connected issue 80

INSPIRING BUSINESS TO SUCCEED

ISSUE 80

The official magazine for Chamber members

INSPIRING BUSINESS TO SUCCEED

New branding, website and membership portal to showcase the support, services, events and training programme available through the Chamber

PLUS. . . ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE CHAMBER NETWORK

Have your say on transport projects this autumn - Cambridge South East Transport project - Bottisham, Swaffham and Horningsea Greenways

- Foxton Travel Hub - Cambridge South West Travel Hub

For more information and to share your views please visit www.greatercambridge.org.uk/autumn2019 @GreaterCambs facebook.com/GreaterCam

this issue

10

12

21

17

25 5

Chief Executive’s highlights

CONTENTS

46 24-25

Out & About

6-7

Connect

27

Fenland area news

8-9

Transform

29

Ely area news

30-31

Peterborough area news

10-11

Export

12-13

Inform

14

Protect

15

Ask the Expert

16-17

New members

18-19

Charity

20-21

Huntingdonshire area news

22-23

Cambridge & South Cambs area news

33 34-35

Cambridgeshire area news Ebase Technology

39

Signpost 2 Grow

41

Marketing Insight

43

Cambridge B2B Exhibition

45-47

Events

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welcome from the

EDITOR

Welcome....

Welcome to the latest issue of our ‘new look’ connected magazine to reflect our new branding and our commitment to inspiring businesses to succeed. You can find out more about the brand and our new website by turning to page 6. We also welcome Martin Smith to the Chamber team as Head of Commercial Operations.

This month our guest article is from Ebase Technology, sponsor of our Cambridge and Peterborough B2B exhibitions. Turn to page 34 to read more about the innovation of IT. You can visit Ebase at our Cambridge B2B on 25 September at Cambridge Regional College, and the Peterborough B2B on 30 October at KingsGate Conference Centre, where they’ll be running seminars on Low Code and progressive web apps.

ISSUE 79 INSPIRING BUSINESS

SUCCESS

The official magazine

for Chamber members

GET MOO-VING

SADIE PARR

significant art event that will deliver Be part of a high-profile benefits for the region economic, social and cultural

from the Chamber Network PLUS. . . all the news

Chambers of Commerce

connected Editor

e

YEARS 100 business success inspiring

Chief Executive John Bridge OBE DL Editor Sadie Parr Published by

Print xlpress Design Jill Rowbotham Advertising Caroline Baker caroline.baker@trinitymirror.com Membership team Bren Coleman 01223 209811 Paul Gibbons 07759 934111 Cambridge Enterprise House, Vision Park, Histon, Cambridge, CB24 9ZR. Tel 01223 237414 Email enquiries@cambscci.co.uk Visit cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk @CambsChamber Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce @CambsChamber

Views expressed in connected are not necessarily these of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply official endorsement of the products or services concerned. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of editorial content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/or omissions. The editor reserves the right to make amendments without notification.

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• DIARY DATES • OCT 2019

7

Informal Networking Evening, Huntingdon

1

Peterborough Quiz

8

Safari Networking Breakfast, Cambridge

2

Informal Networking Evening, Stamford

4

Safari Networking Breakfast, Peterborough

14 16 Informal Networking Evening, Ely

Leading Talent, Huntingdon

16 16 17 17

Amazing Benefits of Chamber Membership, Peterborough

Informal Networking Evening, Peterborough

International Trade Summit, London

Amazing Benefits of Chamber Membership, Cambridge

17 23 23 30 Informal Networking Evening, Cambridge

Bank of England, Stamford

Informal Networking Evening, Chatteris

Peterborough B2B Exhibition

view from the

BRIDGE

I was delighted to meet with David Bray, Project Director at Highways England responsible for the A14 upgrade, when I was given the opportunity to travel from Milton to Ellington on the new A14 route. We are pictured at the Brampton compound where the A14 meets the A1.

We were able to catch up on the A14 progress which very commendably is the largest project of its kind in Europe, over £1 billion, that is not only well within schedule but also on budget.

David and the team are doing an excellent job and the new dual-carriageway from Ellington to Swavesey Services is now due to open before the end of this year.

I look forward, along with everyone else, to be able to travel along this new section of the road when opened.

Simon Jones, Special Adviser, Business Team at the Prime Minister’s office, was able to join us at our Summer Garden Party held at Trinity Hall to meet with me and also catch up with the thoughts of the members attending.

I took the opportunity to speak with him to make sure he understands how we need to help businesses prepare for Brexit and the detailed information that they need to ensure business continuity.

As soon as it is tangible to do so and the practical information is available, the Chamber will be running a series of events to provide the help and guidance needed. Please keep an eye on our e-bulletins, website and social media for details as soon as they are announced.

We are currently offering training to ensure exporters can accurately complete a simple customs declaration, as customs requirements will change after the UK leaves the EU. Details can be found on page 11.

It was a pleasure to meet with Ian Irving at our Comedy Night and Black Tie Dinner when he returned as comedian for the evening.

This event is organised by our vibrant Construction Sector and chaired by Martin Rayner, Director of MER Construction Services Ltd. The sector not only focus on key issues but they also organise this event, which is one of the most successful in the Chamber calendar.

It was a very enjoyable evening with plenty of laughter, but we also took time to remember our charity of the year and are delighted with the generosity of those present. £1,100 was raised for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices who care for life-threatened children and young people across East Anglia, as well as supporting their families.

An excellent evening enjoyed by all.

connected 5

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.

INSPIRING BUSINESS TO SUCCEED Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce unveil new branding, website and membership portal to showcase the support, services, events and training programme available through the Chamber.

The Chamber undertook a review of its operations to help focus its strategic thinking in line with issues being experienced locally, nationally and internationally.

Key priorities included a new website that was easier to navigate and find key information. To achieve this, the Chamber have also refreshed their brand.

The new website also features a short animated video to explain Chamber membership which can

be found on our homepage at www. cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk.

Sadie Parr, Communications Coordinator at the Chamber, commented: “We are delighted with our new branding and website. Our members were a key part of the digital decision making process and we’re excited that this site will improve our online presence and digital engagement. It is also optimised to give our members a better online experience.

“We are very grateful to Granite 5 for the website design. They spent time interviewing Chamber stakeholders to ensure the site meets the needs of our membership as well as our internal requirements.

“We also thank Full Mix Marketing, who helped us with our logo and pictogram design, and Keyhole Creative Media for producing the video that is a key part of future promotional materials.”

Key strands of Chamber membership TRANSFORM – the power to influence key decision makers and play a leading role in tackling local issues CONNECT

TRANSFORM

PROMOTE

ME

INFORM – sharing knowledge and information to help your business to succeed

M B E RS

EXPORT

PROTECT

INFORM

CONNECT – provide many opportunities to widen your network of business contacts EXPORT – expert knowledge, essential documentation and business connections to develop existing markets and succeed in a global marketplace

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PROTECT – access to key information, expert advice and legal protection enabling you to stay informed and legally protected

PROMOTE – support your organisations marketing mix with a range of opportunities to promote your business and support your goals.

We have free member benefit sessions taking place during October and November to remind you of all the benefits included within your membership.

To attend one of these sessions, in Cambridge or Peterborough, please contact Bren Coleman on 01223 209811 or email b.coleman@ cambscci.co.uk.

PROMOTE BEING PART OF THE #CHAMBERNETWORK If you would like to promote that you are a Chamber members, please request our ‘member of’ logo that you can display on your website or business stationery.

Email Sadie Parr at s.parr@cambscci. co.uk to receive the new logo.

Member of

PROMOTE YOUR COMPANY ON THE CHAMBER WEBSITE Our new website includes an online directory of Chamber members which allows you to display more information on your company, plus you can upload you logo.

For your user details, please contact Hilary Pawley on 01223 209807 or email h.pawley@cambscci.co.uk.

network and

CONNECT

CHAMBER’S NEW COMMERCIAL LEAD USHERS IN ERA OF DYNAMIC ENGAGEMENT The Cambridgeshire Chamber has appointed Martin Smith as its new Head of Commercial Operations.

With a highly successful background building and developing organisations, Martin brings to the Chamber strong strategic and operational experience gained in the private and public sectors. Having built and led both national and international businesses from within Cambridgeshire he has an excellent understanding of the area and its economic importance as well as extensive links to the business community.

His appointment is part of our Chamber strategy to swiftly extend its membership network across all sectors, organisation types and sizes.

This kicks off in the late summer with the much-anticipated update of the Chambers livery and its wider connection with member engagement and support.

With new web and media presence supporting a range of initiatives to help the business community over coming months, focus will be on

strengthening the Chambers ability to facilitate trade for its members; develop and champion local business issues and drive a compelling membership proposition to double the Cambridgeshire Chamber network.

John Bridge OBE DL, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, commented: “We extend a very warm welcome to Martin who we are delighted to have on board as our Head of Commercial Operations. I very much look forward to working with Martin in this exciting new chapter for the Chamber and its members.”

On his appointment, Martin commented: “Cambridgeshire is a world class business community with many great innovators, developers, businesses, organisations and supporting communities. I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Chamber at this time to lead inclusion to our network for all.”

SWITCH NOW CO-WORKER LANDS JOB AT WYBOSTON LAKES RESORT Following the completion of an extensive, supported work placement with Wyboston Lakes Resort, Switch Now are delighted to announce that Lizzie Atkinson has been offered employment as a Food & Beverage Assistant in the Willows Training Centre.

Switch Now trains and supports adults with additional needs, learning difficulties and disabilities to build their work skills and confidence to progress towards employment and have more fulfilled and purposeful futures.

Switch Now offers vocational training and profiling and is recognised as an alternative education provider.

Switch Now’s Job Coaching team, headed up by Nicola Barrett, has built up a great working relationship with many departments at Wyboston Lakes Resort; getting to know the staff in the different departments and how they want the work completed to a professional standard.

“This is exciting news for Lizzie, for Switch Now and for Wyboston Lakes, who have been extremely receptive to working with people with additional

needs from the off,” said Nicola Barrett.

“They have recognised that just because someone has a learning difficulty or disability it doesn’t mean it’s a barrier to working. They share in Switch Now’s ethos completely. Lizzie has secured her job on her own merits.

We are delighted to be continuing this

work with such a good company.”

The extensive training and support that Lizzie has had since joining Switch Now to improve her skills, confidence and employability, means she can now strive towards greater independence with a meaningful job; earning her own money.

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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.

UK growth stalling amid manufacturing slowdown The British Chambers of Commerce’s Quarterly Economic Survey finds that underlying economic conditions remained stagnant in the second quarter of 2019.

The latest results from the survey of over 6,800 businesses – employing around 1.2 million people – points to the impact that relentless Brexit uncertainty, rising business costs and tougher global trading conditions are having on the UK economy, with service sector output subdued and indicators of manufacturing activity deteriorating.

In the manufacturing sector, the balance of firms reporting growth in domestic sales fell for the third successive quarter and is now at its weakest since Q2 2016. The balance of firms reporting an increase in export sales also dipped to a three-year low.

8 connected

The balance of firms reporting an increase in domestic orders was at its weakest since Q4 2012, while the corresponding balance for export orders was at its lowest in four years.

The services sector saw a slight increase in the balance of companies

reporting higher domestic sales and orders, as well as export sales and orders. However, the uptick in activity was not enough to outweigh the significant drop in these indicators in the first quarter ahead of the original Brexit deadline in March and so all remain very weak by historical standards.

The balance of firms expecting prices to rise has fallen to its lowest level in three years across both sectors, with the majority anticipating no change in their prices. Although the balance of firms reporting improved cash flow picked up in the quarter, it remains low by historic standards, which is concerning as cashflow is a key indicator of financial health.

With growth in the UK economy subdued, and the evidence suggesting that business investment and decisionmaking are in limbo ahead of the 31 October Brexit deadline, the focus must be on avoiding a messy and disorderly exit from the EU and removing barriers to growth in the domestic environment.

The leading business group is calling on the Prime Ministerial candidates to outline their plans for addressing the high cumulative costs of doing business, delivering major infrastructure projects, and making the skills system work for business.

the power to

TRANSFORM

COST AND ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN OF EMPLOYMENT CONTINUES TO CLIMB to absorb the cumulative costs, which are impacting their Business is calling on the next Prime Minister to reduce margins and ability to invest and scale up. Coupled with the unsustainable cost of employing people in the UK. the scale of other upfront costs, such as business rates, it Nearly three-quarters (72%) of firms report the cost causes many firms to implement cost reduction measures burden of employment has increased compared to five and weighs down ISSN on 2398-4406 firms’ ability to invest, hire and grow. years ago, according to new research by the British Against a backdrop of historically high labour shortages, Chambers of Commerce and global job site Indeed. sluggish economic growth and ongoing Brexit uncertainty, New research, based on the responses of over 900 the escalation in employment costs is unsustainable firms from across the country, found a third (33%) say the for many firms. As business communities await the cost burden of employment has increased significantly.

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE announcement of the next Prime Minister, they are Firms support the principle of policies such as pension calling for urgent action from the new administration to auto-enrolment, National Living Wage, national insurance tackle the scale of upfront costs which are hindering The British Chambers Commerce (BCC) Quarterly Economic Survey – Britain’s largest and most contributions, and the of Apprenticeship Levy, but they competitiveness. authoritative private sector business survey – based on more than 6,800 responses from firms across the have a cumulative effect of creating a cost burden that is UK – finds that underlying economic conditions remained stagnant in the second of 2019.

Janequarter Gratton Head of People Policy at the British difficult for many to cope with.

Chambers of Commerce, said: “The cumulative cost Over the last three months, the Brexit ‘pressure valve’ has loosened a little for some firms, but the overall picture is still one of an economy in stasis.

Higher costs impact on the business’ bottom line and employment has become unsustainable and the Many businesses and investors will continue to put off major decisions through the summer, hoping for aof breakthrough in the Westminster impasse reduce the resources to invest in the business before the Brexit deadline on available October 31st. government cannot expect businesses to carry on The next Prime Minister must take swift and tangible steps to inject momentum and confidence into the UK economy.

Businesses want to and its people. Asked what’s preventing their company shouldering ever-increasing burden. Firms are see concrete and deliverable plans to tackle barriers to growth here at home, avoid a messy and disorderly Brexit, and restorethis the UK’s global from reputation investing more in and employee training, over a fifth as a place to invest trade. creaking under the combined strain of wage increases, To boost and incentivise investment, our business communities are looking for a bold growth agenda here at home.

The next government must hit (22%) blamed other business costs. skills levies and a myriad of the ground running and introduce measures to reduce the upfront cost of doing business, deliver major employment infrastructure projects,taxes, and unblock the arteries of Britain’s to skillsthe and immigration Respondents surveysystems. report they are struggling administrative and reporting responsibilities, and the costs have not been offset Dr Adam Marshall Director General, British Chambers of Commerce elsewhere.

Positive balance (+) = growth | Negative balance (-) = contraction “At a time of significant change and uncertainty in UK GDP growth vs. QES balance of firms reporting improved domestic sales the economy, firms should be supported to invest in people development and innovation. Instead, +10% +17% this rising cost burden is damaging competitiveness and we risk pricing people ...of manufacturers reported ...of service firms reported improved domestic sales in Q2 improved domestic sales in Q2 out of jobs and driving 2019, down from +15% in Q1 2019 2019, up from +10% in Q1 2019 firms out of business. Many Balance of firms reporting improved export sales businesses feel there is no recognition from government of the difficulty of juggling all these obligations while trying to operate and make +10% +6% a profit.

“Rising employment ...of manufacturers reported ...of service firms reported costs are just part of the improved export sales in Q2 2019, improved export sales in Q2 2019, down from +14% in Q1 2019 up from 0% in Q1 2019 upfront burden on business.

Business rates, insurance Balance of firms reporting improved export orders premium tax and other expenses undermine the competitiveness of the UK as a place to do business. +4% +5% The next government must commit to preventing any additional costs and take ...of manufacturers reported ...of service firms reported improved improved export orders in Q2 2019, export orders in Q2 2019, up from immediate action to reduce down from +10% in Q1 2019 -2% in Q1 2019 the burdens crushing our business communities.”

BCC ECONOMICS

QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SURVEY Q2 2019

“

“

Domestic Sales

AT A GLANCE 0%

0%

+25%

-25%

40%

+50%

-50%

+50%

EU ref

1.5%

20%

0.5%

0%

-75%

+75%

-75%

+75%

0.0%

-0.5%

-20%

-1.0%

-40%

+100%

-100%

+100%

-100%

QES % -60% Balance 2007 2009 GDP Growth

0%

Export Sales

2.0%

2008 recession

1.0%

-50%

2011

2013

Service Sector QES

2015

2017

-2.0%

2019

Manufacturing QES

40%

+25%

-25%

-1.5%

GDP % Growth (ONS)

50%

0%

+25%

-25%

30%

-50%

+50%

-50%

+50%

20%

10%

0%

-75%

+75%

-75%

+75%

-10%

-20%

+100%

-100%

+100%

-100%

0%

Export Orders

60%

+25%

-25%

-25%

-25%

QES % -40% Balance 2007 2009 2011 2013 Manufacturing Sector QES

2015 2017 Service Sector QES

2019

2015 2017 Service Sector QES

2019

50%

0%

+25%

-30%

+25%

40%

30%

-50%

+50%

-50%

+50%

20%

10%

0%

-75%

+75%

-75%

+75%

-10%

-20%

-100%

+100%

-100%

+100%

-30%

QES % -40% Balance 2007 2009 2011 2013 Manufacturing Sector QES

www.britishchambers.org.uk | @britishchambers

connected 9

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.

HMRC allocates EORI numbers to all possible traders As many traders as possible will be automatically allocated an EORI number to enable them to trade smoothly once the UK leaves the EU on 31 October.

ACCREDITED TRAINING IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE The Chamber runs a rolling programme of training courses that culminate in the nationally-recognised Foundation Award in International Trade.

The courses provide the knowledge to assist with your international trade activities and you will receive detailed notes to take away to build up a toolkit of reference information.

• Finance Options: Focusing on Letters of Credit Tuesday 1 October, 9.15am-5.00pm Getting paid is a vital part of the sales transaction, join us to explore the options and reduce the costs involved in receiving payment.

• Import: Customs Compliance and Savings Tuesday 29 October, 9.15am-5.00pm Understand the rules and intricacies of goods crossing borders. We’ll look at when import duties and taxes are applicable and ways to reduce, or event abolish, the charges.

• Customs Special Procedures: Focusing on IP and OP Tuesday 19 November, 9.15am5.00pm Learn how to complete the application forms for customs special procedures,

including the CCG1 Customs Comprehensive Guarantee Form and questionnaire, as well as calculating your potential debt guarantee amounts.

• Rules of Origin: Preference and Non-preference Tuesday 10 December. 9.15am5.00pm Let us explain the complex subject of Origin, which is essential to understand, as the country in which a product is made can affect the import duty that is applicable. We will examine the non-preferential rules for determining the country of origin of goods, in accordance with the provisions of primary rules and residual rules.

Cost per course: £300.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £450.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

Venue: Cambridgeshire FA or Holiday Inn Cambridge, Bridge Road, Impington, Cambridge, CB24 9PH Full course outlines can be found at www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk To book, please call Rose Griffiths on 01223 209817 or email r.griffiths@ cambscci.co.uk

Cambridge Consultants duo achieve award Kevin Thorne and Phillip Morgan from Cambridge Consultants Ltd visited the Chambers’ Histon office and met with John Bridge and the International Trade team.

John was delighted to present Kevin and Phillip with their Foundation Award in International Trade certificates having completed, and passed, all six of our International Trade training courses.

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Every business will need an EORI number to move goods into or out of the EU after Brexit. HMRC was sending letters to all possible VAT-registered businesses over a two week period to advise them of their assigned UK EORI number.

If your business is not VATregistered, you still need to register for an EORI number. Getting an EORI number is an easy process that only takes 5-10 minutes. Get started here: http://bit.ly/EORI-number Commenting on the announcement that the government will act on the BCC’s call to automatically issue businesses with an EORI number, Dr Adam Marshall, Director General, of the British Chambers of Commerce said: “This step is long overdue, yet welcome nonetheless. We have campaigned for many months for government to issue EORI numbers to businesses, rather than simply wait for them to apply. This common sense step will prompt more traders to prepare for change, and consider what else they need to do to be ready for an unwanted ‘no deal’ scenario.”

WHY DOES MY BUSINESS NEED AN EORI NUMBER?

There has been a lot of talk recently from government departments and business and trade organisations about the importance of traders registering for an EORI number.

Many companies that trade exclusively with the European Union at present may not know what they need to do or why it is important.

The first of those is registering for an Economic Operation Registration Identification (EORI). This is a 12-digit number that will start with GB, and if you’re registered for VAT will include your VAT registration number.

This is needed so firms can continue to import or export goods to the EU or rest of the world in a no deal, and so they can apply for authorisations that will make customs processes easier.

Go

EXPORT

Give UK businesses the confidence they need to trade internationally

Many UK exporters are treading water at a time of deep uncertainty, according to the latest Quarterly International Trade Outlook from the British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with DHL. The survey of 3,400 exporters found nearly two-thirds (63%) of manufacturers report exchange rates as a concern to their business, indicating the pressure from sterling volatility.

The results reflect the negative impact that slowing global trade, currency fluctuation and Brexit uncertainty is having, with export sales and orders weakening. In Q2 2019, the balance of manufacturers reporting export sales increased stood at +14, down from +24 in the same quarter last year. In the services sector the corresponding balance fell to +8, from +17.

The balance of exporting manufacturers that have increased orders also fell to +9, down from +21 in the same quarter last year. In services it fell to +5 from +14, indicating that the ongoing uncertainty is hitting orders

books and creating difficult trading conditions for many UK exporters.

At the same time, the volume of trade documents issued by Accredited Chambers of Commerce for goods shipments outside the EU fell 2.1 per cent in the second quarter of the year and stands three per cent lower than the same quarter in 2018.

In the event of no deal, businesses will face an immediate and abrupt change in trading conditions, for which many remain unprepared. Business has been clear about wanting to avoid a messy and disorderly Brexit but given that no deal remains the default position on 31 October, the new government must urgently ramp up its preparation.

The Department for International Trade must also make every effort, working with governments in third countries and the EU-27 to grandfather existing EU Free Trade Agreements, which so many firms rely on to be competitive in key markets around the world. Many businesses report the lack of clarity around future terms of

trade, including tariffs and customs procedures, is adding to the feeling of uncertainty and lack of confidence.

Shannon Diett, VP of Marketing at DHL Express, said: “The 2.1 per cent fall in the Trade Confidence Index compared to Q1 2019 is a strong indication that UK firms, despite a solid export performance, are feeling the impact of the uncertain and challenging market conditions prevailing at this time. Manufacturing and services firms are still reporting an increase in export orders, however, this is at a reduced level in comparison to this time last year.

“For businesses trading internationally in particular, preparing for a potential Brexit, including a no-deal scenario in March, then April and now October has absorbed considerable business resource. This diversion of focus and delay of investment represents a substantial opportunity cost for British business trading internationally. It is however essential that a renewed focus is placed on preparing for Brexit again in advance of the 31 October deadline.

There are a number of practical steps that can be taken, despite the lack of clarity on future trading relations with Europe.

“Actions such as implementing digital customs paperwork solutions with your logistics provider, or obtaining an EORI number will help make the transition to new trade arrangements, regardless of the ultimate Brexit scenario, as seamless as possible for exporting businesses. Additionally, increasing the number of markets a business trades with reduces risk and increases growth possibilities in the long term.”

CUSTOMS DECLARATION TRAINING DATE Thursday 3 October TIME 9.00am-5.00pm LOCATION Marriott Hotel, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6GB PRICE £280.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £350.00 (plus VAT) nonChamber members CONTACT Rose Griffiths on 01223 209817 or email r.griffiths@cambscci.co.uk

Is your business ready for Brexit?

Are you a customs agent, or does your company use customs agents and intermediaries to help you trade with the EU?

If so, you need to know how to meet customs requirements fast and efficiently after the UK leave the EU. There will be new processes to follow and new forms to complete.

This course will highlight what you need to know to be able to accurately complete a simple customs declaration and there will simulated forms for completion on the day. connected 11

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.

HOW TO COPE WITH STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE

Diversify your recruitment strategy with your local university In an increasingly competitive jobs market, a year-long work placement gives you the chance to fill skills gaps within your organisation, and is an ideal pipeline of graduate talent. ARU placement students are available from a range of subjects including Business Management, Marketing, Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering.

Placements typically begin in the summer, and can be from nine to 15 months in duration.

“The placement students recruited from ARU have been of the highest calibre…The input and hard work of the placement students has supported us in launching new products and achieve ever higher regulatory standards that will benefit the business in the long term. The success of the placement scheme in its first two years has helped to make it an integral part of our recruitment strategy.”

TECH COMPANY BASED IN CAMBRIDGE The ARU placements team will be happy to discuss setting up and advertising vacancies in your organisation, and can assist you with finding the right student for your role free of charge. If you would like to get in touch please email placements@ anglia.ac.uk or call 01223 695915.

Westfield Health take a look at 10 steps towards building resilience to cope with stress in the workplace and avoid burnout.

Stress affects people in different ways.

What causes stress in one person may not affect another but we can all develop similar mechanisms to help prevent stress, and cope more effectively.

Building resilience is one way to successfully manage stress. It gives us the ability to persevere and continue to function at a high level in times of adversity, despite failures, setbacks and loss.

Employees can help themselves to become more resilient at work. Whilst some people are naturally more resilient than others, it isn’t an innate personality trait – it’s a skill that can be developed. Something that we can all take steps towards achieving.

So what does it mean to be a resilient person? It’s not just about having the ability to bounce back, but also having the capacity to adapt when faced with challenging circumstances.

Emotional resilience is about thriving.

It’s about maintaining a strong sense of purpose, having a positive but realistic outlook and looking after your mental health and wellbeing.

Here we take a look at 10 steps towards building resilience to cope with stress in the workplace and avoid burnout: 1. Make connections and ask for support when you need it Healthy relationships with close family members, friends, colleagues and others are all important.

2. Manage your energy, not just your time Make sure you are putting your energy into the right things.

3. Take time to relax Take time out and relax, even if you’re not feeling stressed.

4. Develop a positive mind-set Your optimism, personal beliefs and sense

of personal responsibility all shape your outlook on situations.

5. Know your limits Don’t stay quiet when it comes to potential boundary issues at work, which often leads to being unable to work to the best of your abilities as a result of too much workload.

6. Exercise Having a fitness goal or target to achieve outside of work is a great way to switch off and take your mind away from any stresses.

7. Healthy eating Food plays a vital role in our wellbeing – something that is often overlooked.

8. Get a good night’s sleep Getting the right amount of quality sleep is vital when it comes to building resilience to stress.

9. Take action to solve problems Waiting for problems to go away on their own only prolongs the crisis.

10. Keep things in perspective When faced with stress, think about how important the issue will be in a week, month or years’ time.

Being resilient when it comes to managing stress is just one of the ways to improve workplace health and wellbeing. If you are an employee, ask your line manager or HR department about the health and wellness services available within your organisation, and what procedures and policies are in place to help you deal with stress.

Read more about the 10 steps by visiting http://bit.ly/WestfieldTips

Millions could be at risk of pension scams – help protect your staff Research reveals millions of people could fall for pension scam tactics.

Key findings show that cold calls, unusual investments and early access to cash are among the most persuasive tactics used by fraudsters and – alarmingly – that those who consider themselves financially savvy are just as likely to fall victim to a pension scam.

Employers can help their staff to protect themselves by sharing four simple steps: 12 connected

1. Reject unexpected pension offers whether made online, on social media or over the phone 2. Check who you’re dealing with before changing your pension arrangements.

Check the FCA Register (register.fca.org. uk) or call 0800 111 6768 to see if the firm or person you’re dealing with is authorised by the FCA 3. Don’t be rushed or pressured into making

any decision about your pension 4. Consider getting impartial information and advice - in some cases you may be required to do so.

If a member of staff thinks they’ve been a victim of a pension scam, report it. If you suspect that they may be at risk of becoming a victim of a pension scam, report it. (fca. org.uk/scamsmart)

learn and

INFORM

MANAGING WORKPLACE STRESS veggies, proteins, carbs and ‘healthy’ fats according to recommended portion sizes.

And removed any common allergens from my diet, being: • Gluten • Dairy • Sugar • Alcohol • Coffee • Vinegar • Soy At the end of the 30 days I felt more energised in my mind and body and my tendency to get ‘hangry’ had gone!

Now I’ve learnt about the impact of these foods on my mind and body function I feel empowered! I now eat gluten and dairy as sparingly as I consume alcohol and caffeine, knowing their impact on me.

Read on for part two of Vikki from Skylark’s Top Seven Tips to Successfully Manage Workplace Stress, continuing with: Top Tip 2: Eat Well When you were sick as a child did a caring family member ever feed you soup?

Ever wondered why?

I expect we can agree that we know we should eat well. But what does that really mean? It can get confusing with all the conflicting information. Eg: “avoid avocados,

they are full of fat” v “avocados are a ‘super food’”.

If you’re like me, it’s easy to disengage.

However, food is our fuel, our energy source, our life blood and even our medicine!

So where do we start when learning about the interaction of food with our minds and bodies?

For me, I did a 30-days to healthy living challenge. I was conscious of eating my

And, if I’m feeling depleted or I have brain fog, I know what to reach for… some soothing soup that is easy on my digestion and packed full of nutrients with a side order of nuts and seeds for a protein and fat boost!

Calling all Cambridgeshire builders – get ready for new VAT rules Accountancy firm Mapus-Smith & Lemmon is helping VAT-registered building contractors and sub-contractors understand how new HMRC legislation affects them and is explaining how to comply.

Seen by many as complex, the Construction Services Domestic Reverse Charge (CSDRC) scheme is being introduced to combat VAT fraud and comes into effect on 1 October 2019.

In simplistic terms, under the new regime, a VAT-registered builder supplying services to a contractor will not charge or account for the VAT element. As the recipient of the services, the contractor will be responsible for it.

The legislation applies to the supply

of services and also some goods supplied however there are a number of exclusions to be aware of.

Helen Peak, chartered certified accountant, says: “The new regime has its complexities and our construction clients, including a number of sole traders who have precious little time for accounting, are welcoming help to adjust their accounting systems and VAT returns by 1 October.

We can put software systems in place or

even manage their invoicing, bookkeeping and VAT returns. We can also advise on cash flow positions for clients as a result of the reverse charge.”

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how to

PROTECT

To access these services please visit the protection page on the Chamber website or call our membership team on 01223 237414.

QUEST FOUR SERVICES Your Chamber membership provides you with access to four key services as part of your Chamber membership, provided

by Quest – ChamberHR, ChamberLegal, ChamberH&S, ChamberTax.

ChamberHR

ChamberLegal

ChamberHS

ChamberTax

to prompt a debtor to make payment.

Therefore, Vantage Legal Protect (VPL), the legal team at Quest, will send a chaser letter to the debtor reminding them that the invoice is due and owing.

The fee for sending the chaser letter is £15.00 (plus VAT).

LETTER BEFORE ACTION

This also gives you access to the If the chaser letter is not successful, Debt Recovery Service. the next step will be to send a formal Cash flow is vital to every business, letter before action. so unpaid bills can cause serious The fee for drafting and sending the problems. Therefore, Quest is delighted letter before action is £50.00 (plus to offer businesses a highly competitive VAT). debt recovery service relating VALUE OF DEBT to unpaid (debt plus any interest COURT FEE invoices. The and compensation) aim of the Debt Recovery 0 – £300.00 £35.00 Service is to offer businesses £301 – £500.00 £50.00 and individuals £501 – £1000.00 £70.00 a service which is both £1001 – £1500.00 £80.00 competitively £1501 – £3000.00 £115.00 priced whilst being highly £3001 – £5000.00 £205.00 effective.

CHASER LETTER In some instances, a chaser letter can be enough

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COURT CLAIM If the letter before actions proves unsuccessful, the next step is to consider is commencing legal proceedings.

Please note that the fees below are only applicable to invoices which are not disputed (defended by the debtor) and not subject to enforcement action.

If the debtor disputes the invoice at any stage, the fees will be charged at the discounted hourly rate of £100.00 (plus VAT).

For undisputed matters, the fixed fees payable are as shown in the table below.

ENFORCEMENT Once Judgment has been obtained, if it remains unpaid VPL will discuss enforcement options with you.

VPL FEE

TOTAL

£75.00 (plus VAT)

£125.00

£90.00 (plus VAT)

£158.00

£120.00 (plus VAT)

£214.00

£175.00 (plus VAT)

£290.00

£200.00 (plus VAT)

£355.00

£350.00 (plus VAT)

£625.00

£5001 – £7000

£455.00

£700.00 (plus VAT)

£1295.00

£7001 – £10,000

£455.00

£800.00 (plus VAT)

£1415.00

£10,001 – £25,000

Five per cent of value claimed

£25,000 – £50,000

Five per cent of value claimed

Please get in touch Please get in touch with us on 0116 243 7862

ask the

Choosing the right venue for your meetings and events When you are organising an event – whether it’s a conference, training session or corporate dinner – you want a venue that will not only meet but exceed the expectations of those attending. So what should you consider?

Robert Clarke, Head of Catering & Events at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge offers some advice.

1. DO A SITE VISIT All venues can look impressive on a website or in a brochure, but there’s no substitute for actually going for a showround. Not only can you see how your event will work in the space but it also gives you the chance to meet the Events Team and talk through what you want to achieve.

2. MAKING THE SPACE WORK Plan your programme ahead of the site visit so you can see whether the accommodation and facilities provide what you need – a place for registration, break-out space for refreshments and rooms of the right size for the number of delegates.

3. TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW If you need sophisticated AV for your presentations, it’s worth checking if the venue can provide dedicated technical support throughout your event so everything works smoothly for the speakers and for the event organiser.

4. FOOD FOR THOUGHT Imaginative catering can make your

EXPERT

event more enjoyable and memorable for delegates. Consider making the most of the lunch-break by combining it with networking, viewing a poster exhibition or listening to music. Buffets don’t need to be traditional, it might be fun to introduce bowl food, themed cuisine or an all-vegan selection.

5. GETTING THERE Consider how your delegates will be travelling to the venue. If the majority are coming by car, choose somewhere with on-site parking or if most will use public transport, make sure it’s well-served and on main routes.

6. FITTING YOUR BUDGET Check what is and isn’t included so there won’t be any nasty shocks later on. It’s also good to discuss payment terms – when a deposit is required and when you need to settle the balance.

Look closely at minimum numbers, the cancellation policy and any other terms and conditions in the small print.

Fitz Events is relaunching its conference and meetings offering at a special showcase on Wednesday 2 October. If you are an event organiser and would like to attend, please email: events.office@fitz.cam.ac.uk

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOUR PROPERTY IS INSURED ON THE CORRECT BASIS The reinstatement sum insured or

Declared Value is something that is commonly misquoted when arranging buildings insurance. Many people think it is the same as the market value of the property, or the price paid for it when purchased. However, this is incorrect.

Reinstatement value actually refers to the cost of completely rebuilding a property and should also take into consideration potential costs to clear the site in addition to the rebuild cost.

Lee Coombs and Phil Smith from One Broker explain.

What happens when a property is under insured?

Failure to insure at the correct rebuild value could result in your property being underinsured. This means in the event of a claim the insurer will only pay a proportion of the total sum insured.

For example you insure your property for a reinstatement value of £200,000.

However, the actual cost to reinstate is £400,000. The maximum you will be paid out is 50 per cent of the current sum insured (£100,000) leaving you with a shortfall of £300,000.

It is therefore critical to get the reinstatement value correct.

One true way of calculating an accurate reinstatement value is to bring in a qualified buildings surveyor. Their inspection will uncover precisely how much you need to insure the buildings for. This figure will usually be trusted by your insurer.

Reinstatement valuation for managing agents We believe that the majority of Management Agents rarely receive a

reinstatement valuation and therefore you are unable to determine at the current time whether the declared value would be adequate following a significant loss.

Key Points to Remember.

• Always ensure you get your reinstatement value (Declared Value) right. Never use guesswork: be sure to take expert advice • It may be tempting to under-quote on your Declared Value in order to keep your premium down, it is clearly a false economy to do so. How would you make up the shortfall in claim payments?

• Remember that a professionally calculated reinstatement valuation could well save you money, because it may reveal that you have over-quoted on your policy and are as a result are paying too much premium.

We have negotiated an exclusive deal with Quest Gates Valuation who are a RICS accredited surveyors to provide accurate rebuild costs for each individual block or property. (Prices start as low as £350).

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Would you like to become a Chamber member?

Get in touch today to find out the many benefits.

Tel: 01223 237414 Email: enquiries@cambscci.co.uk

• THIS MONTH’S NEW MEMBERS • Advanced Micro Peripherals Ltd

Labmotive Ltd @LabmotiveLtd

Brewin Dolphin Careerjuice @Career_Juice

Labsec Ltd Osprey Development March Ltd

Carmelcrest Ltd Peterborough Football & Sports CHUMS Charity @chumscharity Cirrus Information Technology Ltd CITB @CITB_UK

Development Foundation RandDTax

Dart HR by Cirrus IT Cirrus IT brings you Dart HR, which is an innovative online tool allowing businesses to deliver their HR functionality more efficiently. DART allows you to manage colleague information, salaries, book and schedule any holiday and sickness, as well as implement employee appraisals. The software is ideal for SMEs looking to minimise paperwork and maximise potential. www.cirrusit.com

Shift Momentum TCHC

DLP Planning Ltd @dlpplanning Inceptive Digital @inceptivedigi Ins Consultants Keyhole Creative @KeyholeCreative

The Smart Working Revolution @smartworkingrev Westminster College @westcollcambs WYG @wyggroup

Meeting the pastoral and spiritual needs of the workplace across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Do you have someone to turn to for support? Do your employees need a confidential safe space?

Whatever the reason - whether you are an employer, employee or run your own business, Workplace Chaplaincy can connect you to a listening ear – regardless of your

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faith or belief.

They support a diverse network of multi-faith chaplains across Cambridgeshire who offer pastoral care to everyone in the workplace. www.cambsworkplacechaplaincy. org.uk

news from

Careerjuice Careerjuice is an independent agency that strives to take the headache out of recruitment. They offer permanent and contract recruitment nationally, and temporary recruitment based in Cambridgeshire. All of their consultants are qualified in the recruitment code of conduct and they aim to be an ‘add on’ to any HR team. www.careerjuice.co.uk

TR GLOBAL EVENTS LTD TR Global Events Ltd is a full service international event company, with offices in the UK and US. They offer global venue sourcing and destination management, event planning, production and logistics, event design, brand management and merchandising. www.tr-globalevents.com

Adding value to traditional accountancy work Established in 1918, MapusSmith & Lemmon’s full range of accountancy services is based on adding value for the benefit of clients. A free mobile app is offered for a range of tasks including payslip calculations and recording mileage. Also, specialist help is at hand for the transition to cloud-based accounting to comply with HMRC’s new regulations for ‘Making Tax Digital’. The firm serves clients - from sole proprietors to large enterprises - in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, London and beyond. www.mapus.co.uk

NEW MEMBERS

Cambridge-based businessman and entrepreneur Alan Crouch is pleased to directly represent RandDTax in Cambridgeshire R&D tax relief is there to support business growth, innovation and entrepreneurialism, and having personally witnessed his Business Growth School® clients secure HMRC tax relief that has enabled them to further invest, recruit staff, take a bit of a breather on their cash tightness and also go on to take really great new innovative products to market, Alan has taken the decision to personally work directly with SMEs in Cambridgeshire to directly support their success and growth.

RandDTax has over 1,100 clients, has secured over £112m in R&D Tax relief and is proud to be one of the most competitive national R&D tax consultancies in the UK. www.randdtax.co.uk

Smart Working Revolution Smart Working is a business wisdom. It enables Leaders to organise their workforce more effectively – whether that is a flexible location – such as hub, mobile, remote and office or contracts and hours that match customer demands. When deployed effectively, the benefits of a Smart Workforce include wider talent pools and easier recruitment, productivity increases of circa 13 per cent and better retention of key employees.

The Smart Working Revolution have been successfully supporting organisations to implement smart workforces for the last 20 years. www.smartworkingrevolution.com Hear more of the Smart Working concept on 17 October at our Leading Talent event.

SHOOTING IMAGE LTD Recent joiner to the Chamber is Andy Wilkinson of Shooting Image Ltd in Ely, a professional business video production company. Established in 2008, and with approaching 1,000 videos produced for a huge variety of local and national businesses, Andy has proven expertise in helping businesses use video powerfully and effectively. www.shootingimage.co.uk connected 17

COMPLEX WEBSITE PROJECT DELIVERED FOR CRUK IN CAMBRIDGE Here at CPL, we’re proud to call Cambridge home. It has long been known as a global centre of educational and technological excellence, and the past few years have seen it build a growing reputation in the biomedical and creative sectors.

A project that reflects these cornerstone elements of Cambridge is our recent delivery of a new website for Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute (CRUK CI).

Established in 2007, CRUK CI – part of the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine – was the first major new cancer research centre in the UK for more than 50 years. It carries out research focusing primarily on tumour ecology and evolution and is vital to the work of the national charity, Cancer Research UK. CPL has been providing technical web support to CRUK CI for a number of years

and it was this relationship and knowledge that helped us win this project.

The project’s purpose was to migrate content from an old content management system to a new version powered

by WordPress – making it easier to navigate, and more secure, for the 1,000-plus users.

As digital specialists, we provided significant workflow improvements, alongside an extensive redesign, and built several

custom elements to help simplify technical obstacles and integration with older systems at the university.

Kate Kirk announced as Chair of Trustees at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity

Sharon Allen and Kate Kirk Kate Kirk will step into the role of Chair of Trustees at the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity.

Kate has been a trustee at the Charity for nine years, Vice Chair for two, and a volunteer for 11 years. As a niece of Dame

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Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement, she has a lifelong knowledge of the sector.

Professionally, Kate is a writer and speaker, and co-author of two books about the Cambridge Phenomenon.

“Both the Arthur Rank Hospice at Shelford Bottom and the Alan Hudson Day Treatment Centre in Wisbech have been rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.” Kate Kirk said.

“I am truly honoured to have been entrusted with the role of Chair, and very mindful of the pressing need for all of our

services, whether delivered in our own facilities or in patients’ homes.”

Kate will now work closely with the charity’s Chief Executive Sharon Allen OBE to develop the vision for the Charity going forward, to ensure that it continues to support those living with life-limiting illnesses or needing end-of-life care in Cambridgeshire, and grows to cope with increasing demand.

Outgoing Chair, Isabel Napper, commented: “This is an exciting and challenging time for hospice care in Cambridgeshire. I’m sure Kate will help maintain and build on the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity’s ethos of quality and excellence in everything it does.”

Fellow trustee John Short will now take the role of Vice Chair. The Charity has also recently welcomed two new trustees, Mark Kingstone and Natalie Acton. Mark is a tax partner in the London office of Linklaters, a global law firm, and Natalie is the Co-Chief Executive of Think Ahead, a mental health charity which recruits and trains mental health social workers.

chamber supports

CHARITY

THE GROWING NEED FOR CHILDREN’S HOSPICE CARE East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) currently cares for around 450 families at any one time. We reach hundreds of children and young people with lifethreatening conditions, providing expert healthcare, alongside wellbeing activities like hydrotherapy, art and music therapy and specialist play.

However, we estimate that there are actually around 2,000 children and young people in East Anglia with a life-threatening condition, who might benefit from some aspect of our services. We know that this figure is growing rapidly, and Public Health studies report that this number could be as high as 6,000 children by 2025.

This figure is growing so rapidly in part because of the increasing population of the UK. We are also incredibly lucky to be seeing continued improvement in medical treatments for children with life-threatening conditions, meaning that many young people are living longer lives. This means we need to be there for more children, and we need to be there for them for a longer time.

William Carlson, eight, and his family have been receiving support from our hospice in Milton hospice since William was 10 months old. This support has included overnight breaks in the hospice, support from our specialist Symptom Management Nursing Team, music therapy and counselling.

William’s mum Helen talks about how much EACH has meant to their family, and how difficult it would be without our support: “EACH feels like a big safety net to me. Without the services provided by the hospice we’d feel much more alone on this journey and a lot more worried for the future. William is life limited and we have no idea how long we’ll have with him. Knowing the hospice is there, able to provide end of life care and support to our whole family when the time comes is a huge comfort.”

We know that there are many more families out there like the Carlsons, but who we are not yet supporting. We are always trying to increase awareness and understanding of our services, to help families realise that they can receive

support from us, and that we offer so much besides just endof-life care. We are also working on expanding our services, making sure we can be closer to more families who need us.

The nook, our new hospice opening this year in Framingham Earl, will be hugely important, allowing us to help more families across Norfolk. We are also working to reach more families in areas like Peterborough, which is one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in the East of England. We know there are approximately 300 to 400 families living in the area who could benefit from our support, but we don’t currently have a physical care hub in the city. We are now planning to develop our services in the area, working closely with the local community in and around Peterborough.

We rely on voluntary donations for the majority of our income, since we estimate just 16 per cent of our total costs from statutory sources like Government and Clinical Commissioning Groups. As we continue to grow, we need the support of our local communities more than ever. Without you, we simply could not provide care to all the families who need us.

If you’d like to find out more about how you can help EACH reach more families, please contact Corporate Fundraiser Lottie Driver using: Tel: 01223 800765 • email: cambs@each.org.uk • www.each.org.uk • Twitter: EACH_hospices • Facebook: EACHhospices Registered Charity Number: 1069284

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

Get in touch. Tel: 01223 237414 email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

Note from the Chair…

Encouraging business connections is a core value of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce and absolutely vital as we enter the new European era.

We are encouraging businesses in the Huntingdon, St Ives and St Neots regions to work, learn and develop together as a result. The Huntingdonshire area committee meetings will be hosted at St Neots on an alternate monthly basis with plans listen to business needs and deliver the support required.

So what’s the benefit? For a start it’s an open channel of communication to the Chamber Board, national and local government, for voicing opinion on local issues such as the “B” word, the proposed metro system, the A428 upgrade, and

employment issues, which are all on-going hot topics. There’s a stronger input for local issues by collective representation and we intend to be that voice for business.

We are planning events across the area to support business growth and development, employment issues, grant access plus support for new and existing exporters. Alongside the construction and skills groups, our new advanced manufacturing group will be seeking new attendees as we move into the autumn so we welcome your input.

The committee is an active part of the membership, don’t sit on the side-lines, come and be a part of what’s happening.

Our next meeting in St Neots is on 2 October. For more information, email chair. huntingdon@cambscci.co.uk Stuart Searle, Chair of the Huntingdonshire Chamber of Commerce and Manager at First Mailing

'STRICTLY' ONLY ONE WINNER

BEACON CELEBRATE SUCCESS Beacon Wealth Management Ltd were highlighted as a Small Advice Firm of the Year in the Money Marketing Awards 2019.

The award ceremony held, in City Central at the HAC in June, was recognised and attended by the best financial planning companies and individuals throughout the UK. This sought-after accolade was well received amongst industry leaders and fellow peers.

The selection process was in-depth and they were judged on factors that included continual enhancement for clients, professional qualifications and the overall efficiency of their business model.

Tony Larkins, Managing Director at Beacon Wealth Management, commented: "I feel very proud that Beacon have been highlighted as a Small Advice Firm of the Year at the Money Marketing Awards. There are exciting times ahead for Beacon.”

Alan Dedicoat the ‘voice’ behind Strictly Come Dancing and the National Lottery, surprised the St Neots based Marbrook Centre as he announced the winners of the Best Specialist Care Service at a glamorous event in London, as part of the national Care Home Awards.

The Marbrook Centre beat the other eight finalists with the judges praising the care and rehabilitation outcome’s they achieve with their patients and their families, enabled by ‘Team Marbrook’s’ multidisciplinary nursing care team.

Robert Myers, Head of Care Pathways, said: “I was so proud to represent the Marbrook team at this prestigious event and thrilled that all their collective skills, energy and commitment enabling each individual we support to regain as much control and choice over their lives. The Marbrook Centre is a newly built bespoke centre, but it’s the collective talents of all the people that work within it that creates this award winning service.”

30 YEARS – WHAT AN ACHIEVEMENT! Point Professional Recruitment Ltd exploded onto the High Street in Huntingdon in 1989 along with the launch of the World Wide Web!. There was one other local agency and candidates were queuing up outside to register!

Little did our Director, Loraine Rance, know when she opened the office, that Point Professional Recruitment Ltd would still be going strong 30 years on and still 20 connected

based in the same office space, all be it the whole unit rather than just the second floor.

In August we celebrated our 30th year in business with many of our loyal clients and we would like to thank all the candidates and clients that have chosen to work with Point Recruitment over the years.

Here’s to the next 30 years!

news from

HUNTINGDONSHIRE AREA

NEW FA REPORT VALUES GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL The Football Association (The FA) has launched a new report that explores the social and economic value of adult grassroots football in England.

The report found that regular grassroots football in England has a social wellbeing value of £8.7bn, with players reporting significantly higher levels of general health, confidence, motivation and trust compared with those who play other sports. Lower income groups in particular were found to experience some of the greatest quality-of-life benefits from football compared with higher income groups, specifically in their health and confidence levels.

In addition to social benefits, the direct economic value of grassroots football was found to be £2.1bn each year, while the report also found that the health benefits of playing regular grassroots football produces a cost saving of £43.5m per year to the NHS through reduced GP visits alone.

While at a national level grassroots football contributes £10.8bn in social and economic value, this equates to around £55m in Huntingdonshire, based on the amount of football played in the county.

Dean Watson, Huntingdonshire FA

County FA CEO, said: "This report is great, we are constantly talking about the benefits of football and the impact that it can have on individuals and communities.

“This report delivers hard data that shows the true impact of our national game in Huntingdonshire and how it supports Physical Health, Mental Health, Individual Development,

Community Development and the Economic Impact.

“Over the last 12 months football has contributed over £55 million in social and economic value across Huntingdonshire, this really shows the true value of the game in supporting the local infrastructure and improving the wellbeing of the Huntingdonshire Football Community.”

Switch Now CIC doubleaward winners at SME Cambridge Business Awards Guests came together at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, to celebrate businesses and individuals that have demonstrated success and provided an impressive contribution within their industry at the SME Cambridge Business Awards.

20 awards were presented to these local businesses, with the Cambridge Roar ‘Community Business of the Year’ and Stanair ‘Not for Profit Business of the Year’ categories being won by Switch Now CIC. Switch Now trains and supports young adults with additional needs, learning

difficulties / disabilities to progress them into employment, by recognizing and reaching their potential, leading to a more fulfilled future.

“Switch Now are delighted to have been recognised for the work we do, by winning awards in two categories at the prestigious SME Awards in Cambridgeshire,” said Director Catherine Fairholm.

As a winner in two core categories, Switch Now CIC will automatically be a finalist in the SME National Business Awards Finals that will be held at Wembley Stadium in December 2019.

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angli-EAR Hearing welcomes new recruits An audiologists in Great Shelford has recruited two new team members, Scott Jupp, Audiologist and Christina Prout, Receptionist, bringing a wealth of knowledge and customer service to the clinic as it continues to grow.

Scott has over 15 years’ experience as a fully qualified audiologist working for national and international hearing care providers delivering assessments, device fitting and rehabilitation of hearing. He is also an approved ear wax removal specialist, ENT-trained to perform endoscopic ear wax removal, including micro-suction to gently, safely and effectively clear blocked ears.

Scott says: ‘‘I’m really excited to have joined such an amazing team. angli-EAR Hearing has a great reputation for their diagnostic and hearing expertise, value and exceptional quality of service to clients."

Christina Prout has also joined the team as Receptionist, bringing with her vast experience of office support and customer service from previous roles.

Clip ‘n Climb win Best Customer Service Award Companies celebrated businesses and individuals that have demonstrated success and provided an impressive contribution within their industry at the SME Cambridge Business Awards.

20 awards were presented with Clip ‘n Climb Cambridge winning the Best Customer Service Award.

Clip ‘n Climb Cambridge is an independent company, opened in 2016 by business partners, Beth and Chris Walthew. They have welcomed over

150,000 individuals to climb on their walls and work with local schools, companies and charities to bring climbing to a wide audience.

Chris Walthew states: “The sense of achievement and confidence customers gain from tackling our climbing challenges is made possible by the support and encouragement they receive from the team at Clip ‘n Climb. This makes the Customer Service award very special to us all here, and thanks to all our customers who voted for us.”

CRC STUDENTS NAMED AMONG TOP THREE ENGINEERS IN THE COUNTRY Cambridge Regional College (CRC) is celebrating after two of its learners were named among the top three engineering students of the year. The pair were chosen from hundreds of entrants studying engineering at further education colleges across the country.

Greg Martin, 51, is dyslexic and was told at school he would never amount to anything. Now he’s a successful technical and engineering manager with ENGIE. Rico Barbera, 29, is an area supervisor with National Grid Gas and studied a BTEC Level 4 in engineering to improve his future career prospects.

Greg has been awarded silver in the BTEC awards, Rico has been awarded bronze.

Dr Bassam Omar, Course Tutor at CRC for Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said: “We are incredibly proud of these two students. They have worked very hard and the results are clear.

“To have two students from CRC win awards for BTEC Engineering Student of the Year, is a real accolade for them and for the college.”

EVE WALDRON DESIGN RAISES MONEY FOR CHARITY AT SUMMER PARTY It was a great success with friends and colleagues enjoying a seemingly endless flow of Aperol Spritz and cool jazz! A very respectable amount of £192.05 was raised for the East Anglian Children’s Hospice Charity.

EWD will match this and round off the donation to £400 – for which they are very grateful. A heartfelt thanks goes to all those who generously donated.

EWD raffled off custom designed cushions for a bit of fun during the evening.

Eve said: “It’s been another good year of successes and we wanted to throw a party to celebrate summer while also doing something for the East Anglian Children’s Hospice - a charity chosen by the team.”

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Murray Edwards College wins Gold Award Murray Edwards College was given the accolade as part of Cambridge University’s accreditation scheme which encourages and supports Colleges and departments to reduce their environmental impact and improve sustainability.

The judges were particularly impressed with a number of initiatives at Murray Edwards including the clothes swap scheme, Green Formal and termly meetings, as well as the gardening team’s concerted efforts to involve students.

news from

Move Marketing celebrates new client wins Integrated B2B agency Move Marketing is celebrating a raft of new client wins, including its first ever overseas client, at the end of a year of record growth and turnover. Move recently won best Small Integrated Agency of the Year 2019 at the Prolific North Awards, with the judges commenting that ‘Move are a small agency who are making waves internationally’.

Alex Cairns, Managing Director at Move, said: “These new client wins come at a time of rapid growth for Move and demonstrate the real breadth of our B2B expertise with sectors as diverse as science, technology and energy. The acquisition of our first overseas client (Delta Scientific, based in Canada) is a particular highlight as it proves that geography is no longer a boundary in this digital age. Good B2B marketing translates into any language and we already have extensive experience of running multilingual campaigns in all corners of the world for our UK clients so this is a natural next step for us.”

Hospitality Manager wins national award Bill Brogan from St John’s College was given the ‘Outstanding Achievement’ accolade at the annual conference held by The University Caterers Organisation (TUCO), in recognition of his considerable work over many years including running of a highly professional and successful hospitality operation, as well as his dedication to innovation and sustainability.

The award also recognised his support to TUCO in organising and hosting several study tours which help to broaden the skills and experience of in-house caterers by visiting other countries, learning from universities and hospitality establishments around the world.

On receiving his award, Bill said: “I am absolutely delighted to win. TUCO is a great organisation which has grown in leaps and bounds over the last six years, in all areas including procurement, sustainability and support for the academy and study tours. It has been wonderful to be involved with them along the journey.”

CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS AREA

Meet Cambridge wins sustainability award Meet Cambridge is celebrating being given a Bronze in Cambridge University’s Green Impact Awards, in recognition of its environmental achievements – including making meetings more sustainable.

Over the last 12 months, the team has continued to focus on a wide range of green issues such as recycling, reducing paper and printing and selecting sustainable methods of transport.

It has also worked closely with its member venues to encourage ‘green meetings’, going paperless, providing water in reusable glass bottles and serving refreshments using ingredients from local suppliers.

Scrutton Bland LLP appoints HR Director

WEBSTERS STRENGTHENS US TAX DEPARTMENT

Caroline Cotterell took up the role of HR Director in mid-July. This new appointment is the third senior role in 18 months for the expanding Financial Services Group. With over 19 years of operational and strategic HR experience, ranging from managing complex projects to overseeing change management programmes, Caroline will lead Scrutton Bland’s HR function which works with employees over four sites across Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and Cambridge.

Caroline said: “It is a really exciting time to be joining Scrutton Bland. The firm has a reputation for being forward thinking and having a great staff retention rate, which from a human resources point of view provides some excellent opportunities particularly around people and skills development.”

Websters has appointed Khush Shah as a US Tax Account Manager, in line with their ongoing growth plan to build upon the US Tax Services currently offered.

An IRS authorised Enrolled Agent for over seven years, Khush specialises in US personal income tax matters and also brings significant expertise within the UK personal tax sector. He has substantial experience in providing tax advice to global mobility clients, high net worth individuals and partnerships.

Department head, Bryony Baines, said: “Khush has extensive experience in US and UK personal tax matters. This is a great appointment for us, as there is huge demand for US personal tax services at present as more US individuals become aware of their filing responsibilities.

We’re seeing continuous growth in this area and we’re pleased to be able to meet this demand.”

THE CAMBRIDGE DRAWS THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS OF THEIR RENT TO HOME INITIATIVE After receiving applications throughout May and June, The Cambridge went back to its roots and selected the lucky two through a ballot held at its Central Cambridge Store. Emerson White, Business Development Adviser at The Cambridge, was selected through an internal draw to participate in the ballot and it was overseen by the Society’s Company Secretary Janet Reid.

Both applicants have secured one of The Cambridge’s recently renovated Great Shelford-based flats to live in for a maximum of three years. After this term

and securing a mortgage on their first property, The Cambridge will give them back up to 70 per cent of the money they have paid towards their rent to use as a deposit on their new home.

The Cambridge believe Rent to Home to be the first initiative of its kind by a building society. It has been specifically designed to support First Time Buyers in and around the Cambridge area who are able to afford to pay a monthly mortgage, but due to the higher cost of living in the region are unable to save enough for a deposit. connected 23

Send us your photos each month and we’ll include the best of the bunch!

Email images direct to s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

POP LEGEND’S TOUR OF GREATER ANGLIA Pop legend Pete Waterman spent a day on the Greater Anglia network talking to staff and telling them about the railway staff charity which he heads up. The hit musician is president of the Railway Benefit Fund (RBF) and has many connections with the railway.

Best Business Award in St Ives Carnival Beacon Wealth Group have been awarded Best Business at the St Ives Carnival that took place in July.

GOLF DAY SECURES HOLE IN ONE FOR AIR AMBULANCE Streets Chartered Accountants hosted their eighth annual Charity Golf Day raising £7,256 for the Air Ambulance.

Garden fun at Trinity Hall Off the air waves We took Neil Whiteside, Outreach & Corporate Development Manager at Cambridge 105 FM Radio Ltd, off air and installed him as quiz master at our Cambridge Quiz at St John’s College where he caught up with John Bridge.

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Over 50 delegates joined us for a lovely afternoon on the lawn of Trinity Hall at our annual Garden Party where the sunshine had been booked for the duration of the event!

We all enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon of canapés, Pimms, garden games and punting. The relaxed atmosphere provided a great opportunity for some informal networking over a game of Croquet!

it’s happening

OUT & ABOUT

The sun is out for annual reception

STAY CALM AND EAT CUP CAKES

John Bridge attended the N W Brown annual reception on the sundrenched backs of St John’s College where Chairman Mark Jeffries explained the long background to the deal between the private wealth management firms, announced the previous week.

Pupils race to the finish with ‘Greenpower’ Project

Martin Smith presented Rachel Farnham, professional baker and owner of Regency Cakes, with their membership certificate. Based in Exning, they manufacture and retail bespoke wedding, corporate and party cakes.

Domino is celebrating the successful result of its collaboration with a local primary school where it has been helping to enhance the teaching of science, technology, engineering and maths.

Achievements of King’s Ely International students shine at prize giving ceremony Families from across the globe travelled to King’s Ely to celebrate the achievements of their children and the school’s international programme.

The annual King’s Ely International (KEI) prize-giving ceremony was held in

the Old Palace to honour the impressive range of achievements made by Year 11 students on the one-year IGCSE programme, which has now been running at King’s Ely for more than 20 years.

ED SHEERAN’S TATTOO RAISES MONEY FOR CHARITY This year saw the launch of Ed’s very own Heinz Tomato Edchup and a TV ad that Ed wrote and starred in celebrating his favourite sauce. All money raised will be donated to Ed’s nominated charity, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and Heinz’s nominated charity; Rise Against Hunger.

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HOSPITALITY

at The Rowley Mile this Autumn

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news from

FENLAND AREA

UcWA student volunteers in Egypt to help care for animals University Centre West Anglia (UcWA) student, Rosie Ward has worked for the charity ACE (Animal Care in Egypt) in Luxor, Egypt nursing horses, donkeys, dogs, cats and even camels.

Rosie will begin her fourth year studying towards a BSc Veterinary Nursing at the CWA’s Cambridge campus. She decided to visit Egypt to gain further practical experience in the field.

Rosie was accompanied by other veterinary nursing students who, for two weeks, stayed in accommodation at the hospital. She was responsible for looking after a wide range of animals. Daily tasks included administering medications to patients, cleaning and dressing wounds, helping in clinics, assisting with operations and helping the locals wash and give treatments to their animals.

Rosie said: “I spent two weeks working with a great team of veterinary surgeons, veterinary students and other staff members who gave me the opportunity to gain some amazing hands on experience.

“Although there were many upsetting

cases, such as wounds from working conditions or from traditional home remedies, seeing the work that the veterinary team put in to help these animals made all the difference. The team face many problems daily and must work with the materials and medications they have on hand, which made me feel very grateful for all the supplies we are able to easily get in the UK!” Alongside working in the day, ACE organised various trips to explore the local area. Rosie went on a hot air balloon ride, visited the Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple went in to the local town for food.

Rosie continued: “This experience has encouraged me to work with equids in the future and hopefully to re-visit this wonderful hospital to complete more voluntary work.”

Programme Manager Veterinary Nursing and Higher Education, Stella Chapman, said: “The veterinary nursing department at UcWA is very proud of Rosie’s commitment to animal welfare, and

her nursing skills have proved invaluable to this charity and the work that they do.

Opportunities such as these are encouraged whilst students are studying with us.”

SUMMER’S OVER – WHAT NEXT? With an aptitude for figures and finance, Matthew Wright and Josh Ford took the plunge - respectively in July 2016 and July 2018 - and went straight from school into the accountancy training programme at Mapus-Smith & Lemmon.

In July they celebrated their professional progress at the firm’s Wisbech office.

So while this summer’s school leavers contemplate their next step, the ‘learn and earn’ option can present a feasible alternative to university.

Matthew Wright, who is now working on his Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) level four – the final stage, said: “I joined Mapus-Smith & Lemmon because I wanted a career that would last for many years and I had an interest in how businesses were run. I decided to join Mapus over other accountants because in the interview I liked how they came across and the direction the firm was going and I could see myself progressing within the firm and the fact they are willing to pay for my training to become fully qualified.”

Josh Ford, who is on AAT level two,

said: “Throughout school my favourite subjects were maths and business so a career in the admin/financial sector appealed. I knew a few people working in the Mapus-Smith & Lemmon Downham Market office, near where I live, so from them I gleaned that I could gain experience of working in an office while at the same time gaining my AAT qualification which the firm is very generously paying for.”

Chartered certified accountant Helen Peak, who heads up the Wisbech office, said: “Our policy to help school leavers become qualified accountants is a very important part of the business.

“Mutual commitment between the trainees and those that train them gives great results all round. It gives the firm excellent stability, enhances services for our clients and is rewarding for those who qualify. Matthew and Josh are progressing well as technicians.

“Our training programme is a great opportunity for those who do not want the expense of going to university to gain a professional qualification and earn

a salary while they do it. Once they’ve completed the AAT course, there is the potential to continue their education and train as chartered accountants or chartered certified accountants or if they wish to specialise in taxation then that option is available.”

In total, the firm has 16 trainees at various stages and has already recruited the current year’s intake.

However, they are interested to hear from those who are considering an accountancy career. Work experience is available across the three offices in the summer and they would be keen to see some CVs in the spring. connected 27

Advertisement feature

Saving for the future - Keeping your buSineSS financially SuStainable Richard Brockbank, Head of Finance at The Cambridge Building Society, offers insight on the liquidity stress testing The Cambridge implements and why it is a good idea for all businesses to follow this strategy.

It’s often said that “cash is king” in business, and amid all the current uncertainty we face perhaps that’s never been more true.

Any business will routinely produce cash flow forecasts, but how many stress these forecasts to take account of the worst that could happen?

This might be an area where businesses can learn something from banks and building societies.

You might have heard of the regular stress tests to which regulated financial institutions are subjected.

These tests are aimed at making sure that institutions have enough capital and liquidity not just for the normal course of business but for the very worst scenarios the Bank of England considers to be reasonable.

Banks and building societies are required to use the results of these tests to guide how much capital and cash they need to hold.

There’s no reason why other businesses shouldn’t carry out a similar exercise. The specifics will differ from business to business, but try asking yourself the following questions: • What happens to our cost base if inflation jumps to 4% and stays there for 3 years?

• How long can our balance sheet sustain a reduction in profit or even losses if there’s a recession and sales fall by say 20%?

• In the event of a recession, or runaway inflation, how might our customers’ behaviour change? What would that mean for our financial stability?

What about our key suppliers’ behaviours?

By thinking through scenarios like these you can build up a picture of the shape your business needs to be in, to withstand the worst that could reasonably be thrown at it, and how much cash you need to hold.

Of course, holding more cash than you need from day to day is somewhat inefficient. It’s the price of maintaining a stable and secure business to an extent but the cost can be reduced by placing that cash somewhere that gives you the right combination of ease of access, security and rate of return.

Why save with The Cambridge?

We know that the money you chose to save is integral to the sustainability of your business.

We are proud to have been a safe place for businesses to save their money since 1850, and to support businesses in the best way possible we have a range of business accounts that meet your different savings needs. With a max holding of up to £2.5 million per business we can support the management of your savings portfolio.

If you would like to know more about any of our business savings accounts, give us a call on 0345 601 3344 or come and discuss your savings options with one of our savings experts at your nearest Store.

news from

ELY AREA

WILDLIFE CAMERAMAN’S VISIT GOES DOWN A STORM AT KING’S ELY JUNIOR Pupils and staff at King’s Ely Junior were in their element when they got to meet award-winning wildlife photographer and cameraman, Doug Allan.

Doug, a recipient of the Fuchs Medal and the Polar Medal (twice), was Guest of Honour at King’s Ely Junior’s Prize giving and Service of Thanksgiving, which took place in Ely Cathedral.

Hundreds of students, staff, families and friends of King’s Ely attended the service, where Doug gave a fascinating account of just some of his adventures before presenting pupils with a

whole host of prizes for academic achievement, academic progress, allround contribution, specific subjects, major colours and chorister prizes.

He has won countless awards for his photography, on programmes including The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Life, Human Planet and Frozen Planet.

Much to the delight of the pupils, Doug was also able to stay behind after the service, enabling them to meet him personally, ask him all sorts of questions and get copies of his latest book, Freeze Frame, signed.

Doug is a biologist who spent 10 years with the British Antarctic Survey before becoming a natural history cameraman and presenter.

PRINCIPAL AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF KING’S ELY RETIRES Sue Freestone retired at the end of August as Principal and Chief Executive of King’s Ely after 15 years at the helm.

Sue became Head of King’s Ely in 2004 having previously led Sibford School, Oxfordshire from 1997.

She made her mark as soon as she arrived in Ely by reversing the decision to drop Rugby at King’s Ely, bringing it back to the school in the nick of time.

During Sue’s time at King’s Ely, pupil numbers have grown by over a third and are now set to reach a record 1,100 for the new academic year in September 2019, when the new Principal, John Attwater, takes over.

Chairman of Governors at King’s Ely, Jeff Hayes, said: “In the 15 years that Sue has led King’s Ely, she has overseen several significant and material improvements to the school. She has worked hard to raise the school’s profile, and King’s Ely’s reputation locally, nationally and internationally has improved to the point where I believe the school is now seen as a ‘go to’ school in Cambridgeshire. Sue has been a transformative Principal.”

Many structural changes have taken place during Sue’s tenure with the purchase and renovation of the Old Palace and the building of a new first-class Arts Centre, with extended Drama and Dance facilities and Theatre, and many significant improvements in some of the more neglected areas of the school.

Sue has worked on building a strong relationship with the local and wider community. She has overseen the development of the choristers, instigating the establishment of the Ely Cathedral Girls’ Choir in 2006, and has worked hard to instigate and develop partnerships with maintained schools in the area, culminating in the launch of the county-wide Cambridgeshire Educational Partnership in 2019.

Sue was presented with a stunning bronze horse’s head, created by former King’s Ely student (Old Elean) Eddie Waites, in front of hundreds of students, staff, families and friends of the school at

what was an emotional End of Year Service at Ely Cathedral.

As she leaves the school, Sue says: “It has been a huge privilege to lead this school. I have been so fortunate to have had a team of dedicated professionals around me who are as passionate about the school as I am myself. It is they who are the secret of the success of King’s Ely in recent years. The greatest joy of my job is that I have responsibility for the whole school which means that I see our young people grow and develop; in some cases from the age of three to 18; from little children finding their way into the fine young adults who launch themselves onto the next stage, comfortable in their own skins and bursting with confidence and ambition. I wish them and King’s Ely a happy and successful future.”

connected 29

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

Get in touch. Tel: 01223 237414 email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

Baldwins team support Volunteering Week for local charities In July, 198 volunteering hours were donated by the team at city accountancy firm Baldwins, who were given the opportunity to take a paid day out of the office to help local charities as part of the firm’s commitment to community volunteering.

Three charities were selected and the team were divided between the projects which included improving the community space available at Vivacity Central Library through cleaning, maintenance and painting; helping to transform public flower beds into attractive areas for the local communities that live in the Gladstone area with Community First and providing a

meal for the homeless, lonely and vulnerable at the Millfield Community Kitchen.

“For the fourth year in a row we have worked with local charities to offer them our assistance on projects they may not otherwise have the funds or time to complete,” said Mark Jackson, partner at Baldwins. “It’s a fantastic initiative which is always well supported by staff who enjoy giving back to the local community.”

To complete the charitable week, a determined team of four completed

the Three Peaks Challenge over three consecutive days to raise funds for the Peterborough Hospital Oncology Department.

Brook & Mayo celebrates 50 years The employee-owned company was started in Lincoln by ex RAF servicemen, Terry Mayo and Dave Brook in 1969.

Today, Brook & Mayo has offices in Lincoln, Peterborough and Nottingham and it directly employs 54 people who all own a stake in the business.

The company is the only electrical contractor in the region to have an employee-owned structure.

Starting out, Brook & Mayo carried out household repairs, fixing washing machines and other appliances. As their reputation grew and the company expanded, they carried out larger electrical installation work for homes and small businesses. Now, they are one of the region’s leading electrical contractors.

To mark its 50th year, the company is aiming to raise £5,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support with a series of fundraising events. The company also held a glittering party at the Lincolnshire Showground with 230 guests including past and present employees, their partners and clients in attendance. Cutting the cake at the celebration event was co-founder Terry Mayo and his son Nick who lead the company from 2002 to 2018.

Darren Sewell, Managing Director of Brook & Mayo, said: “Reaching 50 years in business is a big achievement, but looking back over the company’s history makes you realise just how far we’ve come. Brook & Mayo has become one of the East Midlands’ leading electrical contractors and we

pride ourselves on the quality of our work.

“We’re proud of our past and we’re also looking forward to our future. Over 50 years, we’ve worked with hundreds of clients on large and small contracts and have built a strong reputation.

This 50th year is an exciting time for us as we’re expanding into new areas and we’re growing from strength to strength.”

MAGICAL GAIA LAUNCH EVENING AT PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL 500 people gathered at Peterborough Cathedral on Monday 19 August for the official opening of Luke Jerram’s Gaia Earth artwork.

The rotation of the earth was switched on by Sue Woodhouse, who won a competition on the Kev Lawrence Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire to officially start the exhibition.

The event began with an introduction from the Dean of Peterborough, the Very Revd Chris Dalliston, who remarked on the recent 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, and the environmental inspiration for the artwork.

30 connected

“Here we are underneath our very blue planet, given to us to God himself,” he said. “Luke Jerram wants us to think about the vulnerability of our planet. This precious globe is all that we have. This is our home and we need to take care of it.”

Kev Lawrence then led the guests in a countdown for the big switch-on, before declaring the Gaia exhibition officially open to a big cheer. He also told a charming story from when Luke Jerram’s previous work, Museum of the Moon, was in the Cathedral in October 2018. A six-year-old had gone up to Luke Jerram and asked him, “When you’ve finished with the moon, will you put it back?!”

(c) Amber Homer-Wooff

news from

PETERBOROUGH AREA

Leading law firm celebrates 85 years with 85 green acts Top 200 law firm Roythornes Solicitors has pledged to celebrate its 85th anniversary by completing 85 ‘green acts’ within the next 12 months.

Its commitment is to celebrate its 85th year by focusing on sustainability and carbon footprint follows an already impressive track-record.

Roythornes has been part of the Environment scheme since 2013 and now has a 10-strong ‘green team’ of volunteers from across the business, representing each of its offices. Earlier in the year, Roythornes received the Great Green Star at the annual Investors in the Environment (iiE) Awards for the third year running.

Ann Barrasso, Operations Director at Roythornes, said: “I’m thrilled that we are celebrating our 85th birthday by making a real difference to the environment. The staff have all been really involved and have made pledges such as switching to shampoo bars, not buying bottled water, charity volunteering, and donating used school uniforms to overseas countries – the list of fantastic ideas is endless.

“We’re also in talks with a local charity to explore tree planting, not only to celebrate our anniversary but as a sustainable project with a long-term vision for current and future employees.”

As part of the on-going celebrations and, spurred on by its recent hat trick of green awards, Roythornes has also

provided each member of staff with a reusable travel cup made entirely of recycled paper cups which will last at least 10 years with daily use. By using these branded cups, Roythornes will be contributing to the sustainability agenda by reducing landfill.

Award Nomination for Architectural Assistant

DEREK REDMOND CAME TO PETERBOROUGH SportsAid Peterborough welcomed Gold Medallist Derek Redmond to their last event. They were able to give local sports talent Freddie Francis a grant towards his travel, accommodation, sports kit, training and more.

These funds are essential for up and coming talented children in sports who often only have one sponsor; the bank of mum and dad!

Peter Shilton OBE, former England goalkeeper, has been announced as guest speaker for the next lunch on 22 November. This event will raise essential funds for local talented young adults in sports.

Evangeline Lee, from PDG Architects Ltd, has been nominated for the AJ Student Prize 2019, which celebrates the work of architecture students throughout the UK. It is a great achievement that recognises her talent and hard work during her Master’s Degree, which she received a distinction for. She was also awarded the honourable Head of School Prize from the University of Lincoln at their end of year show.

Evangeline first joined PDG Architects Ltd in 2016 for a year’s placement before studying for her Master’s degree and has now returned to the practice full time. She is currently working towards her RIBA Part III

qualification and registering as an Architect.

Paul Hutchings, Director of PDG Architects Ltd, said: “We are delighted at Evangeline’s academic achievements and really pleased she has returned to the practice. She is a great asset to our team.”

Business with Pride In June businesses from around the city joined together to celebrate Pride.

Not only did Sphere Risk Health and Safety Management, organiser of The Peterborough Biscuit, have an incredibly successful Pride event but Peterborough Pride itself was it incredibly successful and it really started a conversation that definitely needs to be continued.

Being Vice Chair of Peterborough Pride is always very humbling but also incredibly eye opening for myself.

I personally have never had any real persecution for being gay or a member of the LGBT+ community however joining this local community has shown me that many members of the LGBT+ community in Peterborough have had it a lot worse than myself.

What have Sphere Risk Health and

Safety done to help the cause?

We put on the most fabulous morning of all networking around DRAG NETWORKING, this networking collided two sides of what we believe are very worthy causes Business & LGBT+ rights.

The morning consisted of networking, conversation, singing, dancing, food, drink, exploring alter egos and of course

most importantly making a stand for pride and showing support for those people who are in the LGBT+ community.

This event was the first of its kind and was a resounding success with over 30 people in attendance. Drag Networking will be back next Pride and will be even more fabulous so keep an eye out and make sure you attend. connected 31

HEWITSONS YOU Whether you are an individual, a business, or an organisation such as a charity, our approach to understanding the issues you face ensures we deliver the specialist legal guidance to get you where you want to be. You and Hewitsons: it’s a partnership that works.

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news from

CAMBRIDGESHIRE AREA

Acas is named best public sector employer Acas has been named the best public sector employer by the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (enei).

The workplace expert also won the Pay Gap award and a highly recommended award in the Disability Confident sector at the event hosted by the Law Society in July.

This year the judges reviewed entries across 22 categories, with Acas competing against organisations such as the Home Office, The Telegraph and the NHS. The awards are enei’s opportunity to

recognise organisations achieving diverse and inclusive workplaces and celebrate the teams and individuals who are making a difference.

Acas Head of Diversity, Julie Dennis, said: “We are truly delighted to be recognised by the industry experts in diversity and inclusion. To have won not one but three awards puts paid to all of the hard work that our hugely talented teams and individuals have done to make Acas the inviting and inclusive place to

work that it is.

“Diversity and inclusion is integral to every part of Acas and informs all the work that we do. We will continue to strive to be the exemplar of workplace diversity and inclusion and we look forward to helping workplaces across the country benefit from the value a diverse and inclusive workforce brings.”

Acas has produced guidance and advice for workplaces on equality that is available at www.acas.org.uk/equality

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

Tel: 01223 237414 email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk connected 33

Low Code and the art of not dying W

ell-known but fun fact: in 1890, Westfield, Massachusetts had 40 buggy whip companies. Now there’s 1. What happened?

Cars.

Living in the digital era as we do, you might think that after 60 years of IT innovation we’d know how to successfully deliver software. Well, you’d be wrong. The reality is that last year only 30 per cent of development projects were delivered on time, on budget and with the right functionality.

And actually this dismal statistic has been a constant for a decade.

The problem is that the traditional development methods and tools, still widely used in the industry, were never designed to deliver software at the speed we need it now.

Are you bothered?

Here’s the thing: you have to be bothered. You don’t have much choice.

Software drives the world and YOU have to get with the program, or die. So, given

34 connected

the dangers, how can you avoid death by software?

Enter Low Code.

OK, HERE WE GO. ANOTHER SOFTWARE FAD.

Yes, I hear you. But actually this time

it’s not a fad. Low Code is an emerging, mainstream and increasingly strategic way to develop software, and is the direct economic consequence of IT’s failure to keep up with the times.

And in this case the times are not

report from

the advent of the car. They are the accelerating demand by modern business for faster, cheaper and more reliable software delivery.

It is simply not ok that 70 per cent of software projects fail, costing business millions in lost revenue and opportunity.

Low Code basically says that the less software you write the better your chance of success. Ironic, perhaps? Well, think about it.

Every line of code you write adds complexity and makes it harder and more expensive to change.

Low Code means exactly what it says: less program code, simpler projects, faster delivery and lower cost of ownership.

This explains why 80 per cent of software developers are now looking to adopt Low Code as the way forwards.

OK. WHEN WOULD I USE IT?

To speed up the delivery of custom software. Anything from e-forms, CRMs and dynamic websites to progressive mobile apps, workflow processes and data integration.

But most importantly, it lets you keep up with the times. It enables you to safely

EBASE TECHNOLOGY

create custom solutions that bring your unique proposition to life.

IS IT FOR ME?

Well, do you want to: Beat the competition?

Massively reduce the risk of failure?

Reduce costs?

Improve productivity?

Drive new products and revenue streams?

If all that sounds good, then yes, it is for you.

• • • • •

HOW DO I GET STARTED? Check out this white paper, https:// verj.io/apps/lowcode.pdf, for a fuller introduction to the Low Code world.

And embrace the change.

Meet Ebase Technology at our Cambridge B2B and Peterborough B2B exhibitions They will run a seminar about Low Code and progressive web apps along with a demonstration.

CONSTANCE VANDERPUTT Constance is Marketing Manager at Ebase Technology. She trained at the Cambridge Marketing College and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Constance has a deep understanding of Low Code and its power to transform business efficiency, and has worked with many organisations, including local and central government and fintech.

70 per cent of software projects fail, costing business millions connected 35

MOORE THE NEW NAME FOR MOORE STEPHENS At Moore, our purpose is to help people thrive.

Whether you’re a business, a not for profit organisation or a private individual we can help. As well as audit, accounts and tax compliance we also offer a complete payroll service, accounting software training, bookkeeping, tax returns and much more. www.moore.co.uk

Get in touch today T +44 1604 654254 east.midlands@moore.co.uk

connect with

SIGNPOST 2 GROW

Business benefits of taking on an Apprentice Apprenticeships, a great alternative to the traditional university route that gives the opportunity for people to realise their potential in their chosen field. Taking on an apprentice is a beneficial and realistic staffing option for businesses and more small businesses (SMEs), and start-ups are seeing the value of recruiting an apprentice.

If you are unsure whether taking on an apprentice is right for your business; here are some of the top reasons to hire an apprentice: #1: A NEW FACE Hiring an apprentice can add a whole new dimension to the workplace, bringing a fresh pair of eyes and new ideas that can help you to innovate your business. #2: INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY Studies have shown that over 80 per cent of businesses that employed apprentices found their productivity increasing as a result. The average apprentice increases productivity by £214 a week. #3: POSITIVE LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT By hiring an apprentice, you are passing on the range of skills and knowledge required to perform your job at hand thus enhancing your own skill development while improving the range of skills that you already have in your existing workforce. #4: TAILORED TO YOUR BUSINESS With apprenticeships now covering around 170 industries from entry to degree level, apprenticeships can be tailored to your business. This means that your business will then have

a new employee that has been specifically trained to think and act in the interests of your business from the very beginning. #5: FRESH THINKERS With fresh faces comes fresh thinkers; curious minds that bring new ideas to help your business progress, develop and innovate.

Apprentices will join a company with fresh eyes and the ability to pick out potential problems or issues and solutions that other members of the team might not have thought of. #6: TACKLE A SKILL SHORTAGE Having an apprentice helps employers to ensure that they get an employee with the right knowledge, skills and behaviours they require whilst growing a talented workforce thus filling the skills gap.

In conclusion apprenticeships are a great way to create a highly skilled and specific workforce and there is plenty of help available to make your company a more attractive proposition for enthusiastic people willing to work hard and learn new skills.

Several training organisations are available to help you when considering apprenticeships: • Identify the most appropriate apprenticeship for your business • Find the right candidate(s) • Develop a training plan which meets both your requirements • Examine the apprentice’s progress

and provide feedback.

There are some specific requirements your apprenticeship programme will need to meet.

Working with a training provider, you will have to employ the apprentice for at least 30 hours a week and pay them the National Minimum Wage.

You will also need to give them an induction, provide them with onthe-job training, and review their progress.

Here are some ideas for the content of your apprenticeship programme: • On-the-job coaching and learning • Off-the-job learning • Employer induction and training • Online learning and support • Workbooks • Projects • Mentoring and line management support • Specific training for individuals.

There are also grants of up to £1,500 available to businesses with less than 50 employees who take on an apprentice aged between 16 and 24 years old. http://signpost2grow. co.uk/employment-training/ apprenticeships/

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insight from

how you meet or exceed the awards key criteria.

KEEP IT CONCISE Those vetting entries will likely begin by scan reading, so summarise or consider using bullet points, before elaborating further. Make appropriate use of the word limit but don’t pad as a punchy application is more likely to succeed than something long winded.

Would winning an award help your Avoid jargon or excessive details about business grab attention and grow? Sarah your product or industry. Those assessing West of Full Mix Marketing shares her may lack specific sector knowledge, so top tips for creating a winning business keep language plain and explain why award entry. key details are important by providing simple context. If you include supporting ANSWER THE QUESTION evidence, make sure you refer to it A common mistake made by many directly. businesses is to simply write about what they are most proud of, rather than TELL A STORY satisfying the specific entry questions.

Many awards are won by companies Carefully identify the important qualities who have been on a ‘journey’. Winners are often those with the most compelling mentioned and make sure you directly answer what they ask. Regardless of other story which supports the award’s objectives. strengths you demonstrate, you may not Explain your inspiration, the steps you be considered unless you first spell out

Create a winning business award entry

SARAH WEST

took and the impact. Stick to the point and only include details which help build the narrative. Look at your entry as a whole and make sure it flows from start to finish.

FIND THE PEARL Meeting the criteria alone is rarely enough to win, so try to identity the factor or achievement which sets you apart. If you’re the first, best or most daring, make sure the reader knows.

Statistic are a strong way to communicate success so summarise your achievement with simple numbers. Talk in relative terms if 150 per cent growth sounds more impressive than a £10K increase!

TAKE YOUR TIME If it’s worth entering, do it well. Plan your submission and make sure you get someone outside your organisation to read it and consider their comments. If there is scope for visual design, present your entry in a clear, professional and appealing way.

For more help creating a winning entry visit www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk

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CAMBRIDGE

B2B

CAMBRIDGE B2B EXHIBITION WEDNESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 10.00am-4.00pm Cambridge Regional College, Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge Pre-register as a visitor on EventBrite

WHY ATTEND AS A VISITOR? MEET IN PERSON Meet face-to-face with potential customers and start to build relationships.

GET CONNECTED Meet potential new customers and suppliers and learn about your competitors.

ATTEND SEMINARS Broaden your industry knowledge at free seminars.

KEEP UP TO DATE Source products and services offered by exhibitors.

LOW CODE AND PROGRESSIVE WEB APPS Low code has emerged as a direct response to the failure of traditional software development methods to meet the delivery speed needed by modern business. It is a cheaper, faster and much more efficient way to build custom software, such as CRMs and websites.

Perfect for a world that moves at the speed of light. Hear more about its power to transform business efficiency

B2B EXHIBITION AGENDA 10.00am

Exhibition Opens

11.00–11.30am

Low Code and Progressive Web apps, Ebase Technology Ltd

11.30am–12.00pm

Meet the Regulators, Signpost 2 Grow

12.00-12.30pm 1.00-1.30pm 2.00-2.30pm 2.30- 3.00pm 3.00-3.30pm 4.00pm

How to get involved with Apprenticeships, Cambridge Regional College Speed Networking Low Code and Progressive Web apps, Ebase Technology Meet the Regulators, Signpost 2 Grow How to get involved with Apprenticeships, Cambridge Regional College Exhibition Closes

and view a demonstration.

MEET THE REGULATORS Signpost2grow has brought together all the regulators you are likely to face in the course of your business and aligned them with the support you need to take your business forward. This event is an ideal opportunity to find out what you don’t know, the matters that are important to the continued success of your business, and the means to plan around the changes that we know or are likely to occur.

Let the regulators help guide you through the maze of support available in these challenging times, enabling you to build a better business.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH APPRENTICESHIPS This seminar will explain why CRC are the first-choice apprenticeship provider and how they can link you up with

an apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships deliver the whole package of on-the-job training and occupationally-relevant qualifications that develop the skills, knowledge and expertise of your employees.

SPEED NETWORKING Highlight your company’s unique selling points in just a minute! Bring a bottle of water and plenty of business cards. www.cambridgeb2b.co.uk @CamB2B

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chamber

EVENTS

AMAZING BENEFITS OF INFORMAL NETWORKING EVENINGS

September 2019

25

Oliver Cromwell Hotel, March 5.00-7.00pm

October 2019

2

Paten & Co, Stamford 5.00-7.00pm

16

Barclays Bank, Peterborough 5.30-7.30pm

7

Huntingdonshire FA, Huntingdon 5.00-7.00pm

14

Poets House, Ely 5.00-7.00pm

17 23

TBC, Cambridge 5.00-7.00pm

Cross Keys Hotel, Chatteris 5.00-7.00pm

CHAMBER

MEMBERSHIP DATE Wednesday 16 October TIME 9.30-11.30am LOCATION Chamber Office, 6 The Forum, Minerva Business Park, Peterborough, PE2 6FT DATE Thursday 17 October TIME 9.30-11.30am LOCATION Milton Hall, Ely Road, Milton, Cambridge, CB24 6WZ PRICE Free to attend, please register in advance CONTACT Bren Coleman on 01223 209811 or email b.coleman@cambscci.co.uk Come and learn the real, tangible benefits of membership in terms of financial savings and increasing revenue and profitability.

Whether you’re looking to generate interest in your services and increase sales, develop your professional skillset, explore new opportunities to do business overseas, or take advantage of the cost-savings and protection available, our extensive membership package offers it all.

You will also discover our latest promotional opportunities and get connected with our benefit service providers. We will also explain how we can help you engage with others in the Chamber network and across the wider business community.Â

Cambridge B2B Exhibition DATE Wednesday 25 September TIME 10.00am-4.00pm LOCATION Cambridge Regional College, Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge, CB4 2QT PRICE Free to attend as a visitor. Pre-register on EventBrite CONTACT Emily White on 01223 209803, email e.white@cambscci.co.uk Sponsored by or visit www.cambridgeb2b.co.uk See page 43 for full details of this event.

Chamber members can book events online at www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk connected 45

CAMBRIDGE SAFARI NETWORKING BREAKFAST Storm in a Teacup DATE Friday 27 September TIME 9.30-11.30am LOCATION Marriott Hotel, Peterborough, PE2 6GB PRICE £10.00 plus VAT Chamber members, £17.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members CONTACT Helen Bosett on 01733 370809 or email h.bosett@ cambscci.co.uk Organised by the Business Women’s Sector In a relaxing environment, business concepts or concerns are discussed around the table allowing you to draw on the ideas and experiences of others to gather valuable and fresh feedback or advice.

Peterborough Safari Networking Breakfast DATE Friday 4 October TIME 7.45-10.00am LOCATION Elton Furze Golf Club, Haddon, Peterborough, PE7 3TT PRICE £17.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £24.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members CONTACT Emily White on 01223 209803 or email e.white@cambscci.co.uk You’ll have two minutes at three different tables to make those initial introductions and explain what sets your business apart from its competitors, with additional networking over a full English breakfast for the tables you don’t meet the first time around.

We also welcome Chris Nel, Managing Director of Quest Leadership, who will speak on developing adaptive capabilities.

46 connected

DATE Tuesday 8 October TIME 7.45-10.00am LOCATION Jesus College, Cambridge, CB5 8BL PRICE £17.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £24.00 (plus VAT) nonChamber members CONTACT Emily White on 01223 209803 or email e.white@cambscci.co.uk Take advantage of our safari’s group format and get connected with other Chamber members table by table, plus the opportunity for a little extra networking over a full English breakfast before you head back to work.

Our guest speaker is Dan Moore, Business Development Manager of Business Moves Group, who’s talk ‘The Office Isn’t Dead’ will explain why there is still a need for office space, the challenges faced when moving, why people move and the working environment.

Peterborough Quiz DATE Tuesday 1 October TIME 6.009.30pm LOCATION Brewery Tap, Westgate, Peterborough PRICE £60.00 (plus VAT) team of four CONTACT Helen Bosett on 01733 370809 Have you got the brains of Peterborough? With seven rounds of 10 questions and in teams of four you will be battling for the Hegarty Shield. Whilst the scores are being tallied quizzers can tuck into a Thai buffet.

chamber

EVENTS

Leading Talent

INTERNATIONAL TRADE SUMMIT

– part 2 of the War for Talent series

DATE Thursday 17 October TIME 9.00am-5.00pm LOCATION Hilton London Bankside, 2-8 Great Suffolk Street, London PRICE £99.00 (plus VAT) per ticket This event gives delegates practical advice, invaluable resources and the contacts needed to grow their business and begin the next step of their export journey.

The International Trade Summit is designed to give businesses, whatever stage of their international trade journey, help to take their business to the next level.

There is a choice of informative workshops, lively panel discussions, stimulating speeches from policy makers, successful exporters and household names. And, of course, plenty of time for networking.

DATE Wednesday 16 October TIME 9.30am for a 10.00am start until 12.00pm LOCATION Huntingdon Racecourse, Brampton, Huntingdon, PE28 4NL PRICE £30.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £40.00 (plus VAT) nonChamber members CONTACT Helen Bosett on 01733 370809 or email h.bosett@cambscci. co.uk Organised by the HR and Recruitment Sector This workshop will explore how smart leadership, engagement and motivation can achieve better business outcomes.

Part 3 takes place on 12 November focusing on Retaining Talent.

Peterborough B2B Exhibition DATE Wednesday 30 October TIME 9.00am-3.00pm LOCATION KingsGate Conference Centre, Staplee Way, Parnwell, Peterborough, PE1 4YT PRICE Free to attend as a visitor, stands start from £229.00 (plus VAT) for Chamber members and Opportunity Peterborough Bondholder members CONTACT Helen Bosett on 01733 370809 or email h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk Fantastic promotional opportunity for your organisation within the local Peterborough business community.

The event includes a series of free seminars and speed networking sessions throughout the day.

Visit www.peterboroughb2b.co.uk to find out more.

Sponsored by

BANK OF ENGLAND DATE Wednesday 23 October TIME 6.00-8.00pm LOCATION The George Hotel, 71 St Martins, Stamford, PE9 2LB PRICE £10.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £15.00 (plus VAT) nonChamber members CONTACT Helen Bosett on 01733 370809 or email h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk We’re returning to The George Hotel for our annual evening with the Bank of England. It’s a chance to influence monetary policy-makers and hear an expert’s view on current economic challenges and opportunities. Our guest

speaker Patrick Campbell, Deputy Agent for the Bank of England, will talk about the economy and the current economic outlook as well as offering the opportunity for the audience to ask questions.

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

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