Business Cornwall March 2018 by Business Cornwall

CORNWALL'S PREMIER BUSINESS RESOURCE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION businesscornwall.co.uk

MARCH 2018 / ISSUE 118 / £3.95

CORNWALL COUNCIL LEADER ADAM PAYNTER

MAGNIFICENT 7

CONFERENCE AND VENUE GUIDE

EDUCATION TRAINING

A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE…

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Keeping Cornwall Connected cornwallairportnewquay.com

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MARCH 2018

ISSUE 118

INSIDE FEATURES

35 ON THE MOVE

10 - STADIUM FOR CORNWALL

36 FOOD & DRINK

PROJECT HAS COMMUNITY APPEAL SAYS OLYMPIC ROWER

12 – CEO INTERVIEW

CORNWALL COLLEGE SHORTLISTED

IN CONVERSATION WITH COUNCIL LEADER ADAM PAYNTER

19 – VENUE GUIDE SEVEN OF CORNWALL'S LEADING EVENTS SPACES

24 – BUSINESS GROWTH CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON A30 BUSINESS PARK

26 – EDUCATION & TRAINING EQUIPPING BUSINESSES WITH THE SKILLS TO SUCCEED

REGULARS 4 INCOMING SHOULD STADIUM RECEIVE PUBLIC MONEY?

6 BUSINESS NEWS NEW HELICOPTER SERVICE FOR SCILLY

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NEW APPOINTMENTS

PORTHLEVEN FOOD FESTIVAL

37 EDUCATION

38 TOURISM EDEN HOTEL UPDATE 39 FSB ALL THE LASTEST FROM THE FSB

40 CREATIVE & IT

NHS WIN FOR MICROTEST

41 JUST A THOUGHT CANCER RESEARCH’S NIKKI COLLINS

42 TEST DRIVE

SKODA KODIAQ

44 EVENTS DIARY

LOOKING FORWARD

46 CONNECTED

LOOKING BACK

48 THE LAST WORD

BENBOLE MANAGEMENT MD RICHARD TRANT

PHOTO: STEAMSHIP GROUP TO START NEW HELICOPTER SERVICE, SEE P6

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MARCH 2018

ISSUE 118

WELCOME EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Nick Eyriey nick@businesscornwall.co.uk PUBLISHER Toni Eyriey toni@businesscornwall.co.uk BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Morveth Ward morveth@businesscornwall.co.uk ACCOUNT MANAGER Caroline Hill caroline@businesscornwall.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS PFA Research, Nikki Collins DESIGN Hutch Agency - hutchagency.co.uk 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 Adam Paynter CORNWALL'S PREMIER BUSINESS RESOURCE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION businesscornwall.co.uk

CORNWALL COUNCIL LEADER ADAM PAYNTER

MAGNIFICENT 7

CONFERENCE AND VENUE GUIDE

EDUCATION TRAINING

A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE…

03 842001

9 772514

842001

Keeping Cornwall Connected cornwallairportnewquay.com

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This month we report on the progress of three significant infrastructure projects for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. It’s all kicking off down in Penzance and on Scilly, with Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s surprise news that it is set to launch a new helicopter service from Land’s End Airport. While the news is being welcomed by many in the business community, others are distinctly less impressed, calling it a “spoiling tactic” against plans to build a rival heliport in Penzance. Meanwhile, supporters behind the Stadium for Cornwall are ramping up their efforts to win hearts and minds ahead of next month’s Council vote on whether to grant public funds towards construction costs. In this issue, we touch upon the subject with Council Leader Adam Paynter in the CEO Interview, while on page 10, Olympic rower Annie Vernon explains why she is supporting the scheme. One project definitely set to go ahead, however, will be the £20 million improvements to the Hall For Cornwall. The theatre secured the final piece of funding in the jigsaw, from the LEP’s Local Growth Fund, with work set to begin in the summer.

Supporters behind the Stadium for Cornwall are ramping up

their efforts to win hearts and minds

MARCH 2018 / ISSUE 118 / £3.95

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BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

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Business Cornwall magazine is proud to be a business partner of the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce

EDITOR BUSINESS CORNWALL Business Cornwall magazine is proud to be media partner of the FSB

Registered under the Data Protection Act All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in an electronic retrieval system or transmitted without the written permission of the publisher. Stringent efforts have been made by Business Cornwall magazine to ensure accuracy. However, due principally to the fact that data cannot always be verified, it is possible that some errors or omissions may occur. Business Cornwall magazine can not accept responsibility for such errors or omissions. Business Cornwall magazine accepts no responsibility for comments made by interviewees that may offend.

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The Business Property Specialists across the south-west and beyond

Here’s why we have been Cornwall’s most active commercial agent seven years in succession:

SO LD

16 Arwenack St, Falmouth – freehold retail premises in the heart of Falmouth sold for private clients

Treverbyn House, Veryan

Letting of 28-29 Boscawen St (former Austin Reed), Truro to The Entertainer and subsequent investment purchase on behalf of a private client

I TA

LD The Mermaid Café, Gorran Haven

Bodhi’s, Newquay

SO Retained by Co Op Funeralcare Homes in the acquisition of new funeral care homes in Penzance, Penryn, Exeter and Redruth

Genki, St Agnes

10a Bank St, Newquay – investment of the Holland and Barret premises, acquired on behalf of private clients

De Wynns, Falmouth

D RE TS UI N Q LIE AC R C FO

The acquisition of a portfolio of former Lloyds banks in Devon and Cornwall including St Mawes, Mevagissey, Lostwithiel, Salcombe and Modbury

Letting of 6,500 sq ft at Gwindra Industrial Estate, St Stephen on behalf of a private client

Treveague Campsite, Gorran

For details of all our services please contact the following: Valuations

Commercial Agency

Andrew Ranson 01872 247011

Thomas Smith 01872 247013

Business Transfer

Graham Timmins 01872 247019

Property Management

Nick Maffey 01872 247028

Cornwall’s Most Active Agent 2017 – Seven years in succession!! As awarded by Estates Gazette

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INCOMING

THE CONVERSATION

SPONSORED BY

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MALCOLM BELL

Visit Cornwall

The big question

It would be great to have a Stadium for Cornwall that is a venue for great sporting events and also a business venue which can support the local economy and have a sustainable business model for its operation and continued investment. As to whether public funds should be used to support is creation – that is a decision for those in charge of those funds.

The partners behind the Stadium for Cornwall project are seeking £6 million of public funding from Cornwall Council. They have secured £8 million of private funds to build the stadium, but need Council help to bridge the shortfall. What are your feelings about the scheme? Should public money be used, or in these times of austerity is it a step too far? Join the conversation @biz_cornwall

/businesscornwall

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THE CONVERSATION

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TRISTAN NETHERTON

Microtest

A Cornish stadium would be a great focal point not only for sport but also for entertainment, education and business. This would help to promote Cornish excellence, not only inside the county but much further afield. Microtest spends a great deal of time travelling around the UK to various event and exhibitions, and we have seen how stadiums that are well managed can help stimulate growth across a range of business sectors. This stadium would offer Cornwall an opportunity to stage prestigious, high footfall events, including major sports events, concerts and large exhibitions. Imagine hosting a business space exhibition in conjunction with the space port, or a major national tourism exhibition that could promote our unique strength in that sector. A stadium could also help boost tourism and become a magnet for visitors to the county, attracted by larger scale sports or leisure events as part of their holiday experience. Cornwall has been in need of a stadium like this for decades. Rather than waiting even longer until the economic climate improves, I believe we should grab the opportunity while we can, really get behind it and make it a true centre of excellence for Cornwall. With the help of public money to get the project off the ground, we have the talent and the capability to make a real success of the stadium and to use it to open up valuable new opportunities for growth.

TOM SMITH

Miller Commercial This is a unique opportunity that is going to have a big and positive impact that will be felt throughout Cornwall. Sports and cultural events will attract a swathe of out of county visitors that will benefit Cornwall’s businesses and will enhance income

HERE ARE SOME POINTERS TO HELP ENSURE BUSINESSES CAN BE ‘TRIBUNAL READY’ 1. Recording - evidence can be the difference between winning and losing a case. Ensure accurate notes of discussions with employees are taken. 2. Policies / handbooks – these may need to be reviewed and if changes are made this must be properly communicated. 3. Contracts of employment – review your templates. Issue contracts correctly and store them properly. 4. Training - provide HR or employment law training for managers. Where managers don’t follow reasonable procedures, problems can result in expensive pay-outs.

INCOMING

into the county and the excellent new facilities will mean Cornish sports teams can retain local sporting talent, which is so frequently lost to bigger clubs further afield.

the county for our trade and hospitality sectors. As venture capitalists, we believe this would be a very effective use of tax payers and private sector capital to deliver this for the people of Cornwall.

JOHN HARVEY

BRIAN HARVEY

Samphire Club

PKF Francis Clark

The question to me is a no brainer. As someone who travels throughout the south west on a regular basis it is a continued source of embarrassment that we are a county without a stadium. As a regular visitor to Sandy Park for both the rugby and corporate events I have seen what a stadium can provide and the fact that people from Cornwall choose to drive to Exeter rather than Penzance speaks volumes. For large corporate gatherings (awards etc) we are severely limited in Cornwall and a centrally based venue would be a huge bonus. At a Devon Cornwall Business Council dinner last year, the LEP plan was discussed and one of the guests who deals with regional authorities throughout the country commented on the fact that it lacked a big idea. For Cornwall to be taken seriously it needs a project like this and the Council needs to demonstrate the vision and leadership to back it, but I doubt they possess either.

As a keen follower of both the Cornish Pirates and Truro City for me the Stadium for Cornwall has to happen. In my opinion the fact that after all this time that it has not been built is a bit of an embarrassment. The stadium presents a unique opportunity for Truro and the whole of Cornwall to benefit on so many levels in terms of offering the county a first class facility for conferences, training and large events as well as hopefully allowing both the Pirates and Truro City to achieve their ambitions and bring higher level sport to the county There is nothing like sport to unite people. I will never forget being at Twickenham in 1991 to cheer on Trelawny’s Army, and being back there in 2007 to see the Pirates win the EDF Trophy. Great days, great memories and that proud feeling of being Cornish! I urge the council to be brave and have foresight in their decision making and not let the glass half empty naysayers have their way.

TERRYE TEVERSON

ROB MISSELBROOK

KCS Trade Print

The Stadium for Cornwall represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to build an asset for the county that can deliver first class sporting events as well as commercial opportunities in the trade and hospitality sectors. The pitch will be state-of-the art, allowing it to be played on continually throughout the year and the commercial opportunities will bring business into

Cornwall council, like many others, are under severe pressure. Central Government funding is around 15% of the total needed. The rest has to be raised from hard-pressed families. If the Stadium cannot raise the funds to build it I don’t think that public money should be used. My concern is that if the initial funds cannot be raised will there be an on-going need for revenue each year to help keep it running.

Mylor Ventures

5. Insurance –The risk profile for employment claims has changed, so review your insurance provision. 6. E mployee engagement - can you take steps to address conflict earlier? 7. E xpert support - find someone you trust as an expert in employment law and get an early steer on situations. 8. Legal privilege - advice from a specialist lawyer enjoys legal privilege, i.e. protected confidentiality. Other HR consultants don’t have that luxury.

Mark Roby is an HR Advisor in Stephens Scown’s employment team. To contact Mark, please call 01872 265100, visit } www.stephens-scown.co.uk or email employment@stephens-scown.co.uk

The increase in claims is a trend that looks set to continue. It is more important than ever to ensure you are ready to defend them.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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CORNWALL

BUSINESS NEWS

SPONSORED BY

cornwallchamber.co.uk

HELICOPTER WARS!

After nearly six years of having nothing, the Isles of Scilly could soon be served by not one, but two helicopter services. The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group made the surprise announcement last month that from May, with fares starting at £215 return, it will offer a year-round service out of Land’s End Airport, in partnership with Special Aviation Services, which operates the air ambulance from Cornwall Airport Newquay. Steamship Group chairman, Andrew May, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Island Helicopters to Land’s End Airport and look forward to sharing our modern facilities, which already handle more than 60,000 passengers a year. We know there is demand from thousands of people who have really missed the helicopter since it stopped in 2012. “We’ve listened to that demand, investigated

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what we believe can work, and have partnered with SAS to make it happen. This gives visitors and islanders more choice over how they travel and makes the transport network more resilient, which is exactly what our customers say they want.” The move was welcomed by Cornwall Chamber chief executive, Kim Conchie, who said: “The visitor economy is crucial to the Isles of Scilly and any sustainable development that strengthens transport links has got to be welcomed. This new service will offer more choice year-round, and that’s great news.” However, the announcement has not proven universally popular. Penzance Heliport Ltd still has ambitions to provide a service from Penzance. It had received planning permission from the Council until the Steamship Group obtained a judicial review against it. Plans were

APPRENTICESHIPS AND FUNDING Are you getting all the help that you could, asks PKF Francis Clark partner, Scott Bentley

resubmitted in January, however, which, it insists, it remains committed to. In a statement it said: “The near sea-level location of the Penzance Heliport site is the keystone to reinstating a reliable, weatherresilient helicopter service to the Isles of Scilly. Land’s End Airport – which suffers disruption on one in every four days each year – is the problem, not the solution. “Today’s announcement sadly signals no more than one company tightening its stranglehold further on these islands. It is a blatant attempt to retain a monopoly that is not working in the interests of these islands.” And Tony Berkeley from campaign group Friends of Isles of Scilly Transport claimed Steamship Group’s plans were a “spoiling tactic rather than an action taken in the interests if the community”.

Some readers may be aware that in 2017 the government made fundamental changes to the way in which apprenticeships are funded by introducing the Apprenticeship Levy for large employers. The levy applies to businesses with a wage bill over £3 million, with specific rules applying to include connected companies and charities where the combined wage bill exceeds £3 million. However, even if your wage bill is less than £3 million, you can still benefit from the changes to apprenticeship funding that go hand in hand with the

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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BUSINESS NEWS

SPONSORED BY

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CORNWALL

NEWS IN BRIEF Ryanair has announced that it is extending its seasonal Newquay to Alicante route to throughout the year. Passengers will be able to fly twice weekly to Spain as part of Ryanair’s winter 2018 schedule. Cornwall Airport Newquay MD, Al Titterington, said: “Winter sun has been a key priority for us for some time and to secure this route year-round is great news for the continued growth of the airport and for the people of Cornwall.”

Robert Camp, managing partner law firm Stephens Scown, has been included in The Lawyer’s Hot 100, which is described as “a list of the most daring, innovative and creative lawyers in the UK”.

Health & Wellbeing Innovation Centrebased specialist dental laboratory, Dental Prosthetic Solutions (DPS), has won ‘Specialist Dental Laboratory of the Year – South England’ and an ‘Award for Excellence in Dental Prosthetics’ at the GHP Dental & Oral Health Awards.

Truro-based chartered accountant and tax adviser Robinson Reed Layton has changed its name to RRL. Alongside the name change, RRL has launched a new visual identity, replacing the previous logo with a “bolder, brighter execution”. RRL is set for further growth throughout 2018, with the opening of a new office in Penzance this spring.

levy. So the question is, are you getting all the benefit you can? Recent surveys revealed that many businesses are still unaware of the new funding regime and how it impacts them. The levy was designed to encourage businesses to train more apprentices, and for those businesses paying it, their contributions are ring fenced in a specific account for 24 months. The Government will top up the businesses contributions by 10%, but if funds remain unused after 24 months they “expire”. If a business has insufficient funds in its apprenticeship account to pay for its apprenticeship training in a particular month, the government will step in and fund 90% of

GREEN LIGHT FOR HFC Renovation work is finally set to begin on the Hall For Cornwall (HFC) after it secured the final tranche of public funding required to deliver the £20 million project. The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP confirmed £2 million from the Government’s Local Growth Fund to support the rebuild, which will see the auditorium increase to 1,354 seats. The investment will also support the creation of 1156sq m of workspace to nurture Cornwall’s booming creative industries sector. Julien Boast, HFC’s CEO and creative director, said: “Cornwall deserves a theatre that will continue to inspire, educate and engage and bring the best productions in the country to Cornwall. The Growth Fund investment is

further testimony to the confidence already shown in our ambitious plans.” Emmie Kell, creative industries lead on the LEP board, added: “The creative economy is growing - it already employs 27,000 people in our region and we want to be the destination of choice for creative businesses. The LEP’s investment supports that ambition and fuses artistic heritage with a fast-growing tech sector so we can hothouse new businesses and quality jobs.” Work to rebuild HFC will begin in July with the new building being unveiled in 2020. Hall For Cornwall’s final performance will be on June 2 with Cornwall’s community orchestra, The People’s String Foundation.

the shortfall. Importantly, for smaller businesses in Cornwall and elsewhere that do not pay the levy, they can still get substantial support with the costs of training their apprentices. They will pay just 10% towards the cost of apprenticeship training and the government will pay the remaining 90%, up to the funding band maximum. The maximum funding varies from industry to industry. Of

course, there are numerous rules covering what type of costs can be funded but there is a lot of help and guidance available from local colleges and other training providers. I would encourage all businesses big and small to get familiar with the new rules and consider whether you are getting the right amount of government support. E: scott.bentley@pkf-francisclark.co.uk

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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CORNWALL

BUSINESS NEWS

SPONSORED BY

sapc.co.uk

HALTO ON DRAGONS’ DEN Two intrepid Cornish entrepreneurs pitched up in front of the BBC’s Dragons’ Den last month. And although sisters Lucy Cox and Lerryn Ryall were ultimately unsuccessful in securing £50k for 15% of their business, Halto, the experience, they say, was priceless. Cox said: “We didn’t get the investment, but we got so much more. Before we applied for the show, we had to think very carefully about what we wanted from this. Being realistic, the chances of getting investment were slim. At the time of filming the show, we hadn’t been trading a year, and we would have been a huge punt for any investor.” Halto is a device that successfully alleviates the cheese-wire effect felt by millions of women when wearing halter neck swimwear. It was created after Ryall had trouble finding a bikini for an upcoming holiday, and was forced to choose between something she loved and something she could stand to wear. She added: “Every single Dragon said how much they liked us as businesswomen. Jenny even said we were ‘A credit to female entrepreneurship’, which meant so much to us both. We left the den with our heads held high and got ten minutes of exposure on primetime BBC TV!”

1 MIILION TOP TRUMPS! St Austell Printing Company (SAPC) has reached another major milestone – with the millionth pack of ‘Top Trumps’ rolling off its production line. Last year SAPC was awarded the contract by Winning Moves to print the iconic card game at its purpose-built factory on the

outskirts of St Austell. This led to a major £500k investment in a specialist Rollem finishing machine and the creation of additional skilled jobs. Prior to the production moving to Cornwall, the packs had been printed in Poland, Italy and China.

“We’re very proud to celebrate the production of the millionth pack of Top Trumps to be produced here in Cornwall,” said MD Peter Moody. “We’re pleased that we’ve been able to support the local economy, create new skilled jobs and celebrate British manufacturing.”

IT’S SHOW TIME! If you are starting a business, working for a growing business or a seasoned managing director, clear your diary on Thursday March 15 and join over 115 exhibitors and 1,000 visitors at the Cornwall Business Show. The event which takes place at the Royal Cornwall Events Centre in Wadebridge, is now in its seventh year and is recognised for helping business owners and managers find suppliers, expand their network and build those all-important relationships that help businesses thrive in Cornwall and throughout the southwest. For full details, visit cornwallbusinessshow.co.uk.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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sapc.co.uk

BUSINESS NEWS

SPONSORED BY

SPACE THE NEXT FRONTIER?

CORNWALL

One of the UK’s leading space scientists and presenter of The Sky At Night, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, believes Cornwall could play a crucial role in the next stage of space exploration. Speaking at the Cornwall Lecture last month, which was organised by Stephens Scown LLP and the University of Exeter, Dr Aderin-Pocock MBE shared her thoughts on the space industry, and how Cornwall is well placed to be a global player. She said: “When people think of the space industry they think of the US or Russia, but the industry is booming globally and the UK is playing an important role in that boom. “Scattered across the country are centres of excellence in space and here in Cornwall the Goonhilly site with the University of Exeter is one of them. The site has a long history in space tech and a very bright future putting Cornwall on the map as a global player in the field.”

COUNTDOWN TO BUSINESS AWARDS Final preparations are busily being put into place for next month’s Cornwall Business Awards. Entries have now closed on the awards, which are this year being organised by the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Growth and Skills Hub and will be presented at St Mellion International on April 19. This year’s guest speaker will be Gregg Wallace of television MasterChef fame. He’ll share tales of his business success with the

EDEN IN CHINA

great and the good of the Cornish business community, and he said: “I look forward to learning more about Cornwall’s burgeoning business scene. On my visits to the county I’m always impressed by the quality and variety of businesses, and their products, not just in the food and hospitality sector but across the board.” The finalists will be announced later this month on businesscornwall.co.uk.

The Eden Project took a major step towards establishing its first overseas attraction during Prime Minister Theresa May’s trade delegation to China last month. Eden Project International Limited chief executive, David Harland, signed an historic agreement with Zhao Lintao of China Jinmao Holdings Limited, Eden’s partners in the landmark new attraction in the coastal city of Qingdao. The agreement sets out the terms of the future development of the Eden Project in Qingdao, including design, construction and operation of the attraction. Eden Qingdao will be themed around water and will feature the world’s largest indoor waterfall, which is set to be more than 50m high – roughly the same height as Niagara Falls. The project is due to cost £150 million and will create 80 jobs. Construction is due to begin this year and the project will open to the public in 2020. Harland said: “This is a huge development in the history of the Eden Project and the biggest step we have yet taken towards opening an Eden Project in China.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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STADIUM

FOR CORNWALL

COMMUNITY SPIRIT Olympic rower, Annie Vernon, explains why she is lending her support to the Stadium for Cornwall scheme ornwall is a county with an identity. We’re proud of our peninsula sticking out into the Atlantic, and when we meet other Cornishmen and women elsewhere in the world we have an immediate connection with them to say ‘Geddon!’ Part of the reason for our strong identity is our isolation. It feels that big infrastructure projects happen upcountry, and down here we live at a different pace. So let’s try to make things happen ourselves - let’s invest in our future. I’m proud to be supporting the final bid to get the Stadium for Cornwall off the ground. The energy, business plan, and most of the money, is there. The final piece of the puzzle is for Cornwall Council to invest in the facility to get spades in the ground. Let’s get things straight: nobody wants a white elephant, nobody wants a facility that is the preserve of two elite sports clubs. If that was the case, I wouldn’t support it. The only kind of stadium that I am in favour of is one that works for all of Cornwall. The plan the stadium partners have come up with is one that marries health, education, business and sport – similar to what’s been achieved up the A30 at Sandy Park in Exeter but with a greater focus on health, wellbeing, schools, and grassroots sport. I am passionate about what sport can do to improve life chances at all ages, and the opening of the stadium could be a turning point in our county. The Cornish Pirates and Truro City FC’s

ABOVE: ANNIE VERNON (2ND FROM LEFT) use will be a small part of the pie. In addition, the stadium will be accessed by age group football and rugby, schools from up and down the county, concerts and events, as well an ongoing sports provision to young people and the elderly. In Cornwall there are nearly 100,000 people aged over 65, and the 65-69 age group has grown by a third in the last decade. At the stadium we are determined to cater to the specific needs of older people – in sport and leisure. This truly is a chance in a lifetime. Success doesn’t come for free and there is £8 million of private sector investment, plus up to £3 million to underwrite the first ten years if needed, on the table and ready to go. If it doesn’t happen now, with the partners that have come together to get this off the ground, I question whether it will happen in my lifetime. And Cornwall deserves this facility.

FAQ How will the stadium benefit the community? The partners are looking to form a Community Interest Company called Sportva Kernow CIC with Cornwall Sports Partnership as a member and the stadium will act as a hub to deliver the key aims of CSP. Sportva Kernow CIC will be a private company limited by guarantee that will report annually and transparently on how it is meeting the community targets set. What does it hope to achieve? One of CSP’s key targets is to get 50,000 people more active by 2020. Currently in Cornwall, 50% of the population (280,000) are not active enough and 20% are inactive which means less than 30 minutes of moderate activity per week. This has a health social and lost productivity cost to the Cornish economy of £100 million a year. Through a range of specific programmes, Sportva Kernow CIC will target to get 3,000 people of all ages to be more active across Cornwall which over ten years would save the Cornish economy £28 million. How much use of the stadium will the community have? Initial projections calculate the partners will use the stadium for 119 days per annum for matches and training and be open to the Cornish community for a further 122 days every year. How will grass roots sport benefit? Partners have committed £10k a year for grass roots sport in Cornwall plus 5% of all profits over £100k every year. So as the stadium grows, grass roots sport in Cornwall will benefit and the CSP can use this money to leverage funding from other sources. Also, at each of the 45 match days every year, a local charity or local sports club will run the park and ride and collect donations for their charity. How about the wider business plan? Through a range of conferences, functions, concerts and business fairs, the stadium will expect to generate £284k GVA a year. We project this side of the business will grow at a rate of 16% a year over the first five years.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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Images are for illustrative purposes only. Model shown is not UK specification and may include features or options which are not available in the UK. Helston Garages Ltd is a broker and not a lender and can introduce you to a limited number of lenders, who may pay us for introducing you to them. *At the end of the agreement there are three options: i) pay the optional final payment and own the vehicle; ii) return the vehicle: subject to excess mileage and fair wear and tear, charges may apply; or iii) replace: part exchange the vehicle. With Solutions Personal Contract Plan. 18s+. Subject to availability and status. T&Cs apply. Offer available when ordered by 2 April 2018 from participating retailers. Excludes SE Technology. ^Service plan covers first two consecutive services limited to 1 x Oil and 1 x Oil and Inspection service. Indemnities may be required. Offers are not available in conjunction with any other offer and may be varied or withdrawn at any time. Accurate at time of publication. Freepost ŠKODA Financial Services. #No cash alternative. Private retail customers only. Available in conjunction with existing finance offers. £1000 free fuel card only available for a new KODIAQ purchased between 3 January and 31 March 2018. Card must be claimed within 3 months of vehicle handover and activated within 3 months of issuance. Excludes Channel Islands and Isle of Man. Free fuel offer terms and conditions apply, see skodafreefuel.co.uk for full details.

Official fuel consumption for the ŠKODA KODIAQ range in mpg (litres/100km): Urban 31.0 (9.1) to 48.7 (5.8); Extra Urban 44.1 (6.4) to 61.4 (4.6), Combined 38.2 (7.4) to 56.5 (5.0). CO2 emissions for the ŠKODA KODIAQ range are 170 to 131 g/km. The advertised range is correct as of 1 November 2017 and is subject to change. Standard EU test figures for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results.

AD_PAGES_Mar18.indd 3

20/02/2018 10:21

Adam Paynter From fighting for fairer funding through to Council Tax, Brexit and the Stadium for Cornwall. In discussion with Cornwall Council Leader Adam Paynter

PHOTOS BY: TOBY WELLER

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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20/02/2018 10:25

INTERVIEW

ADAM PAYNTER

In the current climate of public spending cuts, it must be a difficult time to be leader of a council? It's quite challenging. I've been a councillor now getting on for 18 years. The first few years were great, we had plenty of money back in the 2000s. You'd go into a committee and would think well we’ve got an extra three million, what can we spend it on? All the growth in services was more than covered and we had plenty of money. Then of course the crunch hit. I remember many years ago interviewing then Council chief executive, Kevin Lavery, and he was talking about how we were set for mother and father of all public spending cutbacks. I guess he was correct? He was. We went into being unitary authority in 2009 which I think was a very positive thing for Cornwall to do. But as you say, when Kevin Lavery came in as chief exec that really did crunch with austerity and hit very, very hard and we're still feeling the effects. I think even then when Kevin said that, I think he thought, along with central Government, that perhaps it would last one term and we'd be out of it back to normal. While the recession hit in late 2007/2008, it took a little while before that knocked into the election that the Coalition won in 2010 and the old note in the treasury drawer saying there's no money left. That was when Council funding was severely curtailed. I think we thought perhaps four years and we would have been out of it, but austerity has continued. We've taken more than £300 million out of Cornwall Council’s budget and it's been a real challenge, although you can take out certain inefficiencies; if somebody gave us back that 300 million we wouldn't put it back exactly where it came from.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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20/02/2018 10:26

I assume there was some ‘flab’ in certain areas? Yes. For example, if you just look at your own domestic bills every so often, it doesn’t hurt to ask yourself ‘what are we spending, is that really our priority, do we want to do that?’. I think that's very much the same for a Council, and we are being forced to have a look at absolutely everything. Has it now got to such a level where you've trimmed the excess and it's gone too far? The easy stuff went many years ago and now we're getting into the very difficult decisions. We're working with our partners, our town and parish councils about how they can support us and help us and they've been fantastic in stepping up in many areas such as public toilets and those sort of services which many people say are essential that they're provided, but they're not a statutory service of this council. Now we're moving on to services like libraries, but it's hitting every aspect. Take social care and children's services. They are so important to protect our vulnerable in Cornwall, but demand on those services is growing so we're having to put more money into those, but when we have to try and find savings in the rest of the budget, everything is being hit very hard. How does this manifest itself down at local business level? We've tried to make sure our Better Business for All service around the regulation that the Council provides to businesses is as streamlined and as efficient and as good as it possibly can be. Many of those areas have been a challenge but I think we've led the way in the country as far as doing that and the Government have recognised what we've been doing for our services to business. Clearly the business rates is something that the Council currently has no control over, but we do keep one hundred per cent of our business rates. That was partly through the Devolution Deal and that flexibility I think is going to be offered to Devon now as well. But it’s difficult for businesses. They might say ‘we're giving you this money Council, what are we getting back?.’ But it's slightly different to Council Tax where you can directly relink services back to your property and the roads you drive on and everything else. With businesses it's slightly more difficult - ‘what exactly are you giving me because you're not offering to collect my rubbish, you're not offering to give me many direct services, and the ones you want to give me, you're charging me for’.

We're starting to see it in some of the other rural areas where MPs are saying look, enough is enough. The Government don't have a majority, they know they need support of all their MPs. In the south west all bar one or two MPs are Conservative

14 BUSINESS CORNWALL

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20/02/2018 10:26

INTERVIEW

ADAM PAYNTER

The funding formula is extraordinarily complex; I don't know if anyone truly understands how it works!

Is the Devolution Deal working out for Cornwall? It's certainly delivering well. There are eight different sections to the Devolution Deal, so different areas have moved at a different pace. But it's something that we're still monitoring and still pushing. Some of the areas recently around bus services have been really good. We were the first rural area in the country to get contactless payment for our buses and we're integrating transport across rail and bus and air, which is providing benefits to businesses and members of the public alike.

You're asking for an extra £39 million? Yes, we've done a lot of work with Leicestershire County Council working with the Local Government Association and looking at rural areas and how the funding formula could look. And this is something the Government is also currently consulting on; looking at what indices should be used to make up the funding formula, which is a fairer way of looking at demand and service need. So we know from that model, which is their independent model, that that would bring in an additional £39 million a year, which would really help us in so many different areas.

You’ve instigated ‘Stand up for Cornwall’ and the Fairer Funding campaign, so you’re obviously not happy with the money that comes down from the state? No. I think you could almost look at every indicator and see that Cornwall isn't funded properly. The most recent time that the funding formula was looked at was back in around 2012 when the Coalition Government was in and they recognised that rural areas were underfunded. They've gone a certain way to bring in a separate grant for rural authorities, so we do get slightly extra money, but the problem was very much around how do you take money away from those areas that have already been used to having a lot more funding, and try and balance it. So they brought in a dampening effect which has really meant that we haven't had the changes that we thought we would get. The Government still realises that the funding isn’t equal. I think it's more about putting more funding into local government rather than cutting some councils and giving other councils more.

The funding formula is extraordinarily complex; I don't know if anyone truly understands how it works! And I think because that hasn't been changed for many years, clearly some areas have seen much more inequality in that funding. It's supposed to pick up on need and deprivation, but clearly it's out of kilter for what it should be. Compared to many urban areas, we receive something like 25% less and I would argue that many of the costs of services we provide is much higher because we've got all the issues around isolation.

Do you think Cornwall can be out of sight out of mind with Whitehall? I think it can be and that's part of the reason I've written to all our MPs to say join us in this Fairer Funding campaign; we need to stand up and be counted. We're starting to see it in some of the other rural areas where MPs are saying look, enough is enough. The Government don't have a majority, they know they need support of all their MPs. In the south west all bar one or two MPs are Conservative.

Several years ago people thought all the deprivation was in the cities. I think we've seen huge amounts of investments in our cities. I’ve seen it for myself over the last ten, 20 years, from going around places like Manchester and Liverpool, even closer to home in Plymouth; they’ve fundamentally changed where huge amounts of investment have gone in, whereas I think rural areas have lagged behind and now there are many pockets of deprivation in all of our towns.

Does that help? It does. I think we've seen it on the rail announcement where MPs have said we need this funding for the additional link to make sure we've got resilience if Dawlish goes down. And the amount of money to do that is peanuts, less than 4% of the cost of HS2. When you start looking at business and start looking at how reliant they are on rail and road infrastructure, we don't get anywhere near the amount of money that other areas of the country get.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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20/02/2018 10:27

ADAM PAYNTER

INTERVIEW

What do you hope the Fairer Funding campaign will achieve? I hope it will certainly raise the profile of the issues in Cornwall and make sure that people are very aware of what the funding is. I see it as many different strands, so it's not just a one day thing. Over the next coming months and years, we’ll be looking at transport infrastructure, we’ll be looking at fair funding for schools and lots of other areas. I see this as a funding programme where we can look at healthcare and NHS funding and really look at all areas where people generally won't realise that Cornwall gets an awful lot less than other areas. The Council doesn’t always get the most positive press. Is this unfair? The Council is often there to be shot at and sometimes quite rightly when we get things wrong. And I'm a great believer in if we get something wrong then I'll certainly say it. And if it's wrong, we'll try and fix it. Council Tax is a huge bill for most households and they physically have to pay it, whereas often if you're employed your income tax comes out you don't particularly notice. The Council Tax is a lot of money and people start looking at what they are getting for that and I can understand why they might say ‘my Council Taxes go up each year but you're telling me that you've got less money and your services are going down’. And that's a difficult message to get across to people. You also sit on the LEP board. How’s that worked out as a construct? The LEP is important and I think has been working well compared to many other areas. They’ve got ‘coterminosity’ as far as their geographic boundary is the same as Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly so they’ve just got two authorities to work with. So yes, I think the LEP’s done a good job, meeting with Government, meeting with MPs, trying to make sure that Cornwall gets its fair share. And again in some of the Growth Deal funding, which is essential for businesses, we were very disappointed that we applied for £129 million and only received £18 million. So as far as businesses go, I think the LEP is doing a good job and it's striving to do more. I think the ‘10 Opportunities’ document that it brought out recently will be really good for businesses. Reading through that, you think ‘wow, fantastic, what a great future lies in store’. But turning those opportunities into reality is a lot tougher isn’t it? It is and I think you'll see in there, there's a number of asks. There are many areas where we need flexibility from central Government to be able to maximise potential and we are looking at what do we need and what levers would really help us to get things moving. Things like the spaceport I think would be fantastic. That's one of the opportunities around space, aerospace and satellite. There's plenty of optimism out there.

When is the spaceport decision likely to be made? We keep being told it'll be made before the end of the financial year, so we think we'll get a decision in March. We're pushing them hard because there's a lot that need to be done. So the sooner we know the better, but it could be a game changer for Cornwall's economy. Do you fear that once European funding comes to an end, the Government won’t pick up the shortfall? That is a real fear and something that we're trying to mitigate. We're doing a lot of work on Brexit, looking at the impacts of it and certainly working with businesses to make sure that we're ready. We don't know what's going to happen but we have been given assurances. Our MPs have guaranteed us that we'll continue to get that same level of funding through the ‘shared prosperity fund’ that we currently get from Europe. So we'll be holding them to account. When you are out about talking to businesses, do you get the impression Brexit is a real worry? I think an awful lot of people are just getting on with it. But there are concerns, particularly around labour in many of the areas. I think that's quite an issue. When you talk about foreign workers in Cornwall, people think about pickers in the field but I think it's much bigger than that. You would struggle to go into a hotel or restaurant that hasn't got overseas workers; go into you hospital, your health centre, dentist. My dentist is Spanish and I've not had a UK dentist for almost as long as I can remember under the NHS. You only have to look at businesses like the software company, Headforwards, where over half their workers are non-UK workers. And you start looking at some of the factories and it’s the same, many would struggle if we didn't have any of that migrant labour. Moving onto the airport, that’s still 100% owned by the Council. What sort of subsidy does it receive now? The subsidy has been steadily coming down in recent years. We’ve grown the airport and we took some fairly brave decisions. One decision I brought in, against Officer recommendation but I felt it was right thing to do, was to get rid of the Airport Development Fee. The £5 fee people had to pay on outward flights was very unpopular. Ryanair pulled out because of that and when we got rid of it, Ryanair came back again. They're increasing the number of routes and that's really encouraged the airport to grow. We need to continue with that growth, clearly central Government helped us as well bringing in the public service obligation, which guaranteed that link into London, and that was vital.

Do you ever see a time when the market would be right to be able to sell it to a private operator? I think that’s still quite a long way away. I think you've only got to look at other airports up and down the country that have been struggling. Without public support at the moment, I think the airport would simply close. Nobody would be willing to take it on without some sort of support. But if we can keep growing it, who knows what will happen in the future. And all the development land around the airport is a perfect opportunity to grow business. The Aerohub has been there for a little while. We've not been able to utilise that space yet, but I think it's about getting some anchor tenants in and giving business confidence that it's going to grow and I think we will soon fill that up. Cornwall is sometimes accused of lacking ambition. Is that fair? I think that’s a perception perhaps going back several years. I still hear it around our young people when you go into school, have they got that ambition and drive to be what they want to be? Productivity levels are below average and that's something we need to look at. Certainly it’s something the Council is really focusing on as well as the LEP, how do we raise those productivity levels, what do we look at to trigger that growth to make sure we can get business investment and get the right quality jobs? We can get there, but it's certainly not going to be easy.

The airport is vital to our local businesses. We're looking at how we can reduce the costs further and make sure that the airport continues to grow.

16 BUSINESS CORNWALL

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05/03/2018 16:09

INTERVIEW

What’s your view on the Stadium for Cornwall? I think it's a really interesting one when you look at the potential and what it could bring in. But an awful lot the public have said to me they don't feel it should be supported by public investment, that it should purely be a private project. We've said it's got to be private led but they have a gap in funding and they have asked us for that. And the Council is set to take a vote in April? Yes. We've given no commitments, we've said look we'll look at it but we certainly haven't guaranteed any money. I think it's unfortunate that it hasn't happened already.

David Cameron gave commitments, we've had Ministers down here saying look we'll make it happen, but clearly it’s not happened yet. And I think that's part of the challenge that the Council might potentially look at some money if central Government would match it. That could potentially be an option. We are in negotiations with central Government and the local MPs, particularly Sarah Newton and Derek Thomas, the two areas really being most affected being Truro and Penzance. Should the answer be ‘no’ from the councillors, both the rugby club and football club say they will probably end up going out of business Yes, I think pretty much the funders will just pull away. It’s been such a long drawn out process. Stadium for Cornwall goes way back to the early 2000s, it was promised on so many different occasions, and there have been so many false dawns. The Council originally voted ‘no’ in 2012, was that for 100% funding? At the time it wouldn’t put any public funding. It was always going to be private sector led, but at the time we said we wouldn't put any in unless it came back to full Council for another decision. That’s what the decision was and why it’s coming back to full Council. And in these times of spending cuts, it’s a sensitive subject Very much so. Whilst it's capital money, it's not revenue money. We're not allowed to use capital money for funding revenue services, but that's not always an easy message to get across to members of the public. They see the public sector as the public sector across the piece and don't particularly realise what the town council does, what Cornwall Council does and what central Government and other bodies do. They say the hospitals are struggling, give them a few million. Well it doesn't quite work like that, we don't fund hospitals. But certainly our investment money is different money, but you know it's clearly still Cornwall's money and it's whether or not it should be spent on a stadium or whether it should go into something else.

ADAM PAYNTER

It’s up to the stadium partners to lead the debate. Yes, it’s football and rugby but it's also Truro and Penwith College. They’re putting in significant funds and see it as a real catalyst for getting young people involved in sport. It’s also around the wellbeing side of it and if you can bring health in and show how it can be a real catalyst for change in that area… And there’s going to be business and conference facilities bigger than anything else we've got in Cornwall, again that could be something that Cornwall needs and it is sad that we don't have a stadium. It was going to be ﬁnanced by a retail development. Why has that dragged so much? Mainly because of supermarkets. I think most of the developments on the Langarth corridor were linked to supermarkets and all the supermarkets stopped building in Cornwall. We had the same in Launceston, it's happened everywhere. They've just pulled out and said shopping's changing, it’s going to the Internet, going into smaller stores - Lidl and Aldi really driving that agenda. Why did you get into politics in the ﬁrst place? Good question, I must be mad! I come from a farming background but have been a Councillor for nearly 18 years. I left university, travelled for a year and came back to the farm and was really looking for something else to do because it was a small family farm. So I joined the parish council and chaired the parish council and quite enjoyed that. At uni I'd been on the student union for two years and enjoyed representing people and that sort of stuff. And my mother was a district councillor, so when the then county councillor for the area wanted to retire they came in and asked mum if she wanted to take it on. I happened to be in having a cup of coffee and said I'd be quite interested. And the rest is history. Have you never been tempted to stand for Parliament? Before marriage and children I did think about it, but now with two very young kids I wouldn't want to have the time away to be honest. I do quite like my rural life and I wouldn't want to be spending all my time in London. To be honest, I hate London with a passion! So you’re quite happy standing up for Cornwall, in Cornwall? Yes, I think I can have a big impact with my colleagues on the Council. For me, it’s more important being the leader of the Council than an MP. And the work of the Council is huge, a £1.1 billion budget with over a quarter of a billion a year that we're spending on capital. And trying to keep everyone happy which is… Impossible. You’re never going to do that and generally you need a thick skin because you’re not going to get thanked very often!

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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05/03/2018 16:09

OUTSET

CORNWALL

IT’S ALL IN THE As event season descends upon the business world, we take a look at the support available from Outset Cornwall for new businesses to make the most of their presence at trade shows and exhibitions ell known for their award-winning programme of fullyfunded business startup support, the region’s leading business start-up experts have helped hundreds of people start, run and grow their own new businesses. The Outset programme offers a varied range of bespoke business support workshops, networking events, an e-learning programme, one to one mentoring, financial support and marketing opportunities. In addition to this support however, Outset is the only start-up programme that offers its clients funded opportunities and practical support to attend some of the region’s leading business trade shows, artisan craft fairs and home and lifestyle events. “We are extremely proud to extend this unique offering to our new business start-up clients,” says Outset programme director, Kate Perkin. “Giving clients the opportunity to showcase themselves and their businesses at such high-profile events is extremely rewarding both for them and for us.” Outset will be exhibiting at this year’s Cornwall Business Show on March 15 at the Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge. For the first time in 2018, the Outset team will also be joined in the brand new Business Start-Up Zone by clients Andrew Lawrence of Outfox the Box, a mobile escape room events company, and Steve Bird of Stitched by Steve, a trendsetting online store offering bespoke machine embroidery services. “I am delighted to be given the opportunity by Outset Cornwall to exhibit at the Cornwall Business Show 2018,” says Andy Lawrence. Both clients really appreciate the help they have been given to raise the profile of their businesses at Cornwall’s largest business exhibition. Exhibiting at any event from a small craft

fair to the region’s most prestigious trade shows can be both exciting and exhilarating but also extremely daunting. That’s where Outset offers even further support, holding tailored workshops to help its clients be ‘event ready’. Outset business advisor, Pam Sekula regularly runs a bespoke session called ‘Setting out your Stall’ with help from an industry expert experienced in creating an event presence that reaps rewards. “The workshop helps people choose the right show for their business, price their products appropriately, create a display that is going to draw customers to their stand and learn how to engage visitors in the right way,” explains Pam. As well as funding events and giving clients

top tips and advice on creating a visually appealing stand, Outset also offers pre-event promotion via a range of media channels to ensure maximum numbers of people attend on the day. With a packed programme of shows and exhibitions over the coming months, including the annual high-profile Summer Fest client festival event that was launched with great success in 2017, the Outset team and their clients look set for an eventful year. Outset Cornwall, which has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund, DCH and the Outset Foundation provides tailor-made fully funded business start-up support, helping individuals to further explore their business idea through its informal information sessions and workshops.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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20/02/2018 10:29

CORNWALL VENUE

GUIDE

THE MAGNIFICENT

What better way to build and maintain special customer relationships than to hold an informative seminar or networking event? But where do you hold it? Here are seven venues from across Cornwall for your consideration

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CORNWALL

VENUE GUIDE

FEEL INSPIRED

St Austell Conference Centre is a spectacular, professional venue with exceptional service, modern facilities and stunning views

t Austell Conference Centre is a modern, fresh, sustainable venue in the heart of Cornwall. Part of St Austell Printing Company, they offer inspiring spaces for conferences, events, training and meetings. The purpose-built modern facilities make the most of natural light and give the venue a unique, professional quality. Enjoy stunning panoramic views across St Austell Bay stretching out to sea on one side, and take in historic Clay Country and capture Cornwall’s highest point, Brown Willy on the other. With a conference venue this spectacular you can expect a service to match. You’ll have a helping hand from a dedicated event team supporting and looking after you every step of the way. The facilities boast the latest in AV technology, superfast WIFI, accessibility, free parking

and inspirational outdoor spaces – all in a convenient location easily accessible from the A30 and Newquay Airport. Lunch and breaks offer time for networking, idea sharing and engaging conversations. St Austell Conference Centre’s quality catering is an essential part of that - offering handmade, locally sourced produce: Cornish cheese, Duchy fish, pastries and tapas platters. St Austell Conference Centre has an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating – the world’s leading sustainability assessment for buildings. By harvesting water and housing a grass topped roof - fusing efficiency, ecology and excellence to bring you a conference facility that stands out. With the ability to accommodate everything from a quick meeting, training or video conference through to a large-scale event for up-to 100 people, the Conference Centre offers flexibility and an unrivalled professional service.

FACILITIES INCLUDE • • • • • • • • •

Number of delegates: 100 Number of event rooms: 5 Free Parking Dedicated Events Team Catering AV support Superfast Wifi Discounted professional printing Exceptional views

For more information please contact the dedicated Conference team on 01726 624200, email info@staustellbusinesspark.co.uk or visit www.staustellconferencecentre.co.uk

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20/02/2018 11:33

VENUE GUIDE

ATLANTIC HOTEL NEWQUAY et in 10 acres of private headland, the award winning 4 star Atlantic Hotel in Newquay, North Cornwall offers first class facilities, award winning dining, and multiple function and conference spaces, seating up to 500. Minutes away from world class beaches, golf courses, town centre, and 15 minutes away from Cornwall Airport, Newquay, the Atlantic Hotel is the location for an away day, conference or corporate break. New conference packages include Breakfast, Evening, Day and 24 hour options to suit your budget, and with dedicated Events Planners available during office hours, planning, precision and first class service is standard.

FACILITIES INCLUDE • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Complimentary parking for up to 200 WIFI 6 event / function spaces Capacity of 500 plus 57 sea view bedrooms Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities Spa Gardens and outdoor terrace Licensed for live music Separate Function Kitchen AA Rosette Silks Bistro & Champagne Bar Billiard Room Dedicated Events Manager Discounted accommodation for delegates

T: 01637 872244 / info@atlantichotelnewquay.co.uk www.atlantichotelnewquay.co.uk / Atlantic Hotel, Dane Road, Newquay, Cornwall, TR7 1EN

CORNWALL

THE FALCON HOTEL BUDE he Falcon is the oldest coaching house in North Cornwall. Established in 1798 and run for most of its 200 years by the Brendon family, it has a rich history. Its understated elegance has all the modern conveniences you would expect from a first class hotel and conference centre. We can accommodate groups from 2 to 200 in our various conference rooms. Our largest conference room has a banquet bar, stage and dancefloor. With the canal, beaches, golf course and miles of coast paths on our doorstep we can organise a fun event to compliment your conference. Why not consider an evening meal with entertainment? With 32 bedrooms we can accommodate your guests and offer an extremely competitive rate

Canal, beaches, golf course and miles of coast paths on our doorstep

FACILITIES INCLUDE • • • • • • • • • • • •

4 conference rooms 2 – 200 delegates Event managers Catering Free wifi Free parking 32 bedrooms Bar food served all day Fine dining restaurant Gardens Disabled access 5 minutes from the beach and town centre

including an award winning Cornish breakfast. Whether you are looking for a formal conference, board meeting, AGM or team building, we would be very happy to discuss your requirements and work with you to deliver a professional event. www.falconhotel.com T: 01288 352005 E: reception@falconhotel.com

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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20/02/2018 11:57

CORNWALL

VENUE GUIDE

TRURO SCHOOL verlooking the beautiful city of Truro, the school is truly a hidden gem. Whether you are looking for a stunning backdrop to your wedding or a central location for your conference, Truro School will provide you with a captivating and tranquil setting. With a range of conference and seminar rooms, exhibition spaces, music and drama rehearsal and performance rooms, we are able to provide a suitable location for almost any function. In addition, the school also offers excellent state of the art

FACILITIES INCLUDE • Professional state of the art theatre. • Large gallery suitable for exhibitions, shows, conferences and business launches. • 200+ seat chapel with upstairs seating, for weddings and concerts, equipped with a Mander Organ and Steinway Piano. • An 8 room fully equipped music building with large rehearsal rooms, percussion suites and pianos. • Free parking • Wifi • Catering • Sports Centre, including a gym, dance studio, squash courts, Astro Pitches and Swimming Pool • AV facilities and support Phone: 01872 246059 Email: events@truroschool.com Website: www.truroschool.com

sports facilities in the Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Centre and accommodation is available in the boarding houses over the Easter and summer holidays. Our caterers will provide anything from canapés to a 4-course sit down meal of the highest quality, using fresh locally sourced ingredients to suit your menu requirements. We are hosting the Chamber of Commerce Cornwall Business Fair in April 2018, which is expected to attract 2000 visitors.

SANDS RESORT HOTEL SPA

verlooking the Atlantic Ocean and with easy access to the A30 and Newquay Airport, Sands Resort Hotel is an excellent choice for your next conference, meeting or training day. The modern hotel is based just outside of Newquay and offers different sized conference rooms for up to 150 delegates and equipped with the latest

technology to make your event a success. Businesses can choose between several conference packages which may include tea, coffee, cake, light snacks or a hot buffet lunch. Delegate day rates including lunch start from £19 per person. Also available are ‘room hire only’ rates from £60. Overnight

Businesses can choose between several conference packages which may include tea, coffee, cake, light snacks or a hot buffet lunch

FACILITIES INCLUDE • Conference rooms for up to 150 delegates • Conference package incl. lunch from £19pp • ‘Room hire only’ from £60 • Latest technology & WIFI • Free, large car park • Accommodation from £60pp incl. breakfast • Indoor Pool & Spa

stays start from £60 per person including breakfast and use of the indoor pool and steam room. The onsite spa offers relaxing treatments after a busy conference day. Sands Resort Hotel also has a large free car park with space for everyone attending the event. T: 01637 872 864 www.sandsresort.co.uk

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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20/02/2018 10:41

VENUE GUIDE

INNOVATION CENTRES ocated in three different venues across Cornwall, the Innovation Centres offer you a total of 19 meeting rooms ranging from small spaces, perfect for one-to-ones and interviews, rooms ideal for board meetings to full conference facilities in one of our state of the spaces that can hold up to 100 delegates. The Pool, Tremough (located on Penryn Campus) and Health & Wellbeing (Treliske) Innovation Centres, each have their own individual, professional events team dedicated to making your meeting a success – from initial enquiry through to onsite delivery. All our centres are modern and bright purpose built facilities designed to provide the best event experience possible. Our catering menu offers everything from tea and coffee through to delicious, freshly prepared buffet lunches and Cornish Cream Teas that complement your event perfectly and help make it memorable for your delegates.

FACILITIES INCLUDE • • • • • • • • •

Various rooms available hosting up to 100 people Dedicated Events Team in each location Delicious catering menu options State of the art technology and connectivity Bespoke delegate name badges Full range of additional conference equipment available Photocopying and Printing Hearing Induction Loops Range of informal break out areas

CORNWALL

THE BUSINESS SPACE

omfortable, affordable and professional, just a few of the words that our customers use to describe our specifically designed meeting, conference and events venues, centrally located in Truro & Launceston. With a dedicated event coordinator, flexible room and catering options plus video conferencing and presenting facilities, we will work closely with you to ensure that your event runs smoothly. We pride ourselves on our exceptional customer service, we’ll even provide you with information about the local area, including maps, transport links and can advise on and book places for your delegates to stay. We look forward to welcoming you to The Business Space.

FACILITIES INCLUDE • Up to 120 delegates at Truro and 46 at Launceston • Flexible room options • Free onsite parking* • Video conferencing • Projector and plasma screens • Dedicated event coordinator • Air conditioning • WIFI access • IT suite available • Light and spacious café area

Call us on: Truro 01872 265681 or Launceston 01579 372415 To arrange a tour of our venues, or pop in for a coﬀee. Please quote Business Cornwall when booking. Email info@thebusinessspace.co.uk Visit www.thebusinessspace.co.uk or follow @TBSConfCentre

*Launceston only.

For further information please contact: Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre 01872 330030 / hwicevents@plymouth.ac.uk Pool Innovation Centre 01209 714676 picevents@plymouth.ac.uk Tremough Innovation Centre 01326 330066 / ticevents@plymouth.ac.uk

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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GROWTH

PROGRAMME

TO GROW

Construction work has started on the new £5.8 million A30 Business Park he turf has been cut and work has commenced on an exciting and ambitious new investment that will create important new workspace in mid-Cornwall. The project will deliver a major extension to the Indian Queens Industrial Estate that will serve Cornwall’s small and medium sized enterprise

(SME) business community. The development represents a significant private sector investment and is being undertaken by A30 Business Park Ltd, a local based developer which has secured up to £2.8 million from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Programme. The project, which it is hoped will create new

jobs for the area is located immediately adjacent the main A30 at Indian Queens providing excellent access to Cornwall’s major road network. It is also just 15 minutes from Cornwall airport Newquay providing links to London as well as other major cities across the UK and Europe. The building is being constructed to BREEAM excellent standard, which means it will meet a

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GROWTH

PROGRAMME

FROM LEFT: RUSSELL DODGE, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT BUSINESS LOCATION SERVICES, COUNCILLOR BOB EGERTON, NEIL HAWKEN, COUNCILLOR JACKIE BAKER.

The project has a total cost of £5.78 million and will provide a total of 1,719sq m of new high quality employment space comprising ﬁve industrial/warehouse units ranging from 300sq m to 575sq m in size set of tough building regulations. This includes its environmental credentials, accessibility, renewable energy use and a significant number of other criteria making it a state of the art, modern and desirable place for growing businesses to locate. The project has a total cost of £5.78 million and will provide a total of 1,719sq m of new high quality employment space comprising five industrial/warehouse units ranging from 300sq m to 575sq m in size. In addition the development will provide 2.7ha of fully serviced employment land. Units 8A and 8B have a gross internal floor area each of some 300sq m which includes office accommodation on the ground and first floor together with the production/warehouse area. Units 9A, 9B and 9C have gross internal floor areas of 575sq m, 416sq m and 426sq m respectively and include extensive areas of curtain glazing to the front elevations. The units have the in-built flexibility to be combined to make larger units subject to demand from SMEs and individual occupier requirements. The units will be available on a leasehold basis and will be completed for occupation by early 2019.

Russell Dodge, MD of Business Location Services Ltd acting as project managers for the development said: “We are extremely delighted to bring forward this development on this strategic site located immediately adjacent the main A30 in Mid Cornwall. “The A30 corridor is the prime location for business location and this development will deliver a range of much needed high quality business space in Cornwall at a time when there is an acute shortage of high quality employment space in the County. In addition to the five business units the project will deliver fully serviced employment land creating the opportunity for further future phases of employment space development.” Councillor Bob Egerton, Cornwall Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy, added: “I’m delighted to see European investment in

association with private sector investment working together to create important new workspace for Cornwall. Our SME business community is essential and we must ensure there are suitable facilities for businesses with expansion ambitions to move into and grow. I look forward to seeing the first businesses move in next year.” The workspace at the A30 Business Park will be available on a leasehold basis with the focus of which will be small and medium sized enterprise businesses. The development will be completed by Spring 2019. For further information about the workspace at the A30 Business Park and to enquire about locating on the site, please contact Russell Dodge, managing director, Business Location Services Ltd on 01872 222777.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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EDUCATION

& TRAINING

DIGITAL, ALWAYS-ON LEARNING

OPPORTUNITY

As part of this month’s focus on education and training, PFA Research director, Robert Rush, examines the growing role of technology in upskilling our businesses

ne of the eight key areas within Cornwall Council’s Business Plan to help deliver a sustainable Cornwall for 2017/18 is ‘Driving the Economy’, with the target to increase the average (median) employee weekly earnings from 77% of the England average to 78%. It follows that every plan thereafter puts strategies for investment in people and skills first and foremost to address the root of the

simple mathematics, that only by creating higher than average paid jobs in growth businesses in an expanding local economy, will the indicator move upwards. Vision 2030 is the LEP-led economic plan for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. It states the vision that "By 2030 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly will be the place where business thrives and people enjoy an outstanding quality of life."

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& TRAINING

The plan outlines its three objectives: • Business: achieve thriving businesses which excel at what they do • People: achieve inclusive growth and improve the skills of our workforce • Place: improve infrastructure and economic distinctiveness The first two go hand-in-hand - for businesses to thrive and excel at what they do depends on having a resilient workforce that continuously upskills. Investment in Cornwall’s high speed Internet infrastructure over the last few years through the Actnow and Superfast Cornwall programmes has made Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly some of the best digitally-connected rural areas in Europe. A new £17.6 million deal was recently announced to take ultrafast broadband to thousands more homes and businesses in some of Cornwall’s most remote places.

The opportunities for connected businesses are more than just transferring large data files more quickly and, for those at home, it’s not just entertainment benefits that come with superfast broadband speeds. Being online gives access to e-learning and other key services which are all going online as local public services are transformed using technology and digital services. Online learning is becoming more and more important for all, whether they’re young people at school or university students accessing resources and submitting work through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), or workers keeping up to date with statutory qualifications, continuing professional development or upskilling. From their desks at work or the comfort of the sofa, a wealth of learning online is now possible.

HAD EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO FIND SKILLS LOCALLY

Boost your business with

EDUCATION

EVIDENCE FOR LEARNING

Acknowledged in the LEP’s own business plan, in 2016/17 skills and learning was the number one issue cited by the business community as a barrier to productivity-led growth. The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub funded by European Social Fund, Cornwall Council and LEP funds has now been launched and sits alongside the Growth Hub. If further evidence was needed, 59% of respondents to PFA Research’s survey for the Cornwall Chamber Business Plan for Cornwall 2017/18 said they had employment opportunities for the right people but 77% of these were finding it difficult to find those skills locally. 40% said that the skills they were looking for were not being met by the mainstream education providers or the businesses sector.

SKILLS THEY WERE LOOKING FOR WERE NOT BEING MET BY THE MAINSTREAM EDUCATION

quality careers

Apprenticeship Training Our advisers are on hand to help you: • Understand Apprenticeship training • Use Apprenticeships to upskill existing staff • Access our talent pool of outstanding students • Register your vacancy for start dates throughout the year • Get results with Apprenticeship training • Deliver a positive experience for your learners

01872 242711 Supporting National Apprenticeship Week 2018

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EDUCATION

& TRAINING

Over half of respondents to the chamber’s survey have a mixed-age workforce, rising to 80% in larger concerns (50-plus employees). Whatever the make-up of the workforce, developing skills and training over the following 12 months was planned for 89% of businesses. Most commonly, for 46%, this would be bespoke/tailored training. In addition to the 43% planning to implement regulatory/programmed training, 43% also would be looking for short courses in business skills. This all points to a need for more flexible, ad hoc, bite-sized learning formats for businesses to build resilience into their workforce and to overcome the barriers to productivity-led growth.

SANDS OF LEARNING ARE SHIFTING

The 2017 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends report says organisations face a radically shifting context for the workforce, the workplace, and the world of work. With the accelerating rate of change in business, the economy, and society, it challenges both business and HR (human resource functions) to adopt new rules for leading, organising, motivating, managing, and engaging the 21st-century workforce. Those entering the world of work today may look forward to 60-year long careers, yet the average tenure in a job is 4.5 years and the halflife of skills is rapidly falling – currently about five years (according to Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown’s 2011 book, ‘A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change’) - meaning that much of what you learned ten years ago is obsolete and half of what you learned five years ago is irrelevant.

way they manage careers and deliver always-on learning and development opportunities. Companies can increasingly expect employees to themselves push for continuous skill development and dynamic careers, according to the research report. Research from Glassdoor shows that for Millennials in particular, the ‘ability to learn and progress’ is now the principal driver of a company’s employment brand, yet only a third of Millennials believe their organisations are using their skills well, and 42% say they are likely to leave because they’re not learning fast enough. Further analysis by Glassdoor showed that workers who stay longer in the same job without a title change are significantly more likely to leave for another company for the next step in their career. Stagnating in a role for an additional ten months raises the odds that employees will leave the company for their next role by about one percentage point, a statistically significant effect. Docebo, the eLearning platform, writes on its blog looking at the impact of learning technology on corporate training, that companies are not able to keep up ever-changing needs of learners to meet its business goals. This is important; according to a Bersin by Deloitte Consulting Group 2016 study, companies with dynamic career models were shown to outperform their peers by providing continuous learning opportunities and a deeply embedded culture of development. With leading companies moving to overhaul their career models and their learning and development infrastructure in the digital age although the research acknowledges that most organisations are still in the early stages of this

In a world where skills are at risk of obsolescence within a decade, and with the rapid pace of technological changes, businesses need to step up to the need and meet their employees’ expectations of constant learning Deloitte surveyed more than 10,000 business and HR leaders from 140 countries in its fifth annual deep dive into human capital trends. The issue of improving employee careers and transforming corporate learning rose emerged as the second most important trend, with 83% of executives globally (and 84% in the UK alone) identifying these issues as important or very important. In the past, employees learned to gain skills for a career; now, the career itself is a journey of learning. Companies must rethink the

transformation - HR and business leaders must notice the call to action. These findings are supported by Henley Business School’s Corporate Learning Survey last year which interviewed 446 executives responsible for learning and development. Its findings included an analysis of training formats, revealing that 82% of organisations were planning to operate internally-run learning programmes, while 59% would use customised externally-run programmes.

Participants further cited that ‘speed of change’ (to internal goals and external factors) as the biggest organisational challenge, followed by the need to achieve cultural change. Respondents were asked which learning and development formats were most preferable for different staff groups. Whilst ‘coaching’ was selected in 2017 as the most preferred format for senior management, ‘blended learning’ (a mixture of face-to-face and online learning) had overtaken purely classroom-based learning for this group. Further, the report notes a jump of 10 percentage points year-on-year for this type of learning for executive and senior management. The picture was similar for ‘high potential’ employees (the non-managerial rising stars), with blended learning increasing from 37% in 2015 to 46% in 2017, and pure online formats rising from 6% to 19% over the same period. Half of the organisations in the Henley report agreed that their organisation is comfortable to increase the ratio of online learning compared to face-to-face, but nearly two-thirds felt it would be impossible to replicate some aspects of classroom learning in an online environment. Deloitte reflects the attitudes of these senior managers, from its own research stating that a number of converging issues are driving the need to "rewrite the rules"; where technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate, individuals are relatively quick to adapt to ongoing innovations, but organisations move at a slower pace.

TIME FOR ALWAYS-ON LEARNING

In the meantime, on the supply side, universities and other higher education institutions are investing heavily in the roll out of Massive Open-Access On-line Courses (MOOCs) which facilitate distance learning on a global scale. Cornish businesses might reasonably take advantage of these types of learning environments which need higher speed broadband to work effectively. In particular, for an economy made up almost entirely of smaller businesses whose primary focus is often on sales, delivering product and cash, rather than learning, MOOCs can offer a cost-effective, flexible and easy-access alternative to employee learning and development pathways. In a world where skills are at risk of obsolescence within a decade, and with the rapid pace of technological changes, businesses need to step up to the need and meet their employees’ expectations of constant learning. Cornish businesses and their employees have the new world of learning at their fingertips.

PFA Research provides specialist consultancy services in the fields of business-to-business and social research, analysis and evaluation supporting business growth, organisational development and social programmes.

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BSc BUSINESS CORNWALL A business and management programme with a focus on employability and an ethos of ethics and sustainability

Recruit our high-calibre, enthusiastic students

to inject fresh ideas and up-to-date knowledge into your business. To find out more about working with our students email bspcareers@exeter.ac.uk

http://ex.ac.uk/businessbsc

2018BS007 BSc Business 4Cornwall A4 Ad.indd 1 AD_PAGES_Mar18.indd

12/02/2018 10:21 12:02 20/02/2018

FALMOUTH

UNIVERSITY

A CREATIVE

FORCE

Three examples of how Falmouth University is developing a global reputation for excellence in the creative industries he creative industries are the fastest growing sector of the UK economy, already generating more than three million jobs, and worth nearly £92 billion every year. It’s recognised that creativity is fundamental to the future of the country’s economic success. Not only will the creative industries become a greater part of the economy, creative occupations across all sectors will drive innovation and growth. The workplace of the future will look very different. The ability to be a ‘creative bridge’ between traditional work and the new economy, allowing people skilled in

manufacturing, digital technology, health, science or engineering to bring their ideas to life, will be highly valued. The ability to think, to collaborate and to innovate will be key to building a career in the future economy both in the UK and internationally. Falmouth University is committed to delivering world-class education and impactful research with industry-focused courses, amazing facilities and academic staff who achieved Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework. Its students, staff, researchers and alumni are achieving amazing things. Pushing the boundaries, leading their fields and making an impact.

ROSIE BEWLEY

It’s not every day you find yourself sitting in a shed in a farmer’s field near Falmouth, next to film royalty. For film student, Rosie Bewley, it became an everyday occurrence during her second year at Falmouth, after being invited to take up an assistant editor role on Songbird, the latest film from director and writer, Jamie Adams, funded by Falmouth University. On the first day she was involved in the shoot she sat down next to Jessica Hynes (Harry Potter, Shaun of the Dead, Spaced) and opposite her was Cobie Smulders (Avengers, Captain America). She quickly found herself getting an unprecedented insight into how the industry works and the roles everyone plays in making a film. “I almost didn’t apply to do it,” she says. “One of the great things about studying Film at Falmouth is the opportunities we’re given but I’d always been too shy to put myself forward. I can remember when I decided to do it, it was right at the last minute, I was having a

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WILLIAM GRIFFIN

Business Entrepreneurship student William Griffin is equally at home in the historic grounds of Blenheim Palace or soaking in the views of Monaco harbour, as he is laying the carpets for a classic car auction. William began working with COYS of Kensington, the globally acclaimed classic car auction house, during his first year at Falmouth. He’s always loved cars and knew from the start of his degree he wanted to combine this passion with business. “When I was younger I was always the kid who never stopped playing with cars,” he says. “In my first year, I began contacting lots of companies to see if I could help them and

managed to get my foot through the door at COYS of Kensington. “I started off laying down carpet for them and pushing cars around at the auctions. The longer I worked with them, the stronger the relationship grew. They invited me to more auctions and soon I was bidding on behalf of clients, working on the sales side of the business and helping with the valuations. I’m now running their website and social media marketing.” More about Falmouth’s business degrees can be found falmouth.ac.uk/falmouthbusiness-school

They invited me to more auctions and soon I was bidding on behalf of clients, working on the sales side of the business and helping with the valuations

milkshake with a friend and thought, what have I got to lose?” It turned out to be a great decision. After applying, Rosie had an interview with the director and, on being asked to take up an assistant editor role, found herself working side by side with him for two months. But it didn’t end there. “As well as the editing, I got lots of experience on set and had my lunch with the crew. I even got to go to the Berlin Film Festival with them and I’ve got an IMDb profile now,” Rosie adds. Despite being offered further work with the same director after completing her time on Songbird, Rosie has instead opted to concentrate on her final year at university where she is creating an experimental film installation designed to promote health and wellbeing through colour and sound. News from Falmouth’s world-class School of Film and Television can be read at falmouth. ac.uk/school-of-ﬁlm-television

ROSS EVERSON

Gorgeous visuals, a unique story and captivating gameplay. Welcome to the underwater, martial arts mayhem of Karate Krab, the brain-child of Games graduate, Ross Everson. Ross made Karate Krab during his time at Falmouth, with a group of fellow students who have now formed a development company together. Its quirky story, fast- paced gameplay and addictive nature captured the imagination of both the public and industry experts, leading to it securing a February 2018 release date on Steam, the ultimate online gaming platform. “The most creative people on the planet work in game design,” says Ross. “The gaming industry is now bigger than the film industry and the level of interactivity in it is unparallelled. “The idea for the game began during my first year. We knew from the start we were on the

right track and the end result is the culmination of a lot of hard work. We had access to great facilities and the course leaders were amazing in helping us progress the game. Ross views game design as the perfect blend of maths and art. As well as creating Karate Krab, and despite only graduating in 2017, Ross is now working as a games lecturer and was recently named the Digital Rising Star at Cornwall’s EDGE Awards. The Games Academy’s incredible show reel, and information about the courses can be found at falmouth.ac.uk/games-academy

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UNIVERSITY

OF EXETER

EXETER MEANS

BUSINESS

As education has evolved, it’s simply not enough for universities to confer degrees upon their graduates; they need to fully prepare them for the world of work top UK university with a TEF Gold Standard for teaching and globally recognised for research excellence; the University of Exeter has a pretty impressive track record. Fourteen years on from the opening of the Penryn Campus, there are now around 2,500 Exeter students in Cornwall, including 180 at its Medical School in Truro. Exeter students are encouraged to be entrepreneurial from day one, so that by the time they graduate, they are immediately employable or possess the skills to set up their own business. The University brings students together with employers for placements, internships and workplace projects which benefit both parties. “Hosting a placement from the University of Exeter provided us with extra support when we really needed it. The quality of the work they undertook was extremely high and it was great to work with someone who had no preconceptions about what has gone before,”

says David Morgan of Cornwall Council. One particular initiative, Green Consultants, is an industry recognised, award-winning training programme involving facilitated learning for students interested in pursuing a career with an environmental or sustainability focus. Fully trained on campus, they can come into businesses as interns to undertake a sustainability related project such as carrying out an energy audit and suggesting recommendations. Alan Blunden, bid manager at Vinci Construction, who provided environmental internships to students says: "The outcome of the internships was a great success for Taylor Woodrow, Vinci, the University and the students themselves." Some placements were so fruitful that students gained full time employment with the firm. For University of Exeter students looking to be their own boss, the Think:Try:Do programme focuses on identifying and fostering start-up ambitions. It gives them the chance to develop valuable enterprise skills as well as the opportunity to start their own business. As the name suggests, it takes budding

entrepreneurs on the journey of Thinking about their idea, Trying it out in a supportive and low-risk environment and potentially launching a new business into the world – the ‘Do’. There is funding to support the entrepreneurs throughout, as well as networking events, start-up weekends, workshops, mentoring and 1-2-1 support. Through this scheme, recent renewable energy graduates from Cornwall were able to bring to fruition their business concept ChargedUp, a sustainable network of portable phone chargers in urban centres. The students received mentoring and advice from the Think:Try:Do team and also secured an initial

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GROWTH

grant of £1,400 for vital market research, followed by a further £2,600. They have since won funding and support from O2 and Shell and are looking to launch their first location in London. Amie Fulton, Head of Innovation, Impact and Business for Cornwall says: “It’s great to see graduates so quickly setting up new enterprises and putting into action the knowledge they acquired studying at Exeter’s campuses in Cornwall.” Fledgling businesses are constantly on the lookout for investment and the University will be looking to match new start-ups with investors in Cornwall. The University of Exeter is a member of enterprise partnership SETsquared. Its objectives are supporting high tech startup companies, providing student enterprise and enabling academics to maximise the impact of their research. This support has enabled one such Exeter academic, Dr Hasan Baig, renewable energy expert at the Penryn Campus, to create spin-out company, Build Solar. The company’s first product is a pioneering glass solar block that can become a part of a building’s architecture to generate electricity, whilst allowing light through. With a dedicated business support team at the Penryn Campus, the University can provide unique access to collaborative research and development, innovation, facilities and expertise that can make a real difference to your business. Over 520 businesses across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have received support, through a number of ERDF projects. The SpaceTech Incubation Initiative was launched last year at Goonhilly Earth Station funded by the UK Space Agency. Led by the South West Centre of Excellence for Satellite

Applications (SWCoESA) with partners University of Exeter, SETsquared and GES Ltd it aims to support start-up companies in the space technology sector. One of the first to benefit is David Walker, University of Exeter postgraduate, who created an application called PaddleLogger that maps and tracks standup paddle board journeys (similar to Strava). David is now engaging with the SWCoESA and SETsquared to create new safety at sea hardware that uses satellite communications to keep paddlers connected and safe on longer expeditions. David has also received business support through the Marine-i project, which has helped with product development, and increased market potential. Passionate about business, but also about the environment and sustainability – key themes that underpin the ethos and research

Fledgling businesses are constantly on the lookout for investment and the University will be looking to match new startups with investors in Cornwall

ExeterUni_Mar18.indd 3

PROGRAMME

of the Penryn Campus, the University of Exeter is proud to be sponsoring the Sustainable Business of the Year Award at this year’s Cornwall Business Awards on 19th April at St Mellion. “As a vibrant knowledge hub, the University plays an important role locally and globally,” says Professor Mark Goodwin, deputy vice chancellor for external engagement. “It is a large employer and economic contributor in Devon and Cornwall, and helps to support local growth and build on the region’s strengths and potential. The University is not only a leader in terms of its world-class teaching and research, but it also has a major impact on the local, regional and national economy.” www.exeter.ac.uk/cornwall/business/ workwithus/

20/02/2018 10:57

UNIVERSITY OF

PLYMOUTH

OPPORTUNITIES TO INNOVATE

How the University of Plymouth is helping Cornish businesses do things differently

hile ‘innovation’ is a word that is often used in the context of discussing business growth, it is difficult to define exactly what it means. It is generally associated with putting good ideas into practice. In the simplest sense, it is about doing things differently. The University of Plymouth is now involved with four major European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) projects to support businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to do just that. Acceleration Through Innovation (ATI) is a three-year £3 million project driving a culture of innovation through a range of activities and events, with some being run at ‘pop up’ innovation centres in towns including Launceston, St Austell and St Mary’s. Led by the University of Plymouth in partnership with Cornwall Innovation, ATI supports small and medium sized businesses to adopt innovative processes or bring a new product or service to market. ATI senior project manager Jo Hancock says: “ATI is unique in the region because it offers innovation expertise led by recognised specialists and certified innovation professionals. Whether it’s a new product, process, service or business model, we support innovation in its broadest sense. We provide opportunities for businesses to implement innovative ways of working and trial new markets and ideas.” In addition, EPIC (EHealth Productivity and Innovation in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) provides specialist support and investment for companies in Cornwall developing EHealth products and services for the health and care sectors. It has created a community, including

service users and health and social care professionals, who use their experiences and expertise to identify potential business ideas and opportunities. Cornish companies, including those new to EHealth, are then supported by the project partners to use their technical skills and expertise to work collaboratively with the community to create new products and services. This support includes specialist input from the University of Plymouth, Creative England and members of Kernow Health CiC and Cornwall Partners in Care as well as grants from the £600k EPIC Challenge Fund. New and existing marine technology businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly can also benefit from an ERDF-funded programme led by the University of Exeter and a partnership, including the University of Plymouth. Supporting a sector identified as an area of high growth potential for the region, Marine-i is a partnership of leading organisations in marine technology R&D, Innovation, skills development and economic development. Marine-i aims to stimulate and support research, development and innovation to help businesses exploit new market opportunities in marine energy, marine manufacturing, maritime operations and marine environmental technologies. Businesses can access a wide range of specialist services and facilities and apply for grants through the Marine Challenge Fund. The first business to benefit from the fund, Triskel Marine, will use the grant to build a comprehensive hybrid test rig for its new product. Another of the region’s major industries – agriculture, horticulture and food – is benefiting

from ERDF support as well as funding from Cornwall Council. Led by Duchy College and managed by a partnership, including the University of Plymouth, Agri-Tech Cornwall is creating new products and services to improve efficiency, profitability and resilience in the agricultural sector, driving productivity, growth and employment in the region. Developing high-level collaborations between research institutions and SMEs, the project addresses how food production can meet the needs of a growing population, while reducing the impact on the environment. This is leading to innovative technological solutions, including robotics, LED technology and hydroponic systems, and providing new business models for farms and their supply chains. Eligible businesses can access financial support directly for innovative projects, including grants of over £50k. ATI Senior Project Manager Jo Hancock adds: “If you are developing a new product or process you will have those eureka moments, but innovation is not just about coming up with a good idea. It is about going through a process which can systematically reduce risk. This is where the innovation mentoring, sector specific expertise and investment support that is available through these projects can help you succeed.” For more information on all of these projects, please visit www.plymouth.ac.uk/esif-projects

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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ON THE MOVE

SPONSORED BY

TASTE OF THE FUTURE

Over eighty aspiring Cornish managers, coaches, teachers and mental health professionals gathered from across the region to get a taste of their future careers by attending free taster sessions designed to support individual professional development. Offered as part of the ESF-funded Higher Level Skills project and delivered by Truro and Penwith College, sessions gave learners an insight into what it would be like to access or re-engage in study at a higher level. From leadership and management to marketing and, attendees engaged in a range of subjects with the additional opportunity to find out more about related qualifications and the support available at the college. ESF project coordinator, Madeline Richardson, said: “We met some lovely people at the tasters and had some fantastic feedback. Everyone who attended a free taster session has now been offered the opportunity of 1-1 advice and guidance to discuss their next steps, and we hope we have whetted some appetites for further learning too.”

ABOVE: JULIE CHERRY PARTICIPATING IN THE FREE MARKETING AND PR TASTER SESSION

TRAINING

COLLEGE ON THE SHORTLIST The Cornwall College Group (TCCG) has been shortlisted from the south west region for a national Apprenticeship Provider of the Year Award. “It’s fantastic to be recognised as the largest provider of apprenticeships in the south west,” explained Raoul Humphreys, chief executive and principal. “We have helped nurtured approximately 15,000 apprentices over the past ten years and currently have 3400 apprentices on programme.” Those shortlisted in each category of the AAC Apprenticeship Awards will attend a reception at the House of Commons as part of National Apprenticeships Week which takes place from March 5-9.

RECORD OXBRIDGE OFFERS FOR COLLEGE Truro & Penwith College has revealed that a record number of its students have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge universities. The number to have been offered Oxbridge places is up four from last year to 24. Andy Stittle, director of teaching and learning for the college, said: “Nationally, applications to Oxford and Cambridge surged this year to over 60,000, with increases across all subject areas. It is therefore remarkable that, despite the intense competition, students of this college have received more offers than ever.”

Cornwall International Tourism Week is a threeday roadshow aimed at helping businesses in the tourism and leisure industry in Cornwall to take advantage of the predicted rise in overseas tourism this year. Cornwall Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the mighty Visit Cornwall and Export for Growth to offer fully-funded spaces on some highly-targeted workshops that give you excellent take away to start improving your bookings year round. At these workshops attendees will also find out about the grants available to increase bookings from overseas. Export for Growth, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and part by the Department for International Trade, is

offering digital bursaries to eligible businesses to support the internationalisation of their websites and attract more overseas visitors. Details of how to apply will be given at the workshops. Specific criteria will be assessed prior to attendance and our team will recommend which businesses will qualify for funding. • Falmouth March 12 - Courtyard Deli • Penzance March 13 - The Exchange • Newquay March 14 - Gilmore’s

We can’t promise you a doggy bag, as each space on the workshop is funded by the programme, but what we do know is that the workshop itself provides an excellent manual for implementing an international marketing strategy almost at once. Book a ticket in your nearest town today and get ready for international tourism! www.cornwallchamber.co.uk/internationaltourism-week

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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TOURISM

NEWS

SPONSORED BY

LATEST EDEN HOTEL PLANS The Eden Project has improved the design and layout of its planned new hotel. Planning permission was granted by Cornwall Council for the 109-bedroom hotel in February of last year. Eden has now submitted an updated plan for consideration by the Council. The most significant change to the design is that two buildings would now become one, with a reduction of the overall

mass and visual impact to allow the structure to blend in more with the landscape. If the amended plans are approved, construction is slated to begin in November and be complete by January 2020. The hotel will be funded by commercial and private borrowing. It is estimated that 35-40 new jobs will be created for the hotel including opportunities for apprenticeships.

CORNWALL STRIKES GOLD Businesses from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly were among the winners at last month’s South West Tourism Excellence Awards in Torquay. Carbis Bay Hotel and Spa won the Venue & Business Tourism Award, while Hell Bay Hotel on the Isles of Scilly was named Small/Boutique Hotel of the Year. Other Gold winners from Cornwall and Isles of Scilly included Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary in the Sustainable Tourism category and the Screech Owl Sanctuary,

which was named Small Attraction of the Year. The Old Barn Tregonetha took the top prize for Small Catering Holiday Property, while The Headland Hotel’s front of house team was awarded Gold for Outstanding Customer Service. Gwel an Mor Resort received Gold in the Holiday Park of the Year section, while Polmanter Touring Park also took Gold as Camping & Caravanning Park of the Year. Adventure Segway was awarded Gold as Guided Tour of the Year.

www.visitcornwall.com

2017: BUMPER YEAR PKF Francis Clark's latest annual tourism business figures show that 2017 was a bumper year with overall occupancy trading at 55%, the highest annual figures recorded by the firm. This is in contrast to the early part of this decade where the figures hovered around 50%. Average occupancies were also up on 2016 levels at 1.5%. Month on month there were also some interesting variations with the usual peak during the summer months, but a spike in occupancies in November and December which are now closer to 40% on average, as opposed to below the 30% mark, previously experienced in the sector. Spend on repairs and maintenance in 2017 was on average 6.7% of turnover which is higher than historic levels of around 6%.This reflects the long-term trend that has seen repair costs tending to be higher when funds are available, reflecting the fact that some of the spend can be discretionary. Tom Roach, lead tourism partner at PKF Francis Clark in Truro, said: “Our tourism barometer figures are optimistic overall for 2018: with regard to occupancy, we normally see a figure above 2% as significant, but a 1.5% overall increase remains good, particularly when compared with the overall picture. More generally the economic outlook is also stronger than anticipated and with inflation remaining low which should bode well for the sector in 2018.”

RESORT JOINS DUTCH GROUP Gwel an Mor has become part of the Dutchowned Landal GreenParks family and rebranded as Landal Gwel an Mor. Established in the Netherlands in 1954, Landal GreenParks operates 86 holiday parks in nine countries across Europe. More recently it expanded into the UK, with Gwel an Mor becoming the third Landal park in the country, alongside Landal Darwin Forest in the Peak District and Landal Kielder Waterside in Northumberland. “Joining the Landal GreenParks family is an exciting new era for our resort,” said Gwel an Mor chief executive, Bill Haslam.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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NEWS

SPONSORED BY

#FSBCONNECT

www.fsb.org.uk

MAKE THE MOST THE SHOW The Cornwall Business Show has a great line up for the seventh annual event taking place on March 15 at the Royal Cornwall Showground near Wadebridge. The aim of the show is to build connections and ultimately for attendees and stand holders to do more business. Naturally as a great supporter and facilitator of that ethos, FSB Member advisors will also be attending with their stand. Ann Vandermeulen, development manager for FSB Cornwall, said: “FSB Cornwall are really pleased to be having a stand at this year’s show. We are looking forward to offering businesses attending advice and help as well as talking about all of the great things that FSB have to offer. So if you are a member and have a question, just want to say hello or haven’t yet joined the UKs biggest business organisation then you will have a great opportunity here!” We also asked Andrew Weaver, MD of the show, what his top 5 tips are for businesses to make the most out of your visit.

You can register for fast track free entry via the website cornwallbusinessshow.co.uk or register on arrival. Either way, pop by our stand and say hello. It will be great to see you!

1. P lan your visit – visit the website make a plan all you want to achieve from the event 2. A rrange to meet business partners and associates at the event 3. S ee who is exhibiting and think about who and why you want to meet them 4. C heck out which seminars you will get the most out of and plan them into your day 5. Visit the Media Zone and get your free professional LinkedIn profile photo, and do a quick video about your business, great bit of free PR!

CASH MACHINE CUTS MUST BE STOPPED, SAY SMALL FIRMS

Responding to the announcement that LINK is reducing its cash machine interchange fee, which may reduce ATM provision, FSB national chairman, Mike Cherry, said: “Access to cash is absolutely vital to local growth in rural and deprived communities. Too often we hear of towns running out of cash because current cash point provision simply isn’t good enough. “Consumers and small firms have already been

FSB CONNECT NETWORKING

GOVERNMENT NICS PLEDGE Responding to the recent launch of the Government’s Good Work plan in light of Matthew Taylor’s review of modern working practices, the FSB was pleased with the commitment to shelve permanently plans to hike National Insurance Contributions (NIC) for the self-employed. This marks a watershed moment and now needs to be followed-up with delivery of the promise to abolish Class II NICs for the self-employed. Newly-appointed FSB SW regional chairman, Roger Tarrant said: “As it takes forward Matthew Taylor’s recommendations, our policy team will be working with the Government to further ensure that the genuinely self-employed receive the protections and rights they’re due. That includes tackling challenges the self-

hit by thousands of bank branch closures in the last few years. Now, our cash machine network is under threat. We’re not convinced that today’s announcement includes enough protections for vulnerable communities.” FSB is concerned that there’s no guarantee that having everyone within a kilometre of a cashpoint will be enough to meet demand. Equally, we need to question whether it’s right to make vulnerable ATM users travel a kilometre every time they need cash.

FSB Connect Networking – open to all All events can be found on Eventbrite for easy online booking £10 – includes breakfast or lunch & free new opportunities! 8 MAR – Sustainability Tips to Save Your Business Money 8:00-10:00am at Royal Cornwall Showground (part of expowestcornwall.co.uk/fsbbusiness-breakfast)

employed face when applying for mortgages and insurance products which needs more work and including in these plans. “Of course we need to stamp out false self employment. But what we definitely can’t have is the genuinely self employed disadvantaged in the process.”

Our Next MP Round Table Meetings: Free to attend – raise your issues face to face with your MP 2 MAR – Scott Mann 1.30 - 3.00pm – Launceston Town Hall 9 MAR – Sarah Newton 1.00 – 2.30pm – Truro Business Space 16MAR – Steve Double 11.00 – 12.30pm – Constituency Office 23MAR –Sheryll Murray 12.00 – 2.00pm – Lord Eliot, Liskeard

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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CREATIVE

AND DIGITAL

SPONSORED BY

www.digitalpeninsula.org

IRELAND TO LEEDS A south west digital advertising agency has poached a leading strategist from Google to support its growth plans. Launch Online, a Google Premier Partner, was founded by marketer, Jaye Cowle, five years ago. With a head office in St Columb Major, Launch has grown rapidly since its inception in 2012, now running offices in Devon and, most recently, Leeds. Daniel Ireland joins Launch Online as a senior digital manager, having worked for Google supporting digital agencies across the UK and Ireland, and will help drive the new Leeds office.

UK FIRST FOR VODAFONE Vodafone UK is claiming an industry first with the successful trial of a new 4G mini mobile mast in Porthcurno. The mini mast is now providing customers with 4G mobile data speeds of more than 200Mbps, as well as a strong voice signal. The telescopic mini mast is only eight metres high when extended to its tallest point and is around half the height of the shortest standard mast. Developed in partnership with infrastructure technology company, CommScope, the mini mast can be placed at rural hotels, leisure and retail parks, and tourist attractions.

NHS WALES WIN FOR MICROTEST

CHRIS NETHERTON

Microtest has won a contract to supply GP clinical IT systems to surgeries across Wales. The award from NHS Wales followed a rigorous procurement process. Suppliers were asked to demonstrate a strong commitment and the ability to meet NHS Wales’ core clinical and technical requirements and the challenges of the wider Primary Care agenda. Bodmin-based Microtest has been supplying IT systems and software to GP practices for over 30 years and MD, Chris Netherton, said: “We are delighted with this decision and really excited about the opportunity to work with new customers across NHS Wales. “This was a very detailed and exacting process, but we were able to demonstrate that Microtest has all the capabilities required to meet the needs of GP Practices in NHS Wales – both now and well into the future.

FIGOLUX AT THE NEC A Redruth commercial photography studio is inviting retailers to see their products ‘bought to life’ on screen, at a major national exhibition this month. Figolux is offering visitors attending the Internet Retailing Expo (IRX) at Birmingham’s NEC (March 21-22), the opportunity bring their products along to be photographed in order to demonstrate the latest image technology available to online retailers. Specialising in high-quality still and moving

images that can be used across smartphone and web platforms, Figolux uses some of the latest technologies available, including a range of PhotoRobot devices, enabling it to capture 360-degree product imagery with ease. Figolux director, Andrew McLean Brown, said: “Almost 51% of all purchases are now made online so ensuring that customers have a good digital shopping experience is now more important than ever to brands.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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JUST A THOUGHT

OPINION

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE This month’s guest columnist is Nikki Collins, senior local fundraising manager for Cancer Research UK in the south west

hat’s your reason for getting out of bed in the morning? For me, alongside my family and friends, it is being in a privileged position to help make a difference. Cornwall’s third sector is a truly enriching place to be. As a fundraiser, I feel fortunate to be living and working in such a beautiful part of the country, surrounded by ambition, excellence and passionate local communities. These communities include fundraising groups/ committees and individuals as well as corporates and businesses both big and small, local and national. The sector is worth an incredible £490 million to Cornwall and plays a significant part in driving the county’s economic growth. If your business currently adopts a chosen charity each year, or regularly supports local or national fundraising campaigns, then give yourselves a big pat on the back. If this is something that you have thought about, but not yet put into practice, then I would urge you to look at the features and benefits of building relationships with a charity. In the words of CSR consultant Gill Pipkin “A well-thought through partnership between a business and a charity, delivers tangible results for both parties, generating positive PR, building awareness and opening up new opportunities.” Lots of individuals want to volunteer or fundraise but find that it can be difficult to do alongside their busy careers and day to day priorities. By offering employees the chance to participate in staff fundraising activities or volunteering opportunities, you are helping them feel supported, engaged and motivated and

giving them a sense of pride in the company they work for. I advise giving your staff a say in which charities they help to support- often in the form of a staff vote. Personal motivations are a huge driving force in fundraising- often the biggest motivator. We all have a cause that is close to us for a particular reason and that reason will encourage us to succeed and overcome any barriers we may face. My personal ambition at the beginning of my third sector journey began as a volunteer in 1999. My dearest childhood friend Hayley had ‘Esthesioneuroblastoma’- a rare cancer of the nasal cavity. She was only a few weeks away from her 17th birthday when she died. Before I knew it, part of my grieving process involved me asking myself “What can I do to make a difference?” I felt I needed to find a way to stay feeling closely connected to Hayley. At the time I was working part time for Tesco, whilst studying at Truro College. Tesco were corporate sponsors of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. It was my first experience of a corporate/ charity partnership and the value and importance of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’. As an employee, I found the staff-led fundraising and participation in the events so rewarding and motivating. I felt proud to work for a company that proactively supported such a great cause. Today, I am even prouder to be working for Cancer Research UK, helping raise those vital funds for our scientists to reach that ultimate goal- ‘beating cancer sooner’. Amazing progress is being made with half of all people diagnosed with cancer now surviving for ten years or more. By 2034 we aim to accelerate these survival rates, reaching three out of four people surviving. Together we can achieve more.

A well-thought through partnership between a business and a charity, delivers tangible results for both parties, generating positive PR, building awareness and opening up new opportunities

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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TEST DRIVE

SKODA KODIAQ

SKODA KODIAQ Morveth Ward has been trying out Skodaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent entry into the large SUV market with the launch of the Kodiaq.

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The Kodiaq possesses versatile attributes which attracts so many of us to the SUV in the first place

his ‘do anything., go anywhere; I’m an adventurer’ type of vehicle has proven to be what people want, and is still one of the fastest growing markets, therefore it’s no surprise that Skoda wanted a chunk of this market which has led to the birth of the Kodiaq, and it’s little brother the Karoq. Being part of the Volkswagen Group the Kodiaq has resemblances to the Audi, Seat and Volkswagen offerings, for me this was notably the likes of Audi’s Q5 and Volkswagen’s Tiguan, amongst others. As you’d expect therefore the build quality and level of comfort and refinement is superb. The Skoda also has sharp styling and an image that is more understated and considered than some of the flashier brands. You sit up high in the spacious cabin which is great for passengers gazing over Cornish hedges whilst in total comfort. The Kodiaq possesses versatile attributes which attracts so many of us to the SUV in the first place: a roomy cabin with five or seven seater versions available and a towing capacity ranging up to 2500kg and an option of four wheel drive. This is where I really see the appeal of a large SUV, it is like 2 cars in one: For example, my partner and I have a Landy for vehicle-based orienteering, fun weekend stuff and towing (mostly horses); then a diesel estate car for refinement and economy on regular journeys. However with the likes of the Kodiaq, the need for cars with different jobs is less needed. It is more than just an A-B vehicle,

it is one which aims to look after you in comfort for everyday driving and then contribute and enhance your lifestyle and inspire you in your spare time to go and explore and do things. When you browse the Kodiaq’s brochure it is obvious that this is what Skoda is striving for stating that it is ‘designed with your free time in mind’. One of my only gripes is that some of the engines I feel too underpowered for the size of vehicle: I mustn’t hold this against Skoda exclusively as this trend is apparent with almost all manufacturers – constantly chasing lower emissions and better efficiency on paper. With Cornwall’s terrain the more powerful and/ or bigger engines, will likely return very similar MPG to the smaller counterparts because it is simply not working as hard, especially if you’re towing or at least lugging lots of people around. Whilst less strenuous journeys may mean you’re better off with the smaller engine version my advice is to properly consider your lifestyle and driving-style so that you opt for the best engine for you and don’t just look at what’s on paper. The USP with the Kodiaq (the same for most in the Skoda range) is undoubtedly its value for money: you get the premium levels of quality, comfort and equipment but for a much smaller outlay than most with a similar offering and it’s unsurprising that Whatcar? named it as its Large SUV of the year (2017). If you’re looking for a large SUV then you must give this a try! Prices start from £22,625

Contact Carrs Skoda, Indian Queens 01726 213050

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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EVENTS

MARCH

MARCH EVENTS 6

6-8

BODMIN BUSINESS BREAKFAST

IT SEMINAR

Westberry Hotel

Cornwall Chamber, Redruth

The breakfasts are open to all and provide an opportunity for business people to network and catch up with each other over a top quality breakfast. There are speakers at some (but not all) meetings. jb@ sproullllp.co.uk or 01208 72328.

EXPOWEST CORNWALL

Royal Cornwall Showground

If you’re involved in hospitality and food and drink, this is the show for you. Attending gives you the vital advantage of tasting the latest innovations in food and drink, as well as testing and evaluating the products and services on show. www.expowestcornwall.co.uk

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM WEEK

Courtyard Deli, Falmouth

At this half-day workshop you will hear from leading marketing and communication experts to learn how to set-up social media advertising campaigns that will reach new potential customers abroad. cornwallchamber.co.uk/events

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM WEEK

The Exchange, Penzance

This seminar, hosted by CF Systems, is designed to help you ascertain if outsourced IT is right for your business and, if it is, how you go about making the right choice of provider. cornwallchamber.co.uk/events

EventsDiary_Mar18.indd 2

The Norway Inn, Perranarworthal

TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS GROWTH

Top 5 this month

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM WEEK

Gilmore’s, Newquay

FALMOUTH BUSINESS CLUB

Birdies Bistro

The Alverton Hotel, Truro

GREENE KING IPA CHAMPIONSHIP

Delivered by Superfast Business Cornwall’s digital business advisers in a relaxed setting, this interactive workshop explores how digital technology can streamline your business processes, help you reach new markets, create new products and grow. sfbcornwall.co.uk/events

0509

SCILLY BUSINESS WEEK

Isles of Scilly

This year’s Scilly Business Week promises to be another packed week of expert advice, networking and essential workshops for business operators across the islands. www.islandpartnership.co.uk

Atlantic Hotel, Newquay

Cornwall Chamber’s monthly breakfast networking event typically attracts 110-180 business people, depending on the size of venue cornwallchamber.co.uk/events

The Club meets on alternate Thursday mornings over breakfast where a lively and welcoming group of local business people awaits. This week’s speaker is Amanda Hudson from Life MOT falmouthbusinessclub.co.uk

The Business Space, Truro

CORNWALL CHAMBER BIG BREAKFAST

HAYLE BUSINESS BREAKFAST

The Hayle Business Breakfast meets on the third Wednesday of each month at Birdies Bistro in Hayle. All welcome. sarah@abodepropertyagents.co.uk

EXPORT MASTERCLASS

If you’re an SME looking for new ways to grow your business, this is a must. There is a whole world out there, so seize the opportunity today to learn how to access new markets and create an action plan to start selling overseas. cornwallchamber.co.uk/events

Cornish Pirates v London Scottish

For a truly memorable occasion, match day hospitality is the perfect way to entertain clients and colleagues alike. Match day hospitality starts at £45 per person plus vat. robyn.ashurst@cornish-pirates.com

CORNWALL CHAMBER LUNCH

The Cornwall Hotel, St Austell

What better way to network with more than 50 businesses than with a nice lunch at the Cornwall Hotel Spa & Estate; connect and learn at this event for a chance to refresh skills and gain the knowhow on how to move your business forward. cornwallchamber.co.uk/events

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FALMOUTH BUSINESS CLUB

The Norway Inn, Perranarworthal

The Club meets on alternate Thursday mornings over breakfast where a lively and welcoming group of local business people awaits. Today’s speaker is Saira O’Dwyer from Philosophi. falmouthbusinessclub.co.uk

NETWORKING Business Cornwall’s Morveth Ward keeps us up to date on the networking scene

SPONSORED BY

www.cioslep.co.uk

EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS TRAINING AWARDS

The Eden Project was the venue for this year’s awards ceremony, organised by CCB Training

TOP RIGHT: PARNALL ENGINEERING ADVANCED WINNERS OF THE OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO TRAINING SMALL BUSINESS AWARD WITH SPONSOR AND JUDGE (MIDDLE) JOH HOOLE, CORNWALL AND ISLES OF SCILLY SKILLS HUB THIRD ROW FROM TOP, FROMLEFT: PENDENNIS SHIPYARD WINNER OF THE OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO APPRENTICESHIP LARGE BUSINESS AWARD WITH SPONSOR (MIDDLE) SARAH STOTT, CHILDREN’S HOSPICE SOUTH WEST; OCEAN HOUSING GROUP WINNERS OF THE OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO TRAINING LARGE BUSINESS AWARD WITH SPONSOR (SECOND IN FROM THE LEFT) CHRISTINE WALKER, THE CENTRE FOR HOUSING AND SUPPORT; WOLF MINERIAL WINNER OF THE OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO TRAINING MEDIUM BUSINESS AWARD WITH SPONSORS GARETH KENWARD, CCB TRAINING SECOND ROW FROM LEFT: ANNY WORRALL, FUGRO GEOSERVICES WINNER OF THE INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION TO STAFF DEVELOPMENT WITH SPONSOR SUE HOOK, SAPIENCE HR; KYRA VARNEY, TALLAND BAY HOTEL WINNER OF THE YOUNG APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR AWARD WITH SPONSOR AND JUDGE ROBERT BLACK, CORNWALL CARE; P CHAPMAN CONSTRUCTION WINNERS OF THE OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO APPRENTICESHIP SMALL BUSINESS WITH SPONSOR AND JUDGE TOM MASON, CONCORDE GROUP FIRST ROW FROM LEFT: ALEXANDRA DUNN, SHEPHERDS CHARTERED TAX ADVISERS AND ACCOUNTANTS WINNER OF THE PROFESSIONAL APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR AWARD WITH SPONSOR TONI EYRIEY, BUSINESS CORNWALL; GEORGE AUTIE, FUGRO GEOSERVICES WINNER OF THE SKILLS APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR AWARD WITH SPONSOR AND JUDGE ANDREA MERCER, PIRATE FM; KERRY WOODHATCH ON BEHALF OF CATRIONA WILSON, POSITIVE INTENT THERAPIES AT THE POWDER ROOM WINNER OF THE INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WITH SPONSORS AND JUDGE ANDY PETERS AND BECKS POLSON, UNLOCKING POTENTIAL 46

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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CORNWALL

CONNECTED

VISIT CORNWALL TOURISM SUMMIT 2018 More than 200 people from across the tourism industry flocked to The Headland Hotel last month to share the latest destination marketing know and insights into future tourism trends RIGHT: MOTIVATIONAL MARKETING EXPERT, GEOFF RAMM

PENROSE KITCHEN Head chef Ben Harmer and his partner Samantha Richman served loyal regulars, media and local business people tasters of the best local produce at the relaunch of Penrose Kitchen restaurant, near Truro RIGHT: HEAD CHEF BEN HARMER AND PARTNER SAMANTHA RICHMAN POST EVENT; BELOW FROM LEFT: ANDY GRAHAM, FIONA SAUNDERS, ALISON MARTIN, EMMA GARDNER; JUDY BEADEL, NEIL STUBBS, BETH STUBBS; KIM CONCHIE (CORNWALL CHAMBER) AND CHARLIE GREY (CORNWALL 365)

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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THE LAST

WORD

SPONSORED BY Contact: A. E. Verona Cocks E: vcocks@setfords.co.uk | T: 01209 708 651 www.setfords.co.uk

RICHARD TRANT Getting to know Benbole Management MD, Richard Trant WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?

A soldier.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FULL TIME JOB?

A ‘jackaroo’ on a large Australian sheep ranch.

MOST ANNOYING TV PERSONALITY?

Channel Four news presenters.

IF YOU ONLY HAD £1 LEFT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, WHAT WOULD YOU SPEND IT ON?

The biggest pot of clotted cream available.

WHAT MAKES YOU ANGRY?

Litter (dog litter bags hanging in trees - such idiocy!!)

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

My deceased father and my grandfather, who was born in 1882 and died eight years before I was born; I would love to see us all together and see how we differ and are also alike.

WHAT’S THE GREATEST INVENTION EVER?

A gin martini, of course!

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

Remove those things that are killing our planet, while giving the human race the wisdom not to repeat the mistakes that have created the huge ecological challenges that face us now and find alternatives.

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

Still enjoying great health and my wonderful home and family, and professionally being part of the Cornish business scene having helped launch the Cornish Embassy in London.

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE ADJECTIVES:

Happy, Enthusiastic, Dedicated.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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Did high energy costs affect your business this winter?

Wondering how you can save money? The Cornwall Local Energy Market is offering grants of up to £1,000 to Cornish businesses to install energy monitoring equipment. You will be able to ﬁnd out how much you are using from a site level down to individual devices, pinpoint and reduce energy wastage and identify opportunities to save energy in real-time. To take advantage of this unique opportunity, please email cornwall@centrica.com

The benefits to your business • Maintenance free and easy to install • Real-time visibility and understanding of your power usage • Improved operational efficiency • Reduced business risk • Data analysis to identify inefficiencies and wastage • Reduced energy bills • Predictive maintenance alerts to extend the life of your equipment

To ﬁnd out more, please visit www.centrica.com/cornwall

RENAULT TRAFIC Efficient, versatile and clever

Renault MASTER Business MM35 dCi 130

From

WW hh

2 017 17

Van?

at n atVa ?

n atVa ?

Winner Medium Van of the Year

WINNER WINNER Editor’s Editor’s Choice Choice Award Award

WA DS R

AA W W AA RDDSS R

WA DS R

Winner Medium Van of the Year

Renault KANGOO Business ML19 Energy dCi 75

£206

n atVa ? 15

£238

per month* on contract hire

From

Renault TRAFIC Sport Nav SL27 dCi 120

£266 per month

per month*

on contract hire

• Load capacity volume up to 3m3 • DAB radio with AUX input, CD, Bluetooth® and USB • Electrically operated door mirrors

• Load volume up to 10.8m3 • DAB radio with Bluetooth® & iPod® connectivity • Full steel bulkhead

BUSINESS USERS ONLY. *Payment based on 36-month contract hire and 10,000 miles per annum. 6+35 profile (6x monthly payment in advance followed by 35 monthly payments). At the end of the contract you will not own the vehicle. Further charges may apply subject to the mileage and condition of the vehicle at the end of the contract. Finance provided by Renault Finance, PO Box 495, WD17 1BR. Subject to status. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. UK residents only (excludes the Channel Islands). Over 18s. Offers are valid on eligible vehicles when ordered and registered by 31st March 2018.

Wheal Rose, Scorrier Summercourt Redruth TR16 5BX Newquay TR8 5YA Tel 01209 821133 Tel 01872 511600

AD_PAGES_Mar18.indd 5

www.dalescornwall.co.uk Book a test drive

20/02/2018 10:22

â&#x20AC;&#x153;For business or for home, Microtest have a dedicated team of professionals at the ready.â&#x20AC;?

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20/02/2018 10:19