there that is also going to be very, very attractive. And the facilities. If you’re a creative student, you want to know about the kit, what you’re going to use, and we have really good resources. And we have space. Not all universities have the same amount of space that we have, which again, is very important when you’re creative. The other thing which is a real bonus for us is you’re going to be rubbing shoulders with your future work colleagues. So, if you’re a fashion designer, you’re rubbing shoulders with textiles,
you’re rubbing shoulders with business, you’re rubbing shoulders with photography and film. All of these interrelate in terms of making a piece of creative content. So you’re collaborating with other like-minded disciplines, which you will naturally work with when you are in the workplace. How many students are there now? We take about 1,700 each year at undergraduate level. We have some online provision as well, so in total we’re close to 6000 students. And it’s still a growing university, isn’t it? Yes. And I think that’s good. There are challenges that come with that in all sorts of different ways. But being a really good player and a serious player in the creative education, higher education space, is exactly what Cornwall needs and exactly what we all want it to be. Going back to the creative economy, its importance is often talked about by the LEP and things like Games Academy are hugely successful. Talking about the workforce of tomorrow, I guess this ticks a lot of boxes? Creating future skills for the workforce of tomorrow is about bringing the connectivity and the collaboration of all those different skills together. And the Games Academy is a really good example of that, where we’ve got real creative insight. Help people come back into the workforce
About 700. So, we are a very big employer. We are an anchor institution in Cornwall and we take that responsibility really seriously. I think we’re putting about £100 million back into the economy each year, it’s a significant operation. You spoke about a marketised environment. Is it a competitive process getting the students in the first place? Is it more competitive now than it used to be traditionally? It’s difficult to say because the number of 18-year olds is increasing. Up until 2030, the demographic has shown a huge rise in 18-year olds. So that means in one way the competition is for the quality of that student experience and the quality of the students and what they’re bringing to us and for us to then nurture that creative talent into promising careers. But I suppose it is competitive. We tend to attract students largely from the south, south east and Midlands. We don’t attract so many students from the north. What’s the main reason students come to Falmouth? Obviously the course, but does location also play into it?
Yes, it has been full on, my feet have hardly touched the ground! And I’m not sure I want them to, because it’s such an interesting place. The more you dig deep, or the more you meet people, the more you realise what an interesting job this is. I’m absolutely rooted in my belief that education is transformational. And I love meeting people, love finding out what’s going on and what’s making everybody tick. And I think that’s why I’m enjoying the role so much at the moment. It is challenging, there are huge challenges ahead as there are in all sorts of businesses. But I’m working with a group of really creative, interested, passionate, loyal, connected people. And you know, that’s got to be a big tick! When you do have a bit of downtime, how do you like to relax?
It sounds rather boring doesn’t it when we say we’re just going to continue being brilliant and building on the bedrock. But actually, in this moment in time, that’s exactly what’s needed. But it is moving much quicker, much faster in that creative technology space. And then really being a deep, deep anchor for Cornwall. And my passionate belief in that transformational power of education, which I think is good for Cornwall and good for the country.
You’ve been here since the beginning of the year. Has it been a pretty full-on time? Have you had time to step back and relax a bit?
14 | BUSINESS CORNWALL So you have the game art side of it, the aesthetic side, but you’ve also got to understand the back end of that, which is computer science and the programming and coding. Bringing all those together. Now, you might not end up working in the gaming industry, but those skills could lead to the gamification of training and contribute to the science of businesses generally. Those skills are really in hot demand at the moment. If you’re creating a virtual flythrough, for example, that can be used in the space context, in an architectural context, all sorts of different business contexts. So those skills are needed more than maybe people realise. Those greater skills are often used in other industries, not just the creative industries. Is the notion of ‘employability’ more important than ever now? Do courses tend to be more vocational? I think employability is important. And I use the word employability rather than employment because employment always implies that you’re going to be an employee with a company. And we know the world of work is changing. Our students are probably more resilient to career shock, when they might change jobs or need to change jobs, they’ll have a really good portfolio and we know the world of work changes hugely. So, our students are more able to ride that wave through the employability skills that we give them. And some of those skills are around good problem solving, good critical thinking. We often talk about the ‘T shaped’ student or the T shaped employee. So they have really strong creative, technical skills as a filmmaker, as game designers, fashion designers, but then you’ve got the way in which they can critically solve a problem, the way in which they’ve got the soft skills, team working skills, collaboration skills, and it’s that sort of combination, that T shaped person, that we’re developing, and those are the skills that are needed for the future.
Do you often have these conversations with businesses, about the sort of people that they need to grow? We do, and I think that’s really important. We have good connections with our industries and the different industries that we serve. And I think that’s where we’re trying to do two things, I think one is trying to anticipate the future need for those industries. And we rely a lot on those industries to help us decide on that. A good example is around converging technologies, particularly in screen-based industries. There’s a lot of convergence of different technologies coming together. We’re anticipating that and taking that into our curriculum. There’s always a little bit of a gap between the student leaving and then being fully fledged in their particular industry, but I think that’s slowly changing. The more we talk to those industries, the more we can actually then adapt.
I’m rootedabsolutelyinmybeliefthateducationistransformational
HUNTEMMA
I like walking, I like the coastal paths. And like finding all those hidden coves. And I love gardens as well, absolutely. I’m not very good at gardening, but I like sitting in them and exploring gardens! And joining in January meant that I was here right at the beginning of spring, I hadn’t witnessed those massive Bluebell fields like at Enys before. So, that’s been brilliant being there at the beginning of spring and then into summer. That’s a real bonus. And I was at the Minack Theatre the other night. I enjoy going to those sort of performances and events and exhibitions that are on. And your ambitions over the next five years or so?
NURSERY | PREP | SENIOR | SIXTH FORM
truroschool.com/admissions
DEVELOPING TOMORROW’S WORKFORCE
WORKFORCETOMORROW’S
Hybrid working is here to stay, with flexible working requests only likely to increase. These requests must be handled properly or statutory rules may be breached and expensive legal claims may follow. As younger generations enter the workforce, candidates will pass by employers who are unable or unwilling to provide flexibility. It will be a ‘buyer’s market’ and staff recruitment and retention will require an adaptive attitude. An obvious productivity boost from hybrid working is the removal of the daily commute. However, absence from the physical workplace makes it easy for people to be overlooked. Employers must focus on performance, not presence, setting clear expectations and measurable outputs. Regular oneto-one meetings need to monitor what hybrid workers are delivering and identify when they are struggling; with support signposted when necessary. Issues of underperformance should be tackled quickly and not left unchallenged, to avoid a difficult Theconversation.futurewill involve a heavy reliance on technology, and employers need to invest in this now. Staff unable to keep pace are likely to be subject to performance management processes, which again must be handled carefully. New technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotics and 3D printing are likely to have a significant presence in future workplaces. To succeed, businesses will need a multi-generational workforce, intertwining the digital intelligence of ‘Generation Z’ with emotional intelligence through time and experience. Younger generations can teach older colleagues digital intelligence (reverse mentoring), but there will remain plenty for the older workforce to teach as well. A multi-generational workforce will therefore operate to meet the needs of a multigenerational customer base. It will be for individual businesses to cultivate a ‘workplace’ that promotes this cross-pollination of skills. A specialist employment lawyer, Chris also provides pragmatic day-to-day HR and employment law advice through Stephens Scown’s HRExpress service. www.stephens-scown.co.uk/business/employment/
Refreshingly lacking in arrogance but quietly setting itself up as the place to be schooled in Cornwall. Good Schools Guide 2021 Read in full at truroschool.com
Covid-19 changed the face of the workplace forever. Chris Morse at Stephens Scown LLP considers future implications for employers.
“ ” The
Founded in 1880, Truro School is Cornwall’s leading independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 3 - 18.
Business Cornwall magazine has teamed with Best Companies Group, to find and recognise the best places to work in Cornwall.
The programme is based on the view of employers and the verdicts of employees over a number of key metrics, including leadership and planning, culture and communications, working environment, relationships with managers, training/ development and pay/ benefits. The collected information will be combined to enable Best Companies Group to determine the strength and weaknesses of participating companies. They will then be assessed on this data, with the best being granted Business Cornwall Best Places to Work For status. The scheme will be formally launched on Monday September 12 when bestplacestoworkincornwall.comthegoeslive.Deadlineforentries is December 16. A full listing of the Best Places to Work in Cornwall will appear in the May 2023 issue of Business Cornwall magazine. Participation is free of charge. All companies recognised in the listing will be able to use the Best Places to Work in Cornwall logo for promotional work.
WHY ENTER?
SeptemberLaunching12
The ‘Great Resignation’ is impacting every employer in some way. In the UK, at least 20% of workers are planning to quit over the next year. This massive shift in talent is impacting some companies more than others. Industries like leisure, hospitality, and retail are getting hit the hardest. Small and medium companies, which typically don’t have a robust recruiting team, are struggling to keep up with open roles. But despite this turmoil, there is a golden Theopportunity.dataon why people are leaving or ignoring certain companies is clear. People aren’t leaving their job to make more money
Business Cornwall is on the hunt for the best companies and organisations to work for.
Bebestthe
16 | BUSINESS CORNWALL WORKFORCETOMORROW’S
• Have a minimum of 15 employees working in Cornwall* Must be in business a minimum of one year * To ensure credibility, organisations having 15-24 employees must have an 80% or better response rate on the employee survey. Temporary, per diem, seasonal, independent contractors, consultants, interns and volunteers are not counted in the number of employees or included in the survey process.
•
HOW IT WORKS
Participating is free, and organisations will have the opportunity of purchasing an Employee Feedback Report from Best Companies Group which will provide comprehensive details of the surveys, including employee comments and benchmarking against peer.
All too often, the best organisations are too humble to brag. But not telling that employer brand story makes it very difficult for the best workplaces to find the best people and thrive as a business. This is a self-inflicted wound that has real costs. And that’s what entering Business Cornwall’s Best Places to Work in Cornwall can do for you, highlighting and celebrating amazing workplaces so they can find and retain their top Participatingtalent. in programmes like Best Places to Work in Cornwall can significantly help cut your recruiting costs. This is so because once you are verified by an independent party that your workplace is one of the best, talent that you are trying to hire or talent you already have pays attention. They are eager to apply. They are proud to work there. There are few things out there that can impact your bottom line and help you win the talent war right as well as this. So, if you think your company has what it takes to be honoured in the inaugural Best Places to Work in Cornwall list, head to our website to find out more.
WORKFORCE
www.bestplacestoworkincornwall.com Deadline for entries is December 16.
Best Places to Work in Cornwall is a two-part process designed to gather information about each participating dealership.
ELIGIBILITY In order to be eligible to enter the Best Places to Work in Cornwall programme, organisations must:
• Be a publicly or privately held business
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 17 or simply because they want something new. That is not the driving force to most departures. Most people are leaving because of the work environment. People want to work at amazing workplaces. People want to work on high-functioning teams. People want managers who care about their employees’ success. People want to work at companies that treat their employees with respect and trust. If you are reading, nodding along, and thinking, That’s us, we do that! then let us ask you this: who else knows how great your company is to its people? If it’s not everybody, then here’s the golden opportunity.
Part one: the employer completes the employer questionnaire which details company policies, practices, benefits and demographics.
Part two: employees of the company complete the employee engagement & satisfaction survey, an in-depth set of statements based on a 1-5 scale of ‘disagree strongly’ to ‘agree strongly’. Both surveys are completed online. Best Companies Group will combine the results of the two surveys to determine which companies make the list of the Best Places in to Work in Cornwall.
TOMORROW’S
• Have a facility in the United Kingdom
andworkplacesCelebratingamazingsotheycanfindretaintheirtoptalent
The Skills for Cornwall project, under which CCB’s new apprenticeships are being developed, supports local business growth by focusing on the development of skills, training programmes and qualifications in sectors identified as priorities by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.
The project looks at partnering with employers which are ready to share their expertise with the scope of having their insights feed the developing of new apprenticeship and degree curriculums that meet the current market needs.
18 | BUSINESS CORNWALL WORKFORCE
When talking about education, there has always been the question: how can students and adults future-proof their employment?
To bridge the skillset needs of regional businesses and the need of students to be equipped for the dynamic labour market, The Cornwall College Group is offering a suite of training programmes to support upskilling local workforce. CCB Training, The Cornwall College Group andAutoapprenticeshipslaunchedtrainingandemployer-facing(TCCG)’sbusiness-arm,hasnewinTechnicianLivestockUnit Technician.
To get involved in Skills for Cornwall as an employer, contact CCB Training on 0330 123 2523 email hello@ccbtraining.co.uk or visit www.ccbtraining.co.uk/skills-for-cornwall/
TCCG is also the first in Cornwall to run the Keeper and Aquarist apprenticeship, which will be delivered in partnership with Newquay Zoo and Blue Reef Aquarium.
“To be able to offer applied training in Cornwall for keepers and aquarists is an excellent opportunity,” says Conor Kendrew, curriculum development manager for Science & Natural Environment, at TCCG. “At Cornwall College Newquay we have a strong track record of working with industry in our degree provision, and this apprenticeship will be no different. We are providing training for the industry, influenced by the industry.” Thinking of partnering for the Keeper and Aquarist apprenticeship? You can find out more about the apprenticeship by joining their dedicated employer’s event, either online or in person, on September 8 or 29. Book here: event/keeper-and-aquarist-employer-www.cornwall.ac.uk/
SKILLS FOR CORNWALL PROJECT
A strong track record of working with industry
Future-proofworkforceyour
“In return, we ask for feedback on ways to develop the apprenticeship. This insight will enable us to develop new apprenticeships or foundation degrees to meet businesses’ future needs.”
“We have £3k of funding available through our Apprenticeship Development Fund, which is aimed at businesses taking on new or existing staff members onto an apprenticeship,” explains Lorna Martin, head of apprenticeships and external engagement at CCB Training.
TOMORROW’S
The project is part of the Business Clusters project, part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).
“Our experienced team of Industry Placement and Work Experience Coordinators will help you find the right person for your business, and work with you and their course tutor to develop, monitor, and review SMART objectives to ensure they make an impact in your Tobusiness.”getinvolved contact the Skills to Business team on 0330 123 skillstobusiness@cornwall.ac.uk2523 or visit experience-and-industry-placements/www.ccbtraining.co.uk/workto find out more. your here: www.cornwall.ac.uk/skills-bootcamps/ BOOTCAMPS
MORE UPSKILLING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADULTS Find out more or register
The nine bootcamps available are: • digital skills • health and social care • vehicle tyre fitting and EV awareness • electrical testing and inspection • bricklaying • sustainable development • hospitality • cyber security • digital trainer • digital marketing.
WORKFORCETOMORROW’S BUSINESS CORNWALL | 19
interest
ELECTRIC VEHICLE TRAINING
In addition to the new apprenticeships, the college has partnered with The Cornwall Manufacturers Group (CMG) to address the skills gap, resulting in The CMG Academy – a pre-16 academy to support youth into manufacturing and engineering.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED AS AN EMPLOYER
Group
offering free, flexible courses for
Chris Couch, area manager at Kier Construction says: “We were delighted to recently meet the Kier Academy students and to sponsor their training at Cornwall College. This is a unique programme that will provide opportunities for 14-16-yearolds to get a real taster of the construction industry. Cornwall College has provided an excellent platform of learning that will enable the students to try different trades and professions and decide on their future career path.”
Courses include: • Level 1 award in electrical/hybrid vehicle awareness • Level 2 award in electrical/ hybrid vehicle hazard management • Level 3 award in electrical/hybrid vehicle system repair and replacement • Level 4 award in diagnosis, testing, and repair of electric/hybrid vehicles and components To find out more or register your interest visit: training/www.ccbtraining.co.uk/electric-vehicle-
SKILLS
THOUGHTS FROM OTHER PARTNERS: THE CMG ACADEMY
interview
“Currently, we have got a huge skills gap –hundreds of jobs available in manufacturing and we just can’t fill them,” says Jon Hurrell, chief executive at CMG.
“Work experience and industry placements are a great way to nurture young people and add value to your business. Employ ers opt for this to see how a particular individual might work in their business before them starting an apprenticeship with them,” explains Jenna Gazzard, Skills for Business Manager at CCB Training.
England. These bootcamps are designed
adults
Garage owners and automotive sector professionals can now join innovative electric vehicle training in Cornwall. Whether you’re employed, self-employed, or owning a garage, you can claim up to £300 per person, per day of training. The funding is available through CCB’s new ‘Automotive Business Grants’. TCCG was awarded £1.2 million from the Skills Accelerator project, to build new workshops, laboratory environments, and virtual learning platforms at their Camborne and St Austell campuses.
“So, to solve that problem in the long term we have partnered with Cornwall College to try to get younger people involved in manufacturing as early as possible, so that they can get inspired, get involved with manufacturing, and then become a manufacturer of the future.”
Another way to get involved as an employer is through work experience and industry placements. It offers employers the opportunity to have their desired skill set to be matched with new professionals.
This month, The Cornwall College is also up to 16 weeks for aged 19+ who are either in work, self-employed, or recently unemployed and live in to with up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an with a local employer.
Additionally, school children in Cornwall are getting the opportunity to learn highly-valued construction skills thanks to the launch of a pre-16 Construction Academy building at Cornwall College Camborne, part-funded by Cornwall Council and Kier Construction, with support from Cornwall Groundworks and Landscaping, and Totus.
equip adults
When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a Blue Peter presenter. Travelling to exciting places, meeting interesting people, making amazing creations from cereal boxes and yogurt pots plus an endless array of pets to keep me company in the studio. What’s not to like? The pressure of presenting to millions on national television perhaps? I might have overlooked that part! Career development professionals used to talk about there being a career ladder, where linear progression was achieved during our working lives. The reality is that our options and choices are far more complex. Young people finishing education today are left holding something more like a jigsaw comprising their qualifications, skills, experience and opportunities. For many, there are missing pieces: core employability or digital skills, understanding all the opportunities available, or having a plan, or the means to transform aspiration into reality.
Carrie Childs, Careers Hub lead for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly tackles the careers conundrum.
aspirationTransformintoreality
When you were at
20 | BUSINESS CORNWALL WORKFORCETOMORROW’S
The Careers Hub in Cornwall & Isles of Scilly has been working for the past four years to bridge the gap between education and the world of work. 60 Enterprise Advisers (strategically minded business volunteers) now work with the careers leaders in our schools and colleges, providing valuable support linking the world of work to education.
We also work with ten Cornish cornerstone employers who drive better outcomes for young people, embed careers within their organisation, and tackle disadvantage. It is an enormous privilege to see the wide range of businesses of all sizes and varied sectors that are committed to connecting with their future workforce.
Progress is being made but we still have a long way to go before we reach our ambition of high-quality careers advice that results in every young person from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly achieving their best next step.
Our businesses have increasing numbers of unfilled vacancies and the general consensus is that the careers advice young people receive at school is poor. This is particularly the case in relation to vocational options and apprenticeships.
school...
5. Role Models and Messaging. Who are the ambassadors for your organisation? An ability to talk confidently with students, staff and parents is key. This can also be a great way to build confidence and speaking skills in any younger members of your current workforce, including apprentices. Allowing staff time to take part in alumni or apprenticeship ambassador networks is a huge asset. They will often sell your company for you. Equally the power of showing progression from entry level to leadership roles should not be underestimated.
2. Know Why. Engagement with your future workforce is not just social conscience, it’s a key part of business strategy. More than 50,000 young people currently attend our secondary schools and colleges, far more than you are likely to reach via the existing workforce or those relocating from other areas. These are potential customers as well as future employees.
1. Be Selective. Not every business has the ability to host work placements or the kit needed to make an impression at a busy careers fair. A talk about your company or sector, a curriculum-based project, employability skills session or speed networking may provide a much better return on investment.
To bridge the gap educationbetweenandtheworldofwork
Careers Hub CORNWALL & ISLES OF SCILLY WORKFORCETOMORROW’S BUSINESS CORNWALL | 21
4. Target Audience. This will help you to decide on approaches, target cohorts and geographies. You can never start too young! Don’t overlook the importance of engaging with staff and parents as key influencers too. Equally, talent isn’t always where you’d expect to find it. The young people in our special schools and alternative provision academies have enormous talent and anyone can become employed as long as they are motivated, have the right job and right support.
Here are our top tips for any business looking to engage with their future workforce:
6. Go Digital. A short film that tells the story of your business, a pre-recorded brief for a curriculum project, tour of your workplace or a virtual work placement could all be valuable tools. Even better if you establish what interests young people about what you do and develop content around this. I once witnessed a legal firm lead a remote session on intellectual property rights in computer gaming, it was certainly an original angle and was really engaging.
Sustainability is often a key motivator too. Do spend some time considering how you might like to link with your future workforce, and please contact the careers hub for advice or to learn more about what we do. Finally, remember when engaging with young people, enthusiasm and authenticity are the most powerful tools of all.
Hello@careershubcios.co.ukhttps://www.careershubcios.co.uk/@CareersHubCIOS
3. Know your Goals. Investment in core employability skills, apprenticeship recruitment, promoting STEM opportunities, and diversifying your workforce can all begin when you cross the threshold of your local school or college. The first step is to build a working relationship with the careers leader based there.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
This can include opportunities like letting staff work flexibly to support family life, right-skilling – a term which refers to teaching staff the skills they need to actually do the job they’re already doing (rather than leaving them to learn as they go) – and demonstrating a strong company culture.
Here at TalentTide, our approach is totally personalised to your needs. We’re in the know when it comes to recruiting in the finance, tech and people management sectors, and, with our understanding of the south-west jobs market, we can provide an innovative and market-leading service to each and every client and candidate alike.
Taking your business into the future is all about having the right team around you, and that’s no less true than when it comes to planning for tomorrow.
47.4 million workers voluntarily quit their jobs in 2021 and what’s been dubbed ‘The Great Resignation’ hasn’t quite finished in 2022. Here in the UK, 85% of businesses are still feeling the pinch and recruitment is a major issue for many.
22 | BUSINESS CORNWALL WORKFORCE
When you show staff you trust them, you give them the confidence to grow, work collaboratively within their teams and foster new ideas. Trust is the freedom to be creative, and that’s vital to building a strong workforce for the future.
Investingtomorrowstrongertoday
Staff want
THE WHOLE PACKAGE
By allowing them to make decisions for themselves, instead of micromanaging each part of your business.
But, in a climate that’s seeing businesses struggle with staff retention, it’s not always Instraightforward.theUS,arecord
So, what can you do to get your team ready for the future and foster a strong workplace mentality in these fast-changing times?
Today, candidates aren’t just looking for a certain salary or role – they want the whole package. From professional development opportunities, such as structured training in their role, to a better work-life balance, staff now want more from their workplace.
But why is it happening? Since the pandemic, the workforce mentality has seen a dramatic shift – staff want more from their employers, whether it’s increased pay, a better work culture or support with work-life balance.
But it’s also about building trust and showing your crew that they can trust you, too. How?
Essentially, it’s never been more important to listen, especially if we want to keep up and ensure our workforce remains resilient as we all find a new rhythm.
now
TOMORROW’S
It’s important to remember that, while recruiting is challenging at the moment, investing in the right team for your business is absolutely vital to building a stronger future.
Confidence in a team can very often come down to ensuring they have the right skills and support, which is another reason why professional development plays such a big role in staff retention.
Don’t forget, if a staff member feels valued and can see their employer appreciates their time and needs, they’re more likely to deliver results and thrive.
After all, the key to good performance is driven by good people - and that’s where working with a recruitment agency can make all the difference.
for a
The best part is that all of our profit goes back into the community, from putting money back into projects to investing in local businesses and helping candidates land jobs. It’s all about putting people first.
But, more than that, candidates also want to know they’re working for a progressive business, which cares about issues like sustainability and supporting the local economy. These good credentials, paired with personal development opportunities and a good work-life balance, will no doubt attract the best candidates.
RECRUITING RIGHT
more from workplacetheir
To discover more about our approach and our latest job opportunities, visit our website at www.talent-tide.co.uk
providing ways for people to meet their aspirations, allowing them to flourish and improve their skills. Providing continued learning and development is the lifeblood of any successful business.
commitment to Investors in People is another good example of how we go above and beyond. It is a well-established and wellrecognised accreditation which we have held since 1998. We achieved the silver standard in 2021, a proud achievement, particularly off the back of a very turbulent couple of years.
At Coodes, we have a very strong tradition of training and retention. The firm has a defined career pathway ranging from entry at apprentice level to business ownership –we recently appointed seven new business owners who have worked their way up through the ranks.
Investors in People is something that employees look for when considering their next career move and it is not just about prioritising the most senior people in the business, it recognises leadership throughout the firm.
If there is one thing that the last 275 years has taught us, it is that if you don’t strive for continuous improvement, then you won’t survive in business. coodes.co.uk
on developing tomorrow’s workforce
We are a people business; our biggest investment is in our people and our people are our business – they are what our clients value most. Those beliefs are at the core of everything we do. It is fair to say, as we celebrate the firm’s 275th milestone year, we would not be in business today if we did not put our team first.
WORKFORCETOMORROW’S BUSINESS CORNWALL | 23
Undoubtedly the Covid pandemic has changed the face of how we all work. The new world of hybrid and remote working means the work life balance is more important than ever.
Many team members have worked for us for years, in some cases, decades.
As Coodes Solicitors celebrates its 275th anniversary this year, its chairman Peter Lamble explains how the south west’s longest-established legal firm puts its people front and centre when it comes to sharing in its success…
In the age of the great recruitment drain, where employers are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain good staff, you must be ahead of the game when it comes to your training and development. It is important for any good business to upskill and invest in their team for the future – they are your future.
It goes without saying that having a highly motivated and highly skilled workforce can only be a good thing. It is good for the wider community, offering well paid and well rewarded jobs in Cornwall. It is important to keep your talent right here and not lose out to other parts of the country.
Some joined straight after leaving school and have remained throughout their entire careers. We value our staff, promoting from within wherever possible and recognising and rewarding their hard work. The more experience that you have, the more valuable you are in terms of delivering expertise for your clients. What is incredibly satisfying is watching people grow.
We have fully embraced and championed our Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) development programme in recent yearsthis is a huge project for us. We currently have four trainees working towards their SQE, but it’s not just about developing solicitors, we have identified more than 40 people who want to further their careers.
We recognise the need to support and promote talent through detailed mentoringTraineesprogrammes.haveclearobjectivesandemployeesundertakedetailedappraisalstwiceayear.Ourongoing
Legal lowdown
Setting the culture starts at the top. We put a great deal of effort into growing our expertise,nurturingthetalentwehave,
The legal sector is a tough and challenging employment market, and we fully recognise that – firms compete for a limited talent pool, particularly here in the south west, so you can never rest on your laurels.
24 | BUSINESS CORNWALL WORKFORCE
12-week practical training programme is for senior managers and aims to help boost performance, resilience, and long-term growth of their businesses.
We learn about Help to Grow: Management, a new programme from
The ofgivesprogrammeyouaverybroadcoveragealotofrelevantbusinesstopics
“A small investment, time and money, but you walk away with a large toolkit of business concepts that you can apply almost immediately to your business and benefit almost invariably.”
Help to Grow: Management is 90% subsidised by the government meaning it costs just £750 to business leaders. Designed to be undertaken alongside full-time work, the twelve modules require 50 hours of commitment to timetabled activities.
ROBERT OGDEN (RENEWABLE EXCHANGE)
Robert continues: “The programme gives you a very broad coverage of a lot of relevant business topics. For me personally, the mentoring sessions were a great way to take the entire course material, distil down what I found most relevant to Renewable Exchange and then turn these into actionable changes.
The words of Ross Brook, MD at Bear Industrial Engineering Ltd, who signed up to the Help to Grow: Management programme with UWE Bristol to support his transition to a business owner. Ross found that for each module he studied he was able to gain a fundamental understanding of that topic, pick and choose the most suitable concepts, and apply those to his Inbusiness.2021,the Small Business Charter launched its impactrecoverytoGrow:programme,andbackedGovernment-newleadershipmanagementHelptoManagement,helpSMEsintheirfromtheofCovid-19.The
Upon programme completion, participants will have developed a tailored business growth plan which will drive productivity and revenue growth
help
Delivered through a blend of interactive online and face-to-face learning by Bristol Business School experts, the course covers strategies for growth and innovation, leading highperformance teams, digital adoption, as well as financial management and responsible business practices.Business leaders on the programme benefit from regular peer group calls, have access to 10 hours of one-to-one mentor support, hear from guest speakers and will be able to join other SME leaders through both local and national alumni networks.
TOMORROW’S
and your businessInvest in yourself UWE Bristol set to SMEs in Cornwall.
Having held the Small Business Charter accreditation since 2015, UWE Bristol Business School is proud to be delivering the programme across the south west for a second year, including a scheduled cohort in St Austell, building on the university’s proven track record in working with, supporting and developing businesses in the region. In its first year of delivery, UWE Bristol was a leading university in delivering the programme and guided over one hundred SME leaders through it. They are now looking forward to welcoming many more in the coming year.
“Some of these changes can be fairly significant, for example, we have now opened an office in Germany which is our first international market. But, quite a lot of the changes that you might look to make are fairly small and quick improvements, and just those marginable gains that improves the way the business functions and considers problems, and I found these to be really helpful for Renewable Exchange.”
UWE Bristol is scheduled to deliver a cohort in St Austell next month, with Module One starting October 4. To find out more about the programme call 0117 32 81774 or email helptogrow@uwe.ac.uk
which is now
Reflecting on his time on the programme, UWE Bristol Help to Grow: Management Alumni, Robert Ogden of Renewable Exchange, says: “It was really helpful to go through a programme like this while discussing similar problems and challenges with a group of other business leaders who are in similar situations. It was great to understand what others have done in the past, what’s worked well, what hasn’t, and we all stay in touch now.”
On September 22 (9.30-1pm) at the Venton Conference Centre Summercourt, we’ll be taking part in a VIP roundtable event hosted by career development consultant Oliver Thompson. We’ll be discussing workplace trends in a couldchangesworld,post-pandemicwherethese lead us to, and the difficulties in finding parttime work in Cornwall. This event, with attendance expected from local MPs and former Employment Minister Mims Davies, is expected to explore how Cornwall can lead the way in innovation and solutions to enable the workforce of Iftomorrow.youwant to know more about People Hub’s ESF-funded services and how they can help you upskill or retrain for a remote working role, head to peoplehub.info, email hello@peoplehub.info or call 03330150699
Many would say that working from home has improved their working and personal lives. With great scope for opening up positions for people who until recently had found traditional modes of working incompatible with their lives, remote working is ideal for people who are retired and want to learn new skills, parents who wish to enjoy the benefits of flexible working, along with differently-abled or neurodivergent people who might find it difficult to commute to their workplace or find the traditional office environment challenging and overwhelming. They are also a great option for young people who are taking their first steps into the world of work and who might feel anxious about having to adapt to an office environment with little experience.
With access to fully-funded training and qualifications, we intend to put Cornwall on the map for the digital skills sector.
Home comforts
WORKFORCETOMORROW’S BUSINESS CORNWALL | 25
To assist local people interested in working from home or part-time roles, our partner service Smart Matching offers a free remote-working skills programme to develop the skills participants need to succeed in a remote environment. With the team’s knowledge of relevant local businesses and a tailored approach to helping people move towards available roles, Smart Matching can bring to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the same opportunities that the rest of the country has enjoyed. We are also spearheading our Dive into Digital campaign, encouraging locals to get in touch with us to boost their online skills, from coding to digital marketing and website design, to any other facet of the digital careers market that piques their interest.
At People Hub: Skills for Growth, one of our priorities is staying abreast of current working trends and the effects these can have on the local population. Arguably the most important of the changes seen in the post-2020 workplace is the increase in remote working and how it has affected the lives of those who have adjusted to it.
People Hub: Skills for Growth boosts local workforce with drive towards remote and digital working.
In a recent survey, 55% of remote workers said that they experienced more productivity working from home than in the office, and 85% of people stated that they would prefer a hybrid-approach to work. Remote working, based on current statistics, is a modern phenomenon that shows no signs of abating.
Part-time jobs hold similar benefits to remote working, offering the option of a healthier work/life balance, less money spent on commuting, and convenience for working parents or carers. Undertaking part-time hours also creates the opportunity to use free time to pursue other interests, including retraining for a new career that they might not otherwise have found time for.
Working from home has improved working and personal lives
Former Gadget Show host and Newquay resident Jason Bradbury will be bringing his TALK Workshop to this year’s show. Jason is one of the UK’s best known tech faces and along with a 20-year career that’s seen him hosting shows for BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. During lockdown, with the events industry in hiatus, Jason creates the TALK system of online videos and workshops to help business people talk more confidently in all kinds of workshops,Followingcontexts.severalsell-outJasonis bringing his TALK Workshop knowhow to the Cornwall Business Show 2022 and will be delivering his Lockdown Decade keynote in which he predicts the technological, social and cultural shifts we can expect over the course of the next ten years. Sales manager Kyle Jeffery says: “The Cornwall Business Show offers a genuine platform for cementing the business community within the region. You can meet hundreds of potential clients or a wealth of suppliers and key players in Cornwall at our much-anticipated B2B expo. We are also celebrating tenth annual event which we aim to be the best yet! We look forward to bringing business of all sizes and the faces behind them together for a very productive day out of the office.” You can plan your day by taking a look at the website to see who which exhibitors you’d like to meet, and choosing the masterclasses and talks that you are interested in. You can also book your free fast track entry to the event at cornwallbusinessshow.co.uk. If you wish to exhibit at this event contact the Cornwall Business Show on 01872 888 733 or hello@cornwallbusinessshow.co.ukemail
The Cornwall Business Show has grown to become the region’s leading B2B event on the calendar. It presents a valuable day out of the office with a wealth of exhibitors offering quality local services, beneficial masterclasses and talks, as well as plenty of seating and a quality café for attendees to mingle and network.
The event is sponsored by Business Cornwall, JHAV and Shop Cornish. It really is the place to B2B!”
The Cornwall Business Show, at the Royal Cornwall Events Centre on Thursday, October 6, celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
Business Show
BUSINESS
26 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
A decade of the SHOW
Andrew Weaver, MD of show organiser Live Events South West (LESW), says: “To reach the ten-year milestone is a satisfying achievement and testament that the event continues to be a great investment for those offering and looking for business to business services – it really is the place to B2B!” He adds: “Last year’s event was a great success with people wishing to get back to face to face business, we expect that to grow even more this year with the exciting announcement of a well-recognised and welcomed guest speaker.”
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 27 SHOWBUSINESS THE PLACE TO B2B • FREE ENTRY • OVER 100 EXHIBITORS • FREE MASTER CLASSES AND TALKS • QUALITY CAFÉ WITH LOTS OF SEATING • GUEST SPEAKER The Cornwall Business Show Royal Cornwall Events Centre Thursday, October 6, 2022
Gripsure is planting hundreds of trees this year across the county with local woodland creation organisation Plant One Cornwall and the company uses environmentally sustainable materials such as MOSO Bamboo, Kebony and Accoya in the production of its decking. MD Mike Nicholson said, “We want to reduce our overall carbon emissions as a business. We’re striving towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2025, working as part of a wider project with Cornwall Manufacturing Group and becoming net zero by “We2030.are continually looking at new and different ways to minimise our environmental impact across our activities, from working with sustainable FSC® and PEFC certified timber to reducing waste. We aim to provide high quality, environmentally sustainable products, and customer service.”
Over the next 16 pages, we’re proud to highlight some of Cornwall’s most active environmental and sustainable organisations
Creating safe and sustainable outdoor spaces with non-slip decking info@gripsure.co.uk | 01726 844616 | www.gripsure.co.uk
Going 28 | BUSINESS CORNWALL CORNWALLSUSTAINABLE
green
Cornwall-based firm Gripsure, the UK’s leading creator of non-slip decking, has a long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability. The company was recently awarded ISO 9001 for quality management systems and ISO 14001 for environmental management.
TwinHub, a first-of-a-kind floating offshore wind farm off the coast of Cornwall, is set to make the region a leader in delivering UK energy security and creating green jobs.
Bringing floating offshore wind to Cornwall
To find out more about the project, please head to: https://www.twinhub.co.uk/
The sectorstartprojectTwinHubwillkick-thefloatingoffshorewindinCornwall,andwillgenerateenoughpowerfor45,000homes BUSINESS CORNWALL | 29 SUSTAINABLE CORNWALL
Cornwall is set to be the host of the next stage in the fight against climate change. Floating offshore wind is a breakthrough technology that will play a major role in helping the UK get to its net zero emissions target by 2050. Recent success in a Government-backed auction for renewable power this summer means Cornwall will now pioneer the development of this new Thetechnology.UKisalready a leading market for offshore wind, where platforms are fixed to the seabed. Large arrays are in operation in the North Sea, meaning offshore wind generated 13% of the UK’s electricity in 2020. This is set to keep rising as more capacity is built. In order to meet our climate goals, we need to develop new technologies and accelerate the deployment of more renewable power. The Government has set a stretching target to deliver 50GW of offshore wind by 2030 (up from around 10GW today), and 5GW of that could come from floating offshore wind projects.
TwinHub
Floating offshore wind will deliver huge amounts of green power while reducing the impact to the marine innovativeturbine.beforarewaterspositionedProjectsenvironment.canbeindeeperwherewindsstronger,allowingmorepowertogeneratedperTwinHub’sdesigntakes these benefits even further, maximising the amount of renewable power generated by an individual platform by using two turbines instead of one. The Celtic Sea around Cornwall could be the heart of the UK’s floating wind market. Up to 80% of the waters are suitable for projects, and the Crown Estate has announced plans for up to 20GW of floating wind in the Celtic Sea by 2045. With Cornwall aiming to achieve net zero by 2030, floating offshore wind will play a vital role. TwinHub will kick-start this with its 32MW demonstration project, which will generate enough to power 45,000 homes, and be up and running in the middle of the Thedecade.project has reached a vital milestone this summer, being awarded a government-backed contract that allows us to move forward with the construction phase of the project. TwinHub is the first floating offshore wind project to be successful in these auctions, and means the project can accelerate project planning, and engagement with local communities and business on its Theredevelopment.isamajor opportunity here in Cornwall and for the Cornish economy with activity around the project site in Hayle, and at Falmouth Port. Local businesses will play an important role in the development, assembly and maintenance of the TwinHub project but also, crucially, the floating wind projects set to follow. We look forward to working with businesses across the region to unlock the benefits that this new technology can deliver for the people of Cornwall.
KEY DATES
Entries should be made via the website before October 31. www.cornwallsustainabilityawards.org
Tuesday September 27 Free Submissions Workshop after Cornwall Chamber’s Big Breakfas event at the Eden Project. Monday October 31 Closing date for entries. Friday December 9 Awards ceremony at Truro Cathedral. “It means a huge amount for us, it is a huge accolade and privilige to win at the CSA’s. As a county there is a growing body of businesses pushing sustainability and winning these awards has helped put us in the spotlight.”
It is free to enter the Cornwall Sustainability Awards and the online process is simple and Shortlistedquick. entrants will see their names up in lights at the awards ceremony on December 9 and on the CSA website.
Could you be a winner?
“Since winning we have moved into new premises and secured new investment.”
This year’s categories: • Most Sustainable Organisation • Growing Greener: Sustainable Food & Farming • Circular Economy • Environmental Growth • Carbon Neutral
Samantha Jackman, Boost Innovations: Highly commended Circular Economy Award 2021
Nominations for the Cornwall Sustainability Awards are now open.
There is a myriad of benefits for entering the awards. The opportunity to network with more than 250 people from a wide range of sectors at the ceremony, while if you are lucky enough to win, it can improve your marketability and lead to more business. And many winners and runners up go on to win regional, national and international awards.
The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards (CSA), now in its 20th year, aims to encourage, reward and gain recognition for the excellent work organisations are doing to improve their own sustainability and that of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly as a Thewhole.awards are open to businesses, organisations, community groups, schools, social enterprises and charities. You can either apply yourself or nominate another organisation for an award up until the closing date for entries, as long as the organisation is based in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
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“We found that winning this award helped to raise our profile and is helping us work with other organisations to really start working towards the current ecological and climate change crises.”
Vicki Spooner, Falmouth Harbour – Winner Environmental Growth Award 2021
You can only apply/nominate someone for one category only. The overall winner is chosen from the winners of all the categories.
Celebratingsustainability!
Will Boex, Flexi-Hex: Winner Circular Economy Award & Overall Winner 2021
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 31 SUSTAINABLE CORNWALL SPONSORS FOR 2022
Whether running a B&B, surf shack, software company or accountancy firm, business owners should feel empowered to take action and make positive changes in whatever scope they can, without having to be perfect straight away. This is what Planet C aims to achieve. Events during the month will provide resources and solutions that are relevant and impactful to SMEs - not just in focusing on environmental gains, but also in ways that can reduce costs, improve brand value, and help retain both employees and customers.
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The programme covers climate science, carbon footprints, refining individual behaviours and how to embed environmental solutions into an organisation. On completion, learners will also understand the urgency of action required and how to best communicate the message to others. The course is available as a full day training workshop (in person) throughout September or can be split across several shorter sessions presented online – all free of charge!
To celebrate Planet C month, the Chamber has set its sights on creating 200 Climate Ambassadors for Business who will all be “carbon literate” through an accredited training programme. The eight-hour course has been developed by Green Works in conjunction with The Carbon Literacy Project (a charity which to date has certified nearly 40,000 learners), approved by Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and focuses on enabling action and empowering SMEs to make change.
AN EVENT FOR EVERY BUSINESS Cornwall has asserted itself as a leader in green solutions like geothermal energy, floating offshore wind, lithium and electronic metals mining - even space travel, and many of the inspirational examples of climate action come from businesses working with cutting edge technology. How do we make sustainability accessible to all?
WHAT’S ON?
Recognising that sustainability goes beyond
A series of events focused on climate & social action, brought to you by Cornwall Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Green Works Consulting, sponsored by Don’t Cry Wolf.
Sustainability September: Planet C
In 2019, Cornwall Council declared a climate emergency and set the target of getting Cornwall carbon neutral by 2030, a full 20 years ahead of the rest of the UK.
In 2022, Cornwall Chamber of Commerce wants to keep the pressure on and encourage all businesses in the Duchy to act now to tackle climate change, regardless of their size or type.
From the beginning of September through to October 4, a packed schedule of conferences, workshops and training under the title Project Planet C will empower businesses: help them value the difference they can make in the global challenge and equip them with the skills to make a change; attract the cream of young talent and win new business.
GettingcarbonCornwallneutralby2030 Project
In 2021, G7 leaders and the world’s media gathered in Carbis Bay and Falmouth where they learned of Cornwall’s potential as a leader in the green industrial revolution.
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 33 SUSTAINABLE CORNWALL
Full details on the Chamber website www.cornwallchamber.co.uk
climate action, on September 7, businesses are invited to join in a day focused on Social Sustainability, with talks, discussions and practical examples of how SMEs can have a positive impact on people, communities and society as a whole. A Future of the Built Environment event on September 14 at ESAM, will set out a clear vision of opportunities for Cornwall in construction/built environment. The day includes talks and panel sessions on existing housing stock retrofits, eco refurbishment, Cornwall Council planning policy, skills gaps, and delivering low/net zero development. Attendees will also be able to check out some of the latest green technology on the market. The month of events also includes beach cleans and site visits, the chance to discover everything EV at an interactive evening hosted by Truro and Penwith College, a special Connected lunch at Boconnoc House & Estate and a Planet C BIG Breakfast at Eden. A month of learning and insights culminates on September 28 in the Planet C Conference, held at the Environment and Sustainability Institute at Penryn Campus. The full conferenceday will leave businesses with a thealongwhyofunderstandingclearNetZeroanditmatters,withtoolsand confidence to get Thestarted.day features case studies from showingbusinesseslocalabroad range of different workshops.ofanddiscussions,action;toapproachesclimatepanelachoiceinteractive
With rising energy prices and the impacts of climate change being felt across the world, everyone has a responsibility to make changes for a more sustainable future, whether that’s at an individual or corporate level.
THE COURTYARD, DUPORTH
Acorn Property Group Web: acornpropertygroup.org Email: info@acornpg.org Cornwall Office Number: 01637 876000
RESTORATION OF EXISTING
Many Acorn schemes are created on brownfield sites or involve re-using existing buildings. The environmental benefits of repairing, refurbishing and saving buildings from demolition are huge, minimising disruption to the local community, reducing pollution and ensuring the best use of natural Whereverresources.possible, we incorporate more native planting and trees into sites, utilising as much outside space as possible. Not only does this benefit our residents as higher levels of oxygen are produced, but additional planting will also contribute to wildlife and biodiversity.
GRASS AND FERN PLANTING ON ROOF - THE LINER, FALMOUTH
*Returns are not guaranteed, capital is at risk. A developmentapproachholisticto
34 | BUSINESS CORNWALL CORNWALLSUSTAINABLE
A FABRIC-FIRST APPROACH…
Acorn Property Invest Web: acornpropertyinvest.com Email: investor.services@acornpg.org Tel Number: 0203 858 9881
At Acorn Property Group, sustainability has long been our focus throughout the business, from recycling and using renewable energy in our operations, to the fabric-first approach to the homes we create. Since our establishment in 1995, Acorn has been implementing design strategies and technologies aimed at steadily improving the environmental impact of our projects. Unlike many housebuilders,otherwe pride ourselves on a holistic approach to development, meaning that each scheme we design and build is looked at on its own merits. There is no standard layout or design, and this approach also applies to sustainability. As technology evolves, so do our homes. The way in which we live is constantly changing and Acorn’s innovative thinking ensures we can respond in an appropriate way.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT…
INVEST WITH INTEGRITY…
Our design team are focussed on making our new homes as efficient as possible. We start by maximising the performance of the building envelope and then look at ways to further improve the building’s sustainability.
Superior thermal insulation, energy efficient appliances, low energy lighting, water saving features and high-performance triple and double glazing are the norm across all Acorn new build projects. In addition, we showcase larger than standard window openings to draw in additional natural light and maximise solar gain (free heating!) as well as ensuring the homes are positioned to avoid overheating in the summer, providing yearround Wherecomfort.possible, ground and air source heat pumps are installed so that heating and hot water can be generated without the use of fossil fuels. Acorn’s new build homes are 50% more airtight which means less energy is required to heat and 50% more PV is installed as standard with the option to store in batteries, giving control of energy costs back to residents and bringing running costs down by up to 80%.
AMPLE GLAZING MAXIMISES SOLAR GAINTREGLOS, CONSTANTINE BAY (CGI IMAGE) BUILDINGS –
Acorn Property Invest offers a range of green and ethical investment opportunities with Acorn Property Group, open to High Net Worth, Sophisticated or Self-Certified Sophisticated Investors. If you are interested in sustainable investment, where you could earn fixed returns*, contact us for more information.
ThewayAcorn
Britannia Lanes Confidential SHREDDING lanes 01872 560147 Britannia Lanes Confidential SHREDDING lanesshredding.co.uk01872560147 • One-off bulk shredding • Shredding bags • Flexible collection contracts
We are thrilled to be recognised as a Carbon Balanced Printer, in association with the World Land Trust. By offsetting the operational carbon footprint of our print processes, we are helping to preserve critically endangered habitats around the world.
But these projects are far from the only steps we take to be a more eco-friendly printer.
Paper packaging, such as the bespoke, die cut packaging we produce at SAPC, can be a far greener alternative to plastic or other nonrenewable materials. Not only is it biodegradable and recyclable – it can be also be durable and attractive – with the right print of course!
We were of course already quite well set up having built our premises to be BREEAM rated as Excellent and installed one of the largest roof-based solar panel systems in Cornwall. We use all vegetable-based inks, recycle 100% of our paper waste and our new press uses LED-UV instant drying technology and is one of the most environmentally friendly presses available.
Here at SAPC, we are very proud of our credentials as a sustainable printing company.
Over the past two years, the St Austell Printing Company team has taken part in several projects to help reduce our impact on the environment and actively improve it too.
RACE TO ZERO
SUSTAINABLE Ecoprintingfriendly
OFFSETTING OUR CARBON OUTPUT
PAPER – IT’S MORE SUSTAINABLE THAN YOU THINK
Over the past year, we have been working on our Race to Zero Pledge. Supported by the SWMAS Clean Growth Programme, this helps us to measure our carbon footprint, establish a benchmark, identify our carbon reduction aims and develop a strategy to work towards achieving Carbon Net Zero.
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St Austell Printing Company is recognised for being an eco-friendly printing company with a positive approach to environmental sustainability and reducing their impact on the environment. But what does this involve? Operations manager, Beth Mayman, explains all.
We have supported the Two Sides and Love Paper campaigns for many years, working together to promote the unique, sustainable, and attractive attributes of print and paper. Many consumers still believe that paper and print are bad for the environment. We work with these organisations to prove that there are Two Sides to that story!
The business has been ISO accredited and FSC certified for many years, using only the very best paper and board produced from sustainably managed forests. Our ISO14001 Environmental Management certification ensures that our procedures and processes meet the strictest environmental standards.
PLANTING TREES IN CORNWALL
On a more local level, we have been supporting Plant One for two years and we planted our first trees in December 2021. Five of our team put their wellies on and helped plant trees on farmland in Flushing, near Falmouth. Plant One aim to create habitats within Cornwall that benefit native wildlife and help keep Cornwall special. Our tree planting expedition was a thoroughly inspiration experience and the Plant One crew were full of expertise, energy and enthusiasm and we enjoyed working as a team to create a better future together.
The European paper industry leads the world in sourcing sustainable raw materials, using renewable energy and promoting recycling.
In line with the Paris Agreement 2015 and in support of Cornwall Council’s ambitious Carbon Neutral strategy, we have pledged to make a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 and to achieve Carbon Net Zero for the business by 2050.
www.sapc.co.uk We have invested heavily in ecofriendly practices and infrastructure
Are you looking to make your print production more sustainable? Get in touch and we will be very happy to work with you to help you choose the most effective and eco-friendly print approach for your business.
We have invested heavily in eco-friendly practices and infrastructure, with a BREEAM Excellent factory, solar panels to power our factory, energy efficient printing presses, electric vehicles and EV Chargers.
HELPING YOU WITH SUSTAINABLE PRINT
® www.t wosides.info Choose St Austell Printing Company for effective, exciting, eco-friendly print to enhance your digital marketing campaigns.
38 | BUSINESS CORNWALL CORNWALLSUSTAINABLE CleanEarthvision
CUT ELECTRICITY COSTS BY UP TO 80%
Cornwall’s enviable sunshine record is a big Theplus.system’s design also needs to deliver the optimum generation to meet the demand profile of the business. With little incentive these days to export excess power to the grid, sizing to maximise on-site consumption is key to commercial effectiveness. Battery storage can help with optimisation but the overall costs and benefits need careful modelling to confirm the best solution. The logistics are usually simpler if the business owns their own premises, but don’t assume that tenanted properties are a no-go. Landlords are increasingly open to renewables and reasonable terms can usually be negotiated on anything but the shortest of leases.
Energy costs are now the top source of pain and anxiety for many businessesUK
With UK businesses paying an average of 18 pence per kilowatt hour – and rising –the financial argument for renewables is compelling. A well-designed solar PV system in the right location can generate electricity for as little as 3p per kWh, while 5p and under is now commonplace. With almost all of that cost being up-front capital expenditure, the unit price is effectively fixed at that rate for the 25-year lifetime of the system, reducing exposure to the risks of price volatility. The payback period on the initial investment can be as low as 2½ years. Whether it’s a small business installing 20 kW or a large manufacturer with half a megawatt or more, the cost savings were substantial even before the recent energy price hikes.
Renewable energy: what you need to know. Climate change is not a problem for the future, it’s already here. Temperature records are tumbling in the UK and across the world. Extreme weather events are becoming ever more frequent – and more extreme – as the planet warms. At the same time, energy costs are now the top source of pain and anxiety for many UK businesses. The latest Government figures* show that non-domestic electricity costs rose by an average of 29% between Q1 2021 and Q1 2022. For the manufacturing sector, that figure was a staggering 66%. By providing abundant, cheap, clean energy, renewables are central to dealing with both of these Wadebridge-basedcrises.
CleanEarth Energy is an expert in getting businesses up and running with their own wind and solar generation. Here are the essentials that the CleanEarth team believe every business should understand.
SOLAR PRACTICALITIES
If your business has a roof over its head and has energy costs on its management agenda, then solar PV is worth a look. Important variables in power generation include the roof profile and orientation. Modern flat or shallow-pitched roofs are ideal, but older and odd-shaped roofs can still be made to work.
From its base in Wadebridge, CleanEarth operates throughout the UK (its most distant project is 20 miles from John o’Groats), but it has always been passionate about helping Cornwall blaze the trail for renewables. Founded in 2010, CleanEarth has completed around a thousand renewable energy projects with a total generating capacity approaching 100 megawatts. This is saving over 50,000 tonnes in carbon emissions every year. recent projects for Cornish businesses include solar PV installations for: Allen & Heath Penryn (150 kW) Concrete Truro (76 kW) Redruth (237 kW) kW) Penryn kW)
CleanEarth’s
CleanEarth has also built 20 wind turbines in Cornwall, including four on land owned and managed by Imerys within the china clay workings north of St Austell. Four further turbines are planned in this area. With a generating capacity of 4.1 MW each they will be the most productive turbines in the south west. Once operational, they will save over 12,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year, making a major contribution to Cornwall’s target of reaching net zero by 2030 01208www.cleanearthenergy.com895576
Turbinesgeneration.can
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 39 SUSTAINABLE CORNWALL
(67
NATIONAL REACH, CORNISH ROOTS
• Cornish
• St Austell Printing Company (150
,
Larger businesses with heavy energy demands may want to explore wind be located close to the site of operation with power being supplied directly via ‘private wire’. Size matters when it comes to turbines, with efficiency increasing dramatically with height and blade length. Overall heights of 130m or greater are becoming standard for onshore wind. Planning permission is needed for all turbine developments, and it’s also important to engage with the local community to ensure all stakeholders appreciate the benefits. While the planning rules in England are notoriously restrictive, consent is often possible on industrial and brownfield sites.
,
•
WIND: CLEAN ENERGY AT SCALE
• Feritech,
• Verdant Brewing Company,
* Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy – Quarterly Energy Prices: June 2022
ambassadorsEnvironmental
Our charity has been restoring and protecting freshwater habitats across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and Dorset for 28 years. To keep bringing the region’s rivers to life, we work with community groups, water companies, volunteers, farmers, industry, education, and many more. We work with businesses to support water stewardship opportunities and offer waste audits to help minimise single-use plastic in the workplace. Our Freshwater Environmental Action Days provide staff with the chance to make a positive difference for freshwater environments. Please email josie@wrt.org.uk or visit our website to discover how to get involved to help our precious water resources and river biodiversity. wrt.org.uk/project/working-with-business/
40 | BUSINESS CORNWALL CORNWALLSUSTAINABLE
Introducing five sustainability specialists... WESTCOUNTRY TRUSTRIVERS
Cornish
| 01872 308000
We’re passionate about combining adventure with purpose, and our products are designed to help tackle the ghost fishing issue, whilst enhancing people’s experiences with the ocean, supporting businesses to make more sustainable choices, helping to mobilise communities and hopefully inspiring marine conservation too. waterhaul.co AJT
SKILLSFUTURE INSTITUTE
Launched in May 2022, Truro and Penwith College’s Future Skills Institute encompasses the college’s 19+ career and professional development learning options, university centre and Theapprenticeships.pioneeringpackage of career-focussed training and qualifications supports the future of Cornwall, its future economy and future career opportunities, with sustainability and green technologies at its Multi-million-poundheart.investment
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 41 SUSTAINABLE CORNWALL
We are AJT, translation and localisation specialists for the European market. Our mission is simple: we help companies and brands thrive internationally while meeting high social and environmental standards. From landing pages to e-commerce sites, from email marketing to packaging, we provide idiomatic and effective translations that truly resonate with European audiences.
As a certified B Corporation, sustainability is part of our company DNA. Our employee-led Green Committee encourages and inspires our remote team members to reduce carbon footprint and waste in our home offices, and organises regular educational talks and events around social and environmental topics. teamajt.com
Proud to be Peat Free here since 2018 offering our popular compost refill service, available in as little as a carrier bag size or why not bring your pot for us to fill.
to provide state-of-the-art electric vehicle labs, fleet of electric vehicles and skills training to support Cornwall’s transition to EV has been backed by the UK Governmentfunded £2.4 million Skills Accelerator fund. Key sectors such as construction are in line to benefit from similar future investment. www.truro-penwith.ac.uk/future-skills-institute
Waterhaul utilises the strongest form of plastic in our oceans to produce exceptionally sustainable, recycled eyewear and beach cleaning equipment. Lost or discarded fishing gear, known as ‘ghost gear’ is the most abundant form of plastic in the ocean, and its function to entangle marine life can continue for over 500 years before the high-quality plastics start to break down.
Or how about our very own unique fertiliser refill service with the best recipe for your plants but no plastic involved, we also collect and recycle all garden plastics and turn them into everything from ocean going kayaks to garden furniture. We continue our planet nurturing story here at Trevisker, lead by people and passion. We hope you’ll join us. www.treviskergardencentre.co.uk | 01841 541361
TREVISKER CENTREGARDEN Trevisker Home and Garden, home grown, family run, passionate about coastal plants and on an adventure to encourage better, more beautiful and more planet loving gardening.
WATERHAUL
42 |
Nissan Ariya
CORNWALLSUSTAINABLE
Local dealer: West End Motors 01208 261111 · westendmotorsbodmin.co.uk
BUSINESS CORNWALL Range anxiety, what range anxiety? Electric Vehicles (EVs) are now propelling us further than ever before and now almost all manufacturers offer an electric or hybrid option. After hefty investment in the tech, there are now so many great vehicles to choose from.
Jaguar E-PACE PHEV
So with 2030 looming, get browsing the vast array of lightning struck models and make that all important switch. Here are six EVs available to order today, from Cornwall-based dealerships.
Boasting excellent range recovery and quick-charge performance, the Ariya 87kWh can recover up to 217 miles with a 30-minute quick charge using a CCS charging system.
Local dealer: Carrs Land Rover, Scorrier 01872 398889 · landrover.co.uk
The next step in sporting luxury. The New Range Rover Sport Plug-In Hybrid offers powerful performance with optimized efficiency and extended all-electric range. Outside, you’ll see a dramatic body design that conveys power, class and confidence with a muscular stance and 23” alloy wheels. Inside, sophistication. A cockpit-like driving position with sculpted seats and luxury leathers gives you full control of the Range Rover Sport and all of its features including a 13.1” Touchscreen infotainment system and an interactive driver display. Experience the new Range Rover Sport by booking a test drive at Carrs Land Rover today.
Local dealer: Carrs Jaguar, Scorrier 01872 398889 · jaguar.co.uk
As Jaguar’s first Compact SUV, the E-PACE Plug-In Hybrid takes the brand in a different direction. The perfect blend of sports car inspired design and SUV practicality, the E-PACE is ready to adapt to suit your needs. A performance vehicle through and through, the E-PACE’s suspension provides best in class handling –giving a truly premium driving experience. Inside, sustainable materials adorn the interior in a range of colours. You’ll find embossed headrests, chrome accents and more subtle yet elegant design touches. To experience it for yourself, book a test drive at Carrs Jaguar today.
New Range Rover Sport PHEV
The Ariya’s all-electric platform combines excellent power delivery, charging capabilities and range, with a carefully tuned balance between ride, comfort and handling agility. Available in two grades Advance and Evolve and in three different battery and powertrain combinations in the 2WD 63kWh, 2WD 87kWh, and e-4ORCE AWD 87kWh; with a range of up to 329 miles
Electricguidecar
The CUPRA Born is proof that electrification and performance are a perfect match. It’s powered by a 45kWh, 58kWh or 77kWh battery with an electric range of 211, 260 and 355-miles. It kicks out 150PS, 204PS or 231PS with the e-boost power pack, hitting 0-62mph in as little as 6.6 seconds and 0-30mph in just 2.9 seconds. With a near 50-50 weight distribution and Dynamic Chassis Control, the Born is great fun on any road. Standard equipment includes 18” alloys, a heated steering wheel, a 12” touchscreen with in-built navigation and Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, a digital driver’s display, bucket seats with SEAQUAL upholstery and CUPRA CONNECT. Local dealer: Dales Summercourt 01872 511600 · www.dalescornwall.co.uk
The Renault ZOE is a master of electrification. It’s powered by Renault’s newest Z.E.50 battery, which offers a WLTP range of up to 245-miles on a single charge with Rapid Charging capability. At a 50KW charging point, the ZOE can get a 90-mile range boost in 30 minutes. There are drive modes to help you make the most of the ZOE’s electric powertrain, including ‘B mode’ which activates regenerative braking. Inside, the new ZOE has been given an overhaul with a massive 9.3” touchscreen and heated, eco leather seats. LED headlights, a digital dash display and cruise control are standard.
Jaguar I-PACE
The award-winning, all-electric performance SUV. Winner of World Car Design of the Year, the I-Pace combines elegance and sustainability with an electric range of up to 292 miles (WLTP). The first thing you’ll notice is the supercar-inspired design – from the pronounced front wheel arches to the rear diffuser, the I-PACE is aerodynamically designed for maximum range and stability. Inside, you’ll find a spacious cabin with well-integrated technology such as the 10” touchscreen infotainment system and the high-definition interactive driver display. The I-PACE doesn’t lose its fun side amongst the luxury though –with 696Nm of torque available from 0rpm, it’s sure to give you a true Jaguar driving experience. Book a test drive today at Carrs Jaguar.
Local dealer: Carrs Jaguar, Scorrier 01872 398889 · jaguar.co.uk
Local dealer: Dales Renault 01209 821133 (Scorrier) 01872 511600 www.dalescornwall.co.uk(Summercourt)
CUPRA Born
Renault ZOE
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 43 SUSTAINABLE CORNWALL
44 | BUSINESS CORNWALL PROFILEMANUFACTURING
after 75 years
Originally set up to provide engineering services to the agriculture and china clay industries, HE has, over the years, diversified into construction through a programme of steady expansion, both via the physical expansion of the workshop area and the sectors it works in. Now in its 75th year, recent additions including CNC plasma & press brake machines, an upgraded CNC saw/drill line, stainless steel shop and expansion of existing shot-blast and paint facilities, see HE in a stronger position than ever to deliver continued excellent service to its many loyal Generalcustomers.manager and director, John Dennehy, explains: “Whether we are re-painting an old tractor for a local farmer or building a new 200 tonne school for a large contractor, every customer is given equal attention. Customer service and retention are core values of the “Ourbusiness.workforce, some of whom have been with us for decades, understand that
Still engineering the
Founded in 1947, Hewaswater Engineering (HE) is a family-owned business that enjoys a reputation for being one of, if not the largest steelwork fabricator in the Duchy – but it didn’t start off that way. future
WOODLANDS SANDGRINDERS FOR EXPORT HEWASWATER ENGINEERING
CMG members alone have over 100 current vacancies between them. Many of them skilled jobs. Given that average earnings in the manufacturing, engineering and construction sectors are around £30k per year, you could be forgiven for thinking there wouldn’t be a problem to fill these vacancies. However, challenges remain.
PROFILEMANUFACTURING BUSINESS CORNWALL | 45 philosophy, which is why we enjoy high levels of staff retention and loyalty.
Around the same time, Hewaswater Scaffolding was formed to further add to the list of services offered. In the ensuing period, Hewaswater has steadily developed a large customer base of local, regional and national main contractors, resulting in a string of projects for Western Power Distribution, South West Water and Cornwall Council, coupled with numerous prestigious private sector projects such as Bodmin Jail, Hall for Cornwall and Penzance Heliport.
John explains: “The lack of available housing is hampering efforts to recruit from outside of the Duchy, coupled with a system that continues to tell our young people ‘you must leave Cornwall and go to university if you want to get on – there are no good jobs or opportunities in Cornwall’.
While the focus remains on the Cornwall and Devon market, the company has recently completed the new Exeter Bus Depot & Leisure Centre as well as residential developments in Tiverton and Bristol. “Whilst work on health and education public sector projects has increased considerably in the last decade, we have seen the private residential sector as an area of particular growth,” says John. “Not only have we seen a lot of additional work come in through customer and design team referrals, I think that customers really like the fact that the can get not only all of their steelwork but also their metal balustrades, staircases, stainless steel/glass balconies from a single supplier. They really enjoy that point of difference.”
| 01726 885200 HALL FOR CORNWALL HEWASWATER ENGINEERING
“The saying ‘every day is different’ may be somewhat of a cliché, but it really does apply here and I know that our staff appreciate the sheer variety of projects that pass through the workshops.”
As one of over a thousand manufacturers in Cornwall, HE is a long-standing member of Cornwall Manufacturers Group. With over 10% of Cornwall’s economic output coming from the manufacturing sector and the same coming from construction, Hewaswater sees education and promotion of these sectors as crucial to securing a vibrant future skilled workforce.
“We see it as our duty to help change those outdated attitudes. If we, along with all employers, not just in manufacturing but across all sectors of business, can each do our bit to change these views, we might just end up with a workforce that allows us to prevail for another 75 years.”
Customer service and retention are core values of www.hewaswater.co.uk
the business
Although HE still maintains good relationships with customers in the china clay and agriculture sectors, (it has recently exported sandgrinders to France and China), the decision in the early 90’s by current owner Mike James to invest heavily in automation focused on structural steel fabrication, has proven to be a very prudent one.
46 | BUSINESS CORNWALL CONNECTIVITYDIGITAL
Cornish broadband provider Wildanet is expanding its network bringing superfast and super-reliable broadband to communities and businesses throughout Cornwall, including helping support the rapid growth of BB’s Gluten Free Bakery.
“Sarah was using her phone’s hotspot to run the printer and the laptop to email customers and look up websites,” says Brett. “It kept cutting out every 10 to 15 minutes and I knew we needed something better. I kept hearing about Wildanet and seeing their vans around Cornwall.
One couple from Germany were holidaying in Cornwall when they travelled from Newquay to BB’s Bakery in Redruth because they heard they could pick up a selection of treats for their daughter, who is coeliac.
“There are places where you can get fast broadband but it can be expensive and not all businesses can afford to do that.
“And with Wildanet, you’re getting that service without having to wait for the infrastructure to be put in place.”
Creative baker Sarah began making gluten free cakes and bakes after she was furloughed during lockdown and quickly built up a fanbase, which soon extended beyond just friends and family.
See www.bbsglutenfreebakery.com
Another mum left a message to say that her son had finally been able to enjoy a ‘normal’ birthday cake at long last.
Hitting the 0699906 www.wildanet.com/business superfast sweet spot
“That warms your heart,” says Brett, describing the range of delicious treats BB’s offers, including traybakes, cupcakes, scones, loaf cakes, as well as dairy free and vegan options (which are all gluten free, as standard).
As more employees joined the team, it became apparent that decent, high-speed broadband was going to be essential.
“There’s definitely a need for the type of service Wildanet offers,” he comments.
or visit
“That’s been the nicest things about all this so far,” adds Sarah, who is gluten free herself.
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 47 CONNECTIVITYDIGITAL
Brett Gillard and Sarah Penpraze contacted Wildanet to get them connected as their startup gluten free cake making business went from strength to strength.
If you or your business need help and support with digital connectivity, Wildanet has a range of options and innovative solutions available to help. Speak to the team on 0800
“It’s seeing all the lovely feedback we’ve been getting from customers who’ve bought bespoke birthday cakes for their children or people who just want to treat themselves.”
BB’s Gluten Free Bakery has just added an essential ingredient to the business - fast, reliable broadband.
“The whole installation process was quick,” says Brett. “The guys were very chatty and smiley and once it was all under way, we had a really good service.”
“That area of the building is still connected to the Wildanet wi-fi so it means we can expand the business without having to worry about getting broadband in the same place.”
Brett developed a website for the bakery, while the rapid growth of the firm saw them move into an industrial unit in the West Cornwall Enterprise Centre in Redruth. This was then turned into a fully coeliac safe, gluten free kitchen.
Brett contacted Wildanet and was told by the friendly, local business team it would be straightforward to connect the bakery to its fast, reliable broadband.
A fast, reliable connection means Brett, Sarah and their six-strong team can now communicate with customers easily, deal with online orders and tasks, such as printing off labels, as well as work on their social media platforms – which are full of glowing reviews.
I thought – what if we could use them?”
He and Sarah are hoping to expand the business soon and move into a second unit within the same building.
“Cornwall is built on small businesses and let’s face it, the area is a bit of black hole when it comes to good connectivity.
Brett says he would certainly recommend Wildanet to other local businesses.
PROFILECHARITY We look at the ongoing positive impact that Cornwall Air Ambulance is having on everyday lives. saving livesYour charity, 48 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
Suffering from extensive injuries to both legs and a collapsed lung, Liam was in critical HospitalHeadministeredwherewasCornwallcondition.AirAmbulancetaskedtothescene,criticalcareparamedicsabloodtransfusion.wastransferredtoDerrifordandspenttwoweeksinan induced coma. Liam suffered a brain injury due to the lack of oxygen going to his brain as a result of his injuries and needed specialist rehabilitation. Over a year on from the incident, Liam has recovered remarkably well. He visited the crew who helped him, including critical care paramedics Martin Bunt, Paul Maskell and Thomas Hennessy Jones and pilot Adam Smith. Liam says: “It’s hard to explain when you have an accident, but you don’t really believe it’s happened to you. I remember screaming, but I didn’t know what was going on. I’m a lucky boy- there is no point sulking. It was overwhelming to meet the people who helped me.” Critical care paramedic, Martin Bunt, said: “To see Liam sat here now with the injuries he had is amazing. His positive attitude has really helped in his recovery.”
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 49 PROFILECHARITY In 2021 Cornwall Air Ambulance was tasked to 1,092 missions across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The team of critical care paramedics and doctors responded to 534 medical emergencies and 551 trauma-related incidents. They also flew seven inter-hospital transfers to ensure seriously sick patients could receive the specialist treatment they needed. Whether by helicopter or the charity’s rapid response vehicles (RRVs), the crew are on call ready to respond to incidents 365 days a year. Despite the various Covid-19 restrictions in place last year, the aircrew continued to operate for 19 hours every single day, supporting the people and visitors to Cornwall in their greatest moment of need. On average, they were tasked to three incidents a day. 2021 was the inaugural year of Cornwall Air Ambulance carrying blood products on board the aircraft and RRVs. The ‘Blood on Board’ service launched as a collaboration with the blood transfusion service at Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, South Western Ambulance Service, NHS Foundation Trust and Cornwall Blood Bikes. In the first year of the service, the charity’s critical care paramedics carried out 12 pre-hospital blood Thetransfusions.secondperson ever to receive a blood transfusion from the Cornwall Air Ambulance team was Liam Bradley, after a road traffic collision left the 23-year-old with lifethreatening injuries. Liam was on his way to work in the early hours of 22 January 2021, when the incident happened on the A388 at St Mellion. It took emergency services almost two hours to cut him free from the car.
On call ready to respond 365 days a year
LIAM BRADLEY (THE SECOND PATIENT TO RECEIVE A BLOOD TRANSFUSION FROM PARAMEDICS AT CORNWALL AIR AMBULANCE), WITH THE CREW WHO HELPED HIM
out
ARTISTS IMPRESSION OF THE NEW EXTENSION CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AT CAAT AIRBASE
50 | BUSINESS CORNWALL PROFILECHARITY
Over the years as the charity has grown and extended its operations; with the purchase of the AW169 helicopter, increased operating hours from 12 to 19 per day and a bigger aircrew team, it became apparent the current building was no longer fit for purpose.
In 2019, Cornwall Air Ambulance was awarded grant funding of £897.7k from the Department of Health and Social Care towards a proportion of the building costs for a new crew facility. While the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the start of the project, work is now well underway to extend the existing hangar.
“Importantly, it will also future proof the charity’s operations, allowing for further growth where needed.”
Each year it costs over £5 million to provide this lifesaving service to the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. As a charity, Cornwall Air Ambulance relies on the generosity of its supporters to fund emergency missions. Your support will help the next person in their greatest moment of need. your local charity find more.
• Fundraise • Become a regular giver • Take on a challenge • Shop at
The new development will provide better training facilities, a significantly improved operations room, and more rest areas for the Alfaircrew.Evans, head of operations at Cornwall Air Ambulance, says: “The new three-storey building will provide the crew with immersive training rooms, study areas, sleeping pods and quiet areas for some much-needed downtime after emergency missions. It will ensure the aircrew has the best resources to continue to provide the best possible service to the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, which is the focus of everything we do at Cornwall Air Ambulance.
store • VisitDonatecornwallairambulancetrust.org to
As the service enters its 35th year, Cornwall Air Ambulance has been busy planning for the future, ensuring it continues to serve the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
WAYS TO SUPPORT
A major part of this is the extension to the charity’s headquarters in Newquay, which is now underway.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Search engines know this too, and how your site looks and reacts on a mobile device makes a big difference to how your site is going to be ranked by search engines.
It’s all touchpointsabout
These days most web users browse on a mobile device - that took a slight dip during the pandemic when everyone was working from home and using work laptops, but the rise of mobile internet browsing shows little sign of stopping any time soon.
THE SEARCH IS PeakyON...DigitalSEO manager, Jamie Mackenzie, offers some tips on how to get your business seen.
At its heart SEO shares a lot arewhereorofotherwithformsadvertisingmarketing:youseenisalmost as important as what you are saying, so you need to make sure you appear wherever your customers are browsing.
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 51 CLINICBUSINESS
Here are a few things to keep in mind to help give your site a boost in organic visibility. More content doesn’t mean more site traffic, better content does Writing blogs alone doesn’t guarantee your site will get more traffic; if you’re not writing content about topics that people are looking for, then it’s unlikely people will find it.
If you get a lot of foot traffic, you’ll want to make sure that your business shows up when people include words like “near me” or mention a location in their search, in which case you’ll want to make sure you have a Google Business Profile listing. If most of your sales or leads are generated online, make sure the pages you want people to see are as helpful and easy to use as possible.
Think about mobile users
If you usually view your business’s website on a work computer, try spot checking some pages on your smartphone to see how they look and if you run into any formatting or usability issues.
Searching on Google has become such an ingrained habit in people’s daily lives that having a hard-to-find website is the digital marketing equivalent of leaving money on the table, one that more often than not can be straightforward to fix.
For businesses wanting to engage new audiences and grow their exposure, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) remains one of the most cost-effective ways to do it, an increasingly prescient point as the cost of living continues to rise and many businesses begin to feel the pinch.
Thinking about who your audience is and what they’re likely to be searching for is the first step to creating content that generates traffic. For inspiration on topics, think: what insights can you give that no one else can? What questions are you asked by clients or customers that others might be searching for?
Mobile showsbrowsinginternetlittlesignofstopping
Be realistic with your expectations SEO isn’t a silver bullet, it can take a little while before you see results and it works best when it runs in tandem with other marketing efforts (for example email and social media campaigns or PPC).
There is a degree of managing expectations when it comes to what search terms you’re going to appear for; if your business sells books online, you’re going to have difficulty outranking Amazon and Waterstones for the term “buy books online”, but you might for “book shop near me” if you have a Google Business Profile listing, or “Jane Austen alternatives” if you’ve created a blog on recommended reads for people that enjoy Jane Austen.
Businesses on the programme also benefit from access to a suite of resources and tools. This includes GROWTHmapper® - the UK’s leading business diagnostic tool - which provides valuable insights into the perceived strengths and weaknesses of a business, so that support can be tailored to the needs of each client.
The team fromassistanceprovidewitheverythingwritingabusiness plan and financial forecasting to identifying and applying for the most appropriate source of funding (eg grants, loans, equity, crowdfunding, debt funding, asset finance).
fitter SMEsBuilding financially
As well as helping established businesses achieve their ambitions, the team also delivers interactive workshops to provide start-ups with the practical knowledge and skills they need to build a robust financial model.
The Access to Finance programme, which is designed and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice and fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, has supported over 2,400 businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly during the last five years, helping local businesses raise over £36 million.
In addition, the team has recently launched a new online learning platform, which offers 24/7 comprehensive video tutorials to provide business owners with the flexibility to learn at their own pace.
businesseshelpedhavelocalraiseover£36million
Access to Finance celebrates five-year milestone and record results.
Accessing finance and funding is cited as one of the main barriers to growth, with many small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) having limited knowledge of what’s available, what’s best for them and how to access it. These issues are addressed through the Access to Finance programme where eligible SMEs are equipped with the knowledge and skills to manage their immediate and future finance needs.
The programme provides free and impartial support through a mix of workshops and tailored one-to-one support covering all aspects of business finance.
OUTSTANDING OUTCOMES Andrew Finley, project director, explains: “We are proud of our work and the positive impact we are making to the economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The excellent feedback we receive from businesses and partner
We
52 | BUSINESS CORNWALL FINANCEACCESS TO
EDUCATING AND INNOVATING
“As businesses are exposed to a tightening economy, they face multiple pressures from inflation, supply chain challenges and reduced consumer spending, it is now more important than ever that businesses have access to high-quality business support services and specialist expertise to help them achieve their growth potential. This in turn will enhance the local economy, job opportunities and the prosperity of our local communities.”
organisations year on year is testament to our achievements. In the last five years, we have helped local businesses raise over £36 million from over 100 different finance providers, but most importantly we have helped business owners develop the skills and knowledge they need to implement good financial management to help ensure their future success.
“I will always be grateful to the support given by Access to Finance,” said Mark Norton, MD of Prima Bakeries. “They took time to truly understand my business and provided a thoughtful and professional approach to the task. The work we did together formed the basis of a successful fund raise, allowing us to achieve the planned acquisition.”
SUCCESS STORIES KCS PRINT KCS Print, a family-run manufacturer of high-quality integrated label forms, has successfully secured a series of grants totalling £137,000 after receiving support. Zoe Deadman, MD of KCS Print, said: “Access to Finance provides a really personalised service. It is like having an in-house expert in your business. As an SME, we don’t have time to waste so any investment has to make a tangible difference. Access to Finance has probably been the easiest and most directly beneficial business support I’ve received in the last five years.”
For more information on Access to Finance, visit www.a2fcornwall.co.uk or call 01872 300386.
“We are passionate about delivering the highest standards of support and despite challenging economic conditions, we have continued to build partnerships and develop innovative business support services to help local businesses ensure they have the tools to overcome challenges, build resilience and maximise opportunities.
about Access to Finance, Charles McKay, CFO at Wildanet, said: “They are crucial in enabling small companies like ours to realise our vision and highlight what funding is out there to pursue. They were pivotal to us achieving our funding goals in the fledgling months of our existence.”
BOOST INNOVATIONS Boost, a pioneering start-up which has designed a new type of breast prosthesis, has received support with funding applications including securing a £105k investment from the British Design Fund. Co-founder of Boost, Sam Jackman, said: “The specialists are extremely knowledgeable, honest and quick to respond. The world of finance and investment is quite complex, but being able to lean on the expertise of the Access to Finance team gives you the confidence to know you are making sound decisions.”
PRIMA BAKERIES Access to Finance has helped Prima Bakeries in Redruth to successfully raise £3m to acquire a competitor business and expand its capacity.
FINANCEACCESS TO BUSINESS CORNWALL | 53
WILDANET Wildanet has worked with Access to Finance since 2017. Over the last 3 years, they have been supported with various seed, grant fund applications and equity Speakingrounds.
The awards recognise outstanding achievement in the UK wine trade, bringing together top companies and organisations –large and small – from across the UK.
Chalk’s Bite wasn’t Sharp’s only success at the World Beer Awards this year, with bronzes for Offshore Pilsner, Doom Bar and Atlantic Pale Ale.
The small independent wine merchant sells wine direct to the public via its shop and website, and also supplies some of Cornwall’s top restaurants and hotels.
RAISE A GLASS TO OLD CHAPEL
Trethurgy-based Knightor Winery has launched a new spritz. “Capturing the essence of the coast in the convenience of a can”, Aprèz is inspired by Knightor’s vermouth and is said to be a first of its kind to be produced in Cornwall. And according to marketing executive, Gemma Kettle, initial reaction has been positive. “We recently conducted a blind taste event against a market leading spritz and out of the 50 attendees, over 95% selected Aprèz as their favourite option,” she said. “Now that we have hit the market, we are excited to see how the spritz is received on a more broader scale.” Rock-based Sharp’s Brewery was awarded a gold at the World Beer Awards for Chalky’s Bite. Chalky’s Bite is the already brewery’s highest-awarded product and was created after chef Rick Stein challenged Sharp’s to create a Cornish beer with the character and quality to stand alongside established Belgian ales.
BUYSBREWERY
Truro-based wine merchant Old Chapel Cellars was named IWC Regional Merchant of the Year 2022 for South West England at a glittering awards ceremony at The Hurlingham Club in London.
Chief executive, Kevin Georgel, said: “This is our first acquisition in over two years, so it’s an exciting time for the business and a milestone moment in the strong recovery we’ve continued to make since the pandemic. It also supports our plans to strengthen and grow our pub estate, across Cornwall and the wider south west, in the months and years ahead.” HOTEL
GOLDEN BITE
54 | BUSINESS CORNWALL & DRINKFOOD IN HIGH SPRITZ
St Austell Brewery has added to its estate portfolio by acquiring the Wellington Hotel in TheBoscastle.Wellington Hotel is a historic coaching inn, dating back to the 16th century, with views overlooking the harbour. The site has 14 bedrooms, three aparthotel suites, a pub, and a restaurant.
The acquisition is the first in over two years for St Austell Brewery, which recently reported a strong recovery and return to profitability in 2021, despite all its sites being closed for the first four months of the year due to lockdown. The company now owns 175 pubs, inns and hotels across the West Country including 39 managed sites, and a portfolio of tenanted and leased properties.
The business is co-owned by Louisa Fitzpatrick and Jamie Tonkin, who said: “The IWC awards are extremely well-regarded in the trade, so just to get through to the final was a great achievement. To be named SW Regional Merchant of the Year by our peers in the industry is incredible. It’s testament to the hard work of the whole team over the past 12 months.”
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 55 01326 312707 | www.stmichaelsresort.com/occasions YOUR PLACE TO HOLD EVENTS Celebrate business milestones, hold an away day or book a private meeting space with unique packages tailored to you. ference today n to Completion rts Branded Paper Tape rds Signage We are Sapience; your people and workplace culture experts TO CELEBRATE OUR 15TH BIRTHDAY, WE ARE OFFERING ALL NEW CLIENTS 15% OFF ANY NEW RETAINER CONTRACT PURCHASED With more than 15 years service to local businesses in Cornwall and beyond, we are your outsourced, in house, resource for all of your people management needs. 01736 HelloThere@sapiencehr.co.uk339384
56 | BUSINESS CORNWALL SPONSORED BY www.digitalpeninsula.org AND DIGITALCREATIVE
Meg Salt, investment manager at The FSE Group, said: “xigxag is in an excellent position within a vibrant sector. Their product is easily scalable and presents real scope for accelerated growth in the near future.”
A PLACE TO DREAM
Founder Mike Robinson said: “Winning this award is a huge honour. A substantial amount of hard work and preparation has gone in to creating Now & Then, we have overcome many hurdles and are now finally in a position to launch the new app. The future is bright for Now & Then - this is only the beginning.”
Bude marks the start of the broadband provider’s expansion into Cornwall and build through the town will start this autumn with the first homes and businesses expected to be live before the end of the year.
Jurassic Fibre says the decision to extend its network into Cornwall signifies its commitment to “levelling up the south west, digitally, economically and socially”, and represents a substantial invest ment in the region.
ISP EXPANDS INTO CORNWALL
Now & Then, which was created out of Falmouth University’s venture studio, Launchpad, provides tools for attractions to easily create guided tours tailored to each user, using pre-existing or new content.
CEO Phil Stilgoe commented: “I was born in Cornwall and to be honest, as a teenager in the mid-eighties, I couldn’t wait to leave… from a career perspective, my knowledge of opportunities was very restricted; farming, police, army, or catering college.
“The transformation of Cornwall has been incredible and today it’s a completely different to the place I grew up in. Postpandemic, it’s become apparent that it’s no longer necessary for a business like mine to be completely London-centric, so that, combined with the fact that Cornwall is now a creative and cultural hub that’s bursting with opportunity and resource, is what has led me to set up an office here.”
Part of the Hall’s three-year transformation completed last year, the area has been funded by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) through the Government’s Local Growth Fund.
Julien Boast, CEO and creative director at Hall for Cornwall, said: “Husa is fast becoming what we hoped it would be – a melting pot of creativity, collaboration and innovation focused on Cornwall’s creative future.”
CEO Paul Hellings said: “We are delighted to announce this first step into Cornwall, and this milestone is testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who are working tirelessly to get homes connected and bring local communities up to speed when it comes to broadband.”
The broadband company has already rolled out its network to homes and businesses across Devon, Dorset and Somerset, where many towns and villages had previously struggled with inadequate and unreliable digital connectivity.
XIGXAG INVESTMENT
Husa, which means ‘to enchant and dream’ in Cornish, offers a range of offices and hotdesk ing space within the building and just a few footsteps from the new Cornwall Playhouse.
The Hall for Cornwall has welcomed the first tenants to its new co-working space.
The new tenants include international theatre company Wildworks; Creative UK, the independent network for the UK’s creative industries; Black Voices Cornwall, the charity tackling racism through education, awareness and empowerment; and Cornwall Pride, which supports and celebrates Cornwall’s LGBTQ+ community.
SCREEN STAR CENTROIDTHE TIME IS NOW
The funding round was led by the FSE Group, the appointed fund manager for CIOSIF, and includes a number of private angel investors and a successful crowdfunding campaign on the Seedrs platform.
Now & Then has been named as the Tourism and Leisure Start-up of the Year at the south west final of the StartUp Awards National Series.
The funding will enable the Gunnislakebased company, which was recently voted Best New Business at the Cornwall Business Awards, to expand the capacity of its development team and broaden its marketing channels with the recruitment of 17 team members over the next three years.
A London-based performance capture company responsible for bringing some of the world’s bestloved films and games alive, has expanded to CentroidCornwall.3D boasts one of the industry’s largest and most advanced facilities available today and has produced performance capture for a long list of well-known films, games and television, including Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns and Pirates of the Caribbean. Keen to play a part in Cornwall’s burgeoning screen industry, the company has registered an office at Newquay’s CSpace and plans to forge links with the local universities and colleges to help bridge the gap between business and education.
Award-winning audiobook platform xigxag has secured a £500k equity investment from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF), as part of a larger £1m funding round.
South west internet service provider, Jurassic Fibre, has announced the start of its ultrafast broadband network build in Cornwall.
“That’s why we need to see a reversal of the hike in National Insurance, a cut in VAT and fuel duty, and help for struggling small firms on energy bills to match that being given to households.
Expectations for any betterment in performance in Q3 are similarly subdued, with those predicting a fall in revenue (35.8%) outnumbering those who predict an increase (32.4%).
“The cost of living crisis can’t be solved without addressing the cost of doing business crisis.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN FSB MEMBERSHIP?
With high inflation putting general pressure on small firms’ bottom lines, the report’s finding that a clear majority (60%) have seen their insurance premiums rise in the last year is an illustration of the cost squeeze facing small businesses, who cannot in most cases operate without various forms of cover.
ACCESS? Yes!
‘A TOXIC COCKTAIL’
“While small businesses do their absolute best to offer good value to customers, they will be squeezed to the margins as consumers’ disposable spending falls.” FSB research sets out the effect the current economic climate is having on small businesses, with more small firms reporting a decline in revenues in Q2 than an increase (40.7% against 34.8%).
You
ARE
“Hospitality businesses are also feeling the pinch – from the B&B owner who now has to pay 50p per slice of bacon to the bar which has seen prices for mixers and soft drinks spiral.
“PAYING
This month a spotlight on FSB Legal Services
If you want to join FSB after reading this page then please quote BCM30 when you join and save £30!
The pandemic brought many underlying problems with insurance into sharp relief, as small firms had to fight hard for their business interruption insurance to be honoured, leading to significant uncertainty and worry at a time when they were already fighting to survive. YOU A PREMIUM?”
The findings expose concerns about whether the insurance market is performing adequately for small firms and self-employed people.
or Customer Services
Business
“While the consumer prices rate of inflation bursting through 10% is eye-watering, producer input prices are up by more than double that figure and this will filter through, pushing up the cost of living even more.
“The rise in food and tocontributeddrinknon-alcoholicpricesstronglythegrowthinthe consumer inflation rate, hitting across the board – we all need to eat.
Responding to the news that the consumer prices index rose to the highest since records began in 1997, and producer price inflation rose 22.6% in the 12 months to July, FSB national chair Martin McTague said: “We’re seeing a toxic cocktail of rampant inflation, high taxes, soaring energy costs and shrinking economic growth. Action is needed right now.
From jury service payments or a quick legal question to more complex employment tribunal representation, you can count on FSB to support you, so you can get back to business. FSB Legal Protection Scheme is included in FSB membership (annual membership starts at just £147 ) there is an extensive list of topics that help EASY TO Members can log into their dashboard via the website to access this benefit at any time. There are hundreds of template and help sheets available in our online legal hub or you can simply speak to one of our legal team. Members can book a call back through the FSB member app (you can find out more here: www.fsb.org.uk/app.html & do download if you are a member and don’t already have it) can help to direct you 0808 20 20 888. can also use the app or call services to help you discover all of the other great services we offer such as insurance and health care or just visit our membership webpage: fsb.org.uk/join-us/membership.htmlwww.
we
FSB’s new publication, Paying a premium? Reforming the insurance market to work for small firms, examines the issues small firms face when navigating the insurance market and looks into the price of insurance and whether the products on offer are suitable for small business customers.
The squeeze on small business and house hold budgets from inflation is undermining chances of an economic recovery.
Over half (52%) of those whose premium costs have risen say that the rise is 11% or greater, while some individual businesses have seen cost rises far in excess of that – particularly following a claim.
SPONSORED BY NEWS #FSBCONNECT BUSINESS CORNWALL | 57
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START-UP ACADEMY SUPPORT
Business and Entrepreneurship student from Falmouth, Bill Roberts, is working on making quality CBD products more accessible to those who need it via his business Hush TheCBD.Good Robot Company founded by University of Exeter students Fin McCormick and Lizbeth Chandler, detects bias in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning Megansystems.Roberts and Alex Fish, from Falmouth’s School of Film & Television, are working on 99Films, a community led film showcase, celebrating student work and opening opportunities for engagement and MAdiscussion.Creative Advertising student Charlii Testar’s business idea is Boo Boo Finnegan Adventures, which creates children’s picture books for dads to read to their children, encouraging the development of emotional MScintelligence.Entrepreneurship course leader, Marcus Simmons, said: “We’ve really enjoyed having the start-up academy students attend some of our lectures and workshops. They’ve all been really keen to learn and have grasped the opportunity to see just how practical the MSc Entrepreneurship is in helping young entrepreneurs successfully develop their business ideas.” LEFT TO RIGHT)
BILL ROBERTS, FIN MCCORMICK, MEGAN ROBERTS, LIZBETH CHANDLER AND CHARLII TESTAR
Two Truro schools have been recognised among the leading independent schools in the UK after both being shortlisted for a trio of national awards. Truro is in the running to be named Co-Ed ucational Independent School of the Year, as well as Independent School of the Year for Sporting Achievement and the Green Award for Environmental Achievement. Truro School head, Andy Johnson, said: “A huge thank you to our staff and pupils who work hard to ensure Truro School is at the forefront of educational excellence; it is wonderful to have their commitment and innovation acknowledged by these national Acrossawards.”the city, meanwhile, Truro High School for Girls has been shortlisted for Independent Girls’ School of the Year and Pre-Prep of the Year. Its pioneering UX course to teach Prep 6 pupils with user experience skills has also been nominated in the new Innovative Project Headmistress,category.Mrs Sarah Matthews, said: “It is absolutely fantastic to see our unique and special school recognised so widely as providing phenomenal opportunities and a first-rate education.” Winners will be announced at a ceremony next month.
HAPPY DAYS EXPANSION PLANS AN AWARDING EDUCATION
Falmouth University’s venture studio, Launchpad, is supporting six entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas as part of its inaugural Start-up Academy. Students from both Falmouth and Exeter universities are getting paid over six weeks to develop their ideas. They are also benefiting from a series of masterclasses provided by the MSc Entrepreneurship team in design thinking, finance and marketing as well as pitch practice and an opportunity to network with the wider Launchpad community.
(FROM
A Cornwall-based nursery and pre-school operator has announced a significant round of new investment as it looks towards further expansion. Since first opening 30 years ago, Happy Days Nurseries has expanded to 18 locations across the south west. The new investment, from London-based private equity firm Zetland Capital, will fund plans to build a business with over 50 nurseries. It’s committed to opening new sites in Salisbury, Yate and Taunton in 2023 with further opportunities in the pipeline. Happy Days’ executive chairman, Mark Beadle, added: “We are thrilled to be working with Zetland Capital with whom we have already developed a strong working relation ship and whose values align to our own. “After two challenging years, we are looking forward to growing our family of nurseries; creating new jobs, affordable quality childcare for families and building a company culture that values and rewards colleagues.”
C is about connecting with the social challenges we face and changing the mindset of a business so that individual behaviours are refined, and environmental solutions are embedded into an organisation.
There are so many different events to attend during Planet C month and the expertise on tap will be incredible. If I were running a business, I would be planning to send my junior members of staff to the events as well as the more experienced, seasoned Inetworkers.don’tknow about you, but at the Chamber our apprentice and graduates are bursting with enthusiasm; they soak up information like a sponge and come up with the most amazing, innovative ideas. That’s what this campaign needs moving forward.
The UK has always fallen behind Europe when it comes to productivity but the situation has been made worse by the pandemic and recovery process. We have a whole host of new considerations and working arrangements to contend with, which impacts heavily on how productive we can be.
BY
NEWS
This summit will look at how to find the perfect equilibrium between work and home life, and how new skills and training play their part in innovation, productivity and wage growth.
CORNWALL CHAMBER CEO KIM CONCHIE LOOKS AHEAD TO A I’mONEVENTSPROGRAMMEMONTH-LONGOFFOCUSSINGTHEPLANETverygratefultoNickforgivingusspace
Finally, I must draw your attention to our Productivity Summit taking place on September 13, in partnership with Skills Hub.
in this issue to provide more detail on the highly anticipated Sustainability September: Project Planet C (see p32) – a month of events and insights focused on climate and social action. This is such an important campaign and we’re not doing things by halves. We’ve got fantastic support from our sponsor, Don’t Cry Wolf, and we’re very privileged to have the expertise and guidance of Jennie and Paul at Green Works Consulting to help craft a really accessible programme.
I hope businesses in Cornwall will embrace the opportunity to stop and think about their impact on the planet and the role they can play in helping the Duchy reach its net zero goals.
On September 20, we have a Planet C Surge event at Heligan for businesspeople under the age of 30. Our Surge of Entrepreneurs networking group is thriving; if you haven’t signed up staff to the group yet, this would be a great introduction.
SPONSORED cornwallchamber.co.uk
Email: hello@cornwallchamber.co.uk Call: 01209 216006 Online: www.cornwallchamber.co.uk
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 59 CHAMBER
I feel very strongly that we have reached a critical point where articles like this must no longer be white noise that just keeps plugging away in the Sustainabilitybackground. is so much more corporateorganisingclimateenvironmentalthanandaction–anannuallitterpickor enrolling the office on a print cartridge recycling scheme just doesn’t cut it anymore. I’m not dismissing the need for effort of that nature, however, there has to be so much more of a cultural change within businesses if we are to have any hope of reaching Cornwall Council’s net zero Planettarget.
As part of Planet C, the Chamber has set itself the target of creating 200 Climate Ambassadors for Business. Green Works has developed the free course in conjunction with The Carbon Literacy Project and I urge every business - regardless of size or type, to sign up as many employees as possible.
TARGET NET ZERO
Cornwall Chamber of Commerce is an independent not-for-profit organisation accredited by the British Chambers of Commerce. We solely exist to represent businesses in Cornwall. Our events provide a platform for businesses to connect, create and make valuable business relationships. Membership to the Chamber starts from as little as £17 +VAT per month and provides you with the tools to promote your business. Get in touch today to have a chat about how we can support you and your business. WHY JOIN?
I hope you’ve had a brilliant summer and are raring to go. September is always an exciting, busy month – but this year even more so!
Two highly experienced lithium industry professionals have joined Cornwall-based British Lithium.
Laurence Associates has appointed chartered architect Lee Morris as design director.
HEAD OF GEOLOGY
Morris has more than 30 years of local and international experience overseeing a diverse range of design projects and developing close relationships with clients and contractors.
James Williams, Celtic & Co MD, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Martin at a pivotal time for our business as we build on the success of the last two years. He brings a wealth of experience to the role and will be a great addition to our leadership team.”
TOCARDO CTO
He has most recently been supporting HydroWing on the development of the Patented Turbine Control Hub under the ERDF Marine-i Programme.
Both are key appointments as the company progresses towards full operational status and a production rate likely to meet one third of the UK’s projected lithium carbonate demand.
Matt Reed has been appointed as the new chief technical officer at tidal turbine company Tocardo.
Morris recently moved back to the UK from overseas after nearly 17 years, most recently in Saudi Arabia with The Diriyah Gate Development company and before that, the United Arab Emirates, Dubai and Abu Dhabi where for seven years he led multidisciplined design and engineering teams for Atkins.
Matt Dickinson began his career in the finan cial industry in 2003, quickly advancing to become a risk assessor for a US multination al before securing a place as a derivatives trader. From there, he went on to join the Truro branch of Charles Stanley in 2012 before moving to Walker Crips in 2015.
CORNWALL FIRST NEW FINANCE HEAD
Martin Hayball has been appointed group head of finance at Cornwall-based natural sustainable fashion brand Celtic & Co. Hayball joins the business from clothing and lifestyle retailer Seasalt, where he was head of financial planning and analysis.
Ben Cordier, who formerly led a process development and design team for Johnson Matthey’s battery materials business, has been appointed head of process research and Matthew Watson, formerly principal geologist at leading Australian lithium producer, Mineral Resources Limited, has been appointed head of geology.
Tocardo is one of the world’s leading tidal turbine developers and since 2020 has been fully-owned by Penryn-based HydroWing and QED Naval.
Reed brings extensive experience to the team and was previously the engineering director for Marine Current Turbines (MCT) and was instrumental in leading the development of the Seagen Project- the world’s first commercial tidal turbine.
BETTER BY DESIGN
Wealth management company, Evelyn Partners, has appointed its first Cornwallbased investment manager.
Dickinson will formally be part of Evelyn Partners’ Exeter office, but will remain based in Cornwall and have a particular focus on growing the firm’s presence in the Duchy.
60 | BUSINESS CORNWALL ON THE MOVEPEOPLE
Tom Sexton has taken the helm of the Gry Maritha, following the retirement of Captain Paul Stevens after two decades on board. The 33-year-old served as chief officer on the Gry – the islands’ dedicated year-round freight ship - for five years. Sexton, who lives in Carharrack, joined the Steamship Company in 2017 after working for Maersk in its offshore oil and gas division. He said: “The Gry is a muchloved ship – and a real workhorse – which means so much to Scilly. It’s a real honour to take over from Paul, and his are big boots to fill.”
WELCOME ABOARD
BLUE & WHITE CHARITY BALL
INNOVATION SURGERY Pool Innovation Centre Covering the four cornerstones of innovation, ATI2 is here to guide you on to your innovation journey. Join Mark Harris for an interactive workshop understanding innovation and how it can impact your business. aticornwallinnovation.co.uk
CORNWALL CHAMBER LUNCH Boconnoc, Lostwithiel Join the Chamber for a networking lunch with picture perfect views. cornwallchamber.co.uk
EVENT OF THE MONTH
CHAMBER BIG BREAKFAST Eden Project Cornwall Chamber of Commerce would like to invite you to The Eden Project for its Big Breakfast event kicking off Planet C week. cornwallchamber.co.uk
Join Peaky Digital for a fun and informative session full of practical learning to support you to engage with digital marketing with confidence. eventbrite.co.uk
FINANCE FOR STARTUPS Launchpad, Penryn
-3029282729
UPCOMING EVENTS
PRODUCTIVITY SUMMIT St Austell Conference Centre
SEPTEMBER EVENTS
DIGITAL MARKETING FOR EHEALTH HWIC, Truro
FUTURE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ESAM, St Austell Panel discussions on the challenges and opportunities with existing housing stock and retrofits and a full line of speakers covering the architectural response to net zero. cornwallchamber.co.uk
A free two-day course to provide you with the practical knowledge and skills you need to get your business off to the best possible start. a2fcornwall.co.uk
BedruthanGOODFESTHotel, Mawgan Porth Goodfest is back on the coast of north Cornwall. Two days of inspiration, reflection, collaboration and action this September. Explore the themes of Triple A – Accessibility, Affordability and Authenticity – and hear from an exciting range of speakers. goodfestcornwall.com
Hosted by Peaky Digital, the event is designed for local businesses to hear from industry experts from across the region about the latest trends and actions they should be imple menting in their marketing strategy. peakydigital.co.uk
S’PEAKY 3.0 Venton Conference Centre, Newquay
All profits from the event will benefit CornishCharity Citizens Advice Cornwall. Tickets are £55 per ticket or £500 for a table of 10 and the price includes a three course meal, magician and dancing. citizensadvicecornwall.org.uk
To publicise your event for free, email news@businesscornwall.co.uk
Mount Pleasant Eco Park, Porthtowan
22232015
PLANET C CONFERENCE ESI Building, Penryn Campus Specially designed to kickstart change and build momentum, the day will unravel what being net zero really means through talks and inspir ing examples from local businesses including Frugi, Origin Coffee, Flexi Hex and Cornish Lithium. cornwallchamber.co.uk
INNOVATION SURGERY Pool Innovation Centre Join Acceleration Through Innovation 2 for the Design Thinking Workshop at the Pool Innovation Centre. Its Design Thinking Workshop will help you and your business to begin exploring creative ideas. aticornwallinnovation.co.uk
Penventon Hotel, Redruth
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
SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
PLANET C SURGE EVENT Lost Gardens of Heligan Held at the beautiful Lost Gardens of Heligan, come and join the Chamber for breakfast, followed by inspirational speakers, finishing with a tour! cornwallchamber.co.uk
A great way to start the day with friendly, relaxed networking and good grub! heartlandscornwall.com
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 61 141376
Why a green agenda matters to everyone. Community climate action, charities and SMEs – driving action together. Keynote speaker, Cornwall Community Foundation’s Jeremy Ward. cornwallchamber.co.uk
Join the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub alongside a range of industry experts. ciosgrowthhub.com
For further details of these and more networking events visit businesscornwall.co.uk
EARLY BIRD COFFEE CLUB Cocktail Haus, Falmouth
MAKING WORK WORK FOR EVERYONE Atlantic Hotel, Newquay A conference to improve policy with key note speakers Dame Carol Black and Dr Christian van Stolk & academ ics from The University of Exeter. eventbrite.co.uk
HEARTLANDS BUSINESS RedBREAKFASTRiverCafé, Heartlands
with customers
Photos: Boardmasters, James North, Will Bailey and Jason Feast
so
where
meet them. Your
62 | BUSINESS CORNWALL CORNWALLCONNECTED
other members, gain referrals and build trusting
BOARDMASTERS
know how
enable you to connect
suppliers. Your Partnerships, can help your business grow! Your Partnerships is Cornwall’s largest networking group, with meetings up and down the Duchy 282727212220 POWER PenventonLUNCHHotel, Redruth TheNETWALKINGBoroughArms, Dunmere NETWORKING AT THE HouseBUDETheCHARITY,VictoriaNETWORKINGTruroCATHEDRALCathedralWORKSHOPInn,RocheTRUST&CICBoroughArms,DunmereNETWORKINGofChaplin,Bude Ambassador: Edward Chapman 151412859 BREAKFAST NETWORKING IN NorwayBREAKFASTTrenythonWOMENVictoriaCORNWALLInn,ThreemilestoneINBUSINESSLUNCHManor,ParNORWAYINNWay,Perranarworthal Ambassador: Gareth Looker PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION Holiday Inn Express, Victoria WADEBRIDGE FORUM The Pearl & Trawl, Wadebridge OPEN HOUSE CORNWALL Victoria Inn, Roche Ambassador: David Brock
Growing a business can be challenging. You want your business to be visible to the right people, it’s important to and to Partnerships is Cornwall’s largest networking group and it events with relationships and
The sell-out Boardmasters Festival up at Watergate Bay was certainly blessed by the weather and proved to be one of the most successful events in its 41-year history.
BUSINESS CORNWALL | 63 CONNECTED CORNWALL ROYAL VISIT During a recent visit to the Duchy, their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, met with volunteers at Newquay Orchard and also took time to visit Newlyn Harbour. THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL INSPECTS THE DAILY CATCH HRH MEETS VOLUNTEERS IN THE GROW SPACE HRH WITH COO JENNY HINDSON AND CEO LUKE BERKELEY PRINCE CHARLES GREETS NEWLYN PIER & HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS CHAIR ROB WING. PHOTO BY: LARRY HARTWELL HRH CHATS WITH VOLUNTEER MANDY SOMERS 13142967 CORNWALL BIG LUNCH Heartlands, Pool ONLINE : BUSINESS FINANCE & ADVICE Ambassador: Dionne Williams MEET UP WITH JON & WARREN Ambassadors: Jon Iacomino & Warren D’Souza THE BIG ONE Ambassador: David Brock TUESDAY MORNING CATCHUP Ambassador: Bill Christie 272823 CYBER SECURITY Ambassadors: Chris Windley & Kelly Thompson THE BIG ONE Ambassador: David Brock TUESDAY MORNING CATCHUP Ambassador: Bill Christie2221201516 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 BUSINESS WITH PURPOSE Ambassador: Edward Chapman MEET UP WITH JON & WARREN Ambassadors: Jon Iacomino & Warren D’Souza yourpartnerships.co.uk
The ability to stop time. Like Bernard’s watch. CAN MONEY BUY HAPPINESS? No, but it can help. Money is a tool that can be used for good or bad, wisely or poorly. The older I get the more I realise that happiness is a state of mind and largely unaffected by external circumstances.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE ADJECTIVES Conscientious. Kind. (Mildly) concerned.
I can be pessimistic. Even when everything is going well, I’m constantly on the lookout for problems.
WHAT IS YOUR WORST QUALITY?
IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHAT SUPERPOWERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO POSSESS?
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME? Working remotely. I’d love the freedom to run my businesses from anywhere in the world.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK? Treasure Island.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO RELAX?
MOST ANNOYING TV PERSONALITY? James Cordon.
WHAT IS YOUR BEST QUALITY? Conscientiousness. I’ll always give something my best. I’d also like to think I’m fairly dependable - if I say I’m going to do something, I’ll do it!
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER? Making a success of our restaurant business – Beer & Bird. The first few years were really tough and we made A LOT of mistakes but through ingenuity, luck and grim determination we got there in the end!
I used to tie up cardboard in the cellar of our family shop aged 12.
Honesty is ALWAYS the best policy. Although I do agree with the old adage, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
Police officer. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FULL TIME JOB?
WHAT HAS BEEN THE WORST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER? Learning that one of our ex-employees was suing us.
64 | BUSINESS CORNWALL WORDTHE LAST Trivas, Beer & Bird, Johns Wines and Crusty Juggler Rum UK entrepreneur HANSONTOM
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? Time with friends. WHAT MAKES YOU ANGRY? Incompetence. WHAT COULD YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT? My breakfast smoothie. WHEN IS HONESTY NOT ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY?
The truth is, I find it very difficult to relax! One of the downsides of being self-employed is that you are never fully out of the office. Having said that, I love travelling and am usually at my most relaxed on a beach somewhere warm with a Long Island Ice Tea!
WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED IN LIFE? That making mistakes is not only normal but desirable for success and growth.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FILM? Jurassic Park.
Pool Innovation Centre - supporting early-stage innovative businesses and helping companies to grow. Offering flexible, managed and modern workspace combined with access to business support and academic research. • 3 levels of association • Affiliate membership • Formation Zone – Collaborative co-working space • Private office space • On-site meeting and events facilities • Café on-site for individual and events catering • Free on-site parking • Access to business support and academic research • Flexible contract terms • Friendly, welcoming team to support all of your business needs • Fantastic easily accessible location • Free networking opportunities For more enquiries@cornwallinnovation.co.ukinformation: 08000www.cornwallinnovation.co.uk129500
rrlcornwall.co.ukACCOUNTANCYTAXADVICEAUDITINHERITANCE We offer more than just accountancy, with a team of in-house experts here in Cornwall. Get in touch for a meeting – it’s free.
