connected issue 105

HUNTINGDONSHIRE BUSINESS FAIR 2023 ANOTHER SUCCESS

The official magazine for Chamber members

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We were delighted to see so many Chamber members exhibiting and visiting Huntingdonshire Business Fair in April. A big thank you to ctm it support for sponsoring the event and Stuart Searle, Chair of our Huntingdonshire Chamber and Manager of First Mailing, for his support in the planning and organisation of the event and sponsorship of the business breakfast with Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough. Turn to the centre page spread for a recap of the event and to view photos taken on the day by Rob Morris, Headshots and Beyond.

We have some great events coming up in the next few months, turn to our event pages and see what’s happening. Some of our events are selling out fast so don’t delay if you’re planning to attend.

To be included in the next issue of connected, please send your copy and images across by Friday 23 June.

SADIE PARR

Chief Executive’s comments

This will be my last Chief Executive’s comment in connected as I will have stepped down as CEO before the next issue lands. I am very proud to have been in the position to support the Cambridgeshire business community over the last two years. My successor will continue to build on the progress made.

In this time I have seen the Chamber grow with our membership increasing month on month for the last eight months, and many more people attending our events. We have also introduced regular roundtable events where our guest speakers have included Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Governor Andrew Bailey from the Bank of England, Rachel Stopard, Chief Executive of Greater Cambridge Partnership, Daniel Zeichner MP, Stepher Moir, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire County Council, Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce and this month Bill Esterson MP, Shadow Minister (Business and Industrial Strategy).

These invitation only events offer a great opportunity to join a discussion and be part of the conversation. Guests are from a variety of sectors across the membership allowing the discussion to be broad and wide-ranging and allow you to raise specific points relevant to your business and to give feedback to those influential policy makers. If you would like to be added to our invitation list for these exclusive events, please contact our Events & Training team at events@cambscci.co.uk.

We now have four Patron members – Price Bailey, Novotel Cambridge North, Newmarket Racecourse and Huntingdon Racecourse. Our Patron Programme exists to give a select group of dynamic businesses in the county various opportunities to raise awareness of their organisations, as well as to formally express their commitment to helping the success of the Cambridgeshire business community. If this is of interest to your organisation, please get in touch with the team at chamber@cambscci.co.uk.

Our newest Patron member is Novotel Cambridge North and we were delighted when Dr Nik Johnson presented Christophe Ughetto, Hotel Manager, with their membership certificate at a recent roundtable event.

For the last two seasons we have supported Cambridge United and Peterborough United by taking hospitality season tickets which we have used to entertain clients. We were delighted when Cambridge United secured their third season in League 1 by winning their last home game of the season and Peterborough United secured a play-off position, despite the disappointing end to the season in Sheffield.

Chamber Patron Members

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

In April Huntingdonshire Business Fair returned to Burgess Hall and was once again a fantastic event. We were grateful to our Mayor Dr Nik Johnson for speaking at a pre-event breakfast and then officially opening the event.

You can see a full recap of the event, along with a selection of photographs, on the centre page spread.

It was a pleasure to support Maggie’s Cambridge over the last year and the work they do to support individuals and their families diagnosed with cancer. They were fully engaged with the Chamber during their time as Charity of the Year and this was reflected in the support from our Chamber members at key events where we raised funds to support the charity. We look forward to continuing the great relationship we have built with Hayley and the Maggie’s team.

I was delighted to meet with Lisa Punt, Maggie’s Cambridge Centre Head, recently for a cheque presentation.

Lisa Punt, Maggie’s Cambridge Centre Head, said: “We are so grateful for the support of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce and are delighted with the amount raised. A huge thank you to the members and everyone involved in the events organised, your kindness and generosity means so much to us and the people we support.”

Our 2023/24 Charity of the Year is confirmed as Cambridge Children’s Hospital. This will be the first specialist children’s hospital in the East of England that will care for children’s physical and mental health. We look forward to working with them over the next year as the project develops.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone that has sent me good wishes since I announced my resignation from the Chamber and I wish you all continued success.

VIC ANNELLS Chief Executive

We provide Chamber members with many opportunities to widen their network of business contacts – building connections, creating opportunities and maximising the benefits of being part of Cambridgeshire’s most vibrant business network.

CONNECT

EXCLUSIVE SERVICES FOR CHAMBER MEMBERS

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Chamber members are entitled to a free foreign exchange audit which will provide you with an in-depth report and suggestions around where your business can save money.

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• Initiate payments, check trends and pull customised reports anytime, all in one place.

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Get connected

Networking is key to individual and company development. Businesses network to develop relationships with people and companies they may do business with now, and in the future. These connections help to establish rapport and trust among the business community.

The Chamber provides many opportunities for members to

widen their network of business contacts through building opportunities and maximising the benefits of being part of Cambridgeshire’s most vibrant business network. Turn to our event pages to find out the events coming up in the Chamber calendar to help you expand your network of contacts.

“As a company, we have over 5,000 clients and we make 2,000 transfers each month… by using Moneycorp we were able to reduce the amount of time it was taking us to make international transfers.”

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Chamber membership provides access to key information, expert advice and legal protection, enabling you to stay informed, legally compliant and free to focus on what you do best – building your business.

Three ways technology helps businesses reduce costs

Businesses need to be efficient, and technology can help in this regard. Here are three ways technology helps businesses reduce costs.

1 | CLOUD COMPUTING

Cloud computing allows businesses to access files and applications from anywhere, at any time. This can save businesses time and money on IT costs, and it can also increase productivity. Your business will experience much lower maintenance costs by moving to the cloud. As you will have less hardware, such as servers, UPS systems, or generators; thus, less costs involved. Your energy costs will be lower too as moving to the cloud eliminates IT infrastructure costs. Lastly, the great benefit to cloud-based solutions is that you only pay for what you use.

2 | CLOUD AUTOMATION

Cloud automation is the use of software to automate processes and tasks that are performed in the cloud. Cloud automation can help to reduce IT costs by eliminating the need for manual tasks, such as provisioning and managing servers, applications, and storage. It can also help to increase efficiency. This is done by streamlining processes and reducing errors. Cloud automation can help to improve security by centralising control and visibility over cloud resources. This makes it easier to identify and respond to security threats.

3

| TRAINING

Aside from employing various stringent security measures, one other method alongside such measures is to train your employees regarding cyber security best practices. The human element is often the weakest link in a company’s cyber security defense. They may click on phishing links, use weak passwords, or open malicious attachments. By training your employees on how to spot and avoid cyber threats, you can help to lower the risk of a data breach. Cambridge Support | 01223 921 000 | cambridgesupport.com

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As organisations become increasingly aware of the importance of data privacy and the risks of information security breaches, effective management of cyber security compliance requirements has become essential.

Cyber security programs are composed of a combination of technology, processes, and policies, designed to protect an organisation’s systems and data from unauthorized access. Most organisations are subject to some form of cyber security regulation, but specific regulations vary depending on location and sector. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in fines, enforcement action, and reputational damage. The cost of a significant data breach can be much higher than the expense of achieving cyber security compliance.

CyberComply, a complete platform provided by Vigilant Software, enables organisations to manage their requirements for cyber security compliance with ease, now and in the future.

CyberComply identifies relevant rules and regulations based on the organisation’s location and sector. It guides organisations through their compliance needs and provides the most appropriate controls to mitigate risks. With this platform, organisations can implement a cyber security compliance framework that meets their specific needs and legal requirements.

The platform also comes with dedicated tools to treat security threats, manage risks and map data flows. It enables organisations to stay up-to-date with the latest cyber security regulations and best practices, ensuring they are protected against potential cyber threats.

With CyberComply, organisations can be rest assured that their information security and compliance requirements are addressed thanks to its extensive toolbox and specialised technologies. As cyber threats continue to evolve, it’s crucial to stay vigilant, and CyberComply helps them do just that.

CyberComply: Manage all your cyber security and data privacy obligations in one powerful tool

CHAMBER FOUR SERVICES

Included in your Chamber membership is Chamber Four Services covering HR, Legal, Health & Safety and Tax.

You have access to advice lines, document libraries and legal expenses insurance.

HOW TO ACCESS THESE SERVICES

Advice lines: All advice lines – call 01455 852037

Document libraries: Access via https://chambercambs.questcover.com/login and use your unique credentials to enter the site. If you don’t have these, please contact the Chamber on 01223 237414 or email enquiries@cambscci.co.uk

Can you prevent your employees openly discussing their salary?

Due the cost of living and inflation employees are more concerned about their earnings and will often question if they are on a fair wage. Discussions will take place between colleagues, and this may cause alarm to employers as they may be concerned about resulting grievances.

To manage this situation employers should be committed to pay transparency to enable open discussion of this topic. Being secretive is counterproductive and can damage your relationship with your employees. Explaining why wages are set at the level they are enables employers to manage staff expectations.

Article 141 of the EU Treaty declares both men and woman have the right to equal pay for equal work. The Equality Act 2010 implements this principal in the UK. The law implies into an employee’s contract equality of pay for both men and women. Any attempt to implement a term which is less favourable to a man or woman will be a breach of the law. Employees can make a request for disclosure of pay information about other staff both past and present. Any clause to prevent this will be unenforceable. The law will protect employees against victimisation where they make such a pay disclosure.

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has given guidance when it is possible to include a pay secrecy clause which bans employees from disclosing their pay details with colleagues. A breach of such a clause can result in disciplinary action. In Jagex Ltd v McCambridge the Employment Appeal Tribunal explained these points. The employee Mr McCambridge came across a visa application form on a photocopier. It contained the details of another employee’s salary. He removed the document and later disclosed its content to another employee. The following day he showed the document to two further employees and then placed the document in a confidential waste bin.

During his disciplinary hearing Mr McCambridge admitted what he had done and apologised. He argued he did not believe the information to be confidential as his contract did not specifically say salary details were confidential or discussing it was a ground to dismiss him. The employer disagreed and dismissed him resulting in his claim for both unfair and wrongful dismissal. The Employment Appeal Tribunal found in Mr McCambridge favour. It upheld his unfair

dismissal claim as the information was not stated in the contract as confidential. This meant it was a summary dismissal and upheld his claim for wrongful dismissal.

Employers should take this case as a warning. There must be an express clause in the employees’ contract which allows salary information to treated as confidential information resulting in potential disciplinary action for a breach of the clause. Employers should therefore check the contract and get legal advice before undertaking any disciplinary action. It is important to note that such a clause cannot stop or prevent discussions in relation to investigating pay discrimination in relation to an equal pay claim or protected characteristic. Enforcing the clause in these circumstances will result unlawful victimisation.

Employers should always take legal advice as it can be difficult to distinguish between genuine pay discussions and relevant pay disclosures. Employers should have their clauses checked for validity to prevent them finding themselves in a difficult position. This article is for guidance and does not constitute legal advice. Should you require legal advice, or your HR documents updated please contact the Quest advice line for help.

BCC Quarterly Economic Survey: Despite uptick in business confidence, most firms see no improvement to sales

The BCC’s Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) for Q1 2023 shows that while business confidence has improved from a very weak base, most firms see no improvement to business conditions.

The survey of over 5,200 firms – 92 per cent of whom are SMEs – reveals a sectoral division in business performance, with hospitality and retail firms consistently more likely to report worsening cash flow, investment, and turnover than other sectors.

The research took place between 13 February and 9 March, before the Chancellor’s Spring Budget was announced.

Growth in business activity remains weak, with retail and hospitality sectors facing most significant challenges

The percentage of firms reporting increased domestic sales has not seen any bounce back since it fell significantly in Q3 2022. Only one in three (34%) firms experienced an increase in sales over the past three months, while 24 per cent reported a decrease and 41 per cent reported no change.

The retail and hospitality sectors remain particularly weak. Almost two in five (38%) retail firms experienced a decrease in sales over the past three months, with one in three (32%) hospitality businesses reporting a fall. More businesses continue to report a decrease, rather than an increase, in cash flow, highlighting the precarious state many SMEs are still in. Only one in four (25%) businesses said their cash flow has increased over the last three months, while 30 per cent have seen it decrease.

The hospitality and retail sectors are again facing the greatest challenges. 40 per cent of retail firms, and almost half (47%) of hospitality businesses, reported decreased cashflow.

After a significant fall in Q3 2022, business confidence is now on the up

After business confidence plummeted to historically low levels in the second half of 2022, there has been a marked improvement in sentiment in the first quarter of 2023. Over half (52%) of firms believe their business turnover will increase over the next 12 months, up from 44 per cent in Q3 2022.

While profitability confidence has also improved, it continues to remain weaker than turnover confidence. 42 per cent of businesses now expect their profits to increase over the next year, up from 34 per cent in Q4 2022. Little discernible improvement to business investment over past six years

Three quarters (75%) of respondents reported no increase to investment in plant/equipment. There has been little discernible improvement to investment over the past six years; only a quarter of firms planned to increase investment in Q1 2023, the same level as reported in Q2 2017.  Inflationary pressures continue to ease slightly, but still remain the top concern

Following a drop last quarter, the percentage of firms expecting their prices to rise shows further signs of easing, as it fell five percentage points from 60 per cent in Q4 2022 to 55 per cent in Q1 2023.

The overall level of concern regarding inflation has dropped for the first time in over two years. However, at 74 per cent, the level remains close to the historical high.   10 connected

As a Chamber member you have the power to influence key decision makers and play a leading role in tackling the issues that are preventing your business from reaching its potential, while an experienced team of lobbyists represents your interests in Whitehall.

Over half (52%) of UK firms believe their business turnover will increase over the next 12 months, up from 44% in Q3 2022.

Cost pressures are varied, but labour costs and utilities come out top overall

Cost pressures vary considerable across sectors; 87 per cent of hospitality firms reported utilities as a factor driving price increases while 86 per cent of manufacturers cited raw materials.

David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:

“After a significant decline in business confidence in the second half of 2022, results from QES Q1 show an improvement in business sentiment as political turmoil and inflationary pressures show some signs of easing.

“However, this comes from a very weak base, and while confidence has improved, this is yet to translate into an overall improvement of business conditions. Most SMEs still report no improvement to sales, cash flow, and investment.

“Three years of economic shocks - Covid lockdowns, global supply chain crises, inflation, and Brexit - have taken a significant toll on UK SMEs. The QES Q1 data once again confirms that these shocks have disproportionately impacted the retail and hospitality sectors, which are once again most likely to be reporting worsening sales and cash flow.”

Responding to the findings, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, Shevaun Haviland, said: “Last month’s Budget included several positive measures for business, including increased childcare support as well as plans for full capital expensing. However, it did not go far enough to shift the dial on growth which remains stubbornly low.

“The Government failed to tackle some of the major issues holding

firms back from their potential, in particular energy costs and the tight labour market which remain top business concerns.

“The Government’s new energy support package represents a drop of 85 per cent in the financial help available to businesses. We reiterate our calls for increased, targeted support for those firms who desperately need it.

“The energy crisis faced by firms and households are two sides of the same coin. Yet, non-domestic customers do not enjoy the same protection as households.

“To ensure competition in the business energy sector, and solve market failures, Government must also ensure Ofgem has the necessary powers to properly regulate the industry.

“While we welcomed the Government’s decision to add five new construction jobs to the Shortage Occupation List, the lack of skilled labour is having a corrosive effect on our economy. This shift to a new system cannot come fast enough and other sectors facing huge recruitment pressures, such as hospitality, must be given help.”

What businesses say:

“Increases in prices, in general, have affected profitability and cash flow to the point I am having to borrow more finance. If I don’t get the finance, my business will fold.”- Micro services firm in Northern Ireland

“The market feels buoyant, lots of enquiries and activity, it doesn’t seem to fit with the mood music from government or the media.” - Small retail or wholesale firm in the East Midlands

Q2 QES is live until 7 June – please spare a few minutes to take part.

Only one in three (34%) firms experienced an increase in sales over the past three months.

Almost half (47%) of hospitality businesses reported a drop in cashflow in the last quarter.

BCC welcomes start of trade deals with Australia and New Zealand

Reacting to the news that the trade deals with Australia and New Zealand will come into force on 31 May, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “It is good news to hear that the free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand will finally come into force at the end of the month.

“These deals will lower tariffs, simplify customs procedures, allow for greater freedom of

movement for labour and provide stronger market access for the UK’s world-leading services sector.

“But the success of any free trade agreement comes down to whether businesses use it, so it’s vital the Government shouts from the rooftops about these new opportunities.

“A recent BCC survey also found almost a quarter of firms (23%) said finding a business partner or distributor overseas

would encourage them to either start exporting or export more.

“We have strong Chambers in both Australia and New Zealand and will be working with them to get the most out of these trade deals for all our economies.”

If you would like support with starting trade in new markets contact our International Trade Team on 01223 237414 or email internationaltrade@cambscci.co.uk

Learn new ways to grow your business internationally at Going Global Live 2023

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is excited to announce its partnership with Going Global Live, returning at the ExCeL London on 22-23 November 2023.

Going Global Live is the one stop shop for all businesses looking to expand internationally and kick-start trade overseas, providing guidance for crucial elements such as legislation, payroll, documentation, importing and exporting, staffing, taxation and navigating the business world in a foreign language.

Over the two days, the show offers seminars and panel debates from industry experts, insights and information from renowned suppliers, face-to-face networking opportunities, and more.

Key benefits from exhibiting at Going Global Live:

• Vast networking opportunities with potential investors and franchisees

• Increased visibility for your business within the market

• Multi-channel exposure for your brand

• Opportunity to collect high quality leads and generate sales Meet over 6,000 business owners and senior decision makers who are searching for innovative products/services to take their business to new markets.

https://www.goinggloballive.co.uk/

Pound Sterling hits a purple patch

Economic forecasting is a difficult and complex task, and even the most respected forecasters are often wrong. Many of the acronym institutions (IMF, OBR, BofE, IFS, NIESR…) have all started to cautiously revise upwards their view on the UK Economy.

To be fair, the consensus outlook for the UK was weighted heavily to a negative tone, as such the year-to-date economic numbers have surprised on the upside. With inflation also remaining stubbornly high, expectations are on the Bank of England (BofE) to hike interest rates at least once in the coming months.

In the currency markets, Sterling has been well supported by the strong numbers, reflected in its recent best in class performance against other G10 currencies. Most notably against the US Dollar Sterling has traded seven cents higher than early January, hitting 1.2545 from 1.1837. Against the Euro, Sterling remains flat, without any significant dips in the trading range.

The hot question from clients who are mostly importing; is this purple patch for Sterling a sign of a more positive trend upwards or are

there corrections on the horizon? An answer is prefixed with the forecaster caveats of knowns and unknowns. The view still holds that 2024 is likely to be a subdued year in comparison to recent history for the Pound. Sterling, for now, is seen in a slightly more favourable light than before, with the risk premium of sharp volatility perceived to be less likely. The forecasted 2023 ranges hold firm (US$ 1.1650 to 1.2650 and Euro, 1.1050 to 1.2150) indicating against the US Dollar sterling may be near the peak of its gains. Kamal Sharma, of Bank of America, commented: “We have witnessed a rare event where the GBP trade weighted index has delivered positive returns in the first three months of the year, only the second time in 25 years and with positive April seasonality also exerting its influence, we could see an unprecedented fourth.”

The Euro has held its own, as fears dissipated associated to gas supplies and prices over the winter. The European Central Bank has signalled more interest rate rises are also likely, which has supported the single currency versus the US Dollar. With the Euro also recently up against the US Dollar the

downside risk for the Pound versus the Euro still lingers. Whilst year to date the Pound to Euro rate has been stable, the exchange rate has not breached the halfway point of the forecasted 2023 range (1.1050 to 1.2150). With cost pressures still challenging for Businesses, reviewing the costs being incurred and the strategy of managing currency exposure becomes even more important. Specialist support as provided by companies like Ascendant, can fill a gap not provided by larger financial institutions.

Ascendant would love to hear your views and perspective on the expected performance of Pound Sterling for the rest of 2023, just contact us on the email below or for more information on how Ascendant can benchmark your current supplier and to hear about how we are reducing the cost of foreign exchange for local businesses, contact karen.benson@ascendant.world

We’re your gateway to international trade, providing a unique combination of expert knowledge, essential documentation and the business connections needed to capitalise on new market opportunities overseas and succeed in a global marketplace.

Unlocking the Power of Multilingual Websites: Key Considerations for Selecting the best Website Localisation Partner for Your Business

Top Tips from Iwona Lebiedowicz, founder of PAB Languages Centre

A multilingual website engages new audiences and opens the opportunity to become visible across international search engines. A properly localised website speaks directly to the consumer in their own language, enabling businesses and brands to compete with local and global players in their niche.

Localisation is a comprehensive process that entails not only text translation but also other factors to bear in mind. These include modifying your content to respect local market habits, addressing economic, historical, and sometimes political references, adjusting images, icons, and colours to local tastes and culture, changing dates, addresses, phone numbers, and other details to fit a local format, and converting to local currencies and units of measure.

Selecting a translation agency to translate your website can be a challenging task. That’s why, today we explore what to consider when choosing a partner for localising your website into multiple languages so that it can be one of the best investments you make within your marketing budget.

Here are some tips:

expertise and experience. Look at their portfolio to see their approach to localisation and ability to work with diverse content types. Check for reviews and ask for references from previous clients to understand their quality of work, responsiveness, and ability to meet deadlines. A professional team should include experts in areas such as culture, technical architecture, web development, SEO, copywriting, translation, and quality assurance. Localisation requires specialist knowledge, and to ensure that your localised website delivers a return on investment it is essential to choose a trustworthy agency with a good reputation.

Consider the value of their services

Check whether they have experience working with your target audience

When selecting a website localisation company, consider their experience working with your target audience and their expertise in language translation, cultural adaptation, and technical skills. Machine translation tools may not accurately capture cultural references, slogans, or idioms, making human translation essential for crafting compelling messages. Professional translators with cultural backgrounds and a similar mindset to your target audience can help ensure your copy is engaging and effective. Choosing the right website localisation company is crucial for effectively targeting local markets and achieving business objectives.

Why PAB Languages?

Check

their experience, expertise, and references

Localisation is a complex process and one that requires a huge range of skills and specialist knowledge. For these reasons, the process of localising a website is best handled by a team of professionals.

When selecting a website localisation company, consider their team’s

When choosing a website localisation company, consider their value beyond just cost. Look for transparent pricing and a breakdown of costs (translation work, keywords research, managing the project, proofreading, revisions, Integration, quality assurance, and testing). The most common mistake when considering a translation provider is only considering cost-perword. The amount charged per word varies by language, with some costing more than others. Some languages use more words than others to describe the same idea. There is an average of 30 per cent word increase when translating from English into another language.

Check for credentials such as ISO certification. A reliable company should have a robust project management process and clear communication methods. Ask about how they handle changes to project scope.

PAB Languages Centre helps organisations across all industries connect and communicate with their audiences in over 200 languages. Whether you’re looking to translate your advertising copy, create a video in several languages or localise your website PAB’s resolute project management team with global network of expert copywriters, marketing linguists, and certified translators can help.

Please get in touch today https://www. pabtranslation.co.uk/contact-us/ or on 07799 772360 to discuss your project.

TRAINING

Our regular training courses provide the knowledge to assist with your international trade activities. Currently, all courses will take place online via Zoom.

CHAMBER TRAINING

Course Dates 2023

LETTERS OF CREDIT

7 June

Letters of Credit are becoming more commonly requested around the world. Make sure your business has the knowledge to trade on a Letter of Credit now to avoid delays and financial impacts.

UNDERSTANDING RULES OF ORIGIN

8 June, 11 October

This course will explain all aspects of the Rules of Origin and Trade agreements and how to understand and comply with them to help companies be more competitive in export markets.

INCOTERMS 2020

21 June, 12 October

This course will explain Incoterms® and their importance in international trade contracts, and give information on how to determine costs / liability.

UNDERSTANDING IMPORTING

5 July, 8 November

This course covers all the basic key areas around importing and will explain the requirements for documentation, plus an overview of country of origin and incoterms.

UNDERSTANDING EXPORTING

12 July, 15 November

This course covers all the basic key areas around exporting. It will explain the requirements for documentation, plus an overview of country of origin and incoterms.

UNDERSTANDING LOGISTICS

13 July

Understand the process of managing how resources are acquired, stored, and transported to their final destination.

IMPORT/ EXPORT DIAGNOSTICS WORKSHOP

6 September, 6 December

Ensure your company has the right tools to be compliant in the new world of UK/International Trade. This workshop shows companies how to look at their SOPS and compliance, going through key areas of procedures and compliance, preparing for trading internationally either by exporting or importing.

CUSTOMS PROCEDURES AND DOCUMENTATION

20 September, 13 December

The course looks at the procedures required to deal with customs. It is vitally important that importers and exporters understand the information required to be submitted, fines and inspections are things that no company wants to endure.

UNDERSTANDING A CUSTOMS DECLARATION

21 September, 14 December

The importance of understanding the legalities of a Customs Declaration has never been more important. Ensure your company has the knowledge to make sure your declarations are compliant should a HMRC Auditor arrive at your door!

UNDERSTANDING COMMODITY CODES

4 October

This course we will ensure you are aware of what a commodity code is and what it is used for, help you understand the process of how to classify goods, successfully classify a range of goods and understand the importance of getting your commodity codes correct.

INWARD AND OUTWARD PROCESSING

16 November

The course will cover special procedures and the benefits of using IP and OP in your compliance.

Full course details are available on our website www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk/training TRAINING COURSES

Our training courses run from 9.30am-1.00pm.

Cost per course: £250.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £330.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

To register please visit our website, email events@cambscci.co.uk or telephone 01223 237414.

ISO 9001 Quality Management is a Pathway to Growth for SMEs

to get their system up and running and their certification in place. There is always a cost and it always requires significant input from businesses but a proportionate investment of both time and money can provide excellent returns.

The British Standards Institute says that ISO 9001 is: A standard that helps organisations ensure they meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product of service.

That is technically accurate but here’s what I say – it’s a practical and workable system which helps businesses to improve their operations and outputs so they make more money and get more business – i.e. it supports growth.

So how does ISO 9001 support growth?

I’m a self-confessed ISO nerd but I also have a background across multiple sectors, roles and businesses. That means that I bring a level of pragmatism and insight to the implementation of ISO standards, particularly in small businesses. Small businesses arguably can gain the biggest benefits from an effective quality management system as well as from certification. However, the reality is that SMEs tend to regard ISO 9001 certification as being out of reach – primarily due to the cost of consultancy fees as well as the amount of people-hours needed to create the system.

That’s certainly true of typical implementation projects which are carried out as quickly as possible putting a strain on operations and the people involved as well as on the company finances.

This approach not only stretches the resources of a small business, but it often doesn’t deliver the best results. It doesn’t leave breathing space for learning or for the rest of the business to adopt to new ways of working, nor does it support the business in feeling confident to manage the system post-certification.

The result can be a dormant system which fails to deliver the benefits it should, and a team that sees it as a paperwork exercise which causes stress around audit dates. However, there are alternative approaches to implementation which make it affordable and manageable for small businesses

First, it puts management mechanisms in place which improve various elements including efficiencies, waste, productivity, risk reduction and business scalability. Second, certification acts as a signal which opens up sectors and customers that insist on certified suppliers, it provides an edge over non-certified competitors, and it indicates a focus on quality and customers. Even if your business isn’t ready to think about ISO certification there are things you can do to start improving and getting some of the benefits of quality management:

• You can put the ISO 9001 system in place but not go for certification - this reduces your ongoing costs but still delivers the benefits which come from the mechanisms listed above. (you can always get certified at a later stage)

• You can focus on processes – processes are powerful and putting them in place for your key business activities will deliver multiple benefits.

• You can go to your customers for feedback on your products and services and use that information to help set some quality objectives - this provides focus and by monitoring your performance against these objectives you obtain valuable information about how your business outputs are working.

Wherever your SME is in its development, a planned approach to managing the quality of your products or services will always benefit your business. If you’d like to find out more about how ISO 9001 works or how you can set up ISO 9001 in your small business please get in touch.

Annie McNeely, AMc Consulting

Five Insider Finance Tips to radically improve your chances of securing funding for your business

Insider Finance Tips Series #1

By Joe Barbera, Managing Director of Liquid Corporate Finance

months old, supplying management accounts will show the lender how invested you are in running your business efficiently. Today, you can quickly and easily link accountancy software products to your business account, enabling you to download a real time profit and loss and balance sheet in seconds. It’s a great investment for your business for very little outlay and could make all the difference in your application being approved.

3. Assurance – State Your Case

It’s important to stay within your overdraft and avoid returned and unpaid items. An underwriter is looking for a business to demonstrate affordability and the assurance that their loan will be repaid. Bank statements offer a great insight into how a business manages its cashflow and a well-managed bank account could be the difference between an offer – or a decline.

4. Anticipation – Demonstrate Cashflow Confidence

One of the questions I am asked the most is “Do you think my finance application will be accepted?”

As positive as I am, I can never give a cast iron guarantee and say yes. However, with over 20 years’ experience in asset finance, I can tell you that there are five fundamentals that you can control that will dramatically improve your chances of being approved for business finance:

Application – Accounts – Assurance – Anticipation –Authenticity

1. Application – Register Your Rationale

Why do you want to borrow the money? A clear and well thought through rationale for your application is key. For example, if you are looking to consolidate existing agreements into a more affordable option, what positive effect will that have on cash flow? Alternatively, if the asset you wish to buy is income-generating, show how that income will outweigh the monthly payment. Or, if you are re-financing existing assets to raise working capital, how will that cash injection positively change your business?

2. Accounts – Invest In Success

Lenders will want to see the most up to date financials for any business they deal with. If your accounts are more than 12

Businesses should keep a cashflow forecast as a matter of course. As well as enabling you to manage the company’s finances more effectively, it can also allow you to spot any cashflow issues well before the cash starts to run out. This can be hugely beneficial, especially when applying for a larger facility, as it allows you to demonstrate to an underwriter exactly where the money will be going and how it will improve your business’ position.

5. Authenticity – Determine Your Disclosure

Nothing will alert an underwriter more than any adverse information that hasn’t been disclosed at the point of application. Be completely open if there are any credit issues with either the director(s) or the business. Explain what the issues are and, most importantly, how you are trying to rectify them. For finance brokers like myself full disclosure will determine which lender I apply to. Certain lenders will fund clients with adverse, however, other lenders such as banks will be reluctant to do so.

Follow these Insider Finance Tips and you will be well on your way to securing the finance you need for your growth and expansion. If you would like to discuss how Liquid Corporate Finance can help you secure business-critical finance, call Joe Barbera today on 0333 772 1782 or email joebarbera@liquidcf.co.uk

What’s new with GA4 and how do you make the switch?

apps in one dashboard – very handy if you have a core website and a separate customer portal or app.

New metrics

Alongside a new tracking model, GA4 has also introduced a variety of new metrics, including:

• Engaged sessions

• Engagement rate

• Engagement time

These revised metrics are the new way to analyse ‘bounce rate’. Rather than a crude metric which does not take into account how users behave when they land on your page, GA4 now gives you a more accurate understanding of just how engaged the user is with your content.

Predictive insights

Another significant development for GA4 is its AI integration and machine learning.

This brings together predictive insights powered by predictive metrics which can help you make better data-driven decisions.

From 1 July 2023, Google’s Universal Analytics (UA) will no longer be available and all users will be required to switch to the latest generation of Google’s analytical software - Google Analytics 4 – better known as GA4!

So, Sarah West of East Anglia’s leading B2B marketing agency takes a look at what’s new with GA4 and how you can make the change ahead of the July deadline.

WHY WAS GA4 INTRODUCED?

In today’s increasingly digital landscape, there is a high reliance on gathering data to understand the experiences and behaviours of your customers.

That’s why GA4 has been developed. Through its flexible measuring of a variety of data, it allows you to see a unified user journey - not only across your website but multiple websites and apps too.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UNIVERSAL ANALYTICS AND GA4?

New dashboard

The new improved dashboard is the first thing you’ll notice when entering GA4!

Not only is the dashboard updated visually, it has also been updated functionally. You can customise your reporting dashboards to showcase your data in your own way. You can remove report cards you don’t use, add new ones and change their position on the page to prioritise those most important to you.

New event-based data model

The most notable difference between UA and GA4 is the switch from a session-based model to an event-based one, giving a fuller understanding of the way users interact with your website.

GA4’s data model enhances reporting capabilities in a range of areas, including funnel and pathing analysis. This greatly expands your ability to explore your users’ journey and behaviour.

Another core difference between UA and GA4 is that you can now seamlessly report on activity which occurs on both your website and

For many businesses, predictive insights will have the most significant impact on PPC retargeting campaigns, with AI using metrics like purchase probability to create audiences based on predicted behaviours.

Automatic tracking options

The prospect of setting up a long list of different events to track a wide range of user interactions across your site can be daunting! Luckily, GA4 comes with automatic tracking which can be turned on with just a few tick boxes, allowing you to quickly track the data which gives you the most useful insights.

This makes it much more user friendly for people who don’t have extensive technical experience with the previous Universal Analytics. It’s also a simpler way for businesses which don’t require the vast data capabilities of GA4 to get their hands on the core information they need. New search function

GA4 comes with an improved search function, granting you access to more insights than ever before.

You can get instant answers to specific questions and request reports, gather insights and ask property configuration queries.

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE SWITCH FROM UNIVERSAL ANALYTICS TO GA4?

GA4 can be setup in two ways, depending on whether it will be used for your website, an app or both.

If you have an existing Universal Analytics account, setup can be easily completed with the GA4 Setup Assistant. From your UA account, go to the ‘Admin’ area (located in the navigation bar on the left), click ‘Setup Assistant’ and follow the steps.

Alternatively, for an app, you can set-up GA4 from an existing Firebase account. Go to ‘Analytics > Dashboard’ on the left panel, click ‘Begin Upgrade’ and follow the steps. Once established - if you have both a website and app - you can setup multiple streams to collect data in the one place.

READY TO MAKE THE MOST OF GA4?

If you need support getting the best from your marketing – including transitioning to GA4 – visit www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk

Wellbeing Update

Mental Health and Mental Illness – The significant difference

At present, the mental health at work message has been more targeted to wellbeing and a maintenance of good mental health, which means that a lack of information or knowledge around mental illness has been created. This is important because there are people in your place of work who could be living with difficulties and not speaking about them. Here are a couple of statistics to support some reasons for this.

• Nine per cent of employees who presented with symptoms of poor mental health experienced “disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal”- The Mental Health at Work Report, compiled by Business in the Community

• People with a long-term mental health condition lose their jobs every year at around double the rate of those without a mental health condition. This equates to 300,000 people – the equivalent of the population of Newcastle or Belfast (5)Stevenson D, Farmer P. Thriving at work: The Independent Review of Mental Health and Employers [Internet]. 2017

It is important at this stage to have a conversation and building the understanding around the differences between Mental Health and Mental Illness which I am hoping will break down some stigma when approaching this delicate subject.

The WHO definition of Mental Health is:

“Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.”

Mental Illness definition as defined by Psychiatry.org:

“Mental illnesses can be associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social,

work or family activities and or a disorder diagnosed by a medical professional that significantly interferes with an individual’s cognitive, emotional, or social abilities.”

What can we do?

Mental health is something that we all have but mental illness is not and so it is important to take this into account when you are setting your mental health and wellbeing agenda. Make sure that you are having conversations that are inclusive and do not be afraid to have deeper thinking sessions and conversations around how you will support everybody in the organistation when required, because only then can we make a real difference to people’s lives.

For further reading: https://www.cipd.co.uk/ uk/knowledge/factsheets/mental-healthfactsheet/

Act now to ensure your views are captured in our Local Skill Improvement Plan (LSIP)

Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce have been working to deliver the region’s Local Skills Improvement Plan – funded by the Department for Education (DfE). Findings from this work will soon be set out in a report, which will be submitted to the DfE by the end of May 2023 for approval. But as we near the end of this first stage of the project, we are bringing you an update on what has happened so far.

Engaging the region

Throughout 2023, the Chambers Project Team have been working with colleagues at PwC and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority to:

• Spread the word about the LSIP at events across the region, from football matches and informal networking events – to skills conferences and careers fairs.

• We have been talking to employers of all sizes across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and brought together a strong group of business representative

organisations who represent thousands of businesses within the region and we have worked to capture their views.

• As well as talking to employers, we have gathered a range of input from education and training providers, representatives from local government and third sector organisations to understand what support is already in place and what more may be needed.

Starting the conversation

• Cambridgeshire Chambers held 12 collaborative and open events throughout the region, which were free for all stakeholders to attend.

Across the events, more than 135 attendees shared their insights on the region’s skills needs, best practice and challenges.

• We ran an online survey, receiving insights from over 200 responses. This survey was open to all stakeholders, which ensured anyone could easily contribute their views.

What’s next?

The report will be made publicly available once approved by the DfE. But the report isn’t the end of the LSIP for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough… we are currently working to shape the next stage of the project and will share more information about how you can get involved soon!

Huntingdonshire

2023 is another success

The annual Huntingdonshire Business Fair brought hundreds of people to St Ives on Wednesday 26 April.

Returning to Burgess Hall businesses from the accountancy, recruitment and tech sectors as well as representatives from colleges, charities and apprenticeship providers were among the many companies who had stalls at this year’s fair.

The day consisted of lots of networking opportunities between the businesses, a programme of talks, and two free speed networking sessions. This year, there were more than 50 stands.

The fair was officially opened by the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson. Before declaring it open, the mayor hosted a breakfast with business members, updating them on the current projects the Combined Authority is working on. He also answered questions on subjects such as investment opportunities, funding, and education possibilities for young people in Cambridgeshire.

He said: “At the Combined Authority we are beginning to see a change in how we work at local government with local businesses.

“As long as we can do it in a way that shows compassion, the fact that we really care, and that we really have meaningful cooperation, then we can really begin to deliver for the community.

“As you walk around, think about how we can work together going forward with your local council, the district council, and us at the Combined Authority working with the business board, and think about how we’re going to do this in a different way.”

He added: “If you are a company, big or small, that really has compassion for your local community, you’ll get the cooperation and I believe that you’ll begin to deliver the growth working alongside partners in central and local government.” Throughout the day, visitors and exhibitors were able to meet new contacts and gain new clients.

To end this year’s fair, multiple prize draws were won by several businesses/colleagues.

This year’s event was sponsored by ctm it support, a leading provider of IT Managed Services to businesses throughout the region. Rupert Davey, Managing Director, had this to say about the event: “Sponsoring the event was a fantastic opportunity to talk to other local firms about our IT support and cybersecurity services, plus the savings we can offer on Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

“The event was really well attended, and we were kept on our feet all day! Thank you to the amazing Chamber team for all your support and making the event such a huge success.”

Sponsored by

Photos by Rob Morris from Headshots and Beyond, and the Chamber

Meet Cambridge celebrates partnership with Arthur Rank Hospice Charity

Meet Cambridge, the meetings and convention bureau for Cambridge and the surrounding area, is proud to be working with the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, helping it to attract events which bring in valuable income to fund patient care.

Founded and funded by the Cambridge Colleges 25 years ago, Meet Cambridge currently has a portfolio of more than 50 venues, offering organisers a broad spectrum of meeting and conference facilities for all types and size of events.

Since 2017, it has been providing complimentary support to the Charity as a member venue, enabling it to enjoy the many marketing benefits on offer to promote its excellent facilities. This includes access to business opportunities for new events, networking, training courses, presence on the website and on social media, representation at national and international trade shows, participation in events, including Opendoors to showcase facilities and ongoing advice and assistance.

Meet Cambridge has also helped the Charity to achieve AIM accreditation with the Meeting Industry Association, an independent endorsement of high quality facilities and service which gives event organisers added reassurance. Its Education and Conference Centre is a modern and accessible meeting space equipped with AV and suitable for 10 to 80 people. Located on the outskirts of Cambridge, adjacent to the Babraham park and ride, the facilities can be configured for theatre, cabaret or boardroom style, with catering provided by the in-house Bistro.

The Centre can be used for one or two day training courses, seminars, lectures, board meetings, away-days, team meetings or breakfast networking events.

Judith Sloane, Head of Meet Cambridge, said: “It has been a privilege to work closely with Arthur Rank Hospice Charity over the last six years and assist it to attract external events that bring muchneeded revenue. This means it can continue to deliver services free of charge to patients and their families in Cambridgeshire.”

Louise Higgins, Business Development Manager, added: “We are extremely grateful for the support from Meet Cambridge which has enabled us to engage with the business community and raise the profile of our Education and Conference Centre. Being a Meet Cambridge member ensures we are equipped with industry knowledge and trends as well as enabling us to network and collaborate with member venues in Cambridgeshire.”

Arthur Rank Hospice Charity supports people in Cambridgeshire, living with an advanced serious illness or other life-limiting condition and those who need end-of-life care. Services are provided free of charge to patients and their families, helping them to make every moment count.

It costs over £11.5 million to run the services each year. Whilst the NHS contributes approximately £7.1 million, over £4.4 million needs to be raised through donations, fundraising, the retail operation, hospitality and venue hire.

Calling all runners!

Did the recent London marathon inspire you to take part, but the thought of not being successful in the ballot puts you off from entering? Papworth Trust is keen to hear from anyone who would like to apply for one of their charity places for 2024. You are asked to raise £1,250 to support the work of the Trust In Cambridgeshire, and will receive a personalised running vest and the full support of the fundraising team. If a full marathon isn’t your thing, but you would to try for a half marathon place, what better place to start than the Cambridge half marathon on 3 March 2024? The Trust has spaces available free of charge in return for a personalised running vest and £150 sponsorship, with full support from the fundraising team.If either opportunities are of interest please email jo.revitt@papworthtrust.org.uk for further information

Bridge the Gap is back! Registration now open for unique charity walk around seven University of Cambridge Colleges

Cambridge’s iconic Bridge the Gap charity walk returns in person on the morning of Sunday 10 September 2023.

The specially designed three-mile route through the grounds of seven of the University of Cambridge’s Colleges, raises funds for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and Romsey Mill.

Registration opened on 24 May with an early bird offer. Last year more than 1,500 people took part in the first in person Bridge the Gap since the pandemic, raising more than £30,000 and this year even more walkers are expected.

The event would not be possible without the support and sponsorship of Cambridge businesses and community

organisations. It is the 13th year the walk has been sponsored by The Cambridge Building Society and the media partners are Cambridge 105 and the Cambridge Independent.

The two charity partners, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and Romsey Mill, offer essential support and care to people throughout Cambridgeshire.

As well as having the chance to walk around the beautiful gardens and courtyards of seven Cambridge Colleges and see many hidden gems, there’ll be musical entertainment, food and fun at Parker’s Piece after the walk.

For further information and to register please visit https://www. arhc.org.uk/fundraising/events-challenges/bridge-the-gap/

What you should consider when building your new home!

paint colours, cabinetry, and flooring should be considered to create a home that is personalized to your taste.

In addition, accessibility, smart home technology, and a dedicated space for work can greatly enhance your daily life as well as access to community amenities, for you and your children, such as pools, parks, and other shared facilities should also be considered when selecting a location for your home.

When building a new home, there are several key factors to consider that can greatly impact your quality of life. One of the most important factors is location. Your daily routine and proximity to work, school, amenities, and attractions should all be considered when choosing a location that fits your needs.

The layout and size of your home are also crucial factors to consider. The floor plan should suit your lifestyle and preferences, while the size should accommodate your family size and future plans and design of the building orientation for maximum natural light. Storage space is also essential in any home to keep everything organized and tidy particularly in the kitchen – the heart of your home!

The design style of your home is another crucial factor to consider. It should match your aesthetic preferences and complement the surrounding architecture and landscape. Adequate privacy from neighbours or the main road can enhance your peace and quiet, which should also be considered when placing your home on the plot and using landscaping for privacy and outside entertaining. The quality of materials and construction methods used in your home are important to ensure a well-built home that meets safety and durability standards. This can save you from costly repairs down the road. Energy efficiency is also a key consideration, as it can save you money on utility bills and reduce your environmental impact.

Personalising finishes, fixtures, and other features can make your home truly unique and feel like your own. Customization options such as

Finally, low maintenance features such as materials and features that reduce the need for upkeep and cleaning can save you time and money in the long run.

Overall, building a new home requires careful consideration of a variety of factors that can impact your quality of life and the value of your investment. By taking the time to consider these factors, you can create a home that meets your needs, enhances your daily life, and is a sound investment for years to come.

Plot 3 at Haslingfield. Ground Floor example of the many designs for your perfect home to suite yourlifestyle and cater for you and your family needs. Learn more about how Stellco homes can help you build your own home. www.stellcohomes.co.uk or call Angelo Baccarella 07976 210875

NEW MEMBERS

Adam’s Cash & Carry Ltd

Admiral Casino

Armad Engineering Ltd

BAnC Services

Borney UK Ltd

Cambridgeshire Workplace Chaplaincy

Canham Consulting Ltd

David Ruddy Consulting

DH Apartments Ltd

DSM (GB) Ltd

EcoTyre Sealant Ltd

Focal Business Group

Greensleeves Care

Henderson Brown Recruitment Ltd

Holystones Ltd

KinnairdHill

Lanpro Services Ltd

Mr Charger

Nubis Solutions Ltd

Peterborough Milton Golf Club

Peterborough Women’s Aid

R ND L Ltd

Railpen Ltd

Richard Utting Associates LLP

SBM Life Science Ltd

Tees

The College of Animal Welfare

The Crown Estate

The Ivy Rose Agency Ltd

Underpin Marketing Ltd

Welch’s Transport Ltd

Whirlpool UK Appliances Ltd

Wintercomfort for the Homeless

WJM International (UK) Ltd

www.brooksmacdonald.com

Brooks Macdonald provide leading investment management services in the UK and internationally, with our East Anglia office covering Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas. We offer a range of investment management services to private high net worth individuals, pension funds, institutions, and trusts. We endeavour to create solutions that will consistently meet our clients’ needs in an increasingly complex and ever-changing world.

www.caringtogether.org

Caring Together Charity supports unpaid carers – those looking after a family member or friend with an illness or disability. 600 people give up work daily because of the demands of caring. We work with local companies, supporting the carers in your team and helping you become more carer-friendly and inclusive.

Focal Business Group Introduction

www.focalbusiness.co.uk

Focal Business Group helps business owners to understand and manager their numbers to drive plans and decisions. As business accountants, analysts, and advisors we provide enhanced financial management that goes beyond traditional accountancy.

We offer a full range of accounting, tax and payroll solutions and advisory services to provide you with the tools required to support the evolution of your business.

Richard Utting Associates LLP

www.rua.co.uk

RUA LLP was established in 2011 and is an independent firm of construction consultants, formed by experienced construction professionals focused on delivering Client needs and solutions. The firm has offices across East Anglia and offers expertise in Project/Cost Management, Employer’s Agent/ Contract Administration, Contract Advice, Bank/ Fund Monitoring, and Insurance Valuations.

Underpin Marketing

www.underpinmarketing.com

Underpin Marketing believes every business deserves access to a marketing consultant and their strategic skills. Marketing skills which are so readily available to larger organisations. We believe that a good plan can make a business. Because with a good plan, anything is possible.

Underpin Marketing are an independent marketing consultancy, so we aren’t tied to one approach, like social media or pay-per-click. We recommend the marketing that you actually need, not just the services we happen to supply. This approach allows us to deliver expert strategy and marketing consultancy at a cost that’s affordable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Tychrys Limited

www.abiajoni.com

Tychrys are delighted to join the Chamber to add our human systems/human processes diagnostic and consulting services to services available to members for responding to complex, challenging organisational problems.

As Schein, E. H.(1988) notes “All organisational problems are fundamentally problems involving human interaction/processes. No matter what technical, financial, or other matters may be involved, there will always be humans involved in the design and implementation of such other processes.

A thorough understanding of human processes and the ability to improve such processes are therefore fundamental to any organisational improvement. This is the lesson from cases such as a small care home in London incurring a £167,000 annual loss unnecessarily, Fox News’ recent $787.5 million pay-out to settle a major defamation law suit, the $19bn (£14.6bn) cost of Boeing’s Max 737 aircraft disaster, and the recent, unfortunate crisis at the Confederation of British Industries (CBI).

Work/life balance, workload, burnout, “elephant in the room,” and “dead horse strategies” problems that holdback many organisations are all human processes problems. Thus, we look forward to working in partnership with Chamber members, to achieve their goals. Abi Ajoni- 07817394147

Do you have some exciting news to shout about that could be featured on this page?

Get in touch. Tel: 01223 237424

email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

HR Consultant expands into Cambridge

her clients and create a new business venture supporting overwhelmed women through coaching.”

Lorraine confirmed she felt it was the right time to expand the business plus living locally and having worked in the region prior to setting up her own business this just felt like the next natural step to take and is looking forward to networking across the region speaking to businesses. Lorraine had been introducing herself to the existing Cambridge clients in preparation for the launch on 1 May 2023. With Kirsten’s support Lorraine noted: “I take on an established territory with amazing clients and big shoes to fill following Kirsten’s departure, but I am both excited to get out in Cambridge and connect with more businesses as well as getting to know my new clients and offering them added value.”

Local businesswoman Lorraine Canham, of face2faceHR Huntingdon and St Neots, has been serving clients across Huntingdon, St Neots and Peterborough for the past four years providing small and medium sized enterprises with outsourced HR support.

“We had the opportunity to take expand our services into the Cambridge region which was due to fellow franchise Partner Kirsten Smith’s decision to leave HR after a decade of supporting

As an established member of The Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce HR & Recruitment Committee, Lorraine brings with her a range of skills and experience having worked in pharma, biotech, engineering, education, start-ups plus tech companies and NHS spanning over 30 years, Lorraine believes in helping businesses create workplace environments where people can be the best that they can be and offers free advice and guidance through her social media channels and has a new Podcast going live soon.

Dirty Rigger gets hands-on with TOMCAT USA’s rigging training

The Dirty Rigger brand of workwear played a popular role in the latest TOMCAT University (‘TOMCAT U’) five-day entertainment rigging training course, hosted recently at the company’s customdesigned training facility in Thousand Oaks, California.

Hosted by leading entertainment rigging specialist TOMCAT USA, a part of Area Four Industries, the annual event provides ETCP (Entertainment Technician Certification Program) renewal credits for those working in production rigging. This year’s event attracted a diverse mix of 45 attendees from across the USA and Canada, from students to seasoned touring riggers, business owners, stadium production managers and everything in between.

The course includes truss training, taught by TOMCAT’s Adrian Forbes-Black and Keith Bohn, a one-day engineering focus led by Jeff Reder of Ohio-based ClarkReder Engineering, and three days of rigging skills taught by industry legend, Bill Sapsis. What’s more, the TOMCAT USA training facility includes its own indoor

ground support system for attendees to practice on.

Commenting on the support from Dirty Rigger, Adrian Forbes-Black, TOMCAT & Area Four Industries America’s VP of Sales and Marketing, says: “Having been personal friends with the Dirty Rigger

and Le Mark Group owners and staff for over 25 years, I know them to be a strong brand, with exceptional customer service and quality. That they have such a strong hold on the market, and their brand and products have stood the test of time, is a testament to them.”

Credit: Shawn Tanowitz, Pivotal Video Productions

Building Excellence – This Land shortlisted for prestigious construction news award

This Land is pleased to announce that it has been shortlisted for the well-established Construction News Award in the Residental Construction Excellence category.  The Construction News Awards are known for recognising outstanding achievement and excellence in the construction industry. The Residential Construction Excellence category in particular seeks to recognise the most outstanding work by a contractor, developer or housebuilder and looks for evidence of successful strategising, high-quality outcomes and a commitment to community, innovation and sustainability.

The shortlisting is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team at This Land, and its focus on creating homes and communities that are unique. This Land is proud to be among the finalists and honoured to be recognised for its contributions to the built sector.

“We are delighted to be shortlisted for the Residental Construction Excellence award,” said David Lewis, Chief Executive Officer at This Land. “I am pleased for the entire team and grateful for the hard work they are continuing to do day in and day out. I hope that they can feel proud of this amazing achievement and recognition and we look

forward to celebrating with the industry at the awards ceremony.”

The winners of the Construction News Awards will be announced at a ceremony on 13 July 2023 at JW Marriott Grosvenor House, London. This Land looks forward to celebrating excellence in the industry and continuing to provide people with outstanding homes.

Cambridge Worldwide Academy crowned 2023 East of England Exporter of The Year

Cambridge businesswoman and educator Dr Amina Wakefield, the Founder and CEO of Cambridge Worldwide Academy, is now the proud winner of the 2023 East of England Exporter of the Year Award making her the Export champion of the Federation of Small Business with less than 250 employees. MP and shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner presented Dr Wakefield with the prestigious award at the awards ceremony held at The Rowley Mile Conference Centre.

Dr Wakefield who is a multi - award winner in Leadership, international education, business growth and export of British education already holds 19 different awards from organisations and governments in nine countries. Dr Wakefield received four recognitions last year and this award is her second prize in 2023. Also last year Cambridge Worldwide Academy was FSB EAST of England finalist for International Business of the Year and High Growth Business of the Year Awards.

Wakefield expressed her pride in the success of the export business she built by saying: “Cambridge Worldwide Academy was set up to make a difference in the world of education that was only the privilege of some. All I wanted to do is widen access to British education and also make it affordable.”

Do you have some exciting news to shout about that could be featured on this page?

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email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

Professor Cameron “Buck” Rogers Joins CyberScale New Advisory Board

CyberScale, a specialist Cyber Security Consultancy, based in Norwich is has appointed Professor Cameron ‘Buck’ Rogers as the first member its newly established advisory board.

Having enjoyed an accomplished career in Cyber Security with roles that have included CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) at the Bank of England, Global Head of Resilience Risk at HSBC and latterly, Head of Cyber and Information Security at BAE Systems, Buck will bring a wealth of skills and knowledge to CyberScale at a crucial time in the next chapter of the company’s growth and development.

Darren Chapman, founder, and Principal Consultant at CyberScale said: “This is a key appointment at CyberScale, and comes at a pivotal time for us as we expand our footprint, particularly across the SMB (small and medium business) space. The focus of Buck’s role will be to help us

ensure that we continue to provide both the most relevant, and highest impact security services to our current and future clients. His knowledge, experience and contacts in the industry will be invaluable as he helps us optimise our portfolio of Cyber and Information Security Services as well as mentoring our already skilled and experienced team.”

Professor Rogers said that joining the CyberScale Advisory Board was a very simple decision to make, commenting: “Having experienced first-hand the quality of CyberScale’s work and their commitment to making vital cyber security services accessible to any type of business, I was delighted to accept the opportunity to help. I was excited by the company’s new initiatives in helping small and medium businesses to face up to the challenge of cyber security when they don’t have access to the same resources as larger enterprises.”

Cambridge buys houses to expand rent-return scheme

The two modern family homes in Northstowe and Longstanton bring its portfolio in the community initiative to five, with more properties planned to come on board in the future.

The Rent to Home scheme was initially launched in 2019 and remains a one-ofa-kind initiative that gives local first-time buyers 70 per cent of their rent back after three years to use as a deposit to buy a property, which renting might otherwise prevent them saving for. Rent to Home is part of the organisation’s Making The Difference community programme.

The first properties were flats it already owned – two above its Great Shelford branch, and a third flat above the Cottenham branch, which were rented in 2019 and 2020, following an audited ballot process.

otherwise struggle to rent and save for a deposit at the same time.

The Northstowe property is in Grenadier Drive on the western side of the town, close to the Society’s branch in Bar Hill and with convenient access to buses and road links to Cambridge and beyond.

The Cambridge Building Society has invested in two family-sized houses to expand its unique ‘Rent to Home’ rentreturn housing scheme.

The two new properties are recently constructed modern end of terrace homes with plenty of space, open-plan living and low maintenance gardens, aimed at benefitting families, who might

The Longstanton house is a three-story modern town house with four bedrooms in Mitchcroft Road. It comprises kitchen with appliances, a spacious living-dining room, and toilet downstairs, three bedrooms and family bathroom on the first floor and a large master bedroom with ensuite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe on the second floor. Both properties have private patio and lawned garden at the rear with wooden shed and raised borders. Chief Commercial Officer, Carole Charter, said: “Our Rent to Home scheme has been a phenomenal success and delivered exactly what we intended, which was to help a first-time buyer get a foot on the housing ladder, so it made sense to expand it.”

RECOUP organises visit to showcase Viridor Fengate Energy Recovery Facility

RECOUP, the UK’s leading plastics resource efficiency and recycling charity based in Peterborough, recently hosted a visit to the Viridor Energy Recovery Facility in Fengate, Peterborough. This was on behalf of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) East Anglian Centre, to help waste and resource professionals from across the Anglian region learn more about the facility and the energy recovery systems. The facility has been operational since 2015, treating about 85kt of non-recyclable waste each year and generating electricity to power the equivalent of 16,000 homes as part of the process.

Stuart Foster, CEO of RECOUP, commented: “As with many resource and waste processing facilities, I am always really impressed by the engineering and technology involved. The visit also highlighted the need to re-use and recycle much more of the resources we use at a local and national level, and reduce waste where possible as well. Recycling more from businesses in the area was also highlighted as a key opportunity moving forwards.”

Pledge2Recycle Plastics, the citizen and education brand of RECOUP focuses on cutting the confusion about plastics recycling by sharing information about how plastics are collected, sorted and recycled into new products. The company have also been

working on assessing and reducing litter in the River Nene over the past year, and engaging with local schools and litter groups.

Amanda Bakewell, Communication & Engagement Manager at RECOUP, commented: “As members of RECOUP, Viridor shares the Pledge2Recycle Plastics values with regards to clear messaging and teaching children and the public about reducing, reusing and recycling from a young age, engaging with the recyclers of tomorrow and keeping plastics out of the natural environment.”

Guardtech Group raising the bar with new Cleanroom Solutions website

The Guardtech Group are taking their turnkey controlled environment construction services to a new level with the launch of their new Cleanroom Solutions website.

Guardtech acquired the formerly Sussexbased company at the end of 2021, restructuring the overall Group to include Guardtech Cleanrooms as modular specialists, CleanCube as portable solutions and Isopod as quick-assembly cleanrooms.  Heritage cleanroom construction firm Cleanroom Solutions formed the turnkey arm of the Group, taking on more complex, larger-scale facility builds. Potential clients can now get a comprehensive showcase of all the different aspects of a Cleanroom Solutions project thanks to the new www. cleanroom-solutions.co.uk subsite.

Guardtech Group Commercial Director, Mark Wheeler, said: “We’re delighted to launch this new site, which we strongly believe will enhance the already impressive Cleanroom Solutions turnkey offering, taking it to a whole new level.”

The site’s content includes detailed information regarding Cleanroom Solutions’

design consultation, Building Information Modelling (BIM), use of the RIBA Framework, CDM Regulations, Computational Flow Dynamics (CFD) and revolutionary 3D scanning practices.

Users can explore the different internal Technical aspects of a construction project, from structural components to both mechanical and electrical options, as well as furniture and equipment solutions.

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Three Times Queen’s Award winner Thermoteknix Awarded Inaugural King’s Award for International Trade

Thermoteknix Systems Ltd, global innovator in night vision and thermal imaging, has been honoured with the distinguished King’s Award for Enterprise, recognising significant and sustained growth in the company’s international trade. Overseas sales for the company grew by 173 per cent in the last three-year period across key markets including the North America, Europe and Asia. The company has previously won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade and is a two-time winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation.

Commenting on winning the first King’s Award honour, founder and Managing

Director of Thermoteknix, Dr Richard Salisbury said: “We are extremely honoured to receive this award and would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment shown by our whole team in delivering outstanding results for our customers around the world in what continues to be fast-changing and challenging markets made all the more onerous during the COVID pandemic.” Founded in 1982, Thermoteknix has sustained continued growth from its Cambridge headquarters, manufacturing and supplying advanced thermal imaging solutions to defence and security markets, and process monitoring.

Princebuild join Peterborough group ‘Helping Our Ukrainian Friends’

sub-contractors. This is a welcome boost to the trip which is the eighth delivery that the Peterborough group ‘Helping Our Ukrainian Friends’ have made.

The group have been generously supported by a long list of local companies, organisations and individuals and in total have raised close to £150,000 which has been used to purchase essential goods and food including:

• 37 generators for use by churches, schools, orphanages, charities and cafes across Ukraine

• Two tonnes of general medical supplies, such as bandages, sutures, surgical gowns and gloves to the Kyiv Heart Institute

• Specialist medical equipment for the Kyiv Heart Institute, particularly 15 heart valves and over 600 sutures for use in heart surgery

• Head torches, power packs and hi-vis ribbons to help a charity for the deaf in Odesa

On Wednesday 15 March, four vans headed off for the Ukrainian border full of food, medicine, camping stoves and approx. 1000 Easter boxes. These were distributed to refugee communities in Poland and front line communities in Ukraine, including villages near Bakhmut, Lyman and Sumy.

Two of the vans were driven by Princebuild Directors Mark and Dale Asplin who are also supplying three of their company vans to make the journey.

Princebuild have raised almost £20,000 and collected the Easter Boxes through their network of suppliers, staff and

• Supporting 160 Ukrainian refugee children to attend a residential summer camp in Poland, providing them with much needed respite and a range of activities with children their own age (two members of the UK team also attended this camp and worked as volunteers)

• Supporting 90 Ukrainian refugee children to attend weeklong day camps in Gliwice, Poland

• Supporting financially three individual families of refugees in the first days of the war to establish their families in Poland. They have also delivered around 20 tonnes of donated food and 600 gift boxes which were given to children at Christmas.

Eve Taylor (London) Limited celebrates 60 beautiful years

products, the company was established in 1963 by Eve Taylor OBE who originally started her career within the UK professional beauty industry whilst married and bringing up five sons, and made her formulations from her kitchen table. Manufactured onsite, the company produces essential oil and botanical based skin care for professional therapists creating an effective skincare solution for all with six decades of expertise built into each product.

Eve Taylor OBE, is known as one of the world’s foremost authorities on

professional aromatherapy and skin and body care – she is regarded by many of her peers across the world as the pioneer of modern day aromatherapy, with much of today’s modern thinking within the profession coming from her original techniques and methods of teaching. This level of prestige led to her been awarded an OBE by the Queen of England in 2008. Not only is the company celebrating its 60 year anniversary, but it does so with Eve still working actively in the business at 90 years of age; something that is quite unique and we are all very proud of.

University of Cambridge Catering Managers’ Committee raises

more than £15,600 for local charities

The CMC Charity Ball is a highlight of the College catering teams’ calendar. This year’s event attracted more than 230 guests who took part in a charity auction and raffle to help raise funds for these outstanding local charities.

The Ball this year took place at King’s College. A drinks reception was held in the Chapel with canapés and then a five-course dinner was cooked by the England National Culinary Team, supported by King’s College

Chefs and Clare College Chefs. Monies were raised through a raffle, Heads and Tails and an auction. Later on in the evening, guests enjoyed a live band, disco and casino. Total monies raised were £15,616 which were split between each Charity. I would like to thank Rob Clark, Emma Hilditch from the committee and Susan Madden, Clare Timms and Nick Wilson from King’s College for all their support and hard work that made this event possible.

Jodie Vaughan, from Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, said: “The evening was incredible from the talents of this fantastic catering team to the generosity of those in attendance, we were delighted to be part of this special occasion. The money raised will be used to support people, who are living with an advanced illness or approaching the end of life, across Cambridgeshire. Our vital care is delivered at our hospice in Cambridge, our centre in Wisbech, as well as in people’s own homes.”

DOMINO PRINTING’S GLOBAL LEARNING INITIATIVE HITS THE MARK

A Cambridge company recently introduced an initiative to encourage learning across its global network – resulting in employees completing more than 4,000 activities over a fourweek period.

Domino Printing rolled out Global Learning Month to inspire its employees to take ownership of their own continuous improvement journey and to reach their personal potential. A calendar of activities was created, with subjects ranging from learning more about Domino as a business and its technologies through to sharing recipes as part of the ‘individual’ strand, which resulted in the production of the ‘Domino World Cuisine Book’. Sessions were delivered in-person and also virtually to enable maximum participation across the company’s different locations and time zones.

Emma Payne, Head of Leadership & Talent Development at

Domino, said: “This was our first Global Learning Month and we were thrilled to see how well it was received throughout the business. The mix of activities engaged everyone and reinforced the importance of continuing to learn, whatever stage you are in your career.”

Eve Taylor (London) Limited is celebrating its 60 year anniversary. Making naturally beautiful aromatherapy based skincare

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EBCam’s new office opened by Jo Churchill MP

The sun shone when Jo Churchill MP for Bury St Edmunds visited Fornham Business Court on 11 April 2023 to open the new office of EBCam Ltd, a leading, local financial services company specialising in employee benefits and independent financial advice.

In her speech Jo Churchill described EBCam as ‘An innovative company that believes in excellent client service and adding value for its clients. Their core values ‘care, engage, reward and thrive’ underlie the whole business.’

EBCam adopt a hybrid working model, with staff working a mixture of in the office and at home. However, everyone enjoys spending time with their colleagues at Fornham Business Court. The new office, located just outside Bury St Edmunds in heritage farm buildings, is bright, light, and modern. It includes meeting pods, exercise balls, standing desks, picnic tables and a bring your dog to work policy.

James Bolton, Managing Director, commented: “It is great to celebrate EBCam’s expansion and I would like to say thank you to the team for all their hard work. I know everyone enjoys working both at our Cambridge office and at the new

Bury St Edmunds office. I am also delighted to announce that EBCam will shortly be applying for Chartered status, which will allow the business to demonstrate its technical knowledge and commitment to professional standards.”

East Anglia’s rail station adoption community initiative reaches 20-year milestone

Norfolk and Suffolk and, over the years, through successive train operators, has now expanded to cover the whole of the region. Starting with just a handful of local people, some of whom had been tending to their local rail station since long before the scheme launched, there are now over 300 station adopters across the region.

Greater Anglia’s Station Adoption scheme enables individuals or groups to adopt their local railway station and contribute to its use and welfare for the benefit of their community. Station adopters work with Greater Anglia and, on some branch lines, also with the local community rail partnership, to bring about improvements or care for gardens and floral displays to benefit local wildlife and make stations more welcoming.

One of the big successes of the scheme has been the creation of 61 station gardens across the network, providing a vital additional habitat for local wildlife which, as well as making the stations more attractive and welcoming, contributes to human wellbeing too.

A scheme to get individuals and communities in East Anglia involved with their local rail stations is celebrating 20 years of brightening up stations across the region.

The Station Adoption initiative, now managed by Greater Anglia, was officially launched on 3 March 2003 by Anglia Railways in

The gardens, some of which have been developed over many years, are becoming havens for local wildlife populations – with the railway increasingly being recognised by ecologists as a ‘green corridor’ which provides a sanctuary for many different kinds of flora and fauna.

King’s Ely golfer qualifies for Faldo Series Junior Tour Grand Final

King’s Ely Sixth Form student and skilful golfer, Paul Collington, has driven his way to victory in the eminent Faldo Series Junior Tour.

Paul, who is in Year 13, beat 152 of the UK’s most able junior players in the competition, which was held at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, from 3-5 April.

He placed first with a total of 214, -5, for the Par 73, three-rounds. This qualifies him for the Faldo Series Junior Tour Grand Final, which will see him playing against the world’s most talented junior

golfers in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the autumn.

Joining King’s Ely Junior in Year 7, and he lives with his family in Newmarket. Paul is Captain of Golf at King’s Ely, and he is a member at Gog Magog Golf Club in Great Shelford, Cambridge. Paul usually practises or plays golf every day, and he first started having lessons when he was six years old. He plays off +2.6. Speaking about his win, Paul said: “It is an incredible way to kick off the season! I was really pleased to achieve three solid

rounds with the bonus of gaining world ranking points, and a trip to the Grand Final in UAE in September.”

Howes Percival confirms Investors in People reaccreditation

Leading law firm Howes Percival has confirmed it has achieved Investors in People accreditation for another three years.

The prestigious global benchmark for people management was originally founded in 1991 as a government project to make work better. Investors in People assesses how an organisation is performing against its ‘we invest in people’ framework and advises businesses on how to improve workplace culture in areas such as employee engagement, communication, organisational culture and work practices.

The firm has been accredited for 20 years and the process of reaccreditation involves

organisations being assessed every three years across nine key indicator areas including leadership, values and behaviours, managing performance and continuous improvement. The process also includes a staff survey and interviews with employees.  “This is also recognition for the investment we’ve made in our People team and the hard work they have been doing for a number of years now.  Working through the Investors in People framework has had a positive impact on the quality of our people practices, helped us achieve higher levels of staff engagement and will help us recruit and retain the very best people going forward.”

Lumin Wealth launches new Cambridge office

Lumin Wealth is delighted to bring our award-winning services to Cambridge and surrounding areas.

The new Cambridge office is a natural expansion of our St Albans and central London presence, and forms part of our mission to expand our reach in providing top quality financial planning and investment advice.

We are delighted that Tim Webb APFS MCSI, Chartered Financial Planner, has joined Lumin to head up the new office, which is located at Milton Hall on the outskirts of Cambridge.

After over a decade of uninterrupted growth, Lumin now has 80 employees, including a team of highly qualified financial advisers and support staff servicing the wealth management needs of 3,000 clients. Our client roster includes individuals, companies, trusts, and charities. Lumin is expanding the breadth and depth of its financial planning services and offering, having partnered up with VZ Group, Switzerland’s leading independent financial services firm, in May 2021.

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Peterborough Positive’s vision for a cleaner city centre continues

One of Peterborough BID’s key priorities throughout its first term is to accelerate efforts in making the city a cleaner place to be for both residents and visitors alike. To commence this initiative, the team orchestrated a mass clean-up throughout one of the city’s major visitor gateways: from the railway station, down Cowgate via the underpass, and through to Cathedral Square. This is a high footfall route for many tourists, especially when flooded with

football fans heading to London Road on match days, and the area has seen a build-up of litter, stickers, graffiti and more over time. As such, Peterborough Positive has collaborated with Peterborough’s Community Payback team and the council to change this.

Great progress has been made so far, with over seven bags of litter collected, three 2.5 litre tins of paint used, and a large number of graffiti/stickers removed.

Meet Cambridge celebrates 25th anniversary with major symposium on future of events

panel session, with high-profile industry players debating issues facing the sector. With sustainability, impact and legacy top of the events agenda, the panel discussed and responded to audience questions on how each saw these goals affecting the meetings industry and those working in it.

The official convention bureau for Cambridge and the surrounding area recently held an event to mark its 25th anniversary, focusing on the key challenges and opportunities facing the

business meetings industry today.

‘Events: Matters Arising’, organised by Meet Cambridge at King’s College and attended by 99 event professionals –both organisers and venues – included a

On the panel were: Nick Milne, Domestic Bursar, Robinson College; Chris Skeith, OBE, CEO Association of Event Organisers; Madalina Marincas, Director, Opening Doors & Venues; Martin Fullard, Associate Director, The Business of Events; Sandra Eyre, Director of Business Development, The Meetings Industry Association; and Emma Cutting, Community Manager, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

Built environment students join CIOB annual festival

Construction students from across the world gathered online for the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) annual Student Festival.

The festival, now in its third year, is designed to help students build upon their competence, confidence and knowledge of the built environment sector, develop skills and take away top tips to excel and succeed in their future career.

The two-day event, which took place on 8-9 March, was attended by more than 100 people from 25 countries. They heard from speakers including CIOB’s CEO, Caroline Gumble and Director of Education and Standards, Rosalind Thorpe, as well

as academics, fellow students, industry experts and members of CIOB’s Tomorrow’s Leaders community. Topics ranged from degree apprenticeships to project management and wellbeing and inclusivity. Attendees also received advice on writing dissertations, taking part in job interviews and developing their own personal brand and had the opportunity to join in with an employability workshop.

Caroline Gumble, CEO at CIOB, said: “Our Student Festival has become a highlight in our annual events calendar, and I greatly enjoy hearing from our student community and listening to their ideas and thoughts on the future of our industry.

Millrose launch two new data network services

Data network experts, Millrose, has added two new services to their portfolio as the business continues to grow.

Millrose, based near Ely, provides fibre and copper structured data cabling installations, and WiFi surveys and solutions for fast, reliable business and home data networks across the region. Their new services: Terminate and Test, and Comms Room Service, add to their Commercial offerings. Managing Director, Keith Evans, says: “Millrose’s three level Terminate and Test

service for data networks, either on our own installations or testing existing networks consist of Verification, Qualification and Certification. Where installations need to meet strict industry standards, and for future-proofing your cable installation, Certification is the most rigorous of the testing levels to robustly test network cabling to assess performance and confirm specification compliance. This will ensure your network is performing at its best and to avoid unnecessarily long downtimes and excessive repair costs.”

Celebrating 50 years of UK manufacturing

and equipment, the company has developed an extensive knowledge of rubber and polyurethane materials and the processes required to manufacture high quality components, putting them at the forefront of the industry.

Managing Director Brian Burton said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to have successfully completed five decades in business. In that time, we’ve achieved a lot and are proud to be seen as one of the UK’s leading Rubber and Polyurethane Moulding Experts. We’re going from strength to strength and have lots more to come in the future, with exciting times ahead to look forward to.”

Clifton Rubber are delighted to be celebrating their 50th Birthday this year.

Much has changed since Managing Director Brian Burton started the company in 1973 at the age of 23. It’s still in the same location – St Ives in Cambridgeshire, and is very much still a family owned and managed business with son Ben Burton joining the company in 2011 as Operations Director. Today the company has over 50 employees, a global customer base and operates out of a production plant over 50,000 square feet in size. Continually investing in state-of-the-art plant

Clifton Rubber’s core business is the processing of rubber and polyurethane materials to produce customer bespoke products, such as mouldings, rubber and polyurethane covered rollers, extrusions, fabrications, sheet cut gaskets and linings.

In addition, they have developed a range of own brand components that can be found in use in various applications around the world including the agricultural, offshore and transport industries.

Learn more by calling our friendly customer support team on 01480 496161.

Wyboston Lakes Resort launches ‘People’s Pantry’ to tackle food waste

Wyboston Lakes Resort in Bedfordshire has introduced a new sustainability initiative to reduce food waste across the resort. The People’s Pantry will ensure that unsold or unused food from the Resort’s hotel and two event venues will be made available for colleagues to take home to share with their families.

Chefs will package meals in a range of portion sizes, which will then be stored in fridges for employees. The People’s Pantry will be available at the Resort’s two conference, training, and events venues – The Woodlands Event Centre and The Willows Training Centre, which will help to minimise food waste from events. It will also operate from The Waterfront Hotel’s Brasserie, The Gravel Pit. The scheme supports the Resort’s mission to ensure that no food

waste goes off-site and is part of a long-term and comprehensive sustainability policy which recently won the Sustainability Award in the highly prestigious Meetings Industry Association’s miaList 2022. The award follows a multitude of sustainability accreditations, including a Platinum accreditation from Greengage Eco-Smart, a Gold Award from Green Tourism and the IACC Gold Star.

In September Wyboston Lakes Resort published a four-year Green Energy Roadmap as the foundation for its plan to become selfsufficient by producing its own green energy using the natural resources available at the Resort, which will help to achieve its Net Zero Carbon Emissions target. The total investment in the development is likely to be more than £5m.

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Poweronics welcomes Peter Wootton as Technical Director

Poweronics, a leading provider of electronic design and engineering solutions, is pleased to announce that Peter Wootton has joined the company as its new Technical Director. In his new role, Peter will be responsible for heading up the engineering and consultancy divisions of the business. With his wealth of experience in electronic design, he brings a valuable perspective to Poweronics and will be a real asset to the company, its customers, and its partners.

“Peter’s expertise and experience in the electronic design industry are truly exceptional,” said Colin Hart, Managing Director of

Poweronics. “We are delighted to have him on board as our new Technical Director, and we look forward to the contributions he will make to our organization and our clients.”

Peter has a vast experience in the electronic design industry, working in various roles ranging from development engineer to Senior Hardware Engineer.

Peter holds a Bachelors Degree of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from University of Manchester, and has a proven track record of success in the electronic design industry.

Cambridge Science Centre celebrates 10 years of ‘Science WOW’

bash at The Lab cocktail bar, hosted by one of their key supporters, Dr Jason Mellad.

At the party, guests were treated to a speech by Chair Dr David Cleevely, who shared his reflections on the incredible transformations the Centre has undergone, from changing locations to now offering community-based PopUpScience Centres.

CEO John Bull took the stage to express his gratitude to the team, friends, and supporters who have made the past 10 years possible. He said: “We’ve had a blast this evening celebrating ten years of ‘WOW’ Science Centre moments with our team, friends and supporters.” John shared the Centre’s exciting plans for the future, which include reaching even more children, families, and communities through the unique CSC hands-on approach to STEM.

For the past 10 years, Cambridge Science Centre has inspired over 500,000 children and young people with immersive STEM experiences and mind-blowing events. To kick off the festivities, Cambridge Science Centre (CSC) threw a birthday

The Windmill

TJ Property & Development showcase their newest addition to our serviced accommodation property in Peterborough.

“We have been working with the Landlord to get this set up over the last couple of months.

It is an amazing wow factor; he really took on board what we were trying to achieve and we are now really proud to be managing it for him on his behalf.

“Peterborough is normally a place where Contractors come to stay and during the

Let’s not forget the young voices who stole the show – Laila and Celine from the North Cambridge Community Partnership (NCCP) Science Club, who shared their experiences around how they’ve enjoyed and benefited from the Centre’s Science Club programme.

week only. But this property proves if you have the right ambiance and facilities people will come and stay for a getaway.

“Not only does this property offer its individuality, a lovely open fire. It also has a hot tub that fits six people in. A small games room with table football and table tennis along with a darts board. Lots of private garden to enjoy and parking for several cars. “We also offer for the extra special occasion, a private chef at an additional cost, making this experience something wonderful.”

Recruitment as it should be

The ONE Group are a specialist recruitment agency based locally in Peterborough, Cambridge, and Northampton. The ONE Group hold a Charity Golf Day at Burghley Park Golf Club in Stamford, where they raise money for Magpas Air Ambulance every year. Magpas Air Ambulance brings specialist lifesaving care by land and air to patients in lifethreatening emergencies in the East of England and are purely funded on fundraising initiatives.

The ONE Group’s chosen charity was selected by Directors, Anthony Barnes & Tristan Drane. Both have worked tirelessly every year to make this day one of the most premium charity golf days in the region and have personally made The ONE Group the charities biggest ever corporate fundraiser totalling over £122,000 for Magpas so far. This year we are dedicated to making our charitable contribution to Magpas as big as possible. Anthony tragically died whilst on an overseas business trip in March 2023, and organising this years’ golf day was one of Anthony’s final projects. He was dedicated to making this a fantastic day for the charity. Anthony’s business achievements are vast, and over the last 20 years he has built a successful recruitment business with 4 UK offices, alongside co-owner and Director, Tristan Drane.

The ONE Group really hope you can help make this an amazing day, most importantly helping to raise money to save lives in the region. The ONE Group’s

golf day this year has had unprecedented interest and are currently at capacity with golfers. However, you can still support Magpas by becoming an Event Sponsor for £300 or donate prizes we can enter into either one of our raffle or silent auction. Approximately 50% of the total donated to Magpas comes from the generosity of companies of all sizes, from the local market. 100% of all proceeds go straight to the charity.

Marc Kent, The ONE Group’s Head of Commercial says “We are really excited about this year’s golf day and the interest we have received. We are incredibility grateful for the support we have already received and with our recent loss, we are extremely passionate about making this the biggest yet, and really help Magpas with our charitable support. For anyone reading this, examples of some of the auction prizes already donated are; Arsenal & Chelsea football match day experiences, hotel stays, designer sunglasses, signed sporting memorabilia and BMW cars for a weekends use. Approximately 50% of the money raised comes from this and we are so grateful for anything businesses in the region might be able to do. The addition of Event Sponsorship this year gives companies a great way to be a part of the day and make a very welcome donation to the charity at the same time”.

Our 14th Annual Lifesavers Golf Day is on Friday 23rd June 2023, and we are hoping with your support, we can make this the biggest one yet.

Scan the QR code to read more about this incredible day, donate a prize or become a sponsor.

EVENTS

Chamber members can register for events via the Chamber website www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk or please contact email events@cambscci.co.uk

SAFARI NETWORKING EVENTS

Take the opportunity to meet new business connections through safari networking. This relaxed but structured format offers guests the chance to move around the room and form connections with new business contacts from a wide range of industry sectors.

Informal Networking Evenings

Build new connections at these free events taking place across the county. Catch up with familiar acquaintances you haven’t seen for a while, mingle with new business contacts and share knowledge and skills with like-minded professionals. These events are free to attend.

JUNE 2023

Brampton Park Gold Club, Huntingdon

Wednesday 14 June, 5.00-6.30pm

Graduate Hotel, Cambridge

Thursday 15 June, 5.00-6.30pm

Old Crown, Stamford

Tuesday 20 June, 5.00-6.30pm

Poets House, Ely

Monday 26 June, 6.00-7.00pm

JULY 2023

St Neots Football Club, St Neots

Wednesday 12 July, 5.00-6.30pm

Peterborough Milton Golf Club, Peterborough

Tuesday 18 July, 5.00-6.30pm

Quy Mill Hotel & Spa, Cambridge

Thursday 20 July, 5.00-6.30pm

Poets House, Ely

Monday 24 July, 6.00-7.00pm

MEET THE NEIGHBOURS NETWORKING BREAKFAST

Wednesday 21 June, 7.45-10.00am

Guest speaker: Highways England talking about the progress of the A428 upgrade.

Cost £25.00 (plus VAT) Chamber Members, £35.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members

SAFARI NETWORKING BREAKFAST

Tuesday 11 July, 7.45-10.00am

The Haycock Manor Hotel, Wansford

Cost: £25.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £35.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members

CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY NETWORK

Network with other construction and property-related companies at these specialist informal events taking place across the county.

CONSTRUCTION AND PROPERTY NETWORK BREAKFAST

Friday 16 June, 8.00-10.00am

Cambridge Rugby Club

Cost: £15.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £22.50 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members

Sponsored by: Build Momentum

CONSTRUCTION AND PROPERTY NETWORK LUNCH

Friday 14 July, 12.00-2.00pm

Peterborough United

Cost: £15.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £22.50 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members

Sponsored by: Fonn

Chamber members can register for events via the Chamber website www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk or please contact email events@cambscci.co.uk

Elton Hall Summer Drinks

Tuesday 6 June, 5.30-8.00pm

Elton Hall, Peterborough

Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce are partnering with Marshall Jaguar Land Rover for a highly exclusive event at Elton Hall, Peterborough.

Comedy Night & Black Tie Dinner

Friday 9 June

Holiday Inn, Peterborough West, PE3 6SG

Summer Garden Party

Friday 4 August

Graduate, Cambridge

Join us for an afternoon of socialising with local connections, enjoy a delicious BBQ and punt along the river Cam.

Enjoy a drink on arrival, sponsored by Graduate, before enjoying the drinks on offer at the outdoor bar.

Held at one of our stunning Cambridge venues, it is sure to be an afternoon of fun.

Treat your employees, colleagues, clients or suppliers and bring them along.

Cost: £25.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £37.50 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

If you are looking for that special event to entertain clients, thank your staff or just have a good old night out with a difference… this is the one for you!

This popular event will put you in great company, it’ll be entertaining for all and you will enjoy a delicious three course dinner plus entertainment from our guest comedian. This year we welcome a prolific comedy writer and after-dinner speaker John Martin. John’s success has taken him across the world and he enjoys a reputation as one of the greats of British comedy. Over the course of the evening we will hold a charity raffle with the proceeds donated to our Charity of the Year so bring some cash along to win some amazing prizes donated by local businesses.

We are selling tickets in tables of 10 or individually where we will sit you with others. It is always a sell out with over 100 guests – don’t delay in booking your tickets, you don’t want to miss out on this very special, unique event.

Individual tickets: £62.50 (plus VAT), Tables of 10: £600.00 (plus VAT)

Organised by the Construction & Property Network Sector

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