Business Cornwall October 17

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

OCTOBER 2017 / ISSUE 114 / £3.95

SKILLS HUB

L

SPECIA

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

CEO INTERVIEW OFFICE PARTIES

TRURO COLLEGE PRINCIPAL 10 DAVID WALROND

CHRISTMAS IS A COMING

SPONSORED BY

10 9 772514

842001

Let us help you make an amazing first impression.

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

9 772514

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842001

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You are invited to the launch of

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VISIT WWW.PIRATE360.NET/LAUNCH TO BOOK YOUR PLACE WelcomeContents_Oct17.indd 2

22/09/2017 11:02

OCTOBER 2017

INSIDE FEATURES

REGULARS

10 - COMPANY PROFILE

4

EQU IPPING YO U R T E A M WI T H T H E S K I L L S TO S U C C EED

6 34

36

18 - CEO INTERVIEW

37

G IF T IDEA S FO R T H AT VA L UE D C L I E N T

29 – OFFICE PARTY IT ’ S T HAT T IM E O F Y E A R AG A I N

EDUCATION MARINE SECTOR SKILLS GAP

38

OUT OF COUNTY TESCO CONTRACT

39

FSB FSB NEWS ROUNDUP

40

TOURISM £25M RESORT PLANS

41

FOOD & DRINK ALL ABOUT THE FISH

42 PHOTO: NATIONAL AWARD FOR CORNWALL’S MAN ENGINE, SEE P42

ON THE MOVE LATEST APPOINTMENTS

26 – BUSINESS GROWTH 28 – CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

TEST DRIVE MORVETH WARD BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE SKODA RAPID SPACEBACK

BU S INES S C OAC H I N G F RO M OX F O R D INNOVAT IO N

W ELC O M E TO T H E E S A M

BUSINESS NEWS PENZANCE HELIPORT LATEST

16 - TRANSFORM

FAC E TO FAC E WI T H T RURO & P E N WI T H C OLLEG E PRI N C I PA L , DAV I D WA L RO N D

INCOMING A LONG HOT SUMMER?

S O U T H W ES T T E C H N O LO G Y C O MPA N Y I T EC

13 - SKILLS HUB

ISSUE 114

CREATIVE AWARD FOR MAN ENGINE

44

EVENTS DIARY BUSINESS WHAT’S ON

46

CONNECTED NETWORKING IN PICTURES

47

JUST A THOUGHT GUEST COLUMNIST RACHEL PICKEN

48

THE LAST WORD FOCUS TECHNOLOGY’S ANDREW DAVENPORT

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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OCTOBER 2017

ISSUE 114

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, Rachel Picken 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 The Skills hub team CORNWALL'S PREMIER BUSINESS RESOURCE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION businesscornwall.co.uk

Going for growth This month’s magazine has a strong emphasis on business growth.

Cornwall has traditionally suffered from low productivity and a perceived skills gap holding back the economy. In this month’s issue we hear from two European-funded services that aim to address some of these issues and how they could firmly put your business on the road to growth.

We learn about the type of business coaching available from Oxford Innovation’s Transform programme, while the recently-launched Skills Hub explains how it can assist in upskilling your workforce, from top to bottom.

In addition to this, we also meet one of the figures who has a key role to play in the development of Cornwall’s future talent - Truro & Penwith College principal, David Walrond.

All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy, however, so with this in mind we have a few ideas on where to hold this year’s Christmas office party.

As I write this, I am told there are only 90 sleeps to Christmas. All I can say to this is, bah humbug!

All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy, however, so with this in

mind we have a few ideas on where

to hold this year’s Christmas office party

OCTOBER 2017 / ISSUE 114 / £3.95

SKILLS HUB

SPECIAL

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

CEO INTERVIEW OFFICE PARTIES

TRURO COLLEGE PRINCIPAL 10 DAVID WALROND

PHOTO: SENNEN BUILDING AT PENWITH COLLEGE

CHRISTMAS IS A COMING

SPONSORED BY

10 9 772514

842001

9 772514

842001

Let us help you make an amazing first impression.

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

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

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

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

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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ŠKODA scrappage incentive Upgrade your current car for a new ŠKODA at Carrs ŠKODA Indian Queens

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*The ŠKODA scrappage incentive offer is available on any make or model Euro 1-4 diesel vehicle first registered in the UK before 2010 when traded in against a new retail ŠKODA ordered by 31 December 2017 and delivered by 31 March 2018. Not available in conjunction with any other offers. Applicable on all vehicles currently available to order excluding Kodiaq, Karoq, SE Technology and Citigo S trims. The scrappage incentive is the guaranteed part-exchange value. The trade-in diesel vehicle must have been registered in the owner’s name for at least the last six months. To check date of first registration, visit vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk. To check Euro 1-4 status, visit carfueldata.direct.gov.uk. Terms and conditions apply. Contact your local ŠKODA retailer for more information. Models shown are ŠKODA Superb Estate (scrappage incentive of £4,000), ŠKODA Fabia Monte Carlo (scrappage incentive of £2,500), ŠKODA Octavia vRS Estate (scrappage incentive of £3,500).

Official fuel consumption for the ŠKODA range in mpg (litres/100km): Urban 31.0 (9.1) to 72.4 (3.9); Extra Urban 44.1 (6.4) to 88.3 (3.2), Combined 38.2 (7.4) to 80.7 (3.5). CO2 emissions for the ŠKODA range in mpg are 170 to 90 g/km. Standard EU test figures for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results.

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INCOMING

THE CONVERSATION

SPONSORED BY

transformcornwall.co.uk

The big question How was business for Cornwall’s tourism sector during the main summer season compared with previous years?

Were bookings buoyant? Did you notice any shift in trends?

Join the conversation @biz_cornwall

/businesscornwall

businesscornwall.co.uk ADVERTORIAL

ST IVES PHOTO: ADAM GIBBARD AND VISIT CORNWALL

DONE DEAL?

Getting the right advice can be make or break 4

or many a business deal – whether that is selling or buying a business – will be the most important (and complicated) thing they will do in their career.

Christian Wilson, partner and head of corporate at Stephens Scown LLP, explains that when stakes are this high, getting the right professional advice is crucial.

It is important to get the right advisors in place early. If you are selling a business you should do this before you talk to any potential buyers. Your lawyer will be able to help you focus on your business and

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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THE CONVERSATION

SPONSORED BY

transformcornwall.co.uk

ROSIE MARNEY

NIALL MACDOUGALL

FRANCESCA REED

Unique Home Stays

Last summer was record breaking for us here at Unique Home Stays, and this year it’s been even better. For us it’s not about obtaining the biggest portfolio, but rather making sure we have the best private holiday homes and in turn secure the highest occupancy levels we can. Across the portfolio we had a 2% increase in occupancy levels compared to last year, with 91% of nights booked throughout July and August. We also confirmed 14% more bookings than last summer too, meaning things are looking good moving forward.

We’ve seen no real change in trends or booking patterns, but interestingly we have noted a 10% rise in web users from the US, a 16% rise in users in Germany and a 34% rise in those visiting the website from France.

Using advisors who are not experts in the field can also lead to unnecessary mistakes that can be costly in terms of the price achieved

INCOMING

Urlaub Cornwall

Gwel an Mor

For the few weeks after Brexit we did hear from some Germans who were disappointed with the vote. Indeed maybe a knee jerk reaction reflected in bookings, but this didn’t last long.

The prospect of a holiday that’s 20% cheaper due to the fall in Sterling is a big incentive to visit.

We engage with travel businesses in Germany who saw no drop off in business for Cornwall.

In fact, one of the largest travel companies told us that their business in Cornwall and southern England outstripped their Scottish bookings for the first time this year. As we run urlaubcornwall. de, the #1 website in Germany for all things Cornwall, we get a first-hand read on demand.

Our web traffic is up 20% since Brexit and holiday booking requests from German speakers increased 25%. We’ve picked up that domestic demand softened with the poor weather in August and that Germans provided some helpful stability.

The summer holidays were a great success for Gwel An Mor – we were fully booked for the whole duration. Our indoor soft play and climbing walls at Base Camp were busier than last year mostly due to the wetter weather. We also introduced Bubble & Bounce on Friday afternoon’s at Base Camp where parents received a free glass of prosecco while their kids were on soft play, which went down well with mums and dads as you can imagine! There has been a slight shift in the industry this year towards less secondary spend so we brought in a set price menu in The Terrace Restaurant to appeal to the more price conscious holiday maker. We are excited to open our new nine hole golf course and fishing lake shortly which we believe will help with bookings during the shoulder season and will also give families some extra activities for the main summer season next year.

STEPHEN BOUCHER

Cottages.com

We had 98% occupancy rate throughout the peak summer holiday season in the region – the highest on record for the brand. These astonishing figures prove that Cornwall is still a popular holiday destination and shows no signs of abating. This sort of success stands us in good stead for the coming season and next year. We’re delighted to be working with so many property owners who are helping us welcome so many visitors to the area, and the continued draw of the region is a fantastic opportunity for local property owners that might be considering starting a holiday let.

highlight any areas that could be potential issues in the sale. Rectifying these before negotiations begin will put you in a great position.

Goodwill is at its highest when you have reached your initial agreement with the other side. However, on occasion I’ve seen this eroded by over-zealous advisors who can turn negotiations into a confrontation. Using advisors who are not experts in the field can also lead to unnecessary mistakes that can be costly in terms of the price achieved, the length of time the deal takes and even the issues that arise after completion.

Asking for recommendations and endorsements and getting a feel for your advisor’s style will be important at your first meeting.

CARL LAMB

St Ives BID

Although St Ives has been extremely busy all summer, many businesses reported below average sales for June and July.

August did pick up however, despite the mixed bag of weather many businesses sales were in line with or above last year.

There’s still a split between F&B and non-food retailers, with restaurants and takeaways reporting higher growth than shops. Trading throughout September has dropped off slightly but sales are comparable to last year.

Christian Wilson is a partner and head of the corporate team at Stephens Scown. The team has top ranking from independent legal guide Chambers UK. To contact Christian, please call 01872 265100 email solicitors@stephens-scown.co.uk or visit www.stephens-scown.co.uk

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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CORNWALL

BUSINESS NEWS

SPONSORED BY

cornwallchamber.co.uk

GOVERNMENT APPROVAL

Lynher Dairies has been chosen by the Government to showcase the Best of British Food. Ponsanooth–based artisan cheese producer, Lynher Dairies, has been selected to appear in the 2017 edition of The Parliamentary Review – a Government publication that flagships the very best practice in British businesses. Intended to celebrate excellence and to raise standards, the document is sent out to tens of thousands of leading policymakers and businesses, showcasing British food producers and manufacturers at the very top of their game. The articles act as both a blueprint for success and a template for reform. Lynher Dairies owner, Catherine Mead, attended a launch at the House of Commons last month and said: “We are delighted and proud to be chosen to appear in such an influential review.

2017 has been a busy and innovative year for us. The launch of our new cheese, Kern, has seen the dairy grow, not just in terms of space with the opening of our new building, but also in terms of our skills and investment. We hope our working practice will inspire others to reach for the top too.”

HELIPORT PLANS UP IN THE AIR An amended planning application for a heliport in Penzance to serve the Isles of Scilly is being submitted to Cornwall Council.

Planning consent was originally granted in February, but has been withdrawn on legal grounds after a judicial review was launched by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, which operates existing air and sea transport to the islands.

Robert Dorrien-Smith, who is behind the proposals to reinstate the Isles of Scilly helicopter service, claims strong local support for the project and said: “Islanders, visitors and businesses on Scilly are desperate to know when the new service will be up and running, but a judicial review can take months to even get to court, let alone be resolved.

“To us this uncertainty and cost to the taxpayer is totally unacceptable and therefore the best course of action is to consent to judgment and submit an amended application.”

Meanwhile, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has called for a major public consultation on the future of transport links to the Isles of Scilly.

Steamship Company chairman, Andrew May, 6

insists he is not against the new helicopter service but concerned about the added costs and risks to the Scilly transport network of building a new heliport in Penzance when Land’s End Airport is just a few miles away.

May said: “Neither the Islands nor Penzance can afford a repeat of the collapsed helicopter service that we saw five years ago and we all need to look at what’s in the best long-term interests of the islands.

“Now is a real opportunity for everyone involved in this debate to come together to create a clearer vision for the islands’ transport needs, including a sustainable helicopter service that many people want to see.

“We are ready and willing to play our part in that by helping to facilitate helicopters from Land’s End Airport. We have already offered discounted charges and a service level agreement to ensure transparent and fair operational standards.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 09:42

BUSINESS NEWS

SPONSORED BY

cornwallchamber.co.uk

NEWS IN BRIEF The internationally acclaimed architect Eric Parry is to deliver this year’s Cornwall Architectural Trust Lecture. Writer, designer and academician, he is renowned for his sensitive handling of historic buildings such as the restoration of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, and the extension to the Holburne Museum of Art in Bath. The Lecture is to take place on November 10 at Falmouth’s National Maritime Museum.

South Crofty’s Canadian owner has announced details of fresh investment in the tin mining project. Strongbow Exploration has agreed to sell a 1.5% ‘Net Smelter Returns royalty’ to Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd on all metals and minerals that might be produced at South Crofty for C$7.17M (£4.2M). Proceeds will be used to construct a water treatment plant at South Crofty and for general working capital.

One of the UK’s largest solar panel cleaning companies has significantly improved its productivity with the purchase of new specialist machinery. St Agnesbased A Cleaner Generation, which last year cleaned over a million panels nationwide, was helped through a loan of £27.5k from SWIG Finance matched with a grant of £18k from the BIG2 programme.

CORNWALL

£2M REFURB FOR PENZANCE CINEMA The Savoy Cinema in Penzance has temporarily closed to undergo the first phase of a major refurbishment and extension. This first phase will refurbish the existing large screen one with new seats and projection equipment; the existing screens two and three will be amalgamated to form a new larger screen two. This is all expected to take around eight weeks, after which this part will re-open.

This second phase of the project includes ten new flats and offices on the upper floors, along with new toilets and disabled facilities for the entire finished building. It is expected to be completed by Summer

2018. Finally, in a third phase which will start early next year, the shop to the front of Champions Yard will be altered to provide a new linked bar and restaurant to the cinemas.

The project is costing almost £2 million and follows on from the success of the remodelled and refurbished Regal Cinema in Redruth.

Director, Geoff Greaves, said: “This project is complicated and has taken a long time to get started, we had not wanted to close for any period, but in the end it will be for about two months. However, I am sure the end result will be worth waiting for.”

The project is costing almost £2 million and follows on from the success of the remodelled and refurbished Regal Cinema in Redruth

£27.5K

FROM SWIG FINANCE MATCHED WITH A GRANT OF

FROM THE BIG2 PROGRAMME

STEAMSHIP CHIEF STEPS DOWN The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company chief executive, Rob Goldsmith, has stepped down after almost four years in post.

Goldsmith joined the company in early 2014 and has presided over steady growth – passenger numbers have increased for three successive years, and a strong commercial performance has allowed the company to invest significantly in the transport network.

Steamship Company chairman, Andrew May, said: “We are grateful for everything that Rob

has done to put the company on such a strong commercial footing that has allowed us to commit to a major schedule of investment. He has done a remarkable job and will leave the company in very good shape, with a terrific team. We wish him well as he pursues new opportunities.

“Rob’s departure creates an opportunity for the company to review its structure for the next five years so we are appointing board director Mark Howarth as interim managing director while that review takes place.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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CORNWALL

BUSINESS NEWS

SPONSORED BY

NEW FEATURES ON SHOW

CLIENTS SET TO GAIN Two established Cornish accountancy practices have joined forces.

Following the retirement of his previous partner Peter Pugh, David Chapman of Chapman Pugh and Gain Accountancy have merged

their businesses creating Chapman Gain.

Chapman Gain will continue to provide the usual accountancy services that you would expect, while combining this with the specialist advice already provided by Gain Accountancy for those businesses wishing the grow their business.

“We are delighted to be able to work with

sapc.co.uk

Bookings are now being taken for the Cornwall Business Show, which will be held on the Royal Cornwall Showground on March 15.

With a new website, up to 140 stands and new features, organisers say next year’s event will be larger and better than ever.

Among the changes will be new sections to help charities, social enterprises and business start-ups. Show MD, Andrew Weaver, said: “As the show matures, I think it’s important for us to commit to those who need a leg-up. This includes new start-ups that might otherwise not be able to afford to attend and social enterprises and charities that play an important role in our personal and business communities. I’m glad we are able to offer an affordable way for them to be at the show. Not only will it help them gain some deserved attention but it will hopefully enable social enterprises and charities to meet with influential businesses that may wish to add value to what they already do.”

For more details, visit cornwallbusinesshow.co.uk

David.” said Gain director, Ian Jefferies. “We believe the combination of the two businesses and the strength in depth that we both bring will be very beneficial for our current and future clients.”

The new business will operate from its main office in St Austell, but will also have a satellite office near Truro.

BREXIT ROLE FOR CORNWALL CHIEF Cornwall Council CEO Kate Kennally has been appointed as an expert member on an advisory commission on how to safeguard public services as the UK leaves the European Union.

Launched by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy, the Brexit Advisory Commission on Public Services plans to examine how risks can be mitigated and opportunities seized to make public services “more flexible, effective and sustainable” following Brexit.

The commission has said it will seek to shape Government negotiation choices in order to protect and boost the sustainability of public services. Kennally said: “It is an honour to be appointed to this role as a voice for public services following Brexit. The referendum outcome highlighted frustration with how responsive public bodies are to responding to local priorities. That creates a challenge that public sector leaders must respond to – in looking at how to reinvigorate grass roots political engagement and trust and in building local economies which create opportunity for all. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the commission to tackle some of these challenges and embracing the opportunities Brexit provides for local government and public services.”

It is an honour to be appointed to

8

this role as a voice for public services following Brexit

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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staustellbusinesspark.co.uk

BUSINESS NEWS

SPONSORED BY

CORNWALL

NEW AIR LINK REVEALED

Eurowings has announced details of a new seasonal route out of Cornwall Airport Newquay.

As of March 31, the German airline will fly a weekly service to Stuttgart, to operate alongside its existing Dusseldorf summer connection, which is being extended to October 20.

Airport MD, Al Titterington, commented: “We’re pleased to be welcoming an expanded route network with Eurowings for 2018. The addition of Stuttgart as well as the expanded season on their popular Dusseldorf route illustrates the strong demand for easy access to Cornwall from the German market and is a result of the positive relationship we have built with Eurowings.

We’re delighted that our network of direct connections to Germany is expanding, offering more choice for passengers wishing to travel between Cornwall and Germany.”

We’re pleased to be welcoming an expanded route network with Eurowings for 2018

Sponsored By

Stand Bookings Now Open MAKE NEW CONTACTS • MEET SUPPLIERS • GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Thursday 15th March 2018 | Royal Cornwall Events Centre Media Partners

Supported By

For more info cornwallbusinessshow.co.uk

AWARDS OPEN FOR ENTRIES Entries are now open for the 2018 Excellence in Business Training Awards.

Now in its eleventh year, the awards are hosted

by CCB, part of The Cornwall College Group, and attract hundreds of applications from large and small companies from all sectors across the south west.

“The awards are always a fantastic celebration of local business success,” said CCB director, Sally Foard.

“They have provided well deserved recognition for companies who have invested in training and enjoyed measurable benefits. Planning is already well underway for the awards ceremony in January and the judges are ready and waiting for the applications to start coming in.”

The awards are sponsored and supported by local businesses and organisations across the region including headline sponsors Pirate FM, Sapience HR, Business Cornwall, Cornwall Care, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub,

Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and Devon Chamber of Commerce.

Cornwall College Group CEO, Raoul Humphreys, added: “In today’s challenging economic climate it’s good to know businesses are still prioritising training as they plan their budgets. Many are recognising that training has

a positive financial impact as well as improving staff morale and retention. I would encourage any business not to be shy and to take the plunge and apply!”

The closing date for applications is October 31.

To enter and for a full list of categories, go to ccbtraining.co.uk/ebta

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Smarter

WORKING

IN A FAST MOVING DIGITAL WORLD, ITEC IS THE PERFECT PARTNER TO DRIVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD

B

usinesses in Cornwall are relying on a strong digital infrastructure like never before.

Companies are embracing digital as a way to improve efficiency, automate standard processes and overcome the skills gap.

But with this increased dependence comes new security threats such as malware and ransomware. Seizing the opportunities and mitigating the risks calls for fresh thinking and there are exciting opportunities to work smarter.

New phone systems let you track what's going on inside your business and pinpoint service improvements. Data from your guest wifi network lets you spot patterns and trends and even make special offers to your visitors on the fly.

That behavioural data is invaluable - and a business asset of growing importance, which is why many organisations are stepping up their security and protection. Forthcoming changes in legislation will mean heavy fines if your customer data is breached.

10

ITEC is perfectly positioned to partner businesses in all manner of digital requirements. From business continuity and disaster recovery plans that guarantees an uninterrupted service for your organisation 24 hours a day, through to delivering high performance, scalable, secure and reliable connectivity solutions that are the right fit for your organisation.

Kevin Roberts, who runs ITEC Cornwall, was born in the county and has worked in Cornwall all his life.

“Organisations in Cornwall are keen to deal with a locally-based partner who understands what's going on,” he says. “They want access to the latest tech innovation but combined with responsive, locally based service. That's the ITEC approach in a nutshell.”

That explains why Kevin's business philosophy puts a premium on the value of integrity and long-term partnerships. ITEC is a fast-growing company with more than 200 people and nine offices nationwide, but the ITEC office in Redruth provides a responsive high-touch service to businesses in Cornwall.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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DIGITAL

“Customer service is critical to our success in Cornwall where our customers include Coodes Solicitors, Cornwall Air Ambulance, Maen Karne and Smile Together,” he says.

Another ITEC client embracing the digital revolution in Cornwall is Bottreaux Surgery in Boscastle and Tintagel.

Handling patient calls effectively is a challenge for many GP practices – few things in life, it seems, cause as many grumbles and complaints as not being able to get through to the surgery.

Working with ITEC, Bottreaux Surgery has recently put in place a modern digital phone system in a successful effort to meet and even exceed the expectations of its patients.

A particularly striking feature is the system's analytic power, which has already generated insights. The surgery has discovered, for example, that most calls seeking the dispensary arrive at the time when the dispensary is closed for lunch – leading to a reconsideration of optimum opening times.

Organisations in Cornwall are keen to deal with a locallybased partner who understands what's going on

The surgery’s business manager, Matthew Gibbons, explains: “We have limited resources but even so we have been able to improve the quality of our patient service, improving the speed and efficiency with which we handle patient calls. It has also unburdened our 18 admin, clinical and reception staff and freed them up to do their jobs even more effectively than before.”

INFRASTRUCTURE

WHAT THEY SAY “ITEC has grown in size but the personal touch is still very much there. There aren’t layers of bureaucracy and you can still get through straightaway to the right person.”

Duncan Eadie, IT & business services director, Foot Anstey

“Selecting ITEC as our printer and now IT partner has been one of the best decisions I have made whilst working here.”

Nick Crawford, information systems manager, Kawasaki Precision Machinery

ITEC Cornwall 01209 703998 enquiries@itecgroup.co.uk www.itecgroup.co.uk

ITEC AND THE CORNISH PIRATES ITEC has become the official technology sponsor to the Cornish Pirates rugby club

A

s part of the investment, it is also sponsoring the hospitality marquee at the Pirates’ Mennaye Field ground in Penzance.

“ITEC is the leading IT and office technology provider across the south west and Cornwall is a super-important market for us. That’s why our team in Redruth and the whole company are thrilled to be associated with the Pirates and to be their official technology supplier,” says ITEC CEO, Nick Orme.

“We also know the Pirates is a very smart business. It's well-run operation and has ambitious but achievable expansion

Itec_Sept17.indd 5

plans in place. These include the S4C Stadium for Cornwall project.

“These days, sport is big business, and what happens off the pitch is vitally important. Behind the scenes infrastructure enhances the prospects of success.

Our partnerships with Bristol Sport and Plymouth Argyle have given us insight into the off-field challenges and opportunities.

“That's why we're determined to help the Pirates take maximum advantage of innovations in technology. In that way, we hope to contribute to sustained success on the field of play.”

22/09/2017 09:46

Kneehigh with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and West Yorkshire Playhouse present

Based on the novel

by Günter Grass Writer Carl Grose Composer Charles Hazlewood Director Mike Shepherd

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SEE HISTORY BEING MADE CORNWALL AIRPORT, NEWQUAY, 28TH OCTOBER 2017

Watch the BLOODHOUND Supersonic Car makes its first public test run, at speeds of up to 200mph. Meet the team, race your own rocket car and join in the adventure.

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22/09/2017 09:56

SKILLS

HUB

THE SKILLS TO Are you ready to take your business to the next level but not quite sure how to get there? Perhaps you have a business idea but lack the skills to make it a reality? ne of the latest European-funded projects to be launched is here to help you do exactly that.

Skills Hub, which works alongside the existing Growth Hub service, aims to help businesses find the most appropriate skills and training provision

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in the county for them.

It looks to work closely with Cornwall and Isles of Scilly’s commercial sector, and establish the kind of skills they need to be able to grow.

It has been well-documented over the years that Cornwall’s economy suffers from low productivity and that one of the core reasons for this is the perceived ‘skills gap’.

According to Cornwall Chamber of Commerce’s Business Plan for Cornwall (2017/18), 77% of businesses report difficulties in finding skills locally. The Chamber is a delivery partner of the Skills Hub and will help

the project reach businesses who can most benefit from the service.

“Part of our aim,” says Skills Hub manager, Josh Hoole, “is to balance that out a little so that we can help businesses with the skills they need, and help upskill existing employees. And if we do identify gaps in provision, we can feed that upwards to help future projects and the education sector to see the type of areas the next generation needs to be trained in.”

Through a single point of contact, the Skills Hub will look to address some of the issues holding Cornwall’s productivity back, identifying barriers to growth or areas of underperformance for businesses, and how they could be overcome through training, additional skills and apprenticeships.

After a conversation with a member of the team over the phone, businesses will be put in touch with one of the Skills Connectors, which is where the real ‘people work’ begins.

A Connector visits the workplace and with the owner/manager they explore where the business is going, the skills they have within their team and what areas may be lacking, and then design an action plan that signposts them to the right provider to fill these gaps.

“The benefit of our service is we can take away the headache of researching what provision may be available,” says Josh, “whether it’s funded and what options there might be.”

The business training landscape moves very

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quickly and changes all the time. When they are busy running their own operations, businesses are unlikely to be totally up to date with what’s available to them.

“It’s up to us to keep abreast of new developments and bring that knowledge to the business,” says Josh. “Our strength is in delivering holistic support, in a supportive and understanding manner.”

Ian Watkiss, the Skills Connector for mid Cornwall, comes from an advice and guidance background and says that the programme’s success comes through building a strong rapport with businesses.

“Initially we talk about the business on a ‘surface level’, but once they feel more relaxed and comfortable, we are able to get under the skin of the business to see what they need.

And I think they find it rewarding to have that conversation.”

Fellow Skills Connector Lisa Hutchings, who works in the east of the county, echoes that point. “We might be the first external person the business has spoken to about this sort of thing,” she says. “They value someone impartial and independent from outside the organisation coming in to review the business as a whole, not just the skills. They initially might feel better skills are needed in a certain area, but once we get into it, there is often a much wider business need we can help address.”

“In a way we are like business and skills therapists,” says west Cornwall Connector, Julia Le Gallo. “We ask questions and the person we are talking to often really opens up to us. We take on what they have to say to ensure their needs are addressed.”

Prior to the Skills Hub, such an allencompassing service of examining businesses, getting them to question themselves and finding out what sort of skills they were lacking did not really exist.

“Our approach is to be curious and kind and sometimes ask those difficult questions,” says Josh, “on where the challenges and bumps in the road may lie.”

There is no typical type of business that can call upon the Skills Hub for support. It can be a larger business, with a team of up to 250, or a micro-business with just a few employees.

And because this is a European Social Fund (ESF) programme there are no sectors that are ineligible to take advantage of this free service.

Lisa recalls a recent meeting with a manufacturing business, which employs 150 people, and while it had systems in place it had not encountered the kind of support the Skills Hub was able to offer before.

“They had worked with another business support project which was more about processes, but they had never had anyone like us come in to carry out a full skills review,” she says.

“We will support them to put in a new appraisal system from top to bottom, not just of individuals, but also management. They had no idea there was any funding out there to support skills and they are now looking at taking on apprentices as well. It will be interesting to see how the company develops.”

One of the common skillsets that the connectors have found to be lacking among Cornish businesses in these early days has been leadership and some of the softer, people management related skills.

It is not uncommon for a business to promote someone who has worked there

RIGHT: SKILLS HUB MANAGER, JOSH HOOLE

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for a number of years, has all the technical knowledge of the job but lacks leadership skills.

They may not have realised that training was available to them but developing management skills could make them feel more comfortable and more effective in their post.

“Many of these companies have HR departments,” Josh says, “but still need support to deliver the level of skills development that Cornwall needs.”

In many cases, businesses could benefit from ‘modernising’ and digital marketing skills are another example of something that can be lacking in many businesses. “Lots of people may use social media socially, but are not

to people what apprenticeships actually mean,” admits Josh.

“There can sometimes be a ‘I had one ten years ago but it didn’t work’ attitude but they have come a long way and the Government is 100% committed to apprenticeships. The quality of the offer for businesses is much better and packages are more attractive.

“They are a very useful model for training both existing staff and bringing in new staff.

And it’s not just for youngsters, you could also have a 55 year-old care worker get training through an apprenticeship to become a team leader for example. We need to explain to businesses exactly what an apprenticeship

In many cases, businesses could benefit from ‘modernising’ and digital marketing skills are another example of something that can be lacking in many businesses confident which platform to use for business.

They need to understand how to market themselves in the modern world,” says Julia.

The Skills Hub team have come across companies that have had no marketing function at all. It is often considered an ‘add-on’, bolted onto to someone’s role with no specific experience or expertise in that area.

“Again,” says Josh, “if you give them the skills and a bit of training, they could do a hell of a lot more.”

Intervention doesn’t always have to be in depth to have a big impact, although some skills reviews will be several hours of work.

Lisa recalls a small north Cornwall hair salon which contacted her about wanting to recruit an apprentice, but were struggling to get any interest.

“They had advertised with a board outside the shop, but weren’t really getting anywhere. I could help by showing them where to advertise, with colleges, the national apprenticeship website and so on. Now her business has grown from not just taking on one apprentice, but two. All this from just a ten-minute phone call, and the impact on that business will be huge. We are always looking for that extra added value.”

In fact, apprenticeships are a rapidly growing area for businesses in both upskilling existing team members and bringing in fresh talent.

There can be, however, a stigma attached to them, with cultural forces and outdated conceptions of apprenticeships just being for electricians and plumbers, and not being of particularly good quality. In fact, today’s apprenticeships go up to degree level and are no longer just the domain of school leavers.

“We’ve got quite a big job to do, explaining

HUB

could mean to them.

“And there are various models of apprenticeship. Smaller businesses might not be able to afford one or have enough work, so it could potentially work with clusters with one apprenticeship between a number of businesses.

“We will increasingly be encouraging businesses to engage with apprentices, of all ages and abilities.”

As the old cliché goes, a business is only as good as its staff. Through its tailored approach, working with the Skills Hub means there is a real opportunity to make a difference.

“Growth means different things to different businesses,” says Josh. “But we want to be seen as the place for businesses to come to if they have any query about skills.”

If you’d like to book your FREE business skills review, call the team on 01209 708660 or to find out more visit www.ciosskillshub.com The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Skills Hub is part funded by the European Social Fund and is match funded by Cornwall Council and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.

WORD OF MOUTH “We really appreciated the time the Connector spent with us, getting to know our business and what makes us tick. We felt confident in his approach to finding solutions that were right for us. We didn’t feel pigeon-holed and are very hopeful and excited that we can engage in meaningful training for our team soon”

“The service from the Skills Hub was timely and tailored to give myself and the business the ability to progress and expand” Brad Clark, CEO of Intospheres

Linda Norfolk of Perranporth-based EPC Wheelchairs

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TRANSFORM Aiming to grow but in need of help? This experienced team of business coaches could offer just the support you are looking for ransform, an ERDFfunded business support programme delivered

by Oxford Innovation in partnership with Unlocking Potential, offers coaching to established businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly with the ambition for high growth.

The programme grants access to a network of experienced Oxford Innovation business coaches – a benefit that programme delivery manager, Sarah Wilkinson, says can make a huge difference for even the most experienced of business owners.

“Running a high growth business can be fraught with challenges no matter how successful or experienced you and your team may be,” says Sarah. “Transform provides a niche programme of business support which can be embraced by not only a business owner but also by the employees within their organisation.”

So what sets Transform apart? “It’s our diverse team of business coaches,” adds Sarah. “From the skills and the immense experience they bring, to the way in which they challenge thinking, they are able to support businesses through those rollercoasters of

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change and critical stages of growth.”

Indeed, Transform’s coaching team is made up of more than 20 experienced business professionals who have the insight needed to help business owners reach their full potential.

The coaching team is split into three main areas of expertise: Operational Excellence, Sales & Marketing Excellence and Leadership & Management Excellence.

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Louise Hutton-Bailey is the coach team leader for Transform’s Operational Excellence team.

Having worked in global operational leadership across international supply chains, Louise has a keen eye for efficiency, effective processes and quality within business operations.

Why is Operations an important area for a business?

Operations management is one of the core functions of a business, although it may not exist under that name. It is responsible for the practical creation and delivery of a product or service a business offers and as such is critical in creating value for customers and the organisation.

Being able to deliver exactly the right product or service, in the most efficient way, to the timescale and quality requested by

the customer is fundamental to growing a successful business, and the better an organisation is operationally, the more competitive it can be. Having a fabulous business idea without robust delivery mechanisms is not enough; nailing operations must be a top priority.

What challenges do businesses face in this area?

Whatever the size of business, the challenges faced in delivering operational excellence are similar: coping with variability of demand; trying to deliver too many different types of product; not having enough volume to make a process efficient and being able to manage, and deliver to, customer expectations.

Smaller businesses manage to deal with this in the early days by the sheer hard work, enthusiasm and product knowledge of the business founders and early employees. As the business grows, however, we often see a lack of planned structure and standardised processes hindering further expansion – and that is where a review of the business from an operation perspective can really help.

What has Transform done to help?

With the operational excellence specialists that we have within the Oxford Innovation

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coaching team, we have helped many Cornish businesses in understanding and focusing on their value-adding activities. We’ve worked with them to build organisational structures, business processes and best practice management techniques to deliver them effectively and with as little wasted effort as possible.

In all cases we try to provide a challenging and objective view of how the business works today and then help the business leaders to understand how their resources can be best deployed to meet their current and future needs.

SALES MARKETING EXCELLENCE

Peter Turpie is the coach team leader for Transform’s Sales and Marketing Excellence team. Peter is a generalist having spent the last eight years as a regional general manager in an international context, holding CEO and MD appointments.

Why is Sales and Marketing an important area for a business?

A defining feature of most successful businesses is a deep understanding of their customers. Marketing can be defined in many ways but essentially it’s the all-embracing function that links the business with customer needs and wants to get the right goods or services to the right place at the right time.

Sales is the lifeblood of a business, generating revenue from its goods or services.

Typically, the flow of Sales is closely aligned to the flow of cash needed for a business to operate day-to-day while a strong pipeline of future sales gives the confidence needed for investment and growth.

What challenges do businesses face in this area?

Businesses often find it difficult to first identify who their customers are and secondly how best to communicate with them – in terms of both channels and message.

Closing the deal is often the biggest

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challenge for a business. Having a great product in the eyes of the customer, competitive pricing, and a skilled Sales team will help to overcome.

What has Transform done to help?

We have a number of marketing specialists within Oxford Innovation. They often work with businesses to help develop their understanding of the customer and develop a Marketing strategy. This strategy could include branding, digital and traditional marketing elements.

We can also help businesses to develop the skills of their Sales team, for example, with pitching or managing a CRM. In addition, we can support businesses in developing both Targeting and Pricing strategies to maximise margins.

MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE

Sara Webb is the coach team leader for Transform's Leadership and Management Excellence team. Sara’s expertise lies within planning, leadership and project development life cycle all with a focus on proven strategies for business growth.

Why is Leadership and Management an important area for a business?

Leadership is at the heart of any business; being part of a team with an inspiring leader creates an energetic and dynamic environment leading to growth as everyone works towards a common goal. Research shows that leaders are often the reason people stay in role, not the salary or the benefits; it is the person leading that keeps us there and motivates us to commit.

INNOVATION

What challenges have businesses found in this area?

When real business life gets in the way, our knowledge of leading gets pushed to the side.

Instead, it is the urgent matter for that day: cash flow, orders to get out, standards to be kept up. The leader will be under pressure to perform and ultimately keep the business growing – and it can be easy to forget that as the boss your actions will influence the whole team.

Exceptional leaders recognise that there is never an absolute opinion; instead, there is only perception. Points of view change based on our own experiences. Our ability to think that our opinion is the absolute truth can sometimes work against a happy and innovative environment; bosses can silence creativity and growth when they do not take the time to consider the opinion of others within the team.

What has Transform done to help?

At Oxford Innovation we offer a chance to stop and evaluate: what is your leadership style, what works well, what could be better, what can you do to create a cohesive team?

We work with managing directors, senior teams / board members and the whole team using proven tools in one-to-one coaching, one-to-many or workshop environments. We assist leaders in becoming the best they be and in doing this allow space to create high functioning and optimum performing teams.

To find out more about the Transform programme, call 01872 300 116 or visit www.transformcornwall.co.uk

BELOW FROM LEFT: SARAH WILKINSON; LOUISE HUTTON BAILEY; PETER TURPIE; SARA WEBB

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DAVID WALROND

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ay w r e h ot vid e h t t no cipal Da , n o i irat ge prin p s a es h Colle v i r d it nwall nt w e n m e e P v or e & C i h o s r c s A ru usine T , d n arou nd tells B Walro

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Going back to the early days, have you always worked in education?

I’ve always taught post 16. I suppose I remember how bloody horrible I was when I was 13, 14, 15.

I did my teaching practice with younger kids and then worked in post 16 colleges in London.

Then in my early thirties, I met my wife who lived in Italy at the time. Further education in London in the late 80s early 90s wasn’t without its difficulties, so the idea of going to do something different somewhere else attracted. So I went to Italy. I realised that if I taught English I would never learn Italian, so I joined a workers cooperative, worked in a scaffolding warehouse and drove a fork lift truck. I had three or four great years in Italy. It was a gamble, perhaps, but definitely the right thing to do.

I learned Italian, then got a job at the university as an assistant lecturer for a couple of years, and then children arrived. It was a great life there but we decided to go back to Britain to bring the children up. After that I worked in colleges in Hampshire and Cheshire. I got involved in the inspectorate at Ofsted, so became interested more in leadership and management roles and then I joined Truro College in 2003 as Jonathan Burnett’s deputy and when he left in 2010, I got the job as principal. It isn’t a conventional background but then I don’t actually know anybody who has a conventional background.

I got involved in the inspectorate at Ofsted, so became interested more in leadership and management roles and then I joined Truro College in 2003 as Jonathan Burnett’s deputy and when he left in 2010, I got the job as principal

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Do you miss the teaching side at all?

I do, and it’s quite ironic on results day that I’m the one who often comments to the press about how well students have done and I’ve probably not taught a single one of them.

Occasionally I get invited back to do a guest lecture in English, but I do miss it. I’m also involved in TPAT (Truro and Penwith Academy Trust) which works with a lot of primary schools so I feel close to teaching issues in that way too, and I’ve been a chair of governors, so I am still close to teaching across all phases.

When you became principal, was that at the same time that Truro and Penwith Colleges merged?

That merger happened two years earlier but the fruits of that, I suppose, were still in the making. There had been an immediate benefit from the merger, but still a way to go, as merger is always a process not a moment. The second half of the campus was opened in my first year as principal in 2010, but the moment of merger happened in 2008.

And now a new campus in Bodmin Yes, Callywith is really exciting. The huge journeys that more and more learners were making kind of made to Truro made it inevitable one day. It then came to a point where we either having to shut up shop and say we’re not taking any more students because we’re full, or we were going to have to select students in some way, which is an anathema to me and the governors. Either that or expand, so why not expand where some of the learners are having the most difficult journeys, which is what we did - hence Callywith.

How many students do you have?

Across all campuses, about 5,500, 16-19 year olds, which is moving towards 50% of the cohort in Cornwall. People come remarkable distances, literally from Sennen Cove to the Devon border, and some even reside locally during the week.

And remember, they all have a choice. And, talking to a business readership, they will see that education is something of a market now.

Increasingly people are being empowered to choose, whether as businesses or learners.

Previously, for many there had been obstacles of time and cost getting to the Truro site, but with Callywith those things are not so prohibitive now.

Callywith will have between three and four hundred in its first year, but we could take up to 1,200. The menu on offer of course is slightly smaller than Truro and Penwith presently, but we can respond to demand. What do employers want? What do learners want?

That’s what will lead the development there as it has at our other sites.

That’s a key question isn’t it, what do employers want? Do you think at times there has been a disconnect between education and businesses?

There has been, but it’s always easy to overstate it. Sometimes the relationship between education and business is portrayed as almost adversarial, but in good colleges like this one it’s not, it never has been. But what I think employers like to see is that the education institution they’re working with is itself a good

DAVID WALROND

business; entrepreneurial, delivering a good product, well marketed. Once they can do that, the dialogue is much better. And with businesses and employers, we now concur with them that there’s no such simple constant thing as ‘What businesses want’. Businesses don’t all want the same thing because they’re in complex, volatile markets. And they don’t necessarily want the same thing two years running.

So I think our relationship with businesses is a listening dialogue; we don’t try and prescribe to them what they want. But they are also prepared to listen to the fact that sometimes it’s a bit more complex than just filling a shortterm, local market gap. I think our relationship with local businesses and employers is very strong and it’s going to have to get stronger still, to address some of the socio-economic challenges we have.

Have courses become more vocational over the years?

We’re a tertiary college; we do half A’ level traditional academic stuff and the other half vocational. But what is very difficult is to get the same levels of interest and understanding about the vocational, technical and professional offer. The success of a college like this is that we do academic, we do vocational, and there’s real parity of esteem for both. Vocational and academic learners learn side by side, same buildings, same staff and facilities. And that’s one of our strengths. The long-term aim of the Government is to get the vocational, technical and professional routes as highly valued and well followed as traditional academic routes.

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The Cornish economy has long suffered from low productivity, what can the college do to help?

There are a number of reasons why Cornwall is a low productivity area; such as a lot of part time work, remoteness from markets. One of the solutions most people concur over is investment in skills. But is had to be real and long-term investment in skills and that’s where we have our biggest part to play and to persuade people whether that’s national Government, the LEP or local employers. You need to be prepared to invest longer term in somebody, not just as a quick plug to fix a gap in skills, but somebody who can grow with your company and change with it. The key way we address the productivity challenge in Cornwall as a college is to say we can co-invest in skills with you, either as an individual or as a company.

The LEP often puts an emphasis on the ‘smart specialisation’ and tech sectors for Cornwall’s growth We still have too few learners who go down technical professional routes and particularly still too few in comparison with economic competitors who do more and better STEM – science, technology, engineering and maths.

As a college we’ve seen a real growth in that part of our offer, whether that’s been stimulated by campaigns in schools, by government, the LEP or employers; it’s probably an amalgam of all those. The agenda is shifting, but still as a whole we don’t educate as many in those technical and science sectors as some of our economic competitors.

We need to make those pathways attractive with clear links to employability. Really good teaching in these subjects is a challenge in itself; there is a real shortage of maths teachers nationally for instance. And because we have too few science and technical graduates it means the number of graduates going into teaching to teach those subjects is always under pressure.

For students that go onto university, do you like to see them stay in or close to Cornwall? Is there a brain drain?

It’s important for them to have choice. For some, it’s good to get out of Cornwall to see the world, then get upskilled in a different environment and come back and contribute.

What we would like to do is get as many students to their first choice of university or job as possible, whether that’s in or close to Cornwall isn’t so important to us. And ‘losing’ a student to study three years on a degree doesn’t mean they won’t come back to Cornwall. The problem for many of them is coming back and finding the right sort of work.

That’s the challenge.

Can apprenticeships help join the dots?

We’re totally behind the move nationally and locally to get more people to go down workbased routes. A big challenge is that while these high apprenticeship targets are set, we need to expand apprenticeships with real quality. The biggest damage would be that all we were trying to do with apprenticeships

didn’t have the quality of outcome and the economic impact expected of them.

Apprenticeships are a three-way partnership between employer, learner and college. It needs to be a valuable experience, where the learner not only really contributes to the company and its chances but actually boosts their own life chances and employment chances. There’s very often a focus on driving the economy forward as some giant abstract entity, but at the end of the day the economy is a sum of its constituent parts, individuals and businesses. If you can improve the socioeconomic prospects of an individual and a business, that’s actually driving the socioeconomic prospects of Cornwall itself forward.

There seems to be an apprenticeship for almost anything these days We have about 650 live apprenticeships at the moment, about 100 vacancies, and it’s expanding all the time. One change at the moment is the shift in how apprenticeships are delivered and funded and assessed which has made growth in apprenticeships slower than people would like. We are an economy of small and micro employers and for some of these taking on an apprenticeship is a big step to take. A booming economy can help apprenticeship growth, but one that is stuttering or has great uncertainty facing it, is one where the investment principal underpinning apprenticeships becomes harder to adhere to. There’s an old Christian Aid saying I still remember: ‘Give a man a

There’s very often a focus on driving the economy forward as some giant abstract entity, but at the end of the day the economy is a sum of its constituent parts, individuals and businesses

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fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, feed him for a life’. But it takes longer to teach someone to fish, and patience, so there’s an investment principal that’s at work here. But it’s our job to lead the dialogue and explain what an apprenticeship means and can do for businesses.

Are apprenticeships more suited to larger companies?

Not more suited but possibly easier to build into your development strategy if you are an employer of 100, 200 people than if you’re an SME, where it might not be a 100th of your workforce involved but 20% or 30% of your workforce. So not more suited, but the decisions about it can be more challenging, with more at stake.

The public debate on education is quite a narrow one. If you look at the 16-19 phase, most people will talk about the sixth form, but in fact only a third of learners in the 16-19 phase are in a school sixth form, and two thirds are in a college.

When you listen to the public debate you would think that college is some minority option, when it’s the majority option.

There’s a long way to go shift perceptions, but if we don’t shift perceptions we won’t shift the economic situation in prospect, one which is going to depend on more people taking technical and professional pathways rather than being steered down those same narrow, academic subjects which still dominate the popular debate about education.

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What is the college’s main obligation?

Everything we do is for the good of Cornwall.

We may not always talk in terms of Cornwall as a single large entity, because the focus is often rightly on individual Cornish learners and employers, but their improvements and gains lead collectively to the improvement of Cornwall.

I think our biggest opportunity and achievement is to change the life chances of individuals in our local communities by delivering higher levels of education and skills.

Are apprenticeships seen in lesser terms than the traditional work route of A’ levels, going to university etc.

That’s a good question, it depends who you ask. If you ask employers, if you ask people earning while they’re learning, they will have a different perception.

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And your biggest challenges?

Ensuring teaching that is lively, entertaining and enjoyable and where students feel valued and engaged in what they’re doing post 16, especially if they haven’t achieved success at school.

For years in Cornwall we have heard that there is low aspiration as the major challenge. Some people talk about increasing aspiration as if it is fluoride and you can pump it into the water supply. And they also say aspiration will drive achievement, but one of the biggest things we have found is that actually achievement will drive aspiration. The danger of simply saying there is low aspiration is that you almost shift the blame on to the young people themselves and their families. I think what we’ve demonstrated as a college is if you get people to achieve at higher levels than they and others thought possible, the growing aspiration follows, not the other way around.

Do the challenges in Cornwall differ from other parts of the UK? We try not to do too much special pleading for Cornwall, but you have to accept we are a very scattered, dispersed rural population and we live in fairly small communities and we have big travel times and have some real infrastructure problems.

Traditional big industries have come and gone. We have a natural affinity with tourism, but that can be quite seasonal work. There are bigger projects afoot such as the space port, which we thoroughly welcome. But sometime I think we need to focus more on individuals, communities and employers, rather than just focus on describing and defining what we all know is our challenging socio-economic environment and our challenging geographical location.

How did you get involved with the Stadium for Cornwall project?

When we saw where the preferred location was, and what model of stadium they were looking at, it became a ‘no-brainer’ really. A few hundred yards up the road from us with the great potential to run a highly accessible business centre to support our work with businesses and employers; what a fantastic venue. Then we looked at our students and saw there were great possibilities for them in hospitality, catering, all the sports, sport sciences etc. It has always been our belief if you build top class facilities and have a real partnership of high calibre investors with a shared understanding and aims, that is how you take Cornwall forward. We’ve never been in doubt that the stadium project is good for business, good for individuals, and good for Cornwall as a whole, although it has certainly had its ‘twists and turns’ as a project.

Why has it been so difficult to deliver do you think?

I think the answer is partly commercial, partly political. There’s a natural wariness about setting up a large project; you need the confidence it’s going to work and that it’s not going to be a burden on tax payers. But I think the model we have now has potential for huge success.

However, if you go around the country there have been some high profile, prestige projects which haven’t delivered. There is a good healthy Cornish scepticism sometimes about things that are deemed to be ‘a good idea’, but I would agree with the growing view that says Cornwall deserves a stadium. We were delighted when we got our first rugby academy

graduate into the England side, and now our first British Lion, but to do that we do need to give people the best facilities possible.

The stadium has huge potential for business in Cornwall, for the wider population in terms of access to sport, to concerts, good conferencing so it is an exciting time for the project and we’re looking forward, hopefully, to an opening in 2019.

But there will always be some doubt about whether it will happen at all until that first spade goes into the ground?

And there was that same doubt with Callywith College, for example. But I think the momentum is there now and the progress made considerable so I very much hope and I think that we will have our much needed stadium before too long.

And a great facility for the college Certainly it will enhance it. It’s another good example of a partnership working. Projects like this need business and enterprise and often a college presence to make it a skills and training and community facility as well.

So it’s another example of business and college partnership working unequivocally for the good of Cornwall.

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Prime investment for sale in heart of St Ives. Currently let to Fabulous Kids on a lease expiring 2029. Offers in excess of £450,000 are requested.

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To Let: 3,000 sq ft (plus – 1,200 sq ft mezzanine) to 8,000 sq ft in total.

Light industrial space, close proxity to Newquay Airport & A39. From £16,000 - £32,000 pa excl.

Truro

St Ives

Indian Queens Trading Estate

St Columb Major Ind Estate

Mike Nightingale:

Thomas Smith:

Thomas Hewitt:

Robert Sloman:

Partner

Head of Commercial Agency

Commercial Surveyor

Commercial Surveyor

If you are a commercial landlord or tenant looking for new premises, or a let, sale, relocation or lease disposal please call our Commercial Agency experts on 01872 247035 As business property specialists Miller Commercial can offer you a full range of Commercial Property services from valuations and management through to sales and investment.

Our areas of expertise include: Investment & Development Sales & Acquisitions Business Transfer Valuation & Lease Consultancy Property Management

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

Leasing & Letting

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22/09/2017 09:56

PROGRAMME

GROWTH

WELCOME TO THE

ESAM IF YOU ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF ADVANCED ENGINEERING IN ANY SECTOR, CORNWALL HAS A NEW LOCATION FOR YOU 26

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 09:58

GROWTH

T

enants in Cornwall Council’s new Employment Space for Advanced Manufacturing (ESAM) will occupy a combination of office units and industrial spaces that are designed to promote collaborative working, with common access to shared facilities and business support services. This modern development is being built to BREEAM Excellent standards, offering your business and your staff a high quality and productive work environment. Sitting at the top of St Austell Bay looking across the breath-taking south Cornish coast, the site has access to excellent road, rail and flight networks and, with superfast broadband connectivity, you’re never far from anywhere when you’re working and doing business in Cornwall.

ESAM is the flagship development on the Carluddon Technology Park and will be ready for occupation in summer 2018. It will kick start physical and economic regeneration of the area and bring benefits to new and existing advanced manufacturing businesses, including in the low carbon environmental goods and services sector. The development will create up to 75 high value jobs and set a benchmark for design quality.

The 2,300 m2 ESAM building, contains 25 industrial and office units which are now available for lease. The workspaces vary in size from small office and industrial units at 32m2 to the largest industrial units at 90m2 with opportunities for additional mezzanine accommodation. The options provide tenants with an attractive choice that suits their needs now but most importantly supporting their growth in the future.

THE STRATEGY AND OPPORTUNITY

Advanced engineering is one of the fundamental building blocks of the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Strategic Economic Plan, Vision 2030. The evidence, on which the strategy is based, clearly indicates that emerging market areas can contribute to our economic prosperity.

The Strategic Economic Plan concludes that Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly can lead the UK and compete with the world in advanced engineering and digital innovation.

This will drive growth of large-scale aerospace, microelectronics, high tech marine engineering and energy sectors. At the same time, the opportunity exists to create new industries across environmental technologies, digital health and the creative sector.

Add to this the research and innovation excellence within the universities and institutes and we have the essential elements to support and grow the thriving SME business community.

PROGRAMME

ESAM. Early conversations with potential occupants have been very positive with both local and national interest. Collaborative workspaces have a proven record of stimulating creative and innovative solutions that result in bringing new and successful products to market. Cornwall Development Company are working on a number of exciting joint working opportunities with existing initiatives in the marine and aerospace sector to benefit local businesses and attract inward investment to Cornwall.

If you are interested in learning more about what ESAM has to offer your business please contact Mike King (Managing Director, Cornwall Development Company) on mike.king@ cornwalldevelopmentcompany.co.uk or call on 01872 322800

COMMITMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS

In a clear sign of commitment to advanced manufacturing, Cornwall Council has invested £2.7 million, leveraging £6.2 million of European Regional Development Fund investment in the project. Cornwall Development Company has been commissioned to market and secure tenants in the building. To ensure the success of ESAM the team is working with the Cornwall Manufacturer’s Group, the SW Manufacturing Advisory Service, Invest in Cornwall, the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Hub, and other local and regional partners to promote the advantages to businesses of locating in

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:48

CHRISTMAS

GIFT GUIDE

CORNISH TIN CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS Stunning handcrafted gifts made from pure Cornish tin, the last of the tin reserves from the South Crofty Mine. 15 different decorations available – new design each year. croftytin.co.uk

FINCA LA ESTACADA MAGNUM

CHRISTMAS

This whopping magnum of delicious Tempranillo from Spain is certainly a showpiece, and is a snip at just £24.75.

Comes with presentation box.

Cornwall Beer & Wine Centre, Cardrew Way, Redruth TR15 1SS 01209 313620 wineincornwall.co.uk

Looking for Christmas gift ideas for a valued client or colleague?

How about some of these suggestions GLASS DECORATIVE HANGINGS Add a little designer detail to your festivities this Christmas with Jo Downs’ collection of decorative hangings. Available from early November. jodowns.com St Ives, Padstow, Fowey, Tintagel, Launceston, Ripley and Twickenham.

01566 779779

CORPORATE GIFTS CHRISTMAS BEAUTY BAUBLES Trim your tree in style with Bloomtown's Christmas Beauty Baubles, each filled with a luxury Bloomtown beauty product...makes a lovely little stocking stuffer or secret santa gift. Or how about using them for your advent calendar? £29 for a Set of 3 pre-ribboned and filled baubles. bloomtown.co.uk info@bloomtown.co.uk 01872 864222 28

From the Great Cornish Food Store, Truro.

Tailored to your business needs and budget, our bespoke Cornish gift boxes are the perfect present to reward, motivate or simply say thank you. greatcornishfood.co.uk 01872 306060 store@greatcornishfood.co.uk

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:00

CHRISTMAS

It’s party

time!

O

ver the following pages we have a few ideas on where to hold your office bash this year, as well as some Yuletide caution from Foot Anstey lawyer, James Collings, to ensure everything goes smoothly.

Whilst Christmas is generally considered a period of 'joy to the world', that isn't always true in the world of HR, with the Christmas period throwing up challenges ranging from respect for different religions in the workplace, bonus issues, and holiday booking issues to name but a few.

Perhaps the most common cause of headaches, however, is work Christmas parties, which not infrequently lead to challenges (some of which the employer may find themselves vicariously liable for) ranging from minor property damage and drunken promises of pay rises, right the way up to harassment and serious physical and sexual assaults.

So then, is it best not to have a Christmas party? Research suggests that's probably not a great approach – staff generally look forward to their Christmas parties, and they're an important reward for staff and an opportunity to develop relationships with people across the business.

Better then to have it, but to exercise a degree of control and advanced planning in order to minimise the risk of issues before they arise.

PARTIES

THE OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY IS ALWAYS A HIGHLIGHT OF THE CALENDAR

TO ENSURE THINGS GO SMOOTHLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: 1.

When booking the venue, event, and entertainment ensure that both the location and theme are inclusive – making sure for example that it's accessible to all employees irrespective of disability, and doesn't offend employees of a particular religion, gender, sexuality etc.

2.

Ensure that invites are extended to all employees including those on any form of family leave and those on sick leave (depending of course on the nature of their illness). Be careful however not to pressurise or seek to force someone to attend.

3.

Limiting the amount of alcohol at the party (especially any free alcohol), and provide a sensible and suitable selection of non-alcoholic drink options and food.

4.

Instruct all managers to avoid engaging in discussions about performance, promotion, salary or career prospects with staff during the event.

5.

Prepare and provide to all staff in advance, a clear statement on the standards of behaviour expected at the party. Highlight that you don't wish to be a 'party pooper', but that fighting, excessive alcohol consumption, the use of illegal drugs, engaging in inappropriate behaviour, and making discriminatory comments/remarks will not be tolerated. Include a reminder of the Company’s disciplinary, equal-opportunities/ harassment, and social media policies, and highlight the likely consequences of misbehaviour.

Tel: 01872 243300 www.footanstey.com

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:02

NEW SEASON LUNCHES

3 COURSES £24

MONDAY - SATURDAY 18 SEPTEMBER - 21 OCTOBER 2017 30 OCTOBER - 20 DECEMBER 2017 ON THE BEACH, WATERGATE BAY, TR8 4AA, CORNWALL • 01637 861000 • WWW.FIFTEENCORNWALL.CO.UK

CHRISTMAS AT THE GREENBANK

Offer

Party organiser goes FREE with code GWELXMAS on parties of over 10 people

Christmas Parties at Gwel an Mor

The perfect way to celebrate, we welcome parties and festive lunches of any number, up to 110. So whether there’s just the two of you or you’ve got the whole office to entertain – we’d love to see you.

From small groups of friends to large corporate celebrations – our stunning events barn is perfect for your festive fun!

We also offer sole use on all nights in December in both The Riverbank Suite and the Water’s Edge restaurant and lounge bar.

Three course meal, welcome drink, dancing, entertainment and good cheer from just £29.50pp

Party nights: from £32.95 per person Festive lunches: £25 for three courses

Available on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays in December.

If you would like a private party then please contact us for dates and prices.

Call to book on 01209 844135 www.greenbank-hotel.co.uk | Harbourside Falmouth Cornwall TR11 2SR reception@greenbank-hotel.co.uk | 01326 312440

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CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS IN STYLE ...in our unforgettable Festive Tipi Welcome to Retallack Resort & Spa, a five star, luxury self-catering holiday destination located in the picturesque Cornish countryside, just eight miles from Padstow.

Experience a celebration to remember with our festive tipi party nights, or for something more intimate check out our festive menus in The Lookout Restaurant & Lounge.

For further details including exclusive party accommodation packages, please visit‌ W W W . R E T A L L A C K R E S O R T. C O . U K

Next Month The November issue of Business Cornwall magazine will focus on the Duchy’s creative and marketing sectors

To get involved, email caroline@businesscornwall.co.uk

Christmas Parties_Oct17.indd 3

christmas2017@retallackresort.co.uk | 01637 882582 Retallack Resort & Spa | Winnards Perch St Columb Major | Cornwall | TR9 6DE

22/09/2017 10:02

CELEBRATE IN STYLE Christmas Parties, Festive Afternoon Teas & Festive Lunches

SMor_XmasAdvert_194x136.indd 1

11/09/2017 16:49

Looking for something a little different this Christmas?

Exclusive venue, delicious food and great wine From hands-on cooking to private dinner parties, our Christmas cookery school experiences are a great way to celebrate with your team this year.

To find out more get in touch with Amy our Sales & Events Manager amyweeks@rickstein.com 01841 550289 www.rickstein.com/corporate-events/christmas-parties

Quote ‘Business17’ to add a touch of sparkle to your celebration with a free bottle of Prosecco if booked before 31st October 2017.

Christmas Parties_Oct17.indd 4

Parties from

£25 pp

22/09/2017 10:03

Overnigh t st with a bre ay akfast from £47 .50 per person

CHRISTMAS PARTY NIGHTS | £37.50pp Celebrate with a delicious festive dinner and dance the night away to a DJ. Limited availability on the following nights so book now by calling 01637 870202 December 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th.

E-mail: events@headlandhotel.co.uk The Headland Hotel & Spa, Newquay, Cornwall TR7 1EW

C H R I S T M A S PA R T I E S - at the F I S T R A L B E A C H H O T E L A N D S PA

Other dates and private dining nights, including January, are still available!

Falmouth’s L andmark Hotel

WHO’S UP FOR BEING ON THE NAUGHTY LIST? JOIN US FOR...

Welcome cocktail

Ice luge

Five-course meal

DJ until the early hours

Table magic

Plus much more...

BOOK YOUR CHRISTMAS PARTY FROM £27 PER PERSON

Throughout November, December & January 3 course dinner followed by a DJ & live music £39.50 PER PERSON

15TH & 16TH DECEMBER

BOOKINGS – 01637 818109 – EVENTS@FISTRALBEACHHOTEL.CO.UK

Fistral Beach Hotel & Spa Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall, TR7 1PT fistralbeachhotel.co.uk / 01637 818109

Christmas Parties_Oct17.indd 5

3 course festive lunch FROM £18.50 PER PERSON

To book please see Reception or call 01326 312671 w w w . f a l m o u t h h o t BUSINESS e l . c o . u CORNWALL k

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22/09/2017 10:03

TEST DRIVE

SKODA

SKODA HAS YOU COVERED

This month Morveth Ward has been test driving the new Skoda Rapid Spaceback Sport, a car that has broadened the brand's offering, now with something for everyone

TestDrive_Oct17.indd 2

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Overall the Rapid Spaceback is a straightforward car which is easy to live with and set at a price which allows it to fit seamlessly in the Skoda range

elston Garages partnered with the brand in 2009 to form Carrs Skoda and over this period it has won on two occasions the highly commended Retailer of the Year award and in 2011 became the best in UK for customer satisfaction. It has a team of 13 personnel, which includes eight members in the after sales department and two sales executives that have been recognised for their work both within Helston Garages and Skoda.

For Carrs Skoda, the new Rapid is another string to it's bow. However, at first I was sceptical, why the need? Skoda already has the proven, and not dissimilar, Fabia estate and if that’s still too small, or not quite executive enough, then you have the Octavia. The Rapid is designed to sit in the middle there, taking on hatchbacks like the Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Golf. This helps clarify Skoda’s target market – for example I was always a little unsure whether the Octavia was rivalling the likes of the Focus and Golf size of car (European C-segement) or the Mondeo and Passat type (D-segment) – in reality it was quite uniquely and impressively both of those groups.

However, now that the Rapid is here things become more simple on paper – the Octavia steps up to go face-to-face with the D-segment leaving the Rapid to take on the C’s, whilst the Fabia continues to be a firm and formidable contender in the small car (B-segment) market.

This is a strategy which in principle allows the models to be more honed, from the Citigo right up to the new Kodiaq. In practice there’s still going to be overlap, especially while the Rapid builds its profile.

So we know where the Rapid is trying to sit, but what is it like? This month I have been living with it, to see if it slots in to the Skoda family as well as it does on paper. It certainly has big shoes to fill – the Octavia is an accomplished vehicle which has gained much well-earned loyalty and was always leaning towards the

higher end of the hatchback and executive car market.

The Rapid spaceback is no yard stick but offers a well-rounded, super-practical package with no notable flaws (other than the positioning of the arm rest which if you’re tall and long-limbed like me makes accessing the handbrake awkward) and has the typical Volkswagen Group quality feel combined with a very competitive starting price, from only £13500 OTR. The SE Sport which I drove (as pictured) has a 1.0TSi 110BHP with a 6speed manual gearbox – don’t be put off by it being 1.0l because the turbo and supercharged engine gives the feel of a bigger engine and feels spirited and smooth – unlike some of the small engines other brands use which can feel stressed and underpowered. As the name would suggest the Rapid Spaceback is spacious and practical helped by its conventional design, unhindered by sometimes compromising contemporary designs.

It is well-built but doesn’t feel as premium as some of the more expensive higher-end hatchbacks but nor does it need to be because it offers value and if it’s more luxury you’re after then this is where the Octavia then comes in to play.

Overall the Rapid Spaceback is a straightforward car which is easy to live with and set at a price which allows it to fit seamlessly in the Skoda range.

Everyone now knows that Skoda is a quality brand which has come a long way since it became part of the Volkswagen Group in the 1990’s. From this point, what you get is quality engineering and build quality shared with Volkswagen, Audi and Seat coupled with a more understated brand and an affordable package. Prices have inevitably edged up a little now but the range of vehicles from the brand is stronger than ever and the nuisances become critical in deciding which to go for. I’m personally a massive fan of Skoda.

Carrs Skoda, Indian Queens, 01726 210525

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:52

PEOPLE

ON THE MOVE

SPONSORED BY www.sapiencehr.co.uk

NALDERS PROMOTIONS Nalders Solicitors has announced the promotion of three members of staff.

Christopher Gilbert, who specialises in wills, probate, trusts and later life care, moves from solicitor to associate.

Catherine Hendry, a legal executive based in the firm’s St Austell office, has become a senior associate, while Melanie Rowe,

who focuses on employment and personal injury law, has also been promoted to senior associate.

Managing partner, Dale Band, said: “I am delighted that we can reward their performance with an internal promotion and I look forward to celebrating their future successes with the firm.”

NEW BANK MANAGER

Handelsbanken, the relationship bank for local businesses and individuals, has appointed a new manager at its Truro branch.

With a 25-year background in banking and firm roots in the community, Elizabeth Stansfield will lead an established team of bankers, responsible for meeting the individual needs of a growing range of customers in and around Truro. Originally from Sweden, Handelsbanken now has over 800 branches in more than 20 countries.

THREE FOR THE FUTURE FROM LEFT: CHRIS GILBERT, CATHERINE HENDRY, AND MANAGING PARTNER DALE BAND

TRACY IS ALL SMILES Dental community interest company Smile Together has appointed an experienced marketer as it looks to grow its impact in the region and beyond.

Tracy Wilson has joined the employeeowned company as head of marketing & communications from the University of Plymouth where she has spent the past 16

years in senior marketing positions.

Smile Together MD, Paul Critchley, said: “We are delighted to have attracted such a high-calibre professional to our growing team. Tracy will play a very important role in expanding our reach and enabling us to make an even greater impact in our communities.”

Truro and Falmouth-based Lang Bennetts Chartered Accountants took on three more apprentices over the summer, bringing the total it now has under training to five.

Kieran Trewhella, 18, and Joe Hayes, 31, are starting Level 3 this month while Shakira Thomas, 17, is doing a business administration apprenticeship.

Hayes, who describes himself as the ‘grandad of the group’, said: “I’m a lot older than my fellow apprentices but I love working at Lang Bennetts because everyone is so friendly and helpful and there’s a really nice atmosphere. Going back to college for one day a week will be a bit strange but I’m looking forward it.”

GLOBAL GROWTH FOR LEAP A Cornish design studio has expanded its team following an increase in demand from international clients. Leap, which is based in St Austell, has appointed Claire Pryor as studio manager, while Nathan Lance has been promoted to senior designer. Laurence Ventress has also joined the team permanently following an 18-month apprenticeship.

Leap’s creative director and founder, Matt Hocking, said: “Thanks to business collaborations we are working on a large number of overseas projects in Europe, North America and Canada as well as our existing regional and national projects that have required us to invest in growing the team.”

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BUSINESS CORNWALL

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www.truro-penwith.ac.uk

EDUCATION

SPONSORED BY

TRAINING

MARINE i WEBSITE MARINE Marine-i, the EU-funded scheme which provides support for the marine sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, has launched a new website to encourage participation from businesses that would like help in developing marine technology projects.

The new website maps out the available support through the scheme, details the types of businesses that are eligible for support, and allows businesses to get in touch with the Marine-i project team for follow-up. The site has been designed to engage those businesses which may be completely new to marine technology and looking to learn more about the sector.

Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Marine-i is a £9.3 million collaboration between the University of Exeter, Plymouth University, The Cornwall College Group, Cornwall Marine Network, Cornwall Development Company (CDC) and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

MAKING FESTIVALS GREENER

MIND THE SKILLS GAP

A new employability project in Cornwall is hoping to help counter a problematic skills gap in the marine sector.

The latest research from British Marine reveals that although 2015/2016 revenues in the marine sector grew by 1.6% to £3.01 billion, its members reported a skills gap pertaining primarily with soft skills as a future potential growth barrier.

In a bid to ensure future employees in the sector have real-world skills, a group at Falmouth Marine School have taken part in the building of a 15ft skiff for a client, with a focus on the softer skills relating to client engagement.

Steve Taylor, from Falmouth Marine School, who is spearheading the new employability project, said having worked in the industry for many

years he was “aware of the skills gap issue and wanted to help tackle it”.

“There are nearly 900 marine businesses in Cornwall and 255 of these are in Falmouth and Penryn, so the importance of upskilling couldn’t be clearer,” he explained.

“The boat builders are highly skilled in their craft, but can lack the necessary communication skills when dealing with customers, which is why at the Marine School we always include live projects alongside the course, to help address this potential issue and to further develop our learners.”

Taylor said that the softer skills component of the course will now carry credits and become part of the employability module and core delivery of the programme.

A new collaboration between Falmouth University and A Greener Festival means that sustainability training for festival and event organisers is reaching an international audience.

The short course, A Greener Festival’s (AGF) Assessor Training, provides evaluation and certification of the environmental impact of festivals. It is being delivered as part of Falmouth’s MA in Creative Events Management.

Having assessed over 400 festivals, events and venues across five continents, including Glastonbury, Denmark’s Roskilde, Spain’s Primavera Sound and Bayou Boogaloo in the US, demand is growing for more AGF assessors across the world.

The new online provision means that A Greener Festival can reach and teach more individuals, wherever they are.

Adrian Bossey, head of cultural management & production at Falmouth University who wrote the online-led MA Creative Events Management programme, said: “We are delighted that with innovative and ambitious programmes like this we are taking our expertise global and helping professionals all over the world upskill and develop their careers in the ever-evolving global events management landscape.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:08

OUT OF COUNTY

BUSINESS NEWS

SPONSORED BY

cornwallairportnewquay.com

NATIONAL TESCO LISTING Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm has announced details of a major new supermarket deal.

500ml bottles (nationally) and packs of eight (regionally) of the 6% Rattler Original Cornish Cloudy Cyder are now on sale in more than 600 Tesco stores nationwide.

Commercial director, Joe Healey, said: “Rattler is our flagship brand and we’re immensely proud of its success. Thanks to its popularity

we are now celebrating national distribution with Tesco, which is a fantastic achievement for the business and our family. We are delighted that even more people can head to their local Tesco and see our cyder on the shelves.”

Healeys has been supplying its cider to Tesco stores across Cornwall and Devon since 2016.

Rattler can also be found on sale at Morrisons supermarkets throughout the country.

SIGNS POINT TO CHATSWORTH A Cornish company has just completed a signage project for Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. Truro-based ABG Design was approached by Chatsworth to improve the signage on visitor journeys throughout the gardens. Director Howard Miles said: “We devised a simple, modular and functional signage scheme that sits calmly in its surroundings. Created from oak posts and resin panels, the sign display clear messaging in a contemporary style that doesn’t attempt to mimic the historic setting.

“Our design provided a consistent style throughout the visitor journey.”

RUGGED INTERACTIVE OPENS BRISTOL OFFICE Fowey-based fitness equipment designer, Rugged Interactive, has expanded out of Cornwall. The business, which last year featured on TV’s Dragons’ Den, has opened a satellite office within Bristol’s new science and tech hub,

Future Space.

With turnover hitting the £1 million mark, founder, Simon Heap, said the move made perfect sense. “Bristol is perfect geographically as it’s not too far from Cornwall but is easily

accessible from the rest of the UK and we were also keen to tap into the city’s strong network of emerging high tech companies,” he explained.

“We will still continue to run operations from our headquarters on the southern tip of Cornwall, but this addition will firmly put Rugged Interactive on the map.”

TRUST IN SAPC A Cornish printing company has won a three-year contract with the National Trust.

St Austell Printing Company (SAPC) is now the National Trust’s only preferred printing supplier from Cornwall.

Liz Luck, south west design and production consultant at the National Trust, said: “We’re delighted that St Austell Printing Company were successful in joining our framework of printers serving the National Trust throughout the six counties of the south west.

“Their high quality standards, environmental principles, attention to detail and care for their customers made them ideal partners to work with us.” SAPC’s regional sales manager, Jon Hart, added: “The National Trust is one of the UK’s most respected brands, and they put a lot of pride into their image and presentation. We are very proud to have been asked to work with them to promote their properties and events.”

38

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:09

NEWS

SPONSORED BY

#FSBCONNECT

www.fsb.org.uk

NEW SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS The search is on for the south west’s most outstanding small businesses via a major new awards competition.

The FSB has launched the ‘FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards 2018’ which will culminate in both regional and national finals.

Small businesses throughout the south west will battle it out for prizes across 12 different categories and both FSB members and nonmembers alike have until December 1 to enter the awards for free.

The awards will celebrate the best of the south west’s 220,000 small businesses and their vast contribution they make to both regional and national economies.

The regional winners will be announced at an awards ceremony early next year and will then go forward to the national UK ‘FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards’ final, where the overall FSB UK Small Business of the Year 2018 will be announced in May. Ann Vandermeulen, the FSB development manager for Cornwall, encouraged local businesses to get involved in the new awards and try to win both regional and national honours.

TRUST IN ME? Remember Kaa from the Jungle Book, that sneaky old snake with the hypnotic eyes? We all think we can spot a conman but FSB Cornwall is asking members to be extra vigilant as scams and cons are getting ever more sophisticated.

We have had reports of grant and funding offers that come in the form of an initial cold call. Application then happens swiftly and all of a sudden a credit card facility is given and then the business has to add their funds to unlock a grant or loan which is added to the card. Website, paperwork, the people involved all look and sound very plausible but we have done some initial google image searches and

“SMEs are a vital part of the south west contributing so much to the economy and making our region a more exciting place in which to live, work, study and visit. This is our chance to recognise the best of the best.”

For a full list of categories and to enter the awards visit www.fsbawards.co.uk

it seems there are several cloned websites and some very suspicious unsolicited deals being offered. However, very tempting to a business with a project!

Currently cases around the country have been reported to police cybercrime teams and Action Fraud for investigation and it seems that businesses in Cornwall are now in their sights.

While investigations continue we are urging businesses to be very vigilant and thoroughly check out any deals that they are offered.

Our advice is to use trusted sources of business support like us at FSB, your local Growth Hub or contacts that come from reliable sources. Be wary of too good to be true offers – they are! If you get something you don’t like the look of then check it out with the Police or Action Fraud.

STAIRWAY TO HELL? Along with senior conservative, Labour and Lib Dem MPs, FSB has strongly stated its opposition to the ‘staircase tax’. The tax refers to backdated business rates bills being delivered to small businesses that use communal stairwells, walkways or lifts.

In the past, firms would receive one business rates bill covering all occupied space. Following the Woolway v Mazars Supreme Court ruling, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is now allocating different bills for individual floors and

workspaces. This means substantial bill increases for small firms, resulting in many losing small business rates relief.

National chairman, Mike Cherry, said: “The staircase tax adds another element of chaos to a business rates system in disarray.

Cross party support from Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem MPs to sort it out is hugely welcome. Time after time, Government is failing to reform an outdated, regressive business rates system.

“Tens of thousands of businesses will be affected – the Cabinet should recognise the problem, get a grip and sort it out.”

FSB CONNECT NETWORKING Open to all - Every 2nd Thursday is an FSB networking day!

We are moving our sessions around Cornwall to bring our great brand of networking and practical business advice closer to a venue near you. See our web diary for details of all FSB Cornwall events and book your place online: www.fsb.org. uk/Cornwall.

All are welcome so invite your own business contacts too!

12 OCT – Which Business Structure is Best - Francis Clark, Truro 9 NOV – Business Plans, Why & How Hannafore Point, Looe 14 DEC – How to Sell – Arundel Arms, Lifton (joint with FSB Devon) Our Next MP Round Table Meetings: 13 OCT - Sheryll Murray 11.00 -1.00pm - Lord Eliot Hotel, Liskeard 27 OCT - Sarah Newton 1.00-2.30pm - Truro Business Space, Truro 3 NOV – George Eustice 12.00 -2.00pm - Pool Innovation Centre, Redruth

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:09

TOURISM

NEWS

SPONSORED BY

www.visitcornwall.com

NEW SPA OPENS A new luxury spa opened at Crantock Bay over the summer.

The spa is the latest addition to the Crantock Bay apartments, which also has the C-Bay Bistro on site, and offers organic treatments by Made for Life by Spiezia Organics.

Nina Eyles, director of Crantock Bay, said: "We’re truly delighted with our new spa. The response we have received since opening has been overwhelming.”

RESORT PLANS PRESENTED TO PUBLIC Plans to invest £25 million to create a high quality resort on the site of a former campsite near Carbis Bay have been presented to the local community in the first of a new-style public consultation forum hosted by Cornwall Council.

Truro-based Kingfisher Resorts has unveiled plans to build a new apart-hotel, leisure facilities and 96 holiday villas on the site of the Una Resort, Carbis Bay, which it acquired in October last year.

The site’s former owners already had planning permission for 123 holiday homes dating from 2010, but only 29 and the Atrium building were ever built.

Kingfisher now intends to invest a further £25 million in transforming the resort and has already spent more than £200k in refurbishing the Una Kitchen restaurant on site.

If fully developed the project is expected to create up to 200 full-time equivalent jobs, most of them year-round.

MARITIME WEBSITE IMPACT 40

The outline proposals were presented at a Pre-application Community Engagement (PACE) Forum hosted by Cornwall Council at Una Resort.

PACE forums are a new way for the Council to involve local communities and councillors in the very early stages of a development. The process, which is voluntary, is designed to assist applicants to deal with important issues before a planning application is made.

Damian Sargent, from Kingfisher Resorts, said: “There were a number of issues raised by local people. Access to the site is one of the biggest concerns, and there were comments about the sewage network, the height of some of the draft proposals and any impact on neighbouring properties.

“Our job now is to take all those comments away and look at how we can address those concerns and provide people with more information.”

The National Maritime Museum Cornwall launched a new website for the busy summer season and saw visitor traffic increase by 65%.

The new site, which was design by A-Side and developed by Ampersand, is part of an overall re-fresh of the museum’s digital brand which also includes social media, email and video.

The museum’s marketing and PR manager, Lauren Hogan, said: “We wanted to create a

UP FOR THE CATEYS The Headland Hotel in Newquay has been shortlisted in the Front of House Team of the Year category of The Caterer’s Hotel Cateys 2017 awards.

It is the third successive year that the hotel has made a category shortlist and the only business in Cornwall to be featured.

First launched in 2007, the Hotel Cateys celebrate the most successful hotels, hoteliers and hotel employees across the UK. General manager, Darryl Reburn, said: “I’m delighted that our front of house staff have got this very prestigious recognition as every one of them understands how important it is to offer an exceptional service and continually exceed expectations.”

The Hotel Catey winners will be announced at London’s Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel next month.

website that provides clear, comprehensive information about the exciting new exhibitions and events at the museum, interesting interactive video content that provides behind the scenes insights, and showcase some of the lesser known gems.”

And the changes appear to have gone down well with August traffic to the website lifting 65% compared to August 2016.

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:18

FOOD

& DRINK

NEW GIN ON THE BLOCK

A new brand of gin from Cornwall has hit the shelves.

Gin is enjoying something of a renaissance with the nation’s tastes. According to HM Revenue & Customs, in 2010 there were only 116 distilleries in the UK, but more than 100 have opened in the past two years alone.

A number of these have come from Cornwall with the latest kid on the block being St Ives Gin, which claims to be Cornwall’s first ‘cold-compound’ gin – a method which sees a speciality blend of botanicals infused with triple-distilled raw grain spirit, before being triple filtered. The gin is the brainchild of the Thompson brothers, Timmy, Greg and Bertie, and was originally created in their family restaurant in St Ives – The Searooms.

“We’ve always wanted to make a gin,” explained Timmy Thompson. “One night we were in the restaurant experimenting with botanicals. We thought, why not head into the kitchen and try some fresh herbs too. The result is really special.” Meanwhile, fellow Cornish gin maker, Curio Spirits, has collaborated with RNAS Culdrose to produce a new botanical gin.

Fly Navy Gin has been launched to mark the centenary of landing the first aircraft on a moving ship at sea. The Fleet Air Arm of RNAS Culdrose wanted to create a gin to call their own and with its close proximity in Helston, contacted Curio Spirits. Rubina Tyler-Street of Curio Spirits said: “It has been a wonderful experience to work on a project with such a professional and honourable team.”

T G W

FISHY TREATS FOR DOGS A Cornish company is reporting instant success for its range of premium dog treats made from fish. Although it only launched less than six months ago, Purely Fish products are already being sold in TK MAXX and after launching its retail packaging at Pet Fair Asia in Shanghai in the summer, it has already taken orders from Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.

Made from only natural ingredients, Purely Fish dog treats are said to be rich in Omega 3, gluten free, hypoallergenic and low in calories.

Business development manager, Karen Scott, said: “The provenance of food products including pet food has become a primary buying choice for consumers. With many pet treat brands being produced overseas, our British customers like that they are buying a UK produced pet treat and this has been a major contributor to our early successes.”

Purely Fish’s parent company is Liskeardbased Ideal Foods Ltd, which has 25 years of experience in the fish trade and export business.

TASTE OF THE WEST WINNERS Businesses from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly were among the overall winners at the Taste of the West Awards last month.

In total, 40 awards were dished out to 35 south west food & drink businesses at a special ceremony held in Exeter.

Cornish Edible Insects received the South West Food & Drink Innovation Award, while other winners from west of the Tamar included Cornish Duck Co (Champion Burgers, Faggots & Meatballs), the Isles of Scilly’s Tanglewood Kitchen Company

(Champion Fish), Cornish Country Cordials (Champion Non-Alcoholic Cold Drink), St Ives Farmers’ Market (Best South West Farmers Market), and Talland Bay Hotel (Best South West Restaurant). Taste of the West chief executive, John Shreaves, said: “These awards underpin our core values and strengthen our regional brand, a brand which is attracting considerable interest from new markets – both nationally and internationally, and is now opening up new opportunities for the region’s foodie sector.”

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:11

CREATIVE

AND DIGITAL

SPONSORED BY

www.digitalpeninsula.org

NATIONAL AWARD FOR MAN ENGINE The Man Engine has been voted the UK’s Best Arts Project in The National Lottery Awards.

Comedian, David Baddiel, was in Cornwall last month to present the accolade to Man Engine’s creator, Will Coleman, at Kind Edward Mine in Camborne.

It was just over a year ago that The Man Engine, a giant mechanical miner, the height of two and a half double decker buses, steamed from the Tamar to the tip of Cornwall to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

After presenting the Man Engine team with their award, Baddiel said: “The Man Engine is extraordinary. As well as being

a mechanical wonder which people have flocked to see, he has become a symbol of Cornwall’s pride and heritage. They fully deserve this award – National Lottery players should be very proud to have helped fund The Man Engine.” Coleman added: “Last year, we collectively pulled off something truly spectacular, working together with people all over Cornwall and west Devon to make the Man Engine tour the length of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site a reality.

“This year, we’ve done it again thanks to almost 8,000 people voting for the Man Engine to become the country’s favourite Arts project in the National Lottery Awards. What a phenomenal response.”

FROM LEFT: WILL COLEMAN AND DAVID BADDIEL

AN ABSOLUTE MAKEOVER Absolute has just completed a major project for a Wadebridge dental practice.

Wadebridge Dental called in the Truro-based interior designer to give the business a fresh new look, from the top down.

42

Principal dentist, Andrew Taylor, said: “Having owned our dated looking dental practice for a few years and with the purchase of the property next door to expand into, we needed design help. The outcome is stunning.”

SUPERFAST TO ULTRAFAST A new £17.6 million deal has been announced to take ultrafast broadband to thousands more homes and businesses in some of Cornwall’s most remote places.

The third phase of the Superfast Cornwall programme will see the latest Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology - capable of delivering speeds up to one gigabit per second (Gbps) – rolled out to more than 7,000 premises by the end of 2019.

The new phase builds on the multi million pound first two phases of Superfast Cornwall, which have already made Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly some of the best digitally-connected rural areas in Europe.

Cllr Bob Egerton, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for economy and culture, said: “Our digital infrastructure is going from strength to strength, I’m delighted that this latest investment from the European Regional Development Fund will further improve our position, particularly in geographically challenging areas.”

The first locations to benefit are expected to be announced by the end of the year. The phase three roll-out is expected to reach the first premises by spring 2018.

BEST IN THE WORLD A design studio from St Austell has been named as one of the world’s best employers.

Leap was honoured in the B Lab Best for Workers list. B Lab UK is a registered charity which exists to support the community of UK-based B Corps, a new breed of company that uses “the power of business to solve social and environmental problems”. Leap founder and creative director, Matt Hocking, said: “We are absolutely stoked to have been named as one of the world’s best. This recognition from B Lab is a real honour.

As a team we have worked extremely hard to achieve our B Corporation status alongside businesses like Ben and Jerry’s, Patagonia and ECover."

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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EVENTS real journeys | real people real insight

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22/09/2017 09:56

EVENTS

OCTOBER

OCTOBER EVENTS 5 8

CORNWALL CHAMBER LUNCH

Carbis Bay Hotel

Don’t miss out on the chance to network and connect with more than 50 businesses and listen to presenters give you a great insight into what they do. cornwallchamber.co.uk

GREENE KING IPA CHAMPIONSHIP

Cornish Pirates v Nottingham (2.30pm)

12

17

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

10 11

Focusing on ‘Marketing for Success’, this workshop will be delivered by Oxford Innovation’s Martin Williams and Ange Hsiao, business coaches with extensive experience in traditional and digital marketing. eventbrite.co.uk

18

A practical workshop explaining how your business can reduce costs and increase profits through exploiting digital technologies. sfbcornwall.co.uk/workshops-events

Top 5 this month EventsDiary_Oct17.indd 2

Birdies Bistro

21

The Falmouth Hotel

22

Cornish Pirates v Ulster

26

Greenbank Hotel

12

The Exchange Gallery, Penzance

Eden Project

TRANSFORM WORKSHOP

Financial Tools workshop, delivered

by Oxford Innovation’s Theda Gray, a business coach with extensive experience in management accounting and finance strategy. eventbrite.co.uk

18

CORNWALL CHAMBER BIG BREAKFAST

Atlantic Hotel, Newquay

Atlantic Hotel, Newquay

Launceston

The club meets on alternate Thursday mornings over breakfast in the Working Boat Pub at the Greenbank Hotel, where a lively and welcoming group of local business people awaits you. falmouthbusinessclub.co.uk

Cornwall Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfasts are held at a different venue each month, typically attracting 110-180 people attending. cornwallchamber.co.uk

TRANSFORM WORKSHOP

TECHNOLOGY FOR GROWTH WORKSHOP

FALMOUTH BUSINESS CLUB

Greenbank Hotel

GROWTH HUB ON THE ROAD

WADEBRIDGE

The Growth Hub bandwagon rolls into Wadebridge, offering free business networking and workshops. ciosgrowthhub.com/growth-hub-onthe-road

09 -13

NEWQUAY BUSINESS WEEK

Various venues

The third annual Newquay Business Week, organised by the Newquay BID, is open to all businesses and their staff in Cornwall and will feature a wide range of networking events and workshops to suit all sectors, at various locations across Newquay. newquaybid.co.uk

HAYLE BUSINESS BREAKFAST

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

DINING IN NIGHT CHARITY DINNER

Turn to Starboard’s annual Dining in Night charity dinner will feature a night of fundraising fun and entertainment to help injured veterans. Dress code is black tie and cocktail/evening dress. For more information, contact Nadia or Ellen.

Tel: 01326 314262

BRITISH & IRISH CUP (2.30PM)

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

FALMOUTH BUSINESS CLUB

The club meets on alternate Thursday mornings over breakfast in the Working Boat Pub at the Greenbank Hotel, where a lively and welcoming group of local business people awaits you. Guest speaker, Cornwall Marine Network’s Sam Winters. falmouthbusinessclub.co.uk

PENZANCE BUSINESS BREAKFAST

Business group that meets every 2-3 months for breakfast, networking & updates on Penzance.

All welcome. This month, George Hardwick, a poet, author and social entrepreneur who currently works as a consultant for the Real Ideas Organisation will be revealing the truth about what creativity really is... eventbrite.co.uk

22/09/2017 10:13

NETWORKING 26

TRURO CONSTRUCTION PROPERTY FORUM

Mannings

The Truro Construction & Property Forum meets on the last Thursday of each month. The networking event brings together people from across the industry. Entry is a £1 donation to charity. sarahgreenslade@wwwsurveyors.com

CCB NETWORKING BREAKFAST

The Business Space, Launceston

Hosted by CCB, guest speakers will include IT support service and cyber security experts, Bluegrass, and top UK 100 law firm, Foot Anstey LLP, who will cover the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Employment Law changes that your business needs to know about for 2018. ccbtraining.co.uk/events

27

TRANSFORM WORKSHOP

Atlantic Hotel, Newquay

Practical Strategic Planning. Have you considered the direction of your business and the goals and steps required to get there? Do you have tangible indicators to help measure your success as you grow? Your vision remains a priority, but are there any threats to your plan? eventbrite.co.uk

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

19

EventsDiary_Oct17.indd 3

CONNECT TO THE FUTURE

Goonhilly Earth Station

An event exploring what technologies businesses can harness to improve their communications and grow. From person to person communications using big data, artificial intelligence and collaboration technologies to the potential of machine to machine messages and the Internet of Things. sfbcornwall.co.uk/workshops-events

Business Cornwall’s Morveth Ward keeps us up to date on the networking scene Though I shouldn’t generalise, last month felt like a back to work month, in line with the school summer holidays ending, where the beach fun diminishes and the work rate rises once again – the email to out of office ratio gets much better.

Not saying this is a bad thing either, with many of us feeling rebooted and raring to go. Plenty of events too – some of the highlights for me included the Acceleration Through Innovation launch (part 2 of 2, the first being at Lanhydrock Hotel and Golf Course) at Penwith College where attendees were informed about the new thre- year project led by the University of Plymouth which aims to deliver high value, high impact interventions and provide intensive support to businesses who are ‘innovation ready’.

Hall For Cornwall Networks Club hosted the most emotional and moving event yet where guest speaker Melissa Mead from the UK Sepsis Trust told us about her tragic loss while highlighting the acute dangers of sepsis. A truly inspirational woman who is clearly making a huge impact in raising awareness of this ‘silent killer’.

At the time of writing this I am looking forward to another Future Focus event as well as The Samphire Club’s Summer Party which is bound to plenty of fun. I will report

back in the next issue.

October has plenty in store, including Newquay Business Week which promises a packed schedule featuring informative and inspirational sessions to help businesses grow, and showcase Newquay as a thriving place to do business.

Created and delivered by Newquay BID, the week is for every business type, from one man bands to web designers working from home, inventors, retailers, attractions, accommodation providers or larger businesses with many employees. Sessions will be covering marketing, ecommerce, customer service, tourism in Cornwall, funding, social media, business growth, digital content, sustainability, branding, a bit of brain science with a side of yoga and much more.

The next TEDxTruro event, ‘Beyond Barriers’ will be taking place on October 27 at Truro College and pledges to entertain, challenge and inspire. No doubt this will be highly popular and rightly so, I’m sure.

October has plenty in store, including Newquay Business Week which promises a packed schedule

27

TEDXTRURO

Truro College

The next TEDxTruro event, ‘Beyond Barriers’, will entertain, challenge and inspire. TEDxTruro’s speakers will challenge us to think about difference, what connects us, and examine ways we can transcend restrictions to go beyond barriers. Tickets now on sale £50 + admin fee. tedxtruro.com

30

CORNWALL SKILLS SHOW

Cornwall Airport Newquay

The Cornwall Skills Show will join forces with the Bloodhound Education day and shakedown trials for the Bloodhound vehicle.

The day aims to helps students get a hands on experience within a potential careers sector that they want to go into. egrainger@cornwall.gov.uk

22/09/2017 10:13

CONNECTED

CORNWALL

SPONSORED BY

www.cioslep.co.uk

CHAIN LOCKER St Austell Brewery held at special party last month to celebrate the reopening of the iconic Falmouth pub, Chain Locker, after it had undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment TOP ROW: STEVE WORRALL, JAMES STAUGHTON, TIM VINNICOMBE, ADAM LUCK, RICHARD DOUGHTY (NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM CORNWALL), RICHARD WILCOX (FALMOUTH BID) AND RICHARD GATES (FALMOUTH TOWN MANAGER) MIDDLE ROW FROM LEFT: MAYOR OF PENRYN SHELLEY PETERS AND DAUGHTER WITH GENERAL MANAGER NATHAN BOUNDY; SAMPHIRE CLUB'S JOHN HARVEY AND JAMES STAUGHTON; BAR TEAM

46

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:14

JUST A THOUGHT

This month’s guest columnist is Agile PR’s Rachel Picken

OPINION

FOR THE LOVE OF POST-ITS love Post-it notes. There, I’ve said it. I also love my children, my family, my friends; in fact my daughter uses them to leave me little messages around the house. They also helped me to bag a new boyfriend, but that’s another story.

Post it notes, and their good friend the Sharpie pen, have transformed the way I work.

I have recently been sharing my love of Postits, and in particular how I arrange them, with other businesses – so they too can increase their stationery expenditure, get excited about the sticky note section in WH Smiths and fill their desk drawers with brightly coloured pens.

That’s because I am an Agile adopter. Agile actually goes beyond Post-its notes and whiteboards. It’s a way of working that started life in the software industry, and has now been picked up across other sectors, from legal and healthcare to public sector and even the Church.

I was lucky enough to attend Agile on the Beach in July, with my Agile PR hat on as well as writing a feature for the US based magazine Agile Vox. There I met James Grenning, one of the 17 founding fathers of the Agile Manifesto. It was a proper fan girl moment, and he was equally impressed with my journalistic shorthand skills.

Since 2012, I’ve been looking at how Agile can be used in the PR industry to plan campaigns and activity. It’s a sector that can be surprisingly slow to respond to trends (despite being an industry that capitalises on zeitgeist. Odd, isn’t it?). Yet it does require practitioners to be able to quickly respond to changes in the news agenda or public interest, as well as political factors and market forces outside their organisation.

Whilst it can be baffling, the people I have worked with agree that the manifesto and principles seem follow common sense: Value people and how they interact over processes and tools Crack on with the job and focus on value, don’t waste time on extensive written plans and paperwork Collaborate with your customers instead of squabbling over contracts

Be prepared to respond to change rather than following the set plan One of most practical aspects of Agile that really gets people interested is a Kanban board, known affectionately by everyone’s favourite networker John Harvey as a Bam Bam board.

This dashboard is out on display in a shared workspace, and enables teams to progress a project or pipeline of work on a regular basis through stand-up meetings.

This summer, I worked with Pirate FM to introduce Agile to their team. As I introduced the concept of Agile, with its manifesto and principles, to start with some of the team weren’t sure if it would work with them.

But as soon as I unleashed the Post-it notes and my collection of multi-coloured Sharpies, and started to map out the launch of a new product on their boardroom wall, things got exciting. People across departments and at different levels, from the MD to the newest graduate recruit, started to input onto the board.

The team is now embracing and exploring Agile, as well as overcoming unexpected challenges, like how do we get Post-its to stick to glass?

(Answer – that frosted sticky back plastic stuff layered on first does the trick).

What’s more, through my training and consultancy, I am collecting Kanban boards from across the UK, showing Agile successes.

I recently trained a group of PR practitioners in London, including the PR manager of a wellknown high street fashion retailer. I was just as excited as she was when she emailed me a picture of her board, neatly colour coded, with the title: “Are you proud of me?”

If you are intrigued about Agile, I wholeheartedly recommend Belinda Waldock’s book, Being Agile in Business.

If you would like to find out more about introducing Agile in marketing, PR and fundraising teams, give me a shout. My Agile Project Management for PR will be running with the CIPR throughout 2018.

If you want to find out how Post-it notes helped me bag a boyfriend, you might have to buy me a beer.

Post it notes, and their good friend the Sharpie pen, have transformed the way I work

BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:16

THE LAST

WORD

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

ANDREW DAVENPORT

Don’t talk to Focus Technology Europe MD, Andrew Davenport, about car insurance!

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG? I wanted to be an archaeologist just like

Indiana Jones. I also considered architecture for a while.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST FULL TIME JOB? I started as a junior support technician for a small IT firm in Fareham, I spent most of the first 6 months cleaning printers.

WHAT’S IN YOUR POCKETS? My car key, my

house key and my wallet.

IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHAT SUPERPOWERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO POSSESS?

Teleportation as it would save on fuel and time.

WHAT DO YOU BEGRUDGE SPENDING MONEY ON? Car insurance, it’s becoming a rip off!

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

A scratch card, you just never know!

I wanted to be an archaeologist just like Indiana Jones. I also considered architecture for a while IF YOU COULD INVITE ANY TWO PEOPLE FOR DINNER, WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY WOULD YOU INVITE THEM? Bill Bailey and

Stephen Fry, I think the conversation would be amazing!

WHEN IS HONESTY NOT ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY? When you are married, whatever you

say is wrong…

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

humanity realise that whatever race, religion, creed, colour, nationality or belief we as a species have one very small, very vulnerable blue and green dot in vast universe, we need to look after it and stop fighting amongst ourselves.

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE ADJECTIVES:

Driven, Ambitious, Passionate.

48 | BUSINESS CORNWALL

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22/09/2017 10:17

Offices and Engineering Space To Let G O O N H I L LY E N T E R P R I S E Z O N E – O N E O F T H E M O S T CO N N E C TE D B U S I N E S S LO C AT I O N S I N T H E W O R L D Room Areas stated are indicative only

Goonhilly Earth Station, The Lizard, Cornwall, UK. Various offices, light engineering and data centre floor space available from 10 m2 (100ft2) to 1,800 m2 (19,400ft2).

Goonhilly Earth Station is a world leading communications site with expertise in satellite control, tracking and communications.

Located strategically at the UK’s most southern point, it is a perfect place for a Space business to grow and be a part of Cornwall’s Space Science Centre.

64 Ha (160 acre) satellite and space communications site UK Enterprise Zone with Corporate tax breaks Private site with 24hr security Close to the UK’s first Spaceport at Cornwall Airport Newquay Ultrafast Broadband (multi Gb/s) Location of the South West Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence.

Located near Helston 20 miles from Truro.

0800 043 7768

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Goonhilly Earth Station, Goonhilly Downs, Helston, Cornwall, UK, TR12 6LQ

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22/09/2017 09:56

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