Business Cornwall May 2018

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

MAY 2018 / ISSUE 120 / £3.95

MALCOLM BELL EXPLAINS THE VITAL ROLE TOURISM PLAYS IN THE ECONOMY

CORNWALL BUSINESS AWARDS

TEAGLE CROWNED WINNER OF WINNERS

LEGAL FOCUS

SECTOR STATE OF PLAY

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MAY 2018

ISSUE 120

INSIDE FEATURES

REGULARS

10 – STEAMSHIP GROUP

4 INCOMING

40 CREATIVE & IT

SUPPORTING LOCAL TOURISM FOR NEARLY 100 YEARS

GOOD MANAGEMENT

6 BUSINESS NEWS QUEEN’S AWARD WINNERS

12 – CEO INTERVIEW VISIT CORNWALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE MALCOLM BELL

34 ON THE MOVE

20 – CORNWALL BUSINESS AWARDS

36 TOURISM

TEAGLE CROWNED WINNER OF WINNERS

37 FSB

ALL THE LATEST FROM THE FSB

25 – LEGAL FOCUS

DOG FRIENDLY HOLIDAYS

38 FOOD & DRINK RATTLER IN CANS

SECTOR PROFILE

30 – SUPERFAST BUSINESS CORNWALL

NEW APPOINTMENTS

39 EDUCATION

TRAINING IN CARIBBEAN

FUNDING FOR MAPPIX

41 JUST A THOUGHT

CORNWALL CHANNEL’S SHANE SOLOMON

42 THE WISH LIST

OBJECTS OF DESIRE

44 EVENTS DIARY

WHAT’S ON

46 CONNECTED

WHAT’S GONE

48 THE LAST WORD

SAPC’S JON HART

PHOTO: SCILLONIAN III, SEE P10

HOW PROGRAMME IS HELPING BUSINESSES EXPLOIT TECHNOLOGY

32 – BUSINESS GROWTH INTRODUCING THE CRAP APP!

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MAY 2018

ISSUE 120

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, Shane Solomon 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 MALCOLM BELL CORNWALL'S PREMIER BUSINESS RESOURCE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION businesscornwall.co.uk

MAY 2018 / ISSUE 120 / £3.95

MALCOLM BELL EXPLAINS THE VITAL ROLE TOURISM PLAYS IN THE ECONOMY

CORNWALL BUSINESS AWARDS

TEAGLE CROWNED WINNER OF WINNERS

LEGAL FOCUS

SECTOR STATE OF PLAY

05 SPONSORED BY

05 9 772514

842001

9 772514

842001

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

Dare to dream Maybe dreams do come true after all. Or maybe, the dream is just beginning.

The prospect of a Stadium for Cornwall has surely never been closer. After many years of false dawns, Cornwall Council voted last month to agree to the stadium partners’ request for £3 million of public money.

We’re not there yet, however. The stadium needs another £3 million before construction work can begin, and the Council will not release its funds before the Government matches the pledge. However, talking to those close to the project, there is a strong belief, dare I say expectation, that the Government will be forthcoming. Having six Conservative MPs surely must have some effect!

Had the vote gone against the stadium, not only would it have been an opportunity in a lifetime lost, but would have very probably spelt the end of Truro City FC and the Cornish Pirates.

Now, however, they can start dreaming of the Promised Land. In Truro’s case the Football League, for the Pirates Premiership rugby. Exeter Chiefs have shown what can be done, and how dreams do come true.

Cornwall’s sporting youngsters can start dreaming of one day playing in the stadium, while us in the business community can look forward to some much-needed new conferencing facilities.

It could make an ideal venue for a future Cornwall Business Awards for instance, which was held at St Mellion last month. It proved to be an excellent evening – turn to p20 to find out who won.

Also this month we focus on Cornwall’s tourism sector and speak to Visit Cornwall chief exec Malcolm Bell. He, too, has a dream – for public funding to help promote Cornwall’s tourism offering to overseas markets.

Tourism is performing well, but we’re missing a trick, he says.

The opportunities are so much greater. Dare to dream!

After many years of false dawns, Cornwall Council voted last month to agree to the stadium partners’ request for £3 million of public money

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

EDITOR BUSINESS CORNWALL 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.

Wow your customers. Stand out from the competition. Win more business.

TEL: 01726 72548 | WWW.NATIONWIDEPRINT.CO.UK

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BUSINESS CORNWALL

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INCOMING

THE CONVERSATION

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The big question According to recent YouGov research, poor management is endemic across the south west, with bad managers driving talented staff to quit their jobs. What is the essence to being a good manager of people? What efforts do you go to, to ensure staff feel fulfilled and energised?

Join the conversation @biz_cornwall

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INNOVATION TO DRIVE CLIENT SERVICE From being the first large law firm to become employee owned to launching the first IPhone App to allow clients to keep track of their matters on-the-go, Robert Camp, Stephens Scown LLP’s managing partner explains why innovation is key to the success of the firm.

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BUSINESS CORNWALL

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THE CONVERSATION

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SUE HOOK

Sapience HR

Manager bashing seems to be the sport of the UK workforce and it’s a shame to hear this type of report. I am surprised the south west has been singled out as I have worked with some brilliant and inspiring people managers but equally some poor ones – but this is little different from other areas of the UK in which I have worked.

Many companies appoint people to managerial positions and expect with a sprinkling of fairy dust, they will turn into competent, skilled people managers overnight. Being a good people manager doesn’t happen by accident - it happens because of good investment in training and coaching mangers to lead and manage staff well.

For me the essence about being a good people manager is to listen and talk to your staff constantly. Let them know how they are doing regularly, keep them on track with their performance, pick up any problems early, thank them for a good job done, pay and reward them well and keep them up to date and involved with what is going on in the company. You want your staff to be committed to your company, then you need to commit some time and effort to your staff. It will pay dividends.

MATT BOND

Truro & Penwith College

For me, the key to keeping team members energised and fulfilled is to ensure you make room for initiative and give space for self-creation in the workplace. This has to be linked to clear communication of your organisation’s ‘golden thread’, but by actively encouraging team members to explore their own ideas allows for a sense of ownership and therefore a sense of pride, which in turn starts a cycle of continual improvement and growth – both for the individual and your organisation’s goals.

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raditionally law firms have not been the most agile, often taking a longer time than other businesses to adapt to challenges and opportunities.

That is something we have been working hard to change at Stephens Scown. For us innovation is driven by what will make things better for our clients. Recognising that our clients wanted to access their information more easily, we developed an IPhone App to help them do just that.

We are taking the same approach

ROBERT CAMP

Stephens Scown

For me the first thing that managers need to do is really listen to their colleagues – and not just to the things they want to hear! Some of that feedback may be uncomfortable to listen to, but if you take it on board and take steps to change your organisation as a result, the outcome will be a much more engaged work force. It also provides colleagues with the opportunity to understand why they are being asked to do something rather than just being told to do something.

At Stephens Scown relatively simple things like introducing ‘positive postcards’ to help colleagues express their gratitude to each other in a very visible way have made a big impact. We’ve also introduced ways to help our staff get to know each other away from their desks – from office choirs, random coffees to craft clubs and table tennis tournaments.

ALISON OLIVER

Bishop Fleming

As one of the scoring factors that contributed to our success in the recent Top 100 Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For rankings, I very much appreciate the positive effect that good people management can have on a business. Bishop Fleming has a firmwide approach to career progression, learning and development, and innovative programmes designed to improve our people managers. This, combined with empowerment and trust, building rapport, and a genuine duty of care for our people and interest in their career development, all help maintain and retain an enthusiastic and committed team.

with artificial intelligence. We are looking at AI from our clients’ point of view and seeking their views on how it could help them and the ways AI is likely to impact on their businesses and sectors. This will allow us to add it to our offering in a way that will enhance our other services.

We have been innovative in the way we run our own business too – taking the bold move to become employee owned – something which was virtually unheard of in the legal sector. This too had client service as a key driver. For me having an engaged work force that has a real stake in the business means that we will all work that much harder to support our clients.

Robert Camp is the managing partner of

INCOMING

ROGER TARRANT

FSB SW

A good manager will always ensure their staff feel like stakeholders in the business, no matter how small their role. Monetary reward is not the only way staff feel valued and to keep a skilled workforce engaged managers need to understand how to enable employees to feel involved.

Regular contact with staff is essential through appraisal and supervision to give employees the opportunity to feedback any concerns or ideas which will help managers address potential future problems and address them early. This creates a positive working environment for employees who feel their input is valued and their manager is accessible and listens to their concerns.

By listening to employees, recognising problems and encouraging the flow of ideas, staff feel involved in the business and are less likely to become bored, frustrated and undervalued leading to a higher turnover of staff, increasing recruitment costs and causing disruption to the business.

There are many management styles but, in an economy which struggles to meet the needs of a skilled workforce and which has low unemployment, retention of staff is a real challenge which many managers don’t acknowledge enough. A business is built on an idea, but a business is run by its employees so spending time recognising the need to be a team, both management and workforce together, is the key to a business which can move forward and can grow.

Stephens Scown. The firm has been listed in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For for four consecutive years.

For more information call 01872 265100, email solicitors@stpehens-scown.co.uk or visit www.stephens-scown.co.uk

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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CORNWALL

BUSINESS NEWS

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GIVING THEM A LABEL A young entrepreneur has shown plenty of bottle in developing a wine business while studying at university.

George Bewley is a third year Entrepreneurship student at Falmouth University and is balancing his studies with the success of his labelling company, Bewley and Ware, and has big plans for the future.

Working alongside the Camel Valley and Knightor vineyards, Bewley launched the firm after attending a graduation ceremony two

years ago.

“I went to my sister’s graduation and was pretty shocked at what little offering there was for the parents and families who had travelled all that distance for such a special occasion,” Bewley said.

“It was a missed opportunity, so I began thinking about what would be a nice touch on the day while also serving as a memento they could take home with them and capture the memory. A personalised, privately labelled wine

bottle seemed like a really good idea, and the idea stuck.”

Sam Lindo, winemaker at Camel Valley, praised Bewley for making a success of the venture at such an early age.

“He’s done really well, it’s a good partnership and we enjoy working with him,” he said.

“Others have tried this in the past and not taken it as far as George, so well done to him, it’s a very interesting business and we wish him every success.”

MANUFACTURER LOOKS TO MIDDLE EAST

Teddington, the St Austell-based engineering and manufacturing specialist, has revealed ambitious plans to drive overseas growth.

The business has appointed Oman-based Defence Electronic System Integration (DESI) to represent its interests in the Gulf States.

It is the first time that Teddington has had a dedicated presence in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Teddington specialises in electronics, critical systems, control panel technology, appliance

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controls, and valve fabrication for sectors such as defence, aerospace, energy, and transport.

MD, James Henderson, said: “We’re delighted to have DESI on board. They are a very proactive company and will be working exclusively for Teddington, targeting potential clients and identifying new areas of growth.

“It’s the first time that we’ve had a dedicated agent in this part of the world and it represents a significant commitment.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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BUSINESS NEWS

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NEWS IN BRIEF Electrical franchise, Mr Electric Cornwall, has been recognised as a Governmentapproved installer of electric car charging points and is now able to install and manage electrical vehicle car charging points for homes, workplaces and public areas across the Cornwall and Devon.

CORNWALL

COUNCIL AGREES TO FUND STADIUM

SWIG Finance has launched its new website. The Truro-based company, which provides loans to south west businesses that find it difficult to raise sufficient funds from their bank, invested in the website to further update its online security as well as making it easier for clients to find the information they need.

St Austell-based Situ8 will discover this month whether it has been named Small Planning Consultancy of the Year at the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2018.

Situ8 was formed 12 years ago and comprises a team of six women and one brave man.

Chartered accountant PKF Francis Clark has promoted Daniel Sladen to be a new partner at its Truro office. Sladen is a corporate and business tax specialist with extensive experience of complex tax structuring and risk management. Prior to joining PKF Francis Clark in October 2016, he qualified as a tax adviser with global accountancy firm KPMG.

A Cornish business has been ranked among Britain’s fastest growing private companies. Liskeard-based groundworks contractor, Fred Champion Group, appears in 28th place on the annual Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 league table, with profits over the past three years growing by an average 84% to £7.3 million.

£7.3m

PROFITS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS GROWING BY AN AVERAGE 84% TO £7.3 MILLION

The dream of a Stadium for Cornwall has never been closer after Cornwall Council agreed to provide up to £3 million of capital funding.

Councillors voted 69 for, 41 against with seven abstentions, to provide previously unallocated money from its Economic Development Match funding pot to support the delivery of the Stadium for Cornwall by August 2019, in time for the beginning of the academic year and rugby and football seasons.

A spokesperson for the main three partners behind the project – Cornish Pirates, Truro City FC and Truro and Penwith College, said: “We had thought it might be a close vote, but having such a large majority in favour is a huge positive signal. The vote indicates this is something Cornwall wants and now the partners will move forward to deliver the project subject to the envisaged central Government funding being forthcoming.

“We would like to thank councillors for the faith they have shown in the partnership and to take this opportunity to thank all of those from across Cornwall who have come together and supported the Stadium for Cornwall project.”

The project, which has been many years in the making and has gone through a number of ups and downs, will safeguard the survival of the sports clubs as well as bring additional benefits to the college as it establishes a new education and training centre for catering, hospitality, sport, leisure and health, together with a business, conference and hospitality centre.

The Council will provide the £3 million funding on

We had thought it might be a close vote, but having such a large majority in favour is a huge positive signal

the proviso that central Government matches the pledge.

While at time of writing no guarantees from Whitehall had been received, the expectation is that it will be forthcoming.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for planning and economy, Bob Egerton, said: “I want to thank our six Cornish MPs for the support that they have given to this project. We will also be submitting a business case requesting a similar figure from central Government. We know that this funding is not guaranteed, but we will continue to work with the MPs and we are hopeful that it can be achieved.”

Three years ago, then Prime Minister David Cameron said the Government would be willing to offer some financial assistance to project.

Local MP Derek Thomas has been meeting Government officials to persuade them to honour that promise. He said: “We met with secretaries of state and ministers after David Cameron’s commitment, but we did not have a firm proposal then. We do now and I have been doing a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between MPs and various groups in relation to this. The Council’s decision makes it much easier for us to make the case for Government funding to make up the shortfall.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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CORNWALL

BUSINESS NEWS

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QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR CORNISH COMPANIES RIGHT: KATH AND NICK WHITWORTH BELOW: JAMES STAUGHTON

Cornish companies are celebrating after receiving the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

The Queen’s Award is seen as one of the UK’s most prestigious business awards, recognising and celebrating business excellence across the UK. St Austell Brewery received the accolade for Sustainable Development, while Newquaybased clothing brand, Celtic & Co, was honoured in the International Trade category.

Torpoint-based Resilience Communications, meanwhile, won two Queen’s Awards – one for international trade and the other for innovation, while Falmouth-based Watson Marlow was also recognised in the innovation category for its Qdos pump technology: the world’s first self-contained, chemical metering pump.

All four businesses will now be able to use the Queen’s Award emblem for the next five years.

Brewery CEO, James Staughton, said: “To us, sustainability is now second nature, as it should be with any organisation and this award isn’t just about the honour and prestige; just as important is the added insight it can offer towards the future proofing of your business.”

Celtic & Co was rewarded for its export business. Since being founded 28 years ago

by Nick and Kath Whitworth, the company now sells to more than 90 countries across the world and most recently has seen significant growth in the North American and Australian markets.

Nick Whitworth commented: “Receiving this Queen’s Award has to be one of our most memorable experiences since we started so long ago back in 1990. To receive one of the most prestigious business awards in Great Britain could only be achieved not just by all 8

of us here at Celtic & Co, but also because of all the contributions from our suppliers and of course all of our customers.”

Resilience Communications designs and manufactures products that add value to communications systems and has military contracts with ten NATO nations, plus Austria and Australia.

Company director, former Royal Marine Alasdair Keir, said: “It’s fantastic to be recognised in this way. More than anything else I’m delighted such a small dedicated team has achieved the highest business accolades available in Great Britain. My colleagues, our suppliers and friends have done incredible work; the awards recognise a real devotion to ensuring our customers get the service they deserve.”

Watson Marlow MD, Simon Nicholson, added: “Every member of our team can celebrate his or her part in this prestigious win. We are truly honoured and delighted to find ourselves in receipt of a Queen’s Award for the second year in a row.”

sapc.co.uk

£50M CONTRACT WIN James Fisher Marine Services Ltd (JFMS) has been awarded a ten-year marine services contract worth in excess of £50 million.

Building on its success as an “integrator of complex marine and offshore projects”, Falmouth-based JFMS will be responsible for the provision of a wide range of James Fisher group services to ensure safe and efficient offloading operations at an offshore terminal on the east coast of England.

JFMS will deliver offshore and subsea operations, supporting the safe arrival, connection, and departure of an estimated 110 tankers per year at the offshore terminal.

MD, Fergus Graham, said: “We’re very proud to have been awarded this significant contract by a global energy firm. It is testament to the hard work and dedication of all involved.”

WORK BEGINS ON WORKSPACE Work has begun on project to provide new high-quality employment space in Falmouth.

The £7.3 million scheme will provide an extension to the existing site at Bickland Industrial Park on Bickland Water Road.

The project represents the first speculative employment space development in Falmouth for a number of years and is aimed at the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) business community in the area.

The new development is thanks to a major private sector investment undertaken by Falmouth Developments Ltd, which has secured up to £3.4 million of grant funding from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Programme.

Falmouth Developments director, Steve Russell, said: “We are pleased to undertake this significant employment space scheme in Falmouth at this time and representing a major investment in providing much needed business space for SMEs. Falmouth is a vibrant growth town and the project will support the creation of new jobs and opportunities within the local economy.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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BUSINESS NEWS

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GLOBAL OUTLOOK FOR DRY DOCK Penzance Dry Dock has entered into a joint venture agreement with an international yacht repair firm.

The dry dock is part of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group and one of the biggest employers in the area. It looks after and maintains ships on behalf of the Steamship Group, and provides engineering services for both marine and land-based projects throughout the UK. It has signed an agreement with Floridabased Yachtprojects International Llc,

which undertakes refit and repair project management and offers servicing work globally.

Pippa Nicholas, owner and technical director of Yachtprojects International, said: “We see this joint venture as an opportunity to give the yachting community in Europe something that has been missing in the past – a cost-effective place to undertake annual five and ten-year survey work.”

Yachtprojects International has completed work totaling more than $250 million in remote

commercial shipyards globally, including, Australia, Singapore and South Africa.

Kevin Ayres, marine superintendent at Penzance Dry Dock for Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, added: “Working with Yachtprojects International is a natural progression for us at Penzance Dry Dock.

The company has worked within commercial ship circles as well as the modern day yacht sector, and has a full understanding of what both a captain and the crew require from their yard time.”

BRIGHT FUTURE FOR THE RETAIL FIXERS Two Cornish retail entrepreneurs have joined forces to launch their own consultancy.

The Retail Fixers, which aims to provide advice and support to SME retailers both online and on the high street, is the creation of Michèle Poynter and Sam Taylor of Mish and Digi-Quick.

Poynter explained: “We have a lot of knowledge and expertise to offer fellow retailers that we’ve accumulated over the 25 combined years since we launched our own businesses.

“Our advice is not just best practice; it is put into practice in our own businesses every day, backed by our own money.”

Taylor added: “We have experienced all the highs and lows of running a retail business and we can truly empathise with what it takes to launch, maintain and grow a business, whether that is juggling your social media presence, staff, stock or advertising.

“Michele and myself have always helped other businesses but working together, we cover so much more and can make an instant impact.”

ABOVE: SAM TAYLOR AND MICHELE POYNTER BUSINESS CORNWALL

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IOS

STEAMSHIP GROUP

FULL STEAM The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has been supporting local tourism for nearly 100 years

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ourism is a vital part of the local economy, and nowhere more so than on the Isles of Scilly, where business owners rely on a steady stream of visitors to maintain the islands’ principal industry, with the tourism sector supporting 85% of all employment for those 2,300 people living and working on this unique archipelago.

The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has been helping visitors and residents alike to make the connection between the Isles of Scilly and the Cornish mainland for almost 100 years.

Formed on 26th March 1920, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group provided, and continues to provide, lifeline passenger and freight services to the Isles of Scilly. The first Scillonian ship began sailing in February 1926 and since then the company has continually operated a shipping service to the islands.

IslesOfScilly_May18.indd 2

The current passenger ferry, the iconic Scillonian III, sails daily from Penzance Harbour between March to October, complemented by a Skybus fixed wing airline service, which launched in 1984. Eight Skybus aircraft fly yearround from Land’s End and Newquay Airports, and from Exeter Airport between March and October.

In 2017, the Scillonian III passenger ferry and the Skybus fixed wing services together transported 214,000 people to and from the islands.

The group’s vital freight shipping service also operates throughout the year, delivering essential supplies from the mainland to provide for islanders and the tourists they welcome every year.

But it doesn’t stop there. The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group continues to invest in a strong, reliable transport system to the Isles of Scilly, and announced in February that it was

launching a helicopter service from Land’s End Airport to the islands. Tickets are already on sale ahead of the service, appropriately named Island Helicopters, taking its inaugural flight on May 21.

The Islands’ Partnership, the lead body for tourism and business on Scilly, launched its long-term vision for the islands’ vital tourism industry in March when it published a Destination Management Plan, which sets out to revitalise this essential industry for the islands, with the support of major island stakeholders and funding support from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

A resilient, robust and reliable helicopter service will offer another way to transport the influx of seasonal

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STEAMSHIP GROUP

visitors to Scilly, supporting the aims of this new plan, as well as being better able to cope with the sometimes difficult weather conditions in the winter months and keep the connection to the mainland open for islanders and visitors year-round.

Island Helicopters will utilise brand new ten-seater AW169 aircraft, one of the most advanced, state-of-the-art helicopters in the world, which means it is especially well suited to the route. The helicopter flight takes around 20 minutes and the service will operate from Land’s End up to eight times a day, six days a week.

The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has also invested substantially in improving its fixedwing services, and in upgrading Land’s End Airport, which it owns, with a new £1 million terminal building built in recent years, as well as additional car parking created, to support more than 60,000 passengers using the airport each year, with in excess of 10,000 aircraft movements managed.

The airport also benefited from a £2.6 million project, partially funded by the European Union, in recent years to replace the old grass runways with asphalt to ensure they were more weather-resilient, and Land’s End is also now home to a purpose-built fire engine, especially for the airport’s use.

More recently, the Steamship Group introduced a new GPS-based landing system into all eight of its Skybus aircraft.

This investment, totalling £260k, is helping to improve resilience and reliability for fixed-wing flight services, particularly in poor weather, which will benefit tourists visiting the Isles of Scilly, as well as islanders relying on the flight

IslesOfScilly_May18.indd 3

connections year-round. This state-of-the-art landing system will also be used by the Island Helicopters service.

MD of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, Mark Howarth, believes the group’s ongoing investment in its services will help to support tourism to the area moving forward.

He says: “Tourism is a crucial part of life on the Isles of Scilly, and in Cornwall as a whole,

IOS

the coming months and years. The £17 million turnover business employs 228 people and is one of the biggest employers in the area, further supporting the sector in Cornwall.

It is also a company that looks outwards, investing not only in its own services and businesses, but in supporting the communities it operates in.

The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group

In 2017, the Scillonian III passenger ferry and the Skybus fixed wing services together transported 214,000 people to and from the islands and we believe that by investing back into our services, we can provide increasingly reliable services to visitors and residents on the islands, which can only help to attract more people to visit this amazing destination.

“Our investment in Island Helicopters has proven to be a popular one, with more than 4,500 people registering their interest in using the service before tickets went on sale, and hundreds of tickets already sold just weeks after we opened sales. The helicopter will provide a reliable, and enormously exciting, mode of transport to the Isles of Scilly.”

The company isn’t resting on its laurels, with continued investment planned for its services in

returns more than £1.1 million a year to local communities through sponsorship, grants and subsidised travel for islanders through the group’s Travel Club, which offers island residents substantial discounts on scheduled air and sea services.

For more information about Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, visit www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk

23/04/2018 09:53

Bell While the tourism sector is a vital cog in Cornwall’s economy, we’re still missing out on a few tricks to leverage its true value, says Visit Cornwall chief executive, Malcolm Bell PHOTOS BY: TOBY WELLER

Much has changed since you became chief executive of Visit Cornwall in 2010, not least of all the withdrawal of public funding three years ago. How has it all been?

It’s been quite a fascinating seven or eight years; fascinating but quite frustrating. But I still think I have failed in my main mission. I think that while a lot of the Cornish people understand it, politically sometimes people don’t see the power of what tourism can bring, they tend to see the problems and not the opportunities, while with the new sectors, they tend to leap on the opportunity and don’t see the problems.

Back in 2012 we did a community attitude study and a third of households in Cornwall, to greater and lesser degrees depend on tourism. Whether you’re a painter or a plasterer or an accountant or an architect, you know that some of your business comes from tourism. So you have that 30%, 35% really positive about

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tourism, then about 40% who say “it doesn’t affect me, I’m quite happy, it benefits the area. I get it that we get better restaurants and cafes” and so on. And then you have the 15% who are quite grumpy and hate it. But if you had asked me before that survey how many people supported tourism, I would have said if we get 70% we’re doing well. But we got 85%.

There are negatives, people recognise those - congestion in the summer, second homes and house prices. But not being funny, the university has also contributed to house prices as have other developments. A very wise man once told me is what you’ve got to understand, particularly politicians, is when you solve one problem you normally create another.

When I was a young man in Cornwall back in the 1980s, house prices were in line with wages because you couldn’t really get up and down the county that easily. So yes, tourism is a catalyst for second homes, but the major thing has been the improvements to the A30 and the out pull.

To have a second home problem, you need to have a beautiful place, people with money who can buy into that place and connectivity. So it was a consequence of improving connectivity more than just tourism, but at times I do feel we get picked on that it’s all to do with tourism.

Tourism contributes hugely to the local economy. Is this fact sometimes overlooked?

It’s £1.9 billion, about 11% of GVA. That makes it a massive sector on its own and probably about three times the national average, which means we’re about three times more dependent on tourism than other areas.

But we’re missing a few tricks. To give you an idea of what tourism can deliver, we have about half a million families, couples, and groups of people who come regularly. If they just spend £5 a week as that group on something Cornish elsewhere, that’s an extra £130 million to the Cornish economy. The recent Thinkingplace report had the right concept but was badly communicated because it didn’t explain it was for the people of Cornwall. And one of the problems that frustrates me is that people lecture at Cornwall rather than communicate and explain the benefits to them. They are constantly told what is good for them and most people don’t take kindly to that at the best of times.

So my way is if those half a million couples, families and groups spent that £5 a week, be it a pint of Doom or Tribute, some cheese occasional bit of clothing from Finisterre, which

23/04/2018 09:56

INTERVIEW

MALCOLM BELL

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 09:57

THE WISH

LIST

We’re the #1 holiday destination in the British Travel Awards, and have been for the last nine years would be far more than £5 a week, that creates us a £130 million bonus for Cornwall without them even coming. We have another 2 million regular visitors; that gives us 2.5 million to sell Cornish goods to without even trying.

We need to lever tourism but that involves a bit of investment. But that £130 million could easily grow to £200 million, £250 million. There have been benefits from us coming out of Cornwall Council, but a downside is they tend to think they don’t have anything to do with tourism anymore and they’re missing two big opportunities. One is that secondary sales. They have a report but haven’t done anything about it; how do we turn that £130 million into reality? We can do it with our social media reach, but we need some investment with that.

And we often hear talk about inward investment, but most of the potential inward investors are already here; they’re just staying in the Scarlet Hotel or a 5 star cottage. It’s all about leverage.

The other area we’re missing out on terribly in my humble opinion is by being prejudice against tourism in the finding cycle. We’re the #1 holiday destination in the British Travel

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Awards, and have been for the last nine years.

But we are very poor overseas – just 5% or visitors. That’s because overseas haven’t heard about us and there isn’t the marketing budget.

And they say ‘we don’t support tourism.’

But it’s not about supporting tourism. The beauty of overseas visitors is we can target them to come when we want. I don’t want to grow August business, but May, June and early July are brilliant times to see Cornwall. And the overseas visitor wants to tour Cornwall, so wants the maximum amount of daylight hours.

So instead of doing a campaign in the UK of Cornwall is at its best in the spring, because we’ll always have the summer business, but equally we’ve been doing some work in the Dutch and German markets about these beautiful three months of the year from late April to July when we’ve got empty beds; the staff could do with more hours, the roads are empty.

The Brits are difficult to get at that time of year, but the Germans, Dutch, Americans and Australians would come, but we’ve no marketing clout to do it. When we apply for funds for raising export through tourism, because tourism is an export market, we all too often get rejected because it’s tourism.

There’s an industry here and ready to exploit and grow overseas at a time of year we want, but we can’t get the resources. And it is a frustration, but I understand it isn’t a high priority project area such as the space port and other

developments.

And I support those projects, but they are what I would call a punt; a punt to make a big step forward, be it Wave Hub or a space port.

But put some resources towards tourism - it’s a sure fire bet! And I know it’s sometimes because they don’t necessarily rate the jobs, which is also a frustration, because they’re often jobs for local people rather than just people coming in, and that’s why I support the projects to raise the range of jobs, particularly the technical and creative ones.

But tourism is a great mobility sector, you can move in and move up quite quickly. Even if you didn’t go to college and get a degree, you can still develop and grow. It’s a good first choice career but also second choice, a second chance, inasmuch as if you’re 25, haven’t got anything, if you go in and work in tourism and have something about you, you can move up. Tourism can deliver tremendously on the employment and inclusivity agenda.

We still have to wash dishes and tend to gardens and do jobs right across the range, but a chef is a highly creative jobs, so are the marketing jobs, the digital marketing jobs. But I think there is a prejudice that jobs in tourism are all “crap” jobs.

They all slag off tourism for productivity and we have a £1 million bid in to tackle productivity in tourism. And I will be interested to see if we get rejected again because it’s tourism!

23/04/2018 09:58

INTERVIEW

People look at tourism and say the reasons we’ve got problems in productivity and low average earnings in Cornwall is because it’s bloody tourism. So we invest in high productivity areas and new industries; brilliant, thumbs up says Malcolm Bell! But for goodness sake tackle the productivity and jobs issue in tourism, don’t just turn your back on it. And tourism can tackle things in productivity. Export, if we made a 20% increase in occupancy in May, June and July, that would aid producity. Because basically we have a factory that’s not working.

So, yes, grow other sectors like space and agritech, but please don’t forget about tourism. We don’t have the resources go and get new sectors from abroad.

The danger is that the competition is starting to crawl all over us. In the mid 90’s, Cornwall was on the sick step of tourism in the UK, in there with Skegness, Bognor, Blackpool. In two decades plus it has gone from league two to the premier league. So the chip on that shoulder says please recognise what the tourism businesses have done, they have turned themselves round in two decades. Look at where Watergate Bay has come from, and Eden, there has been some good stuff. So we’re not asking for support for the tourism sector to do what it has always done, but wouldn’t it be great if we invested in export, just don’t think about it as tourism, it’s export earnings at a time of year we need.

Politically, they don’t think there are votes in it.

They think tourism will always be successful and have forgotten how it was two decades ago, but competition is there.

Are foreign visitor numbers rising much?

Actually it’s quite static; it might rise on the exchange rates. But when we get them here, they’re not as loyal, about a 30% return rate which in overseas markets is strong, but it’s stumbling. At the moment we rely on Poldark, which gives us 50-year old women looking for a man with a hairy chest! What you’ve got then is dictated by your market, who watches that programme. So Doc Martin, like Rosamunde Pilcher, has a particular market in Germany but there are plenty of other Germans who might be interested in Cornwall but don’t watch Doc Martin and read Rosamunde Pilcher. So it’s great that we’ve got it and most other destinations would bite off my arms to get it, but it limits you with where you get into those countries.

MALCOLM BELL

In the mid 90’s, Cornwall was on the sick step of tourism in the UK, in there with Skegness, Bognor, Blackpool.

In two decades plus it has gone from league two to the premier league

Is Cornwall too far for some people to visit?

No, it’s more that they don’t know about it. For the Americans it’s nothing. Think how far you have to travel in America, a 55 minute flight down from Gatwick or even five hours on a train, is nothing. A lot of overseas visitors do London and Edinburgh, or London and Cotswolds, because they want to see quintessential England. A lot of American tour operators are now interested in doing London, Cotswolds, and Cornwall. It’s all down to awareness. America is a growth area, but the main volume of overseas visitors are the Dutch and Germans.

We have a very accessible coastline which I think attracts them.

Many from France and Italy?

Not so much the French, they have Brittany to be blunt, which is very similar. Italians are finding us, partly through Poldark. They actually quite like us in the summer because it is cooler. Italian journalists we’ve had

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over have said we love your beaches because they’re “natural”. What’s an unnatural beach, you may ask. But in Italy they flatten them every day and put the boardwalks out and manicure them. They like the fact here you just walk onto a beach. Don’t even have deck chair hire any more. And they love the tide reach, because in Italy you’ve obviously got the Med and the tide doesn’t go out.

We would never want to grow overseas to be more than 10%-12% because you are very prone to exchange rates, and we don’t want to be dependent on it. But currently overseas is 4%-6%, so we can do a damned site better.

How important is good weather to a summer season, as there isn’t so much to in Cornwall when it’s raining?

The weather can be is critical, or at least the perception of weather. There are things to do, but it’s going to cost you. And it’s not people’s desire to be driving around with their wipers on. There’s about 28% of the UK market who like to “fly and flop”, get on a plane and fly to Cyrpus or wherever and rotate every hour like a chicken on the rotisserie. But that still leaves us with 70%+.

Good weather especially helps the campsites and holiday parks. But something else that has changed is that 50% of our market now is additional holidays. These people might have done a skiing holiday, a travel holiday, even a fly and flop holiday, but are still having their time in Cornwall every one, two or three years.

Can Cornwall sometimes be a bit expensive?

The good news is that we are. And I don’t apologies for that. But the even better news is that we are considered better value for money than other destinations in the UK for accommodation.

What about prices in restaurants?

In restaurants we’re seen as ‘fair’. The ones in the middle of the range sometimes get a bit of stick in terms of value for money, the sort of food you could cook at home by picking it up at Sainsbury’s then being charged £18, that is seen as expensive. One thing I always say to restaurateurs, look after your local market, because it’s your local market that will keep you going during the quieter months.

It’s like the general reflection, that as soon as July comes there will be profiteering in the sector, because how much do the holidays go up in the summer? And it does hurt. But there are 80+ hotels in Cornwall, 2,500 self-catering, and over 150 holiday parks and campsites.

So you can imagine if someone is charging too much, there’s plenty of other business. What we’d love to see is a staggering of school holidays regionally, like Germany does and other countries do, rather than all crammed into the same six weeks. That price then comes down to spread, and is also less strain on the infrastructure.

What we’d love to see is a staggering of school holidays regionally, like Germany does and other countries do, rather than all crammed into the same six weeks 16

How have the past three years been since the Visit Cornwall stopped being part of the Council and became a Community Interest Company? At the time it must have been a great worry that you were going down the pan?

And we still could because we need industry support.

Some say you don’t need tourist boards anymore, you have the online travel agents, we’ll just pay them a commission. But I’m glad to say the book direct

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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INTERVIEW

MALCOLM BELL

People still think we’re the tourist board and in a way we’ve got to look like that because that’s what attracts the visitor

message is getting through and that’s one we can help with. Because it’s fine to say we’ll get all our business through Expedia or bookings. com, but you’re taking probably half your profit with it.

But the past three years has been a journey.

At times it’s gone from the best idea I’ve ever had through to ‘oh my god, why did we do it’ because it is challenging.

People still think we’re the tourist board and in a way we’ve got to look like that because that’s what attracts the visitor. A lot of people wouldn’t have noticed a difference. And what does it matter to a visitor? Sometime the industry forget we don’t get anything, so that’s message you have to keep getting across. But for a visitor we want them to think we’re the tourist board, because that’s what will bring them to our website. When I came in 2010, admittedly there was real boost in the budget from One Cornwall, but the budget for tourism in 2010 was £2.2 million of public money and 68 staff. That dropped to 28 and then to 23 with a budget of about a million. Now we have just five full time equivalent staff.

With no Council funding at all?

No, but we work very well with them. But there is a myth that we get money. All the councils in Devon, they spend £1 million so we’re competing against that. Bath is almost £1 million a year. So we struggle to do national

marketing campaigns; actually we don’t do them. Visit Scotland gets over £5 per head of population, Wales £3.75, Cornwall zero.

Nothing from organisations like Visit England?

No. In fact they want money off us. To get included in Visit England campaigns, as a destination you have to put money in.

But you’re a jewel in their crown?

Yes, and luckily that works for us because they can’t miss us out, but we could have a bigger presence. That’s why they’ve asked us to apply for a project called the ‘Two Coasts’, which would see Visit Cornwall leading on behalf on Devon, Somerset and Dorset. It would enable us to do a good show at things like the World Travel market in Berlin and World’s Travel Market in the UK, but we’re going to have to raise money to do that, which would be a challenge.

So if my colleagues in other parts of country come to me to say Visit Britain needs a £25k contribution, I can’t do that to the members because its speculative work that won’t pay through for at least two or three years, and we need to keep them fed with enquiries.

We can’t take their membership money and say we can’t replace the website because we’re investing in all these campaigns. We’ve receive great support from GWR and others, but it is frustrating that we’ve had to let some

opportunities go by.

Is Brexit proving a challenge? Can it put off some foreign visitors?

It doesn’t put people off from coming, no. Most people understand it was a reaction against the politicians of Europe. Labour is the problem; we don’t have enough labour and its not just tourism, but the care sector, agricultural sector as well. If you add all those jobs up, there isn’t enough locally to fill them.

So our plea to Government is to allow for a six month, one year, two year whatever depending on the skill level, work permit that would allow people to freely come in. But it has to be pretty automatic, based on criteria. You can’t make it too long and challenging to apply.

And that’s what happens is Switzerland, and at the end of that job you have to go back. So hopefully we can work around that.

But we are less dependent on that labour than London. And my little Cornish hope is that there will be a lot of voices from big hotels in London shouting in ears to solve it otherwise one of your biggest cities and tourist destinations in the world is going to grind to a halt! So as an issue what are we doing about it? I think London will sort it and we›ll gain the benefit. But Brexit is coming and we have to make the most of it and get on with it and history will tell. We’ve jumped out the plane, we just have to get the parachute to work!

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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TOURISM

ADVERTORIAL

SLOW START TO 2018

PKF Francis Clark partner, Tom Roach, looks at some of the early season data

O

ur regular review of the hotel occupancies around Cornwall is now largely complete to the end of March 2018. These numbers show a slow start to the year. While January and February were largely flat at just positive increases, March was down by nearly 3%. We normally consider moves of more than 2% as significant. Easter partially fell within March, which would have ordinarily meant increases in March numbers, so this was a significant reduction year on year and follows similar falls in 2017. This is partly explained of course by the bad weather, however, with the Beast from the East causing trouble down West!

Longer term trends of occupancies in January and February are however more encouraging where we have seen increases of over 25% in both of these traditionally low occupancy periods with occupancies now typically being around 25% in January and 40% in February. This compares to historic levels in 2010 of around 15-20% in January and 30% in February. This is complemented by similar trends towards the end of the calendar year.

In fact, 2017 saw particularly strong occupancy levels towards the end of the year which partially made up for to the sluggish summer and the year overall finished at occupancy levels 1.5% up on 2017 and at record levels of 55% for the year as a whole.

Historically this has been around 50% with it dipping around 2009/10 to below this level.

Whether your glass is half full for 2018 or half empty depends on your viewpoint but we certainly start from a confident base of core support for Cornwall in 2017.

Now that tourism has been included as one of the 10 opportunities in the LEP strategic plan, this very important sector can hopefully leverage on an already strong position to look at accessing other markets with hopefully some help being provided. The combination of tourism sector expertise with some of the other ten key opportunities such as the highlighting of the excellent food propositions could mean the impact is mutually beneficial.

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Longer term trends of occupancies in January and February are however more encouraging where we have seen increases of over 25%

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 10:17

ADVERTORIAL COMMERCIAL

PROPERTY TOURISM

CALLING ALL HOLIDAY HOME OWNERS! We meet Becky Tidd, portfolio development manager at Cornish holiday property agency, Cornish Horizons

B

ecky is part of one of Cornwall’s leading holiday home agencies.

In fact, Cornish Horizons boasts nearly 700 cottages throughout the Duchy, in some of the best coastal and countryside locations. Becky and the team, with offices in Padstow, Porthleven, Looe, Fowey and St Ives, are experts when it comes to providing the best service to both homeowners and holidaymakers. In fact, a recent homeowner survey showed that 96% of Cornish Horizons homeowners would recommend the company!

Becky, who joined the team in 2010, tells us: “We have been operating as an independent family business for over 25 years. Our team, which is now more than 25 strong, all live in the local area. Each of us

offers an in-depth knowledge of Cornwall, and we love nothing more than helping our customers choose the right cottage for their perfect holiday.

“Living in Cornwall, I know about the beaches best loved by locals and where to go for the freshest seafood in town! For the team here at Cornish Horizons, sharing our everyday, authentic experience living in Cornwall is what draws visitors to us and keeps them coming back, year after year.”

When asked if there’s anything that might surprise us about the business, Becky informs us that Cornish Horizons is actually part of a family of brands owned by The Original Cottage Company, which is the UK’s biggest independent and family-owned holiday cottage agency.

Becky and the team of property managers are constantly on the lookout for new properties and welcome the opportunity to meet with anyone that’s thinking about letting. Experienced, knowledgeable and trusted for more than 25 years, they can offer free advice without obligation, so if you’ve been thinking about letting, be sure to get in touch with the experts at Cornish Horizons.

01841 533331 www.cornishhorizons.co.uk

THE IMPORTANCE OF REINVESTMENT

Simon Reed is a partner at RRL, an independent firm of chartered accountants and chartered tax advisers. He gives his view on the role of reinvestment in Cornwall’s competitive tourism industry

I

n today’s competitive business climate, those that fail to reinvest can quickly be left behind. The rise of digitisation and demand for better customer experiences means businesses must respond to remain competitive, and this is no truer than for those in Cornwall’s booming leisure and tourism industry. At RRL we understand this everchanging landscape. Our team of friendly experts provide clients with clear, relevant advice that makes a real difference.

Reinvestment can mean anything from refurbishing your premises through to launching a new website. For some business owners, the costs involved in making such changes can be discouraging and the opportunity to

capitalise on investment-focused tax incentives are frequently missed, or under-utilised. For example, many business owners do not fully realise the benefits of capital allowances or research and development tax relief when reinvesting, and this is where we can assist.

We work with clients from across the leisure and tourism spectrum to identify how reinvestment can add value to their business.

We consider where your business is now, and where you would like to be in the future.

This, combined with our expertise in tax and alternative funding sources such as grants, enables us to help you see the bigger picture and select the best reinvestment approach for you and your business.

Seeking the advice of an experienced chartered accountant or chartered tax adviser will ensure that you are fully informed of the opportunities available, allowing you to make the best decision for your business growth.

RRL is an independent firm of chartered accountants and chartered tax advisers. For more information visit www.rrlcornwall.co.uk or call 01872 276116 or 01736 339322.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 10:18

BEST OF Teagle Machinery leads the way at 13th annual Cornwall Business Awards

T

eagle Machinery was crowned Winner of Winners at last month’s Cornwall Business Awards.

The Blackwater-based agricultural equipment manufacturer departed St Mellion International with a trio of trophies - Best International Business, Best Family Business and the overall award.

“To be crowned Best International Business and Best Family Business is a huge honour so to be awarded Winner of Winners is the icing on the cake,” said director Tom Teagle.

“Being Cornish and part of the local business community is significantly important to us so

to be judged as being among the best by our peers is truly humbling. We are absolutely delighted to accept these awards.”

Organised by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth and Skills Hub, the Cornwall Business Awards, now in their 13th year, proved to be another outstanding success, with guest speaker Gregg Wallace proving an instant hit with the audience.

Trophies were awarded across 16 categories, covering everything from sustainability to innovation and customer focus, featuring businesses from St Austell to St Agnes.

New kid on the block, WAX Group, which

has bars and restaurants in Watergate Bay and Newquay won Best New Business, while the title of Best Third Sector Business was awarded to iSightCornwall. Eight Wire was recognised for Excellence in Digital Marketing.

Award sponsor Toni Eyriey of Business Cornwall said: “Eight Wire delivered an inventive, interactive, relatable and jolly good fun digital marketing campaign that saw an increase in revenue and market presence for Halto. Congratulations!”

Praise was also bestowed on individuals with Jeremy Sneller from TouchByte Ltd named as Entrepreneur of the Year and Aiden Hicks from Westward Farm on the Isles of Scilly as Young

ABOVE: WINNER OF WINNERS 22

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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CORNWALL BUSINESS

Business Person of the Year.

“A huge and heart felt congratulations to all of the winning businesses,” said Stu Anderson of the Growth and Skills Hub. “It is these businesses that are putting Cornwall on the map and adding weight to the burgeoning reputation for innovation, creativity and excellence for which the region is increasingly synonymous.”

“At the Growth and Skills Hub we help businesses develop so are no strangers to the wealth of talent that is so prevalent here, yet such was the quality, we were astounded by the entries and are honoured to help shine the spotlight on all of the finalists.”

Kim Conchie of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, sponsor of the Winner of Winners award, added: “The winning businesses are deserving on so many levels. They are adding new dimensions to Cornwall’s economic profile and are Cornish brand ambassadors.

“Teagle Machinery for example now export to nearly 50 countries and through authenticity and strong ethics have enabled their family values to flourish alongside significant business growth.”

For more photos from the night, turn to p46.

ROLL OF HONOUR YOUNG BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

sponsored by Truro & Penwith College Aiden Hicks from Westward Farm

BEST NEW BUSINESS IN CORNWALL sponsored by Outset Cornwall WAX

BEST THIRD SECTOR BUSINESS sponsored by the Eden Project iSightCornwall

CUSTOMER FOCUS sponsored by St Austell Brewery The Headland Hotel and Spa

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR sponsored by Cornwall College Business Spiral UK

MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR sponsored by Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership CIS (UK) Ltd

MOST CREATIVE USE OF DESIGN

sponsored by Commercial Estates Group Sanders Studios

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by University of Exeter, Cornwall Leap

Awards_May18.indd 3

AWARDS

EXCELLENCE IN DIGITAL MARKETING

sponsored by Business Cornwall Eight Wire

MOST DYNAMIC GROWTH BUSINESS

sponsored by Transform Ward Williams Associates

BEST FAMILY BUSINESS

sponsored by St Austell Printing Company Teagle Machinery Ltd

BEST INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Sponsored by Pall Corporation Teagle Machinery Ltd

BUSINESS INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

sponsored by CORSERV Microtest

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

sponsored by Future Focus from Unlocking Potential Jeremy Sneller from TouchByte Ltd

WINNER OF WINNERS

sponsored by Cornwall Chamber of Commerce Teagle Machinery Ltd

23/04/2018 10:05

ADVERTORIAL

AN INNOVATION NATION

Launching a new product or service can be a daunting prospect anyway, but launching a never-been-seen before innovative new idea comes with even more challenges – this is where Acceleration Through Innovation (ATI) steps in.

cceleration Through Innovation (ATI) is a £3 million ERDF project which supports business innovation across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Whether it’s a new product, process, service or business model, ATI supports innovation in its broadest sense and provides an opportunity for businesses to implement innovative ways of working and trial new markets and ideas.

This is delivered through one to one support from recognised specialists and certified innovation professionals who work with small and medium size organisations, and provide employer and employee led innovation - inspiring new ways of thinking whilst adding value to a business.

From left to right: Brent Treloar, Catherine Parnall, Rachel Roach (Business Innovation Advisors) John Hutchings (Innovation Fund Manager).

INSTILLING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION ATI aims to instill a culture of innovation and provides a support programme which allows businesses to gain vital skills, peer support and advice which in turn allows them to grow.

Part of this offer is the Cornwall Innovation Club; a networking and engagement event at which delegates hear about the innovation journey of other local businesses. Held in the mornings across Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, the Innovation Clubs provide an opportunity for businesses to share knowledge and expand local networks.

In addition to the Innovation Club, the programme also runs high-value sessions in the form of Workshops and Innovation Surgeries. Designed around the latest thinking, the Workshops are delivered over 2-3 hours and tackle a range of issues including R&D Tax Credits, Forensic Lab and Intellectual Property.

In response to challenges which may be linked to an Innovation idea, the Surgeries provide an opportunity for businesses to hear from and interact with a range of industry specialists. These sessions provide intensive high quality information and are designed to be sector specific in order to help businesses grow and develop.

INNOVATION MASTERCLASS A key element of the ATI programme is the Institute of Knowledge Exchange Masterclass. The Masterclass provides businesses engaging with the ATI programme an opportunity to discuss and explore a range of innovative tools and techniques. It also offers a platform for those attending to talk through any challenges, whilst providing support to businesses with the innovation process and strategic decision making.

Jo Hancock, Senior Project Manager of Acceleration Through Innovation said “ATI brings something unique to businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Through it, clients on the programme have an opportunity to benefit from top level, high quality professional Innovation advice and workshops which are accredited by the IKE Institute from London”.

The Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (IKE) is the UK’s professional body for innovators. It accredits and certificates innovation practices and influences the interrelationship between education, business, and government through research and collaborative networks. ATI have partnered with IKE to deliver a number of Masterclasses in Cornwall between now and March 2020.

“ATI brings something unique to businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

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23/04/2018 10:19

POPPING UP ACROSS CORNWALL In order to help as many businesses as possible across the county, part of the ATI project involves creating ‘Popup’ Innovation Centres, which take the concept and good practices developed by the existing Cornwall Innovation Centres out to the wider business community.

Each Pop Up Innovation Centre provides a short term (e.g. 1-3 month) opportunity for locally based businesses to access the specialist knowledge and advice currently available to Innovation Centre clients.

With a permanent Innovation Advisor on hand to support businesses with

FUNDING SUPPORT Access to finance is an issue for many Cornish businesses, particularly for higher risk innovation projects. The ATI Innovation fund is all about encouraging businesses to bring forward projects that may present a higher risk because the outcome is uncertain.

The team supports organisations by working closely with them to assess, develop and help with scoping their project. By utilizing the teams specialist knowledge of project planning, risk

their innovation journey, those visiting the Pop-ups benefit from a range of resources including hot desks, meeting rooms and complimentary wifi. As the work delivered through the Innovation Pop ups is highly responsive to demand, the centres also bring local businesses together through a series of workshops and networking events.

Pop up Innovation Centres have been scheduled for 9 key towns; locations include: Bude, Liskeard, Bodmin, Launceston, Looe, Newquay, St Austell, Penzance, St Marys.

assessing innovation and identifying sustainable commercial ideas, the support and funding is a “leg-up” to getting things done!

Wider market feasibility

Some of the successful investments to date include:

Robotics and automation

Prototyping new products & services Developing new systems & processes Improvements to existing products, processes & services Intellectual Property protection

New and bespoke software development

The ATI Innovation Fund can assist eligible SMEs with funding of between £2,500 and £10,000 for both capital and revenue costs. Larger investments may be available for exceptional projects.

The funds available will be on a matchfunding basis i.e. represent 50% of the total eligible costs.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ATI AND HOW IT CAN HELP YOU, VISIT

www.aticornwallinnovation.co.uk or contact us on 01209 705 166 / ati@plymouth.ac.uk Follow us

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UNIVERSITY

OF PLYMOUTH

PHOTO: COASTAL, OCEAN AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT COAST LABORATORY, UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH

GATEWAY

TO GROWTH

We learn more about Enterprise Solutions: your gateway to the University of Plymouth

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any of Cornwall’s businesses will know Enterprise Solutions - the gateway to the University of Plymouth’s world-class facilities, equipment, talent and expertise.

The university has state-of-the-art technical facilities and specialist equipment that cannot be found anywhere else in the UK. These include four ISO9001 certified analytical testing laboratories, as well as unique marine testing facilities and Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre, which has the most comprehensive range of microscopy and image processing and analysis software in the region. Last year, Enterprise Solutions worked with more than 800 businesses, helping them to drive profitability by securing them access to these facilities for research and development, product testing and new innovative ways of thinking.

Start-up businesses, or those looking for space to grow, can talk to Enterprise Solutions about workspaces and business support, including access to three innovation centres run

by Cornwall Innovation.

For organisations searching for professional development opportunities, Enterprise Solutions can provide access to the university’s industry focused courses. These range from

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bespoke training in specialist topics such as composite materials or cyber security to Degree Apprenticeships or postgraduate study.

Enterprise Solutions can also connect businesses with the talent and expertise to solve their problems. This could involve commissioning research, hosting a graduate intern or forming a collaborative project with experts at the university.

Rich Adams, corporate projects manager at the University of Plymouth, said: “The university works with hundreds of businesses and public and third sector organisations, large and small, to help them find innovative solutions to the challenges they face. This could involve joint research and development projects, access to innovation centres or laboratory facilities, meeting staff development needs or accessing student talent and academic expertise.

“Perhaps there is a particular piece of equipment or technical expertise you want to access, or maybe you think the University could assist you with an R&D problem, but don’t know who to talk to. Enterprise Solutions can connect you to the university of Plymouth’s world-class knowledge and facilities.”

Alan Harper, managing director of Saltash manufacturing company Alan Harper Composites, contacted Enterprise Solutions when he was looking for specialist expertise to develop a new product. He wanted to explore how the university’s composite engineering

experts could support the business to develop an innovative new mobile quick repair solution of wind turbine blade structures.

The Enterprise Solutions team recognised that for this kind of collaboration, a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) could be the ideal way for Alan Harper Composites to bridge the gap between research and development. The conversation resulted in the business securing Innovate UK funding to support a two-year KTP project with the university.

Alan Harper said: “When you’re getting something new onto the market you need to be able to demonstrate that you’ve tested it thoroughly. In other words, you can get more street cred if you’re working with a good university. Enterprise Solutions helped us to link into the University of Plymouth’s wealth of knowledge and the facilities we’ve been able to access have been invaluable.”

To find out what Enterprise Solutions can offer, visit www.essupport.com, email enterprisesolutions@plymouth.ac.uk, or call the dedicated free phone number 0800 052 5600.

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CORNWALL

LEGALLY BOUND TO

PFA Research MD Robert Rush looks at the latest trends affecting the legal sector and reflects on some of the opportunities as well as challenges that local law firms face

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he UK legal sector continues to grow.

According to National Statistics, the ‘turnover on legal activities’ to December 2017 was £33.5 billion, up 7% on 2016 albeit following a dip of -3% the year before. The 2016 wobble was amplified in Cornwall & Isles of Scilly, with GVA for the ‘legal and accounting’ sectors less than 90% of the 2015 output. We await the new statistics to see if the sector in Cornwall bounced back in 2017 as per the rest of the country.

In the March 2018 issue of Business Cornwall, we examined the growing role of technology in upskilling business and the digital ‘always-on learning’ opportunity given the investment in the superfast broadband infrastructure across Cornwall & Isles of Scilly.

We noted that the opportunities for connected businesses (including those working in the legal sector) are more than just transferring large data files but present the opportunities to disrupt traditional industries and re-engineer processes.

PricewaterhouseCooper’s (PwC) 2017 Law Firms’ Survey notes the market challenges, stating that in many respects law firm

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performance has plateaued, if not declined.

Profitability is under pressure and a digital revolution is inevitable for professional services firms. It says fundamental action is needed to future proof the shape and operation of law firms. PwC’s headline message and the title of its report is ‘time for change’.

Another UK study by Peppermint Technology in 2016 into legal services examines how law firms measure up against other sectors in the critical areas of customer satisfaction and business innovation. It concludes that they are not moving fast enough. Its key research findings include: • L egal services achieved the lowest customer satisfaction score compared to other sectors • 1 in 5 law firms make a loss, with 13% being “close to ceasing to trade” • 60% of law firms do not seek regular customer feedback • Law firms invest less on IT as a percentage of turnover than firms in financial services, accountancy or consultancy • 30% of law firms have not introduced any new initiatives in the last two years Such findings were echoed locally last year when PFA Research polled Cornish residents through the What Cornwall Thinks omnibus survey and found that just 37% would be highly likely to recommend their last solicitor.

The Law Society of England and Wales examined the key drivers for change in the current landscape of legal services in its 2016 report, ‘The Future of Legal Services’. It summarises the key drivers of change can be clustered into five groups: • G lobal and national economic business environments • H ow clients buy legal services (including in-house lawyer buyers as well as small and medium sized businesses and the public) • Technological

and process innovation • New entrants and types of competition • W ider political agendas around funding, regulation and the principles of access to justice While ‘global or national economic business environments’ and ‘wider political agendas’ are significant, but otherwise external and largely uncontrollable, law firms may take heed of others, such as how clients want to buy legal services and technological and process innovation, especially with the opportunity of operating in a connected Cornwall.

A report by IRN Research which surveyed 180 UK businesses, predicts sector growth in 2018 and 2019, but proposes that law firms must become more flexible and market-savvy as competition increases and as major clients seek to unbundle legal services by buyingin only selected services. This is highlighted somewhat through another IRN survey which

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discovered that six out of ten small businesses use just one law firm for all their legal needs but a majority of large businesses are using more than one law firm.

The PwC report notes positively that over 70% of firms in its survey of top 100 have delivered or embarked on remote and mobile working, but with work still to do to make such

developing transformational technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation, Predictive Analytics and Smart Contracts although the adoption of these technologies is still immature.

In the April 2017 edition of Business Cornwall, we looked at Cornwall’s legal sector post-Brexit and how the sector has significant

over 70% of firms in its survey of top 100 have delivered or embarked on remote and mobile working, but with work still to do to make such use a cultural norm use a cultural norm. The report also notes that increasingly firms are viewing technology not just to boost efficiency but as a way to re-imagine how legal services are delivered.

Unsurprisingly, larger firms lead the way in

potential to aid job creation in Cornwall, particularly relevant given the uncertainty surrounding Brexit (with arguably no greater certainty one year on) and the loss of European funding in Cornwall.

CORNWALL

Complex global compliance events such as GDPR or economic drivers such as Brexit are creating new large-scale contract remediation challenges for many companies outside of the financial industry, according to Thomson Reuters Legal Managed Services. Contract remediation has historically been labour-intensive, requiring large teams and manual effort. So Thomson Reuters is working with AI company Logical Construct for natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning techniques, to provide the tools to help financial service companies review and repaper legal agreements ahead of Brexit.

IBM Watson, the supercomputer famed for winning US quiz show Jeopardy in 2011, is reportedly working with several legal organisations to develop a range of applications for the profession. Among those are two Swedish law firms building a new AI-driven contract review and advice system.

Focused on shareholder agreements, it has been trained to identify the type of document,

CHAMPIONING CHANGE IN LEGAL SERVICES

W

hen your business requires expert legal advice, there is now an alternative from going down the traditional solicitor route.

That’s because those now working in this emerging sector, known as paralegals, are departing from traditional law firms to offer their services in exactly the same way as solicitors do.

This has been made possible due to legislative changes brought about by The Legal Services Act 2007. Without hefty regulation and insurance, paralegals, who are not qualified solicitors, but carry out much of the same work as a solicitor does, are able to pass on their running costs to their clients whilst upholding a similar code of conduct, confidentiality and security you would expect from a traditional solicitors’ firm.

Champion Law, a paralegal law firm launched this month by Fergus Thompson

thanks to support from leading business start-up expert Outset Cornwall, is to be the flagship of this emerging sector in the Duchy.

Law graduate Thompson, whose background is predominantly in property and litigation said: “We know people are concerned about high legal fees and often go without the legal support they need to save money. Champion Law is here for them, offering transparent legal services at fixed prices.”

Champion Law will initially be offering services that focus on specific areas such as supporting small businesses, consumer rights, lawsuits, and contract and document drafting, including service and tenancy agreements, leases and even private mortgages.

So, whether you’ve employed a solicitor before or need legal services for the first time, get in touch with Champion Law today on 07772 594183 or email info@championlaw.co.uk

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find key clauses and then provide advice on aspects of those clauses.

UK legal AI company Luminance has developed a platform aimed at legal teams to read and understand contracts and other legal documents in any language, finding significant information and anomalies without any instruction. The company’s website states that no set-up or customisation is required.

A major study on behalf of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Legal Services Board (LSB) which covered 1,500 legal organisations including one of the largest ever surveys of Barristers’ chambers, explored innovation in legal services. It found that solicitors are, on average, more innovative than other regulated legal services organisations in terms of both managerial and organisational changes. Further and encouragingly, 80% of organisations across the sector feel that they have a culture and leadership which is open to new ideas, although only around 40% have put

in place organisational procedures to actually support innovation. The report summarises that just a quarter of organisations have introduced new or improved services over the last three years.

We should not be surprised that exemplars of the leading pack of legal sector innovators are right here in Cornwall. Last year Stephens Scown LLP was awarded the UK Law Firm of the Year title at the British Legal Awards. However, it has also won three awards in the Managing Partners’ Forum Awards 2017, namely Best Managed National Firm, Best Leadership of a Mould-breaking Firm and Best Corporate Culture categories.

The judges praised the firm’s innovative approach, including being the first large law firm to introduce an employee ownership scheme, which gives all staff an equal share of the firm’s profits.

Satisfied staff means better service for clients.

We should not be surprised that exemplars of the leading pack of legal sector innovators are right here in Cornwall

BREAK CLAUSE CAUTION Nalders’ lawyer Nick Foote urges caution when exercising break clauses in leases

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he High Court has recently held that a break notice served on behalf of someone who had not yet been registered as the proprietor of the leasehold title is not sufficient to end the lease.

A ten-year lease was granted to the original tenant in March 2013 with a break clause allowing the tenant to terminate in March 2018 by providing nine months’ prior written notice. The tenant’s business was acquired by another company and the tenant applied to the landlord for a licence to assign the lease to the new company.

This was granted but contained a covenant requiring registration of the assignment of the lease at the Land Registry within ten days.

This was never done. On 2 May 2017, the new company sent a notice to the landlord purporting to exercise the break clause. The

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landlord refused to accept the break notice, saying it was invalid, as it had been served on behalf of someone who was not the legal tenant at the time, but was merely the beneficial owner. The High Court agreed; the break notice was invalid and the lease therefore continued.

While this case turns largely on its facts and does not contain new law, it serves as an important reminder of some important practical points: For many purposes, it is the legal tenant who has rights and powers under a lease, and until an assignee of a registered lease becomes the registered proprietor it is not strictly the tenant.

When dealing with a lease assignment, it is important to consider if the lease is registered (and, if not, if it will be registrable following the assignment), in order to ensure that the form

of the assignment is correct and that it is registered in a timely fashion.

It pays to have a solicitor check the terms of any break clause carefully to ensure that any break notice served is effective. If there are problems with the tenant’s title to the lease you may be required to serve more than one notice to ensure that the break is exercised properly.

Nick Foote is based at Nalders Truro Head Office and can assist with commercial property queries across the County and beyond.

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CORNWALL

Stephens Scown LLP was awarded the UK Law Firm of the Year title at the British Legal Awards

GETTING TO KNOW CVC SOLICITORS CVC Solicitors (Cornish Venning Chellews) is an independent legal firm and as one of the longest practising legal firms in West Cornwall we have been helping people with their legal matters for over 200 years.

Our experienced lawyers provide legal services not only to individuals but also to businesses throughout Cornwall and beyond.

We specialise in residential and commercial conveyancing, wills & probate, litigation and personal injury amongst many other areas.

We select our lawyers carefully and ensure we provide expert advice on property law, leasehold issues, landlord & tenant matters, disputes, employment law, agricultural concerns, planning agreements, licensing, trusts, court of protection issues, family law, powers of attorney and issues relating to the elderly. Our wide breadth of knowledge enables us to have the confidence to care for all your legal needs.

Creating strong personal relationships with

our clients is key. We ensure that our clients are able to speak to and see the person they are dealing with face to face, and we retain our belief in long-standing, traditional values of integrity, professionalism and value for money.

We understand the importance of listening to your needs, giving you a speedy response and using our experience to give expert legal advice at a competitive and transparent cost.

We have three conveniently located offices serving the West of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and beyond. We can offer home visits or clients are welcome at our Penzance, St Ives or Hayle offices – you will find plenty of free parking right outside our Penzance and St Ives offices. All of our offices are disabled friendly.

We are particularly excited as our St Ives office has recently relocated from the town centre to St Ives Business Park, located at the top of the town where clients

will now be able to park easily, for free, right outside the door.

So, whether you require representation or simply need some clear, practical advice our friendly team can help. To find out more or to make an appointment to see one of our lawyers, please do get in touch or drop in and see us. We look forward to welcoming you to CVC Solicitors!

Website - www.cvc-solicitors.co.uk Contact – enquiries@cvc-solicitors.co.uk Telephone – 01736 362362/362313

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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DIGITAL

BUSINESS SUCCESS

THE SUPERFAST ROUTE The Superfast Business Cornwall programme offers ambitious businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly expert advice and guidance on how to understand, adopt and exploit digital technology for growth

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esigned with small to medium sized enterprises in mind, it fast-tracks the move to a much more effective way of working, by showing businesses how to use the full capabilities of modern IT systems coupled with high-speed fibre broadband.

The 12-hour programme is delivered through a blend of workshops and impartial advice from a Digital Business Adviser, together with Masterclasses or tailored support provided by ICT specialists from the private sector.

The focus is on helping businesses with good growth potential to reach new markets, reduce costs and increase productivity by utilising the digital technology that is right for their business. Some businesses may also qualify for grant support to help get their new

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plans off the ground.

The service is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by Serco, which is a national market leader in the provision of Superfast Broadband focused business support. So far, 235 Businesses have received 12 hours or more of support with a further 140 progressing through the programme.

Here are two examples of ambitious Cornish businesses who have benefited from the support of this outstanding programme.

RIVENTA USES TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT ITS GLOBAL GROWTH PLANS Pump technology business Riventa helps water and waste water companies save money across their pumping networks. In 2016 the company was awarded Project of the Year by

trade body The Pump Centre for its work with Severn Trent Water after it saved the business £400k in energy costs, or 9% of the annual energy bill.

Riventa’s Consultancy Director Tom Clifford explains: “We are a niche company, which means we are able to have a much greater global reach. We currently have overseas contracts in Asia, the Middle East, North America and South America. Before working with Superfast Business Cornwall we were looking for a more robust management system to support further global expansion.”

Riventa worked with Digital Enabler Steve Edwards to identify the best digital solution for managing their business. They implemented a new ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system that can integrate a number of functions from across the whole business including customer relationship management,

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BUSINESS SUCCESS

a sales pipeline, manufacturing and inventory management, accounting and finance, human resources and project management.

The system has an online portal for customers to use so they can see workflows and dashboards, which is a new service for clients. There is also a new document management system that has enabled digitisation of Riventa’s quality management system ISO 9001.

Tom adds: “The ERP system is already providing a solid platform for Riventa, allowing us to be more structured and organised - it will also support our future growth plans and help us develop flexibly when meeting future requirements.”

MICROTEST REACHES NEW MARKETS BY MOVING TO THE CLOUD Microtest is one of the leading providers of clinical software systems for GP practices, and was named IT Provider of the Year 2017-18 in the prestigious General Practice Awards.

Recent discussions with the NHS had highlighted that many practices wanted to move to cloud-based software, rather than the hosted solutions that had previously been standard.

Chris Netherton, MD of Microtest, says: “Our software was already rated very highly against competitor products. The key requirement was to develop a cloud hosted service in a very short timeframe. To do this, we needed to bring in additional outside resource to work under our project management team.

“We applied for funding support and the Superfast Business Cornwall team were very helpful in guiding us through the process and fast-tracking our application. Their Digital Business Enabler, Steve Edwards, also helped

DIGITAL

This is an excellent example of how Superfast Business Cornwall has helped a growing company to expand its range of services and, as a result, access new markets and customers us to select the right consultants for the work.”

Steve Edwards says: “This is an excellent example of how Superfast Business Cornwall has helped a growing company to expand its range of services and, as a result, access new markets and customers.”

Chris Netherton has already seen the impact of this initiative: “Within a few months of starting this project, Microtest gained Preferred Vendor status for NHS Wales, after a rigorous procurement process. We now have the opportunity to work with many new customers across NHS Wales, so this is a really significant step forward. We have already created eight new high-skilled IT jobs in Bodmin, with more planned as a result of this project.”

it is tailored to the specific needs of each company and is delivered by a team that understands the challenges faced by smaller businesses.

“I would urge other businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to get involved with this unique programme. It has the potential to accelerate the growth of your business by making it more efficient, more agile, more productive and more profitable.”

For more information about Superfast Business Cornwall and how it can help your business take full advantage of digital technology, visit www.sfbcornwall.co.uk.

MAXIMISING YOUR POTENTIAL Sebeail Fowell is the Programme and Partnership Manager for the Superfast Business Cornwall team. She says: “It is great to be able to work with forward-looking businesses and to help them reach their goals and aims much sooner than would otherwise be possible. This programme works because

OPPOSITE PAGE: DIGITAL ENABLER STEVE EDWARDS WITH TOM CLIFFORD FROM RIVENTA THIS PAGE: MICROTEST HAVE RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM SUPERFAST BUSINESS CORNWALL PICTURED IS CHRIS NETHERTON MD WITH HIS SONS L_R TRISTAN AND CHRISTOPHER BUSINESS CORNWALL

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GROWTH

PROGRAMME

THE FARM

CRAP APP Becky Willson is on a mission to change the way people think about manure

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GROWTH

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t’s traditionally been seen as a waste product, but it is, in fact, a valuable resource, says the technical specialist at Duchy College’s Rural Business School.

“Put simply, muck is magic,” she says.

“It helps crops grow, enriches soil life, helps with drainage, prevents pollution and saves farmers money on their fertiliser bills.”

Changing a mindset – along with the associated working practices – is an ambitious aim, but Ms Willson is setting out to do this with support from the Agri-tech Cornwall Project by developing the innovative ‘Farm Crap App’.

Launched in 2012, this free-to-use smartphone app contained a calculator and built-in image library, enabling farmers to work out a ‘fertiliser equivalent’ at different spreading rates and so refine their manure, slurry and poultry litter applications.

The follow-up ‘Pro’ version was launched in 2017 and now the new version is set to become more of a whole-farm nutrient planning tool, containing all the data from the latest version of Defra’s Fertiliser Manual (RB209), which suggests the level of nutrients required to provide the best financial return for different crops.

“The principle is all about providing a simple solution to a complex problem,” says Ms Willson.

“At its core is an issue of interpretation. The information about manure and its application is all out there – and a lot generally is known about the science – but farmers can perceive that as boring, so they aren’t valuing their manure or integrating it with their other fertiliser applications. We’re turning the information into a format that makes sense for them.

“Plus, the App doesn’t need to be connected to the internet or have mobile phone signal to work, so we are taking the information and advice out to farmers in the field where they can

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use it. We are effectively there with them when they are making decisions.”

As well as returning to their go-to group of farmers to trial the new version, Ms Willson’s team will be working with contractors and consultants to get under the skin of their needs.

“If they can see it’s a really easy way to interact with their clients and to pool quality and accurate information, then it’ll be valuable to them. Once you get those guys on board, you start to make a holistic system that works all the way up the chain.”

The name also guaranteed some attention.

“We thought long and hard about that, but decided to go with it and it’s given us a lot of publicity,” she says. “It’s very memorable, but we’ve always understood we have a responsibility that if people download it they get an interesting, positive and quality product and experience.

“We need to find ways to help farmers behave in an environmentally-friendly way, but we also need to help them be as efficient as they can be. We mustn’t ever lose sight of the fact that it’s them, day-in day-out, who are feeding the nation. We also need to remember that that all the livestock-focused businesses in Cornwall play a massively important part in our rural communities, so their viability is really important from that perspective, too.

“Making sure they are complying with legislation and doing all the paperwork correctly can be a big worry for farmers, so we’ll also be looking at what else the app might be able to do to allow people who are in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones to complete their paperwork without being frightened about it and without having all the stresses that come along with that,” she adds.

“Farmers and other businesses in the food chain have got many challenges and are facing a huge amount of volatility. We still need to do science for science’s sake, but if our industry is going to get better and compete in a now-global market, we need to be developing applied research that helps farmers and others address those big challenges.”

PROGRAMME

Farmers and other businesses in the food chain have got many challenges and are facing a huge amount of volatility

AGRI-TECH CORNWALL PROJECT

This project is supported by the Agri-tech Cornwall Project – a three-year, £10 million initiative supporting research, development and innovation into agricultural technologies that boosts the agricultural, horticultural and food sectors in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – and are also applicable nationally and internationally.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, with match-funding from Cornwall Council and research partners, it helps small and medium-sized companies and organisations develop ideas to improve efficiency, profitability and resilience.

ACP is led by Duchy College’s Rural Business School in partnership with Exeter University, Plymouth University, Rothamsted Research and Cornwall Development Company.

ACP can provide financial help to companies and organisations based, or setting-up, in Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly with projects that generate innovative goods and services that can be used by farms and their immediate supply chains.

It can help with grants, research and graduate placements. Find more information at www.agritechcornwall.co.uk and contact ACP by phoning 0845 458 7485, emailing info@ agritechcornwall.co.uk or tweeting @agritecchie

23/04/2018 11:06

PEOPLE

ON THE MOVE

SPONSORED BY www.sapiencehr.co.uk

NEW FAL RIVER MD Ben Mark has been appointed as the new MD of Fal River Cornwall, following the retirement of Tim Light, who remains a director at the business.

Fal River Cornwall operates regular ferry services around the Fal River, including the St Mawes Ferry, Place Ferry, and Enterprise Boats, as well as a range of charter services and the Falmouth Park & Float/Ride.

A former RAF officer and pilot, Mark brings with him 18 years of leadership and decision making in challenging operational environments. After leaving the RAF in 2015,

Mark and his family moved to Falmouth, where he ran a successful training and safety consultancy business.

He said: “I am delighted to be joining Fal River Cornwall at this exciting time in the firm’s development. I am fortunate to have a very talented team who are justifiably proud of the Fal River Cornwall brand and are passionate about delivering an excellent service for our customers.”

A peak times in the summer, Fal River Cornwall employs approximately 45 staff and has nine ferries on the water.

IN THE FAST LANE Truro-based vehicle and SME asset finance provider, Ignition, has announced a new managing director.

Paul Caunter, who has been with Ignition for more than nine years, takes over the position from Alan Tutte, who founded the company in 2004.

“I’m delighted to be taking over the helm of Ignition,” said Caunter. “The business is in a very strong position; our last financial year was by far our best on record, which we can attribute to a strong and focussed team, who continue to deliver great solutions and customer service to our clients, forging lasting relationships.”

ON BOARD WITH COASTLINE

BREWERY PEOPLE PERSON St Austell Brewery has appointed a new people director to its senior management team.

Tamsyn Hawkins brings over 20 years’ experience in the restaurant and retail sectors, across various roles encompassing human resources, operations and talent management,

most recently in a similar role at Zizzi Restaurants.

CEO, James Staughton, added: “We are delighted to welcome Tamsyn to St Austell Brewery. In the pub and hospitality sector, people are at the very heart of our business and so investing in recruitment, training and development is hugely important to us.”

Social landlord Coastline Housing has recruited two-new non-executive directors to its board.

Sue Coulson brings an extensive range of experience gained from similar positions within the housing sector, including DCH and Orbit Group, while Fiona Perrin is an experienced board director, with specific expertise in sales and marketing and was group sales and marketing director of HSS Hire PLC for ten years.

TWO MORE AT CAD CAD Architects in Truro has added two more members to its team.

Stuart Foster RIBA has joined from Verto Construction, while Gareth Ellis ARB joins from the Nash Partnership, an architectural practice based in Bath.

CAD Architects’ MD, Mark Dawes, said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome Stuart and Gareth to the business. Their valuable skills and experience will help us to further improve the service that CAD Architects gives to its clients.”

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ADVERTORIAL

THE TRADE HORIZONS ROADSHOW

The future of cross border trade iven the changing views and expectations around our departure from the EU, the Export for Growth programme has set aside the date June 21 for The Trade Horizons Roadshow for Cornwall SMEs. Aimed at an SME audience, the event represents the culmination of a piece of engagement work undertaken by Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and Business West in Bristol over the past 18 months under the EU-funded Export for Growth programme.

The purpose of these events is to advance and continue the promotion of exporting as a means to stimulate growth within the Duchy.

Located at the St Austell Conference Centre, the event will be split into different sections, to include:

The purpose of these events is to advance and continue the promotion of exporting

• Better-understanding the range of outcomes from the UK’s divorce from the EU and the likely impacts on international trade.

• Gaining confidence and expertise in finding new customers, increasing sales in international markets.

Included in the plenary will be speeches from the Export Manager from one of the UK’s most renowned food exporters, DIT minsters, International Trade Matters, Centre for European Reform and others. To complement the morning plenary, the events will also feature a number of ‘experience zones’ in the afternoon which delegates will benefit from, including: • Expo space where dozens of companies can provide & support and generate sales/ clients for the product/service.

• Export Essentials zone – a series of 5 x 30 min slots focussing on companies who are new to exporting, providing insight and guidance on a range of new to exportrelated subjects.

• Extend your Global Reach Zone -a series of 3 or 4 x 45 min slots focussing on more technical/advanced subjects for those already exporting including accessing markets in Germany and China.

• Bookable sessions within an ‘expert advice zone’ e.g. Brexit healthcheck, IP advice, Business Coaching.

Save the date.

To register interest, please contact laura@ cornwallchamber.co.uk 07729263818

JOB OPPORTUNITIES WITH SUPERFAST BUSINESS CORNWALL Superfast Business Cornwall is a service fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund to help businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly understand, adopt and exploit digital technology for growth. The 12 hour programme of support starts with a technology for growth workshop and is followed by 1-2-1 support delivered by a Digital Business Adviser, to help Directors and Owners of businesses

develop a Digital Action Plan. Additional support is via masterclasses and expertise from ICT specialists from the private sector. Grant funding may be available for business with new digital projects.

We are recruiting for 2 roles to continue the delivery of this successful support programme.

For more information vist : www.sfbcornwall.co.uk

DIGITAL BUSINESS ADVISER

MARKETING AND BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT OFFICER

FIXED TERM CONTRACT APPROX. 7 MONTHS MATERNITY COVER

Remuneration: £28,000 - £30,000 per annum + Pension Location: Plymouth or Pool Innovation Centre (Redruth) with extensive travel in Cornwall This role is largely working face to face with both new and established businesses to help them understand and exploit digital technology in their business. Identifying opportunities to implement technology to fit with their business priorities. The successful candidate will have a good understanding of digital technology as a business tool, relevant business and IT adviser experience with an understanding of the challenges and opportunities for SMEs in the region.

Working as part of an advisory team of 6 including one Online Business Adviser. For more information or to apply for this job role please visit: www.serco.com/careers select UK and use requisition number 48904

P35_May18.indd 1

FIXED TERM CONTRACT UP TO END MARCH 2019 WITH POSSIBILITY OF AN EXTENSION OF 1 YEAR

Remuneration: £25,500 – pro-rata 30 hour week (£20,750) + Pension Location: Plymouth with some travel in Cornwall

This is a newly created post to support customer engagement across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Working closely with the Programme Manager and Marketing Communications and Events Officer to deliver interesting and current information reflecting changes in technology and business needs to engage business with the service and engagement to deliver leads on profile and of sufficient quality to meet the output targets of the programme. The successful candidate will have experience of developing digital content, website optimisation and social media engagement. This includes writing case studies / good news stories for press and website. For more information or to apply for this job role please visit www.serco.com/careers select UK and use requisition number 50166

23/04/2018 10:50

TOURISM

NEWS

SPONSORED BY

www.visitcornwall.com

NEW WEBSITE OFF THE LEASH 40% SAVING A Cornish company has launched a new website to showcase the wide range of dog friendly cottages available to rent throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The new service from Devoran-based Dog Friendly Retreats features thousands of pet friendly cottages, houses and apartments, which holidaymakers can filter by date, the number of people staying and, more keenly, by the number of dogs they wish to take on vacation with them.

Josh Williams from Dog Friendly Retreats

commented: “We’re really happy to announce the launch of this helpful service for dog owners.

Looking for dog friendly holiday accommodation is often an arduous task, which involves multiple searches or several calls to individual cottage owners.

“Our website simplifies this process by solely displaying properties which allow dogs, so the website acts as a one-stop-shop for holidaymakers who want to take their fourlegged friends away on holiday with them.”

GROWTH ON THE HORIZONS Leading self-catering agency, Cornish Horizons, has added more than 50 cottages to its portfolio since the start of the year.

The company, which has offices in Padstow, Looe, Fowey and St Ives, now has more than 650 properties on its books in Cornwall.

Portfolio development manager, Becky Tidd,

said: “We are absolutely delighted that we are able to keep recruiting such fantastic properties and offer our holiday makers an even wider choice of accommodation.

“The organic growth of the company is down to the solid foundation of truly local expertise, personal, honest service and continually pushing up quality standards.”

FUTURE OF TOURISM ON SCILLY The Isles of Scilly has launched a long-term vision for its vital tourism industry.

The Destination Management Plan, which has been developed by the Islands Partnership, sets out to help revitalise what is the islands’ principal industry, supporting around 85% of all employment.

Alongside new investment in transport, quality and service, the plan calls for a stronger emphasis on its hidden cultural heritage, its potential as an eco-destination as well as the need for increased collaboration to help extend Scilly’s comparatively short tourist season.

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James Berresford, chairman of the Islands’ Partnership, said: “As a destination, the Isles of Scilly is blessed with some of the most outstanding natural assets of anywhere in the UK. We have a wonderful opportunity to harness these assets in a way that repositions the islands as the escape destination, meeting the growing demand for discerning, authentic, experience-led tourism.

“The Destination Management Plan will be instrumental in bringing the islands together behind this shared ambition, helping to ensure our industry is both sustainable and fit for the future.”

FOR LOCALS

Isles of Scilly Travel has revealed details of its 2018 Locals’ Offer, giving Devon and Cornwall residents sizable discounts on day trip sailing to the islands.

After the success of last year’s offer, which ran throughout March to June, the 2018 Locals’ Offer has now been extended to run from March until the end of October, covering the whole duration of Scillonian III’s sailing season, and offering savings of more than 40% on brochure fares.

The Locals’ Offer is valid for day trips on the Scillonian III throughout March to October excluding Saturdays, Bank Holidays and during busy events such as the Gig Weekend from May 2-8.

Tickets cost £25pp for adults (15+), £15pp for children (2-15) and £10pp for infants (0-2) and include return same-day travel on Scillonian III.

NEW VENUE FOR TOURISM AWARDS Entries are now open for the Cornwall Tourism Awards 2018/19, which this year has a new venue.

After a record year in which the region’s tourism awards schemes attracted 647 entries, the 2018/19 awards have been launched and hospitality businesses across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are invited to enter.

2018 sees several changes. There is a new category for Tourism Innovation and New Business; the former Sustainable Tourism category has been widened to look at additional areas such as employment and use of plastics; and there is a new venue - after six years at Newquay’s Headland Hotel, this year’s event will be held in Truro Cathedral on November 1.

Entry to the awards is free with a deadline of midnight on May 22. For more details go to www. cornwalltourismawards.org.uk

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 10:51

NEWS

SPONSORED BY

#FSBCONNECT

www.fsb.org.uk

CORNISH FSB MEMBERS HEAD TO LONDON Two businesses from Cornwall are in London this month for the national finals of the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards 2018.

At the regional heats in Somerset recently, Penryn- based Ultramed won the Micro Business of the Year award and Made For Life Organics (Spiezia Organics) scooped the Ethical and Green Business trophy, while Any Old Lights from Fowey was Highly Commended in the Micro Business section.

Alan Sanders from Ultramed, a health technology firm, said: “We have a very dedicated team who put a lot into their work and to win this award in what already looks like being a very exciting year for us is fantastic.“ Made for Life’s Amanda Winwood, whose company produce a range of 100% organic skincare, was equally excited to be among the

winners.

“It is amazing,” she said. “It was such a shock to hear our name read out as winners and we are absolutely thrilled.”

SMALL FIRMS HIT BY RATES RISE From April, business rates bills and the National Living Wage increased across the UK. The business rates tax take for England is set to rise by 3.5% in the coming financial year to £24.8 billion. The National Living Wage for over 25s is rising from £7.50 an hour to £7.83.

FSB national chairman Mike Cherry said: “Rising business rates are threatening high streets all over the country. This is a regressive tax that hits firms before they’ve made their first penny in turnover, let alone profit.

“Increases in rates bills are set to significantly outpace inflation this year and thousands of small firms will see rates soar as they lose their year one cap.

“It was good to see that the Chancellor addressed business rates at the Spring Budget and commit to more frequent revaluations across England. Done right, this will make the rates regime more fair, meaning bills better reflect up-to-date property values and the strength of the local economy. But more frequent revaluations must not mean more admin burdens for small firms.”

SPRINGBOARD TO BUSINESS After relocating from the East Midlands to start her new business Thrive with Ali last October, it soon became apparent to Ali Scobbie that the way to build business in Cornwall is through networking.

One of the networking events she attended was an FSB Women’s Networking event in St Austell. During these networking meetings a guest speaker presents a topic of interest. On this particular occasion, a BBC Journalist was the speaker and talked through what makes a good news article and how this can promote your business simply by telling your own interesting story. Ali introduced her business to journalist Jonathan Morris who commented that she may be a future contact he could refer to for mental

health topics.

Which is exactly what happened, with an article involving a past client who had suffered from extreme anxiety. When the article was released on the BBC website towards the end of January, Ali received a number of calls from people asking for help. This immediately created a client base for Thrive with Ali as well as a reputation and national marketing.

She said: “Putting in the effort of networking is vital to a successful business in Cornwall. More importantly, it’s the following up with contacts.

This opportunity was too good to miss and has been the starting point and springboard to my business.”

BELOW FROM LEFT: JOSH HOOLE (SPONSOR, SKILLS HUB), ALAN SANDERS, SINEAD HANKS (ANY OLD LIGHTS), NIGEL STRICK (SPONSOR, CORNWALL COUNCIL), AMANDA WINWOOD (MADE FOR LIFE)

FSB CONNECT NETWORKING Show Me The Money & Tour of Pentille Castle Thurs 17 May, 11am-1pm Pentille Castle, Saltash Manage your business finances and control cashflow with Sara Webb of Oxford Innovation & Heather Coupland of Access to Finance. Networking & lunch & a behind the scenes tour of this fascinating luxury hotel which was recently used to film Dawn French’s Sky TV production “Delicious”.

It’s all about the Marketing Thurs 14 June, 11am-1pm St Austell Conference Centre Teach consumers why they should choose your product or service over your competitors with Belinda Shipp from Cornish Marketing (previously Marketing Manager at Roddas) Great networking and lunch too!

Our Next MP Round Table Meetings: Free to attend – raise your issues face to face with your MP 01JUNE – Scott Mann – 1pm – Shire Hall, Bodmin

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 10:52

FOOD

AND DRINK

EXPORTS UP 8%

RATTLER NOW IN CANS

According to latest figures from HMRC, exports of food and drink from the south west rose by 8% last year.

The amount of food and drink exported from the region increased to £810 million, with best sellers overseas being seafood (£173 million), dairy/eggs (£149 million) and meat (£94 million).

Nationally, total food and drink exports from the UK rose to £22 billion, reflecting an 8.6% increase.

A RUM DO Following on from the success of its Kalkar coffee spirit, The Cornish Distilling Co is set to release two new British rums this summer - white rum and a spiced rum.

The Bude-based business is one of a handful of distilleries in the UK that distils rum from scratch, with the team fermenting the sugarcane on-site.

Head distiller Tom Read said: “Over the past 18 months we have learnt to ferment and distil; fine tuning the production at every step. I’ve grabbed any spare moment to further refine the production and this is especially true for the spicing.”

“These are exciting times for the craft distilling market,” added Distilling Co chairman Richard Harding.

ADVERTORIAL

Cornish cyder maker Healeys has launched a new lower alcohol can format into Tesco.

The pack containing 6 X 330ml cans aims to add an “element of convenience” for the 12 million cider drinkers across the UK. At 4.8% ABV as opposed to the 6% of original Rattler, the cans, says Healeys, meet the demand for a more “sessionable” cider.

The new format complements the existing range of 500ml individual bottles, 8 pack 330mls and draught.

Commercial director, Joe Healey, said: “It’s really exciting to now have Rattler available in can format. We have a unique brand with a strong fan following especially in the south west so we are expecting a great response.”

Launching in Tesco, this is the first time Healeys has produced a canned product.

THE SKILL OF BUSINESS SUCCESS Developing your staff is the secret to business success, explains Josh Hoole, project manager of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub

N

o matter how fantastic a product or service is, a business is only as good as the people behind it. Everyone from front-line staff to CEOs have a part to play in the success of a business, and with 77% of local companies admitting that they find it difficult to recruit staff with the right skills, investment in staff development to generate

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BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 10:55

TRAINING

SPONSORED BY

EDUCATION

www.truro-penwith.ac.uk

COLLEGE PROVIDES DIVERSITY BOOST

FROM CORNWALL TO CARIBBEAN A Cornish social enterprise has been spreading its wings internationally.

The Fluent Self CIC has recently completed an in-house training programme for Google in London, followed by a second programme in the Caribbean.

The Fluent Self CIC trains and supports professionals in their use of the Functional Fluency model, and Temple Index of Functional Fluency (TIFF) personal development tool. TIFF is used by coaches, business consultants, HR professionals, counsellors and psychotherapists. It helps their client, as well as themselves, to become more effective in their communication, leadership and resilience; learning how to “react less and respond more”.

those skills and power future growth is vital.

And businesses agree. 87% of employers say that training leads to better business performance and 3 out of 4 credit it with improving staff retention. Yet around half of all businesses complain that they lack the time to upskill and surprisingly, over a quarter of UK firms budget less than £100 per employee annually for training.

So, why aren’t businesses dedicating much needed resource to plugging the skills shortage and helping their most valued asset, and in turn their business, flourish?

All too often businesses, especially small- to medium-sized ones that make up the majority in Cornwall, are doing everything they can to

The Fluent Self CIC was established in Cornwall in 2009, and now oversees a worldwide Functional Fluency network that encompasses Germany, Netherlands, South Africa, India and the Caribbean. In addition, a translation into French is well underway, and interests are being progressed in Brazil, Russia and China.

Director Jane Hicks said: “We are thrilled to be working with Google, equipping their in-house coaches to offer the benefits of TIFF through their work. We are excited too, by the growing opportunities being progressed by working with people in organisations and countries who are keen to spread the benefits of Functional Fluency and TIFF.”

make the ‘now’ a success. But taking time out to prepare for the future shouldn’t be considered a luxury, it’s a necessity.

And that’s where the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub can help. On a one-to-one basis, our expert team of Skills Connectors help businesses identify what skills they need to move forward and where gaps lie.

Using our in-depth knowledge of the skills and training arena we’ll then signpost them to a staff development solution that’s just right

Truro and Penwith College has become Cornwall’s first listed SELT (Secure English Language Test) preparation course provider for Trinity College London.

SELT tests are needed to support UK visa and citizenship applications and are available at various levels depending on the nature of an individual’s stay in the UK. There are currently 20 UK centres running SELTs, ten of which are run by Trinity College London and approved by the British Home Office.

The college launched three SELT preparation courses in February and has already helped Thai, Russian and Pakistan nationals pass their tests.

The courses support students preparing for visa and citizenship applications that require an A1, A2 or B1 language level. Chutikarn Mann, student and owner of Thai Massage Cornwall, commented: “Studying for the SELT A2 English exam at the college was not only a necessity, it was also very enjoyable and I learnt a lot. I also made some new friends and learnt about other cultures during my time on the course.”

for them, whether it’s a short workshop, apprenticeship, degree level training or anything in between. We cover everything from leadership and management coaching, to getting to grips with digital marketing, and can also provide information on funded training opportunities.

To find out more and to book a free and impartial skills review, visit www.ciosskillshub. com or call 01209 708660.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 10:55

CREATIVE

AND DIGITAL

SPONSORED BY

BIG HOPE FOR A SMALL AWARD A Penryn-based social media marketing agency has been shortlisted for a national honour at The Small Awards, a UK-wide search for the best small businesses across all sectors.

Oh So Social has been shortlisted in the Digital Star category, which recognises and celebrates small businesses that operate only through digital channels.

Katherine George, Oh So Social founder and MD, said: “We’re extremely proud and honoured to be shortlisted for The Small Awards, amid a record number of strong entries.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for the team to be recognised nationally for our work and we can’t wait to meet other small businesses doing great things across the UK at the awards ceremony.”

www.digitalpeninsula.org

NHS WALES CONTRACT SIGNED Microtest has formally signed its previously announced contract with NHS Wales Informatics Service.

Under a new contract for future services, NHS Wales has selected Microtest as one of two vendors to supply GP clinical IT systems in the country.

The award followed a rigorous procurement process that allows free and open competition among potential suppliers. 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.

MD Chris Netherton said: “We are thrilled to have signed the contract with NHS Wales Informatics Service, which is a significant milestone for the company. We look forward to working with GP surgeries across Wales, helping practices to provide excellent patient care.”

FEELING THE BUZZ A Cornish tech firm has gained industry accreditation that will allow it to compete on the global stage after receiving support from a European funding programme.

Newquay-based Buzz Interactive has achieved ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management Accreditation.

The company, which develops websites, apps and games, already lists Tesco Mobile, Santander and Gain Capital among its clients.

Buzz Interactive’s project director, Lindsey Axten, said: “We’re all really pleased to have gained the accreditation. It was a big undertaking, so the support from BIG2 to help us engage consultants to be ready for the audit was invaluable. We believe this will open doors for us as it will give national and international clients that additional confidence.”

BIG2 programme manager, Anna Staevska, added: “Buzz Interactive are leading the way for Cornish tech businesses on a global level and we are proud to have supported them achieve the accreditation.”

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FROM LEFT: CHARITY WILSON AND AARON HAMSHIRE

FUNDING FOR MAPPIX A new software platform launched by a Cornish entrepreneur has received a funding boost from SWIG Finance.

The software platform called Mappix is designed to help teachers, children and schools, providing accurate assessments and reducing paperwork.

Charity Wilson decided to develop the platform when she realised there was a gap in the market and wanted to decrease teacher workload so they can focus on creating enjoyable lessons.

She said: “Effectively the platform is like having all of your pupils’ exercise books open at the same time; you can quickly check how they’re doing in each core subject and easily update

their smart marksheet to ensure they get extra support or extra challenge.”

She needed investment in order to take the platform out of test trading and launch it to a wider market and approached SWIG Finance for funding. She explained: “I needed finance in order to market the platform and continue to build and develop it.

“I worked with Aaron Hamshire at SWIG Finance who was really helpful. He talked me through the different funding options and evaluated the loan amount with me to make sure it was right for the company and what I was trying to achieve as well as supporting with ongoing forecasting.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 10:57

JUST A THOUGHT

This month’s guest columnist is founder of The Cornwall Channel, Shane Solomon

OPINION

WIRED FOR SOUND AND VISION ’ll never understand why we encourage young people to amass tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of debt at university, when many of the world’s richest entrepreneurs barely scraped through high school.

Richard Branson quit education without any qualifications. Steve Jobs dropped out of college because his family couldn’t afford it. And Dragons’ Den star James Caan chose not to take O-levels because he knew he wanted to start a business.

I also finished school with a stack of Grade D GCSEs – but I knew it wouldn’t stop me from achieving my childhood dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

More than 200 businesses across Cornwall and the south of England use my subscription video marketing business, The Cornwall Channel. And now I am determined to grow it into a £1 million ‘must watch’ channel – taking talented and entrepreneurial young people along for the ride - whether they’ve been to university or not.

We are living in an age of unparalleled opportunity.

Less than 15 years ago, we were using dial up Internet connections, and social networks were little more than a pipe dream.

Now, we can all distribute content across the world in only a few clicks of a mouse via websites such as Facebook.

According to Forbes, 500 million people watch videos on Facebook every day. We trust and connect emotionally with audio-visual content.

It’s a critical distribution network for the Cornwall Channel – driving an average of 80,000 additional views of our customers’ videos every month.

And millennials understand the power of social better than most.

Yet, I see bosses from the big media companies continually laying people off. Many video production companies have chosen not to cultivate an audience on social media.

I don’t understand it.

The Cornwall Channel has doubled in size over the last year, and now has 17,500 followers on Facebook.

We can’t wait to expand and become a fully-fledged, ‘must-watch’ TV station. Cornwall is a fascinating place - Why shouldn’t we have a dedicated studio? Correspondents? Live music? Sports coverage?

I want to set up a TV academy, give jobs to others, involve universities, I want presenters and voice over artists and prove to young people that university debt is not the only route to success.

I believe there are three reasons for our growth.

First, we helped businesses to buy. We offered businesses a subscription model to break down the upfront cost of buying corporate videos.

Next, we adopted the right mindset. I hate the phrase ‘personal development,’ but I learned so much from people like Bob Proctor – a school dropout turned multimillionaire.

If you want to use a Sat Nav, you need to tell it your destination. It’s the same in business; I need to sell 1,667 videos to turn over £1 million.

Finally, we harnessed the power of networks.

Unusually, I started my career as a 17-yearold Cliff Richard tribute singer, selling records across Europe, and playing sell-out gigs in front of hundreds of people at Falmouth’s Princess Pavilion. I didn’t realise at the time, but it was a gift – I got to know thousands of people, and there’s no substitute for personal relationships in business.

We’ve built on that network, invested in better kit, and applied expertise in Facebook Live streaming to attract bigger corporate clients such as St Austell Brewery, Hawkins Motors, and the Royal Cornwall Show.

But above all else, we have worked hard - evenings, weekends, everything. All entrepreneurs do.

You get what you give. And now I can’t wait to expand the channel and give something back to help other young budding entrepreneurs.

Less than 15 years ago, we were using dial up Internet connections, and social networks were little more than a pipe dream

BUSINESS CORNWALL

JustAThought_May18.indd 3

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23/04/2018 10:58

THE WISH

LIST

TO PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCT HERE, CALL CAROLINE ON 07801 981 667

HIDDEN HUT COOKBOOK

One of Cornwall’s hottest food destinations and worst kept secrets now has its own cookbook. The Hidden Hut Cookbook features a mouth-watering collection of recipes that has made the restaurant so famous – from the chowders and ultimate Cornish Pasty through to its 12-hour lamb and smoked aubergine.

Out now in all good bookshops, rrp £20.

Welcome to the Business Cornwall Wishlist.

Just a few of the favourite things to have caught our eye over the past few weeks

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DRITEK

Newquay-based Dritek, producer of the world’s most versatile heavy-duty garment hanger, has launched its eagerly awaited, new and improved version. The Dritek Hanger V2 is designed to hang water-wear, outdoor clothing and protective garments, basically anything that needs to be hung to dry or air. www.dritekproducts.com

RUARK R4

With its beautiful design Ruark’s R4 is the perfect “all in one” music solution for 21st century living. Ideal for modern day technophobes, simply plug in and within minutes R4 will provide “stunning room filling sound that will satisfy even the most discerning listener”. www.acousticstreams.com

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 11:01

LIST

THE WISH

HUDDLY GO CAMERA

Scandinavian start-up Huddly has brought out this rather nifty ground-breaking intelligent collaboration camera. Ultra-compact and stylish, the Huddly GO offers advanced features such as an ultra-wide 150-degree lens, lossless digital Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) up to 4x, and 16 MP video - all at a fraction of the cost of existing high-end PTZ video conferencing cameras. www.huddly.com

DOOGEE MIX 3

Boasting a real full-screen phone with flip camera, Mix 3 applies an in-display fingerprint scanner to replace the Home key and ensure the integrity of display. At the same time, the front-facing camera is removed to a flip holder located on the back shell. Combining the front and rear cameras into one, this smart flip holder can be stood up when taking selfies. What more do you need!

DESK BUNDLE

Got a new employee and need some extra desk space? At £200+vat, the white crescent desk and three-drawer pedestal bundle deal from Rainbow Zebra offers good value. The crescent desk is a sturdy and reliable workstation and is suitable for a range of environments, while the pedestal can be positioned onto the end of the desk providing not only storage but also valuable, extra desk top space as well. www.rainbowzebra.co.uk

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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23/04/2018 11:01

EVENTS

MAY

MAY EVENTS 9

10

CORNISH PARTNERSHIPS

Merlin MS Centre, St Austell

Merlin MS Centre has opened the doors to allow Cornish Partnerships to have a morning networking meeting in this miracle working facility. Attend for some great networking with a continental breakfast to include tea and coffee. cornishpartnerships@hotmail.com

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FALMOUTH BUSINESS CLUB

16

MARKETING FOR SUCCESS

St Michael’s Hotel, Falmouth

Performance Management should motivate your workforce and enhance your business. If you want to find out how to make this work for you, then why not come along to Sapience’s May Masterclass. sapiencehr.co.uk

Cornish Partnerships is hosting a series of breakfast networking events up and down the county.

Each event features a guest speaker to enlighten the group with their development tips. cornishpartnerships@hotmail.co.uk

08

PROFIT FROM SUSTAINABILITY

Eden Project

Sustainability comes in many forms, saves companies money and protects our outstanding natural environment. The Profit from Sustainability conference is for business owners and those employees tasked with addressing the issue of sustainability for the business. cornwallchamber.co.uk/events

CORNWALL CHAMBER BREAKFAST

Tregenna Castle, St Ives

Cornwall Chamber’s monthly breakfast networking event typically attracts up to 180 guests, depending on size of venue.

Price: £20.70+ vat for chamber members, £30+vat for non members. cornwallchamber.co.uk/events

Carn Brea Hub Club

Sandy Lodge, Newquay

EventsDiary_May18.indd 2

22

SAPIENCE HR MASTERCLASS

CORNISH PARTNERSHIPS

Top 5 this month

Manage your business finances and control cashflow with Sara Webb of Oxford Innovation & Heather Coupland of Access to Finance. Networking & lunch & a behind the scenes tour of this fascinating luxury hotel. eventbrite.co.uk

The Kernow Independent Networking Group (KING) gathers for breakfast every second Wednesday at the Victoria Inn. king-networking.co.uk

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

Finding time away from the day-today to think about your business can be difficult. This #BizEvent from Growth Hub on the Road will feature presentations from Frugi founder Lucy Jewson and digital marketing adviser, Nigel Barker. ciosgrowthhub.com

Pentille Castle, Saltash

Victoria Inn, Threemilestone

Birdie’s Bistro

MARKETING FOR GROWTH

Tregenna Castle, St Ives

#FSBCONNECT

KING NETWORKING

HAYLE BUSINESS BREAKFAST

This interactive half-day workshop delivered by Oxford Innovation will help you develop a strategic marketing plan that ensures you’re communicating to the right people, through the right channels, using the right message. transformcornwall.co.uk

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St Michael’s Hotel, Falmouth

17

Are there any unresolved issues currently affecting your working relationships or business growth?

This interactive workshop, delivered by Oxford Innovation, will help you develop tools to move forward and address challenging situations in a calm and professional way. transformcornwall.co.uk

Norway Inn, Perranarworthal

Falmouth Business Club meets every other Thursday over breakfast at the Norway Inn, where a lively and welcoming group of business people awaits. falmouthbusinessclub.co.uk

ART OF COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS

For further details of these and more networking events, visit

businesscornwall.co.uk

To publicise your event here for free, email news@businesscornwall co.uk

10

CORNWALL CHAMBER LUNCH

St Michael’s Hotel, Falmouth

Come along and meet the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce at St Michael’s Hotel & Spa in Falmouth for some awareness into what the other Cornish businesses are doing to better their trade, and what you can do to do the same. cornwallchamber.co.uk/events

23/04/2018 11:02

NETWORKING TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS GROWTH

Engine Room, Penzance

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

FINANCIAL TOOLS WORKSHOP

St Michael’s Hotel, Falmouth

Do you have a proper grasp of your business’ finances? Taking a proactive role in managing profitability in conjunction with cash flow could help you grow your business’ profits and make the world of difference to your bottom line.

Transformcornwall.co.uk

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Norway Inn, Perranarworthal

30

Victoria Inn, Threemilestone

15

FALMOUTH BUSINESS CLUB

Falmouth Business Club meets every other Thursday over breakfast at the Norway Inn, where a lively and welcoming group of business people awaits. falmouthbusinessclub.co.uk

KING NETWORKING

The Kernow Independent Networking Group (KING) gathers for breakfast every second Wednesday at the Victoria Inn. king-networking.co.uk

HEARTLANDS BUSINESS BREAKFAST

Red River Café, Pool

An excellent opportunity to meet other local businesses in the area, gain contacts and establish mutually beneficial relationships. Cost: £10 (includes a locally sourced Cornish breakfast). zoe.morrison@heartlandscornwall.com

EventsDiary_May18.indd 3

Business Cornwall’s Morveth Ward keeps us up to date on the networking scene May has been arguably the greatest month in the networking and events calendar, historically hosting Cornwall Business Week, home to events such as Finance in Cornwall; Cornwall Business Fair; and, Cornwall Business Awards – this year however April took the spotlight, with Business week being moved to a month earlier.

There was some thought that having both Cornwall Business Show and Cornwall Business Fair this close together (March and April respectively) might be a problem whereby you choose one or the other to attend, however I noticed no sign of this being the case – both were great. The new venue, Sir Ben Ainslie’s Sports Hall at Truro college, for Cornwall Business Fair worked well. The previous few years have been held at Eden which, being spread out over two floors and in different rooms, gave it a more interesting and cosy feel whilst the sports hall at Truro School was much more practical – both good venues. With nice Spring weather outside, spirits were high and positive discussions pervaded the busy sports hall.

The eagerly anticipated Business Awards at St Mellion Resort ran smoothly – the time of the year where often the professional guises are stripped away and

we get to experience fun and sometimes memorable escapades with colleagues and associates. Gregg Wallace was a surreal and amusing key note speaker. I do feel a different venue may now be due for no other reason that it has been at St Mellion for a while, and whilst it’s a super venue, it would be good to do something different.

Congratulations to all those shortlisted and indeed the winners.

Being brought up on a farm, Teagle Machinery is a company I’m highly familiar with and, amongst other things, I have been helping keeping our meadows in check with a Teagle topper since about age eight –delighted for Teagle to be victorious in being crowned winner of winners.

Though a quieter May than normal, there is still plenty on: ATI’s Cornwall Innovation Club will be at the St Austell Business Park on May 22nd, with guest speaker Samuele Armondi of Everest Media. Unlocking Potential’s Future Focus event will be held at Tregenna Castle, St Ives and the theme ‘Wear it well’ will focus on the textiles and fashion sectors.

May has been arguably the greatest month in the networking and events calendar

16

BUILDING WITH NATURE

Heartlands, Pool

Cornwall Environmental Consultants (CEC) Ltd, supported

by Cornwall Wildlife Trust, invites you to its Building with Nature Seminar. The seminar focuses on the new Building with Nature accreditation, the benefits of green infrastructure and how it can be achieved. eventbrite.co.uk

17

TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS GROWTH

Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge

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

23/04/2018 11:08

CONNECTED

CORNWALL

SPONSORED BY

www.cioslep.co.uk

CORNWALL BUSINESS AWARDS Cornwall’s business leaders gathered at St Mellion International last month for the 13th annual Cornwall Business Awards along with MasterChef guest speaker Gregg Wallace TOP LEFT: LERRYN RYALL AND LUCY COX (HALTO) BOTTOM LEFT: DAPHNE SKINNARD (BBC CORNWALL) AND GREGG WALLACE CENTRE: NICK AND TONI EYRIEY (BUSINESS CORNWALL) OPPOSITE PAGE TOP LEFT FROM LEFT: LOIS HARRIS, CERYS HARTT (BOTH CIOS GROWTH & SKILLS HUB), MIKE KING (CDC), JULIA HUGHES, KIRSTY MILES-MUSGRAVE (BOTH CIOS GROWTH & SKILLS HUB) MIDDLE: ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR, JEREMY SNELLER (TOUCHYBYTE) TOP RIGHT: THE BAND PLAYS ON BOTTOM: THE LEAP TEAM, NAMED SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

#FSBCONNECT The Federation of Small Businesses latest #FSBConnect event was held at Heartlands in Pool and focussed on the imminent changes in GDPR law 46

TOP LEFT: PACKED HOUSE AT HEARTLANDS TOP RIGHT: MATTHEW CLARKE (DISTILLED FILMS) AND BELINDA SHIPP (CORNISH MARKETING COMPANY) FAR LEFT: KIRSTY BARRETT AND LATOYA MCDONALD (HARCOURT WHITE) LEFT: FSB POLICY GROUP MEMBER GREG SPENCE

BUSINESS CORNWALL

Connected_May18.indd 2

23/04/2018 11:37

CORNWALL

CONNECTED

CORNWALL BUSINESS FAIR Truro School’s Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Centre proved to be a popular venue for this year’s Cornwall Business Fair

TOP LEFT: CHAMBER CHIEF EXEC KIM CONCHIE BOTTOM LEFT: A WAVE FROM THE GROWTH & SKILLS HUB STAND TOP RIGHT: MEL COLTON-DYER AND FRIEND BOTTOM RIGHT: BUSINESS FAIR IN FULL FLOW

BUSINESS CORNWALL

Connected_May18.indd 3

47

23/04/2018 11:22

THE LAST

WORD

JON HART

St Austell Printing Company regional sales manager, Jon Hart, still misses his Raleigh Chopper!

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG? I always enjoy cooking, so fancied myself as a chef. However the unsociable hours and pay were not as attractive.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FULL TIME JOB? I worked for a double glazing manufacturer making windows. It was at this point I realised manual labour wasn’t for me!

WHAT’S IN YOUR POCKETS? Car keys, one of my daughters’ hair bands and £1.62 - which my colleagues will find surprising as I never seem to have cash on me!

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO RELAX? Anything that includes being with my wife and children. Going for a walk, watching a film together - no matter how small, I love our little adventures.

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

Well, it takes a lot to beat Camborne. However, if you had to twist my arm I would have to go for a modern house overlooking the sea in the Mediterranean. Bliss!

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER?

After working for another printing company for a few years, joining SAPC is without a doubt my career highlight. It’s a real breath of fresh air, with great people and a progressive, forward thinking and ambitious outlook (By the way, my boss hasn’t paid me to say this!).

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT CORNWALL?

Being a Cornish chap myself, I love the sense of community and inclusion that living in our county provides - plus of course the views and coastline. I love that I can be on either the north or south coast within a 20 minutes. From a business point of view, I would say the best thing is the ambition we share to prove what businesses in Cornwall can achieve - and it’s a real pleasure that I am able to assist these businesses in my role.

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

Paul Gascoigne, it would be interesting to hear about his challenges and setbacks, along with some comical stories.

Also, Dawn French because, let’s face it, who doesn’t love her? She’s so down to earth and naturally funny - plus she loves a bit of banter. I wouldn’t mind being the butt of her jokes!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION?

I love Majorca - stunning views, great people and lots for the kids to experience too.

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKE IN LIFE?

I don’t have too many regrets - life is too short. However lately I’ve been reminiscing about my old Raleigh Grift, Raleigh Chopper and Raleigh Burner, God I wish I’d kept them!

LastWord_May18.indd 2

23/04/2018 11:04

Opera & Ballet International presents two Ellen Kent productions with international soloists a highly-praised chorus and full orchestra

The love story that gripped Paris

‘First-rate singing’ THE STAGE

Starring the international sopranos Alyona Kistenyova† and Maria HeeJung Kim†.

Nominations now open To nominate visit: www.truro-penwith.ac.uk/CAA

Both operas sung in Italian with English surtitles.

WINNER ‘BEST OPERA AWARD’

LIVERPOOL DAILY POST THEATRE AWARDS

‘Stunning’ MORNING STAR, CARDIFF

Hosted by Truro & Penwith College

12th October 2018

#CornApp18

t: 01872 242711 e: nominations@truro-penwith.ac.uk /TruroApprentice

@TruroApprentice

Online Job adverts

Only £49+vat

Introducing the celebrated soprano Maria HeeJung Kim† from the Korean National Opera, Seoul, and starring Alyona Kistenyova†.

† Cast subject to change

Mon 14 May: La Traviata Tue 15 May: Madama Butterfly 01872 262466 hallforcornwall.co.uk

PROVIDING LEGAL ADVICE AND SERVICES TO STARTUPS, SMES AND ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES FOR OVER TWO CENTURIES. Our clients are based all over the West Country and beyond. Our solicitors will provide practical, commercially astute legal advice designed to resolve your legal matter and implement strategies for growth quickly and costeffectively.

01872 241414 www.nalders.co.uk To book contact morveth@businesscornwall.co.uk

TRURO - ST AUSTELL - FALMOUTH - HELSTON CAMBORNE - NEWQUAY - PENZANCE Nalders Solicitors is the trade name of Nalders LLP (authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority) a limited liability partnership registered in England & Wales under number OC354499.

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23/04/2018 10:22

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06/06/2017 10:22 16:11 23/04/2018