Business Direction 59

Business Direction

INFRASTRUCTURE – THE FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS

Issue 59 January/February 2021

What’s your plan

going forward? we offer award winning business and tax advice James Syree FCA Partner & CEO

Accounting Audit Taxation Management Consultancy IT Transformation

www.ballardsllp.com 01905 794 504

FIRSTWORD ction Business Dire

NEW YEAR, NEW BUSINESS

First Word

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Firstly, I would like to wish everyone across Herefordshire and

Chamber News

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Business News

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Worcestershire a very Happy New Year. I do hope that over the Christmas break businesses took the opportunity to enjoy the well-deserved relaxation and have recharged their batteries ready for the new year.

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Policy News

Business News 14

The previous 12 months have presented businesses with the

URE – THE INFRASTRUCTFOR SUCCESS N FOUNDATIO

most challenging obstacles they have faced in a generation. With

Skills

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uncertainty over EU Exit negotiations dominating business plans

Worcestershire Works Well

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right through the year and then Covid-19, possibly the biggest challenge businesses have faced since the global financial crisis of Issue 59 ary 2021 January/Febru

2008.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire businesses have been resilient

BUSINESS DIRECTION Business Direction, Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce’s full colour bi-monthly publication. Designed and produced by business people for business people. Distributed to 4,000 businesses.

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Chamber Training

Tribute to Cecil 24 25

and robust in the face of a tremendously difficult environment.

Chamber News

Many businesses have had to make the unfortunate decision of

Big Interview

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Feature

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reducing their workforce, seen their cash flow faulter and their sales decimated, through no fault of their own. We hope the early part of 2021 will continue to be a recovery period for those businesses and

Two Counties

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Events

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testing period.

Business News

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Rahim Bas 01905 673 639 businessdirection@hwchamber.co.uk

Looking forward to the next 12 months, the much missed Chamber

Movers and Shakers

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EDITORIAL & SUBSCRIPTIONS

Worcester Arena. It is free to enter for Members and Non-members

Please send all submissions to businessdirection@hwchamber.co.uk

EDITOR

businessdirection@hwchamber.co.uk 01905 673 639 www.hwchamber.co.uk/business-direction

PRODUCTION & DESIGN

employees most affected. The Chamber are here for all businesses regardless of size, sector, Member or Non-member to provide advice, support or any guidance you may need to navigate this

Annual Awards will be back, with entries open in April 2021. The black-tie ceremony will take place in September 2021 at the and the opportunities that come alongside entering an award are invaluable, including a great boost to staff morale, a powerful tool to raise your profile and a way to stand out against your competitors.

Entries close on Thursday 1 April 2021.

Distinctive Publishing, 3rd Floor, Tru Knit House, 9-11 Carliol Square, Newcastle, NE1 6UF

2021 will also see the return of the Chamber Business Expo, keep

www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

can’t wait to see what opportunities you and your fellow businesses

ADVERTISING

a look out for details to follow. Herefordshire & Worcestershire businesses are adaptable, resilient and above all, innovative. We create through this period and will be by your side to celebrate this

Angie Smith Business Development Manager, Distinctive Group 0191 5805472 angie.smith@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

New Members 39 40-41

International Trade People to do Business With

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Business News 45 Charity News

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Business News

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Member Services 49 Last Word

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success with you in 2021.

Businesses will also need to navigate the changes that have resulted from the end of the transition phase. The UK has now exited the customs union and will now see a change in process when it comes to cross border trade. Many businesses have still not yet

FEATURE EDITORS

Helen Compson helen.compson@distinctivegroup.co.uk

prepared for these changes and will see a huge impact on their daily operations down the line. For further information on how you can access support please visit www.hwchamber.co.uk/eu-exit-hub.

The January / February edition of Business Direction will focus on Infrastructure, which will provide the foundation for success moving forward. The articles will spotlight important projects around the two counties, as well as the internal infrastructure of businesses.

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We are delighted to welcome Ben Mannion, Director at Hewett Recruitment and President of the Chamber, who will be discussing trends on remote working as well as the recruitment picture across Disclaimer: Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, the publisher accepts no responsibility for omissions or errors within this publication.

Editorial submissions are included at the discretion of the editor. The opinions expressed in articles and letters within this publication are not necessarily those of the Chamber. All offers, promotions and competitions appearing in Business Direction are the sole responsibility of the advertiser/ promoting party and Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce does not accept any responsibility for any representations made within them.

the two counties, with subsequent features from Herefordshire Council as well as Commercial Property Specialists GJS Dillon.

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a healthy and a successful 2021.

Best wishes Sharon

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Our Patrons are:

January/February 2021

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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CHAMBERNEWS

LATEST REPORT SHOWS DIFFICULT QUARTER FOR BUSINESSES AS SALES AND CASHFLOW FALTER The Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce has released the results of the latest Quarterly Economic Indicator, outlining business performance between August and October 2020.

It has been another difficult quarter for businesses as Covid-19 restrictions have persisted. Sales grew by 9% compared to last quarter but growth has slowed dramatically.

In Quarter 3, after the first lockdown was lifted, sales increased by 57%.

BRAND NEW EU EXIT HUB PREPARING BUSINESSES FOR END OF TRANSITION PERIOD AND BEYOND Businesses must be aware of the changes that will be become normal as the transition period is now over.

The Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce has launched a brand-new EU Exit Business Support Hub in partnership with Worcestershire County Council in order to help local firms adapt now that the UK has left the Customs Union.

The extensive hub offers a range of tools businesses can use to ensure they have planned successfully for any changes come January.

Businesses can access: EU-Exit Advisory - a helpline to discuss concerns, and receive guidance and support from International Trade specialists Bespoke Consultancy - for businesses that have specific needs and require tailored support Customs Declaration Service - for UK importers and exporters of all sizes from across the UK Business Preparation Resources – a host of resources and guidance in order for businesses to prepare. www.hwchamber.co.uk/eu-exit-hub

Cashflow continues to be a problem for many businesses. For the third quarter in a row, more businesses have experienced a reduction in their cashflow than those experiencing an improvement.

The announcement of Covid-19 vaccines seems to have increased business

confidence.

Confidence in yearly turnover has quadrupled since last quarter to 19%, up from 5% in Q3, and employment intentions have also risen. 22% of businesses expect their workforce to increase over the next 3 months, compared to an average of 25% since the Economic Survey began in 1999.

To read the full report please visit here www.hwchamber.co.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2020/12/QES_Q4-2020-spreads.pdf.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUPPORTS FREE RADIO CASH FOR KIDS ‘MISSION CHRISTMAS’ To help support children across the two counties who have had a tough start to life, the Chamber has once again joined forces with Free Radio Cash For Kids to support its annual ‘Mission Christmas’ project.

The Cash For Kids campaign supports children living in poverty, with an illness or disability or who may have been subject to neglect or abuse. With 1 in 3 local children living in poverty, Cash For Kids asked the local community to donate an extra present for those who would otherwise wake up with nothing on Christmas Day.

7,000 disadvantaged local children across the West Midlands receiving gifts following the generosity of the local communities in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

The Chamber, on behalf of Cash For Kids, would like to thank the local business community for their kind-heartedness in December. www.freeradio.co.uk/mission

The Chamber encouraged colleagues and Members to drop off any donated gifts to its Worcester office to help support Mission Christmas. In 2018, the project led to almost

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO LEAD IMPORTANT HEALTH AND WELLBEING INITIATIVE Public Health England has awarded the delivery contract of a free health and wellbeing scheme to Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, with supporting partners Community First and Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire.

Worcestershire Works Well is a recognised initiative that has been in place for over 10 years and aims to improve workplace health and wellbeing in the county.

Speaking of the announcement Dawn Hardman, Director of HR at the Chamber, added:

programme that will continue to help businesses when supporting their employees as we continue to navigate this new working environment.”

A brand-new framework for the scheme launched at the start of September 2020, with three levels of accreditation of which an organisation can work towards. Businesses that are interested in finding out more are encouraged to visit www.worcestershire.gov. uk/worcestershireworkswell.

“The health and wellbeing of employees is now more important than ever as many continue to work from home without access to their usual support systems.

“Worcestershire Works Well is an excellent

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January/February 2021

BUSINESSNEWS

DIAGEO FINALISE DEAL FOR HEREFORDSHIRE-BASED CHASE DISTILLERY It has recently been announced that FTSE 100 drinks company, Diageo, has agreed a deal to purchase Chase Distillery – founded by William Chase, the entrepreneur behind Tyrrells crisps.

Spirits giant Diageo has an impressive portfolio of over 200 brands, and Herefordshire-based Chase Distillery will join the likes of Smirnoff Vodka, Guinness and Bailey’s.

AMROS HOSTS SUCCESSFUL FIRST COVID SECURE LUNCHEON Held at West Midlands Safari Park, the event, held on Friday 23 October, welcomed 2005 Ashes winner Matthew Hoggard MBE whilst adhering to the strict government guidelines in place for social distancing.

Kevin Probert Wealth Management, the headline sponsor of the afternoon, and the wider business community who attended the event raised over £2000 for the Worcester Foodbank.

Speaking of the Luncheon, Roy Walford from Worcester Foodbank said: “What a pleasure it was to enjoy lunch in good company and for Worcester Foodbank to be the beneficiary of the Worcestershire Luncheon Club’s Charity Lunch with Matthew Hoggard as the speaker.

“Our thanks go to Neil Bettridge for organising the event, and especially to Kevin Probert of Kevin Probert Wealth Management.”

Neil Bettridge, from AMROS Promotions, commented: “After such a challenging period for everyone in both our personal and professional lives, we were delighted to bring together business people from across Worcestershire for an afternoon raising funds for such an important cause at this current time.” www.amrospromotions.co.uk

The global enterprise was created in 1997 and now operates in more than 180 countries, and the acquisition of Chase Distillery couldn’t be more welcomed by the family run business.

William Chase, Founder and Chairman, Chase Distillery, added: “It’s inspiring to have Diageo invest in Chase Distillery’s future. They believe in the potential of our field to bottle spirits and will build on our mission to develop our sustainable distillery in Herefordshire.”

Established in 2008, the Chase family are proud to be a British field to bottle distillery, selling an exclusive collection of vodkas, gins and cocktails. The range of spirits is distilled using British-grown potatoes, apples and botanicals on Chase Farm in Herefordshire.

With Chase Original Potato Vodka awarded ‘World’s Best Tasting Vodka’

at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Chase Distillery isn’t the first successful brand built by William Chase.

The local businessman sold Tyrrells Crisps 12 years ago for an impressive £30 million to a London-based investment company.

Dayalan Nayager, Managing Director, Diageo Great Britain, said: “We are thrilled to be bringing such a quintessentially British portfolio of high quality, crafted brands into our family. We are excited about the growth opportunity within the premium plus segment and are very much looking forward to working with the Chase team to build on the portfolio’s considerable potential.” www.chasedistillery.co.uk

SN FINANCIAL WIN eADVISER OF THE YEAR AWARD SN Financial Services are proud to announce that they have been awarded eAdviser of the Year by Intelliflo for adoption of technology in 2020. This was accepted virtually on November 4th at the Intelliflo ‘Change the Game’ digital conference.

Intelliflo consider their eAdviser ‘Champions’ as organisations that have set out a technology vision and are delivering it. SN Financial Services are pleased to be leading the way with the Intelligent Office system and thanked Intelliflo for the prestigious award

Director of Operations and Compliance, Justin Neale, said: “We are delighted to receive the award for eAdviser of the year 2020. We have adopted the Intelligent Office system across all areas of the business and have signed up the majority of our customers to the secure portal, adding a new dimension to our service offer. Implementing the system throughout lockdown was challenging but rewarding and we are very proud that our achievement in has been recognised by Intelliflo.“

www.snfinancial.co.uk

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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BUSINESSNEWS

AA Salt family

Service Director at Clarity Solutions, Mark Berryman

AA SALT MAKES REMOTE WORKERS CARBON NEUTRAL STILL POSE PLEDGE SECURITY RISK Gritting and snow clearance company AA Salt has announced it aims to be carbon neutral by 2030.

The company, which helps hundreds of businesses keep their premises safe in the winter months by gritting and snow ploughing car parks and access roads, has made a series of environmental pledges as part of its drive to protect the planet.

In the coming months the Himbleton-based firm will be installing a new wash bay which will see its 13-strong fleet of vehicles cleaned using around 50,000 litres of rain water gathered each year from the roof of their storage warehouse.

Additionally, the firm is researching the purchase of its first electric lorry next year with the aim of making its whole fleet battery-powered within the next 10 years.

The company will also be donating and planting over 50 trees to Pershore’s Bowbrook House School and Nunnery Wood Primary School in Worcester as it continues its drive to offset any carbon they use. www.aasalt.co.uk

As companies extend commitments to remote working, many organisations are still ill equipped to tackle home working security challenges, with attackers now looking to exploit the gaps left by insecure devices and networks.

Many businesses don’t have the capacity to provide work-supplied and IT managed equipment, with workers forced to use un-protected personal computing, alongside under-protected networks.

Faisal Iqbal, Technical Director at EBC Group, Comments: “Businesses need to provide the same level of protection to their users whether they’re in the office, or working remotely. It is vital that businesses review their current security setup, and make changes to meet the demands of their new remote environment.”

Faisal Continues: “EBC Group partner with world leading security experts to offer the latest remote protection to our clients, from anti-virus and firewalls, to verification technology. Accredited to ‘Cyber Essentials Plus’, our multi-layer protection will track and monitor your network, keeping remote workers safe and secure.” www.ebcgroup.co.uk/security

SOLUTIONS TO ENABLE HOME WORKERS TO PRINT TO THE OFFICE With the increase in remote working, staff often need to access the office multifunctional printer while working from home. Google Cloud Print allowed this but as it is discontinued as of 31st December 2020, Mark Berryman, Service Director at Clarity Solutions, has some alternative solutions.

Firstly, if you want to access a printer remotely it must be on a network. You can set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on a laptop or computer via a home broadband router to connect to the office network and communicate with any network printer on that network.

If you have a company server you can set up a remote connection from an employee’s computer to the server and access the printer through that connection.

Once set up, these give businesses greater flexibility for their staff while maintaining efficient productivity. www.claritysolutions.co.uk.

BUSINESSES ARE TAKING BACK CONTROL WITH SMART METERS National restrictions continue to significantly affect businesses across the country and there is an enormous pressure on their financial situation.

Businesses may be juggling reduced income whilst navigating new income streams such as various government support measures. They might be facing unexpected expenditure on PPE and the cost of making their business Covid secure.

As such, it is extremely challenging to budget month to month; something which is especially true for smaller businesses, who may already be operating with limited cash flow.

TAKE CONTROL WITH A SMART METER More than ever, the battle to keep control of company outgoings is crucial if they are to survive in this tough climate. A straightforward place to start in this battle is a universal cost and key expense: energy bills.

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While every business receives regular energy bills, the vast majority don’t track how – and where –they are using their gas and electricity.

A proactive way of taking back control of this expense is by installing a smart meter, to show exactly how much energy is being used in real time.

DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY A smart meter is a positive step in taking control of business outgoings and if your firm has 10 employees or less your business could be eligible.

To see whether smart metering can work for your business, contact your energy supplier.

ONLY PAY FOR THE ENERGY YOU USE Another key benefit of smart meters is that businesses get billed exactly for the energy they use. Unless very regular meter updates are provided, bills generated without the input of smart meters are estimated, based on the usage from a previous period.

If businesses have temporarily closed or furloughed some of their teams, this could be hugely damaging as they would be paying for energy they haven’t used yet, and might not use for several weeks, potentially making a big dent in their already fragile cash flow.

January/February 2021

Your local, award winning legal experts

DON’T FORGET YOUR DIGITAL ASSETS Digital technologies now help us to run most of our lives – on top of our physical possessions, we are building a parallel world of digital assets – within the capability of our smart phones is the ability to: book a taxi; order a food delivery; play games; watch TV; send money to relatives; book appointments with professionals; check bank balances; pay bills; listen to music or podcasts; read books, magazine and journal articles (including this one); meet strangers; follow sport stars and celebrities; and, donate to our favourite charity. The list is endless.

So much of our life, both professional and personal, has found its way into the digital sphere. As a solicitor who regularly helps people with planning for death through will making, an important question I ask clients to consider is: what will happen to their digital assets on their death?

Often, family members may not have regard for digital assets at all, let alone

give proper consideration as to how they should be distributed. Aside from the legal requirement to administer these assets, families will want to protect the deceased’s information which could otherwise be easily deleted or lost. Whilst some digital assets have financial value; most will have sentimental value, such as messages, photos and videos stored

online within the likes of Facebook or other social media platforms.

It is my role to help your family know about your digital assets and to understand how you would like your digital assets to be dealt with on your death. Everyone wants to be remembered for the person they are and not the mess they left behind.

For further information please contact me, Ian Bond, Head of the Wills & Estates team at Thursfields on 0345 20 73 72 8, ibond@thursfields.co.uk or Twitter @ianbondTEP. Ian is the author of the Digital Assets chapter of the Probate Practitioners Handbook (8th Edition), published by to The Law Society.

Tel: 0345 20 73 72 8 | info@thursfields.co.uk | www.thursfields.co.uk S O L I H U L L | B I R M I N G H A M | WO RC E S T ER | K I D D ER M I N S T ER | H A L E S OW EN Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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CHAMBERNEWS TECHADVICE

UNCOVERING THE BACKUP GAPS IN OFFICE 365 As one of the most popular software suites in the world, a large number of businesses today benefit from Mircosoft’s cloud based subscription model, ‘Office 365’.

Offering a host of applications and services alongside its core offering including OneDrive, Exchange and Microsoft Teams, the draw of Office 365 is in its ability to connect all apps and services. But with so much data being distributed amongst the Office 365 programmes, many fail to realise this data is not backed up in a way most organisations require.

availability for GDPR purposes. Some of the best backup solutions support the backup of Exchange online, SharePoint and OneDrive, in addition to the backup of all other information on the platform.

• Setup of MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) a two-step verification process required to login to Office 365.

• Spam filtering systems • Increasing ‘Microsoft Secure Score’

Although Microsoft provides a number of useful features to safeguard customer data, ultimately it does not specialise in backup and recovery, and leaves the responsibility of long-term retention to its users. As a rule, Office 365 only offers a built-in 30-day retention period, whilst SharePoint is only backed up every 12 hours, with just a 14-day retention. Simply put, once that data is gone, it’s gone. This is one of the key reasons organisations opt to use third-party backup providers.

When it comes to accessing the data, this is simple. Many backup solutions offer tools to quickly search and recover items, whether that’s entire mailboxes or more granular restores of individual files.

Additionally, a back-up provider will allow you to create a detailed retention policy, enabling you to decide what data requires storage, the length of time data needs to be retained as well as setting the number of restore versions.

Once implemented, it is always a good idea to keep track of your back-up data.

To make this process easier, a backup solution should regularly generate reports helping you to keep tabs on storage space, retention policies and most importantly protect against potential data security issues.

When it comes to day-to-day data usage, we all know how easy it is to accidently delete an email or a file, but what if this went unnoticed? Or worse, if malware deleted or corrupted files that weren’t frequently used, and were potentially lost forever? Compliance is one of the key reasons for the adoption of Office 365 backup, with a majority of solutions providing the flexibility to tailor backup requirements in-line with compliance demands, whilst also meeting data

Although backup acts as a safety net for any data that is deleted, changed or even stolen, relying on Office 365’s basic cyber security offering does not offer the comprehensive coverage most organisations demand. For those businesses looking for an additional layer of protection, extra security measures can be implemented to protect the Microsoft Office 365 platform as part of a backup solution, including: • Complex password implemetation

OFFICE 365 SECURITY:

EBC Group take the complexity of managing and migrating to Office 365, ensuring your platform is secure and fully backed-up. Using Veeam Backup, our specialist team provides the means and advice on the best back-up and security solutions for your Office 365 environment.

As part of our wider security offerings, our solutions leave you safe in the knowledge that your data is safe, secure and recoverable.

For more information on EBC Group’s Office 365 back-up and managed solutions, contact; hello@ebcgroup.co.uk or 0121 3680187. Or visit www.ebcgroup. co.uk/office-365.

Bring your team together with simple, cost effective digital workplace solutions.

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IT Services | Cloud | Security | Telephony | Print & Data

0121 3680187 www.ebcgroup.co.uk January/February 2021

ADVERTORIAL

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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THE ARMED FORCES COVENANT IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS (#AFCGOOD4BIZ). A ‘CALL TO ARMS’ TO ALL EMPLOYERS AND BUSINESSES..

My mission; to encourage every member of the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber to sign the Armed Forces Covenant!

Why? Because pledging support for the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) makes sound business sense. Aligning values to those of the Armed Forces Covenant can bring tangible rewards, both hard and soft, and I am keen to see if we can accelerate the rate of awareness amongst businesses and organisations from both counties who are business leaders and can influence. As members of the Chamber, YOU ARE THAT COHORT! So what are the rewards and benefits?

From our experience the benefits are: Aligning business values with the values and standards of the Armed Forces is the right thing to do.

It satisfies CSR objectives, whilst meeting diversity and inclusion targets and is closely aligned to the Disability Confidant scheme.

Raising awareness of the AFC amongst the business community will help ensure the sacrifices of the rapidly disappearing World War generations are always remembered.

You gain free access to military talent job vacancy platforms focussing on the Armed Forces community.

Reduced recruitment costs.

Transferrable soft skills: strong work ethic, reliability, punctuality, and working well under pressure.

Less work hours lost through absence.

Transferrable military skills: leadership, project management, organisation, communication, planning, change management, task orientated people.

All valuable to business.

Trade skills: engineering, cyber, communications, logistics, avionics, construction, medicine and many more.

All sectors of industry are represented in the Armed Forces.

Access to a powerful new network, with all the benefits that brings.

It’s free.

Nothing to lose, much to gain.

Businesses strive to recruit applicants who can demonstrate good leadership

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and resilience, who possess skills in organisation, communication, problem-solving and teamwork, as well as demonstrating a strong work ethic.

Members of the Armed Forces community, which not only includes Service leavers, Reservists and veterans, but also military spouses and those that volunteer to support the nation’s cadet forces, all have these key personal attributes. Members of the Armed Forces are trained in a variety of diverse trades which can help add value to your workforce. My role with Defence Relationship Management and the West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association is to build and maintain relationships with employers in the region by creating strategic partnerships.

Promoting the skills that our Armed Forces community can bring to your business and encouraging employers to cement this partnership through the Armed Forces Covenant: a voluntary pledge which builds a two-way relationship between business and Defence.

Nationally, 6,200 organisations across the private and public sectors, the third sector and local authorities have now signed the Armed Forces Covenant. This figure is growing at a rate of 25 per week. A similar rate of growth is being seen throughout the West Midlands, whose share of the national total is 640. We need to increase this, but I NEED YOU! So this is a ‘Call to Arms’ for all businesses across the region and to chamber members in particular; to lead by example.

within; by developing your staff through Reserve Service.

Support your staff who are, or who would like to become, Reservists or Cadet Force Instructors.

Take steps to recognise, respect and value military service, both internally and externally; and finally: advocate the Armed Forces Covenant across your business networks, in order to grow awareness and increase the numbers of businesses signing up to the covenant.

By supporting the Armed Forces in any or all of these ways you are supporting and directly contributing to the UK’s Defence operational capability and its people agenda, in a positive, and extremely valuable way. When you do so Defence is keen to reward and recognise that support through their Employer Recognition Scheme, but more about that in the next edition!

If you would like to learn more, please contact me, Philip Sinclair via wm-reed2@rfca.mod.uk

I need your help to: Publically commit your support through the Armed Forces Covenant.

Strive to recognise the value that members of the Armed Forces community can bring to your business.

Seek to recruit from the Armed Forces talent pool and to also grow it from

January/February 2021

POLICYNEWS

THE DECISION FOR BUSINESSES TO MOVE TO REMOTE WORKING The Covid-19 pandemic has brought new challenges and opportunities for business to operate during unusual times.

One of these opportunities was the ability to work from home, however Covid-19 has accelerated this with many companies moving their operations to home working within a matter of months.

The Covid-19 pandemic transformed many companies’ ways of working and many firms identified home working would often cause challenges for employers to work and manage employees efficiently.

However, with investments in technology and fibre optic broadband, many firms saw the working from home as a great work life balance. For example, employers were able to identify within their health and well being surveys that 68% of employees felt more productive working from home due to greater flexibility with commuting less and arranging better childcare. The average person commuting to work would spend four years in traffic according to a recent government survey. Companies were able to identify factors like these would help boost productivity and help employees reach company and personal targets.

The decision for businesses to move to remote working was due to many other factors such as social distancing and finances. With UK government guidelines stating members of the public had to stay two meters apart, this meant many offices around the UK could only operate a certain level in order to comply with government guidelines. Many businesses have reported they could only operate at 50%, which forced many companies to encourage employees to work from

home. One of the key guidelines stated offices had to become Covid secure, which meant greater financial outlay from companies to implement one-way systems and ensure checks on employees following government guidelines.

Furthermore, companies were able to recognise remote working would allow companies to save money on leasing. This resulted in office space being reduced and employees working from home on a permanent basis.

With increased government restrictions and continued lockdowns, remote working appears to be the new norm for many years to come. Remote working

With increased government restrictions and continued lockdowns, remote working appears to be the new norm for many years to come.

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

does present significant challenges for employers such as employees feeling isolated, operational and technological issues. However, many companies have invested millions into health and well being programmes for colleagues to feel less isolated. Furthermore, companies have also invested heavily in new IT infrastructure such as laptops and mobile devices for employees to work efficiently.

The Government has also introduced a tax relief scheme, which helps employers working from home to claim up to ÂŁ6 per week from government for expenses such as heating, metered water bills, home contents insurance, business calls or a new broadband connection.

In the Chamber’s 2020 Employment Report, in partnership with EBC Group and Hewett Recruitment, we are investigating the benefits and challenges of remote working, which technologies have been adopted or increased as a result of COVID-19 and whether businesses intend to change their technology investment plans. The report will be released early in the new year. To view previous Chamber reports visit: www.hwchamber. co.uk/support/policy/quarterlyeconomicsurvey.

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BUSINESSSUPPORT

WCG URGES BUSINESSES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE APPRENTICESHIP GOVERNMENT INCENTIVE Apprenticeships will be vital in supporting the economic recovery in Worcestershire and now is the right time to invest to support the future development of your business.

That’s the message from the region’s largest apprenticeship training provider college group WCG ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, which runs from 8 to 12 February 2021.

The college group delivers apprenticeships in the region from Pershore College and Evesham College, and works with 2,500 apprentices each year and 1,100 employers of all shapes and sizes.

Pershore College is the only provider in Worcestershire for apprenticeships in Land-Based Service Engineering.

WCG in Worcestershire specialises in the training of workers for land-based industries and delivers a range of standards including Agriculture, Arboriculture, Animal Care, Horticulture

and many more.

Apprenticeships are also available in sectors such as Automotive, Engineering and Dental Nursing through WCG in the region. To see the full offering, visit www. wcg.ac.uk/apprenticeships.

Krishna Parekh, Head of Business Development at WCG, said: “We’re supporting businesses every day by developing tailored training programmes as they prepare for operating in a post-pandemic world.

“We are a trailblazer training provider and have worked on the development of new apprenticeship standards. This puts us in the perfect position to pass our expertise back onto the businesses that we work with.

“Our team understands how to best utilise apprenticeships to help business move forward, and to develop and future-proof their workforces.

aged between 16 and 24 and £1,500 for apprentices aged 25 and over.

To find out more about apprenticeships and how they could benefit your business, contact WCG’s Business Development Team: T: 0330 135 6940 E: employerenquiries@wcg.ac.uk

Businesses should also be aware that the Government’s apprenticeship incentive scheme closes on 31 March 2021. Ahead of the deadline businesses will be entitled to payments of £2,000 for apprentices

Worcestershire County Council’s Here2Help Business programme is here to support local businesses to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The £3m programme is designed to assist local Worcestershire businesses to recover, adapt, develop and support future resilience as lockdown measures change.

The Here2Help Business programme consists of a wide range of support through a number of projects available for businesses across the county.

To find out if your business is eligible to benefit from these projects during these difficult times, visit: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/here2helpbusiness

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January/February 2021

BUSINESSSUPPORT

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS AT LINK AND UPTON BUSINESS CENTRES Despite the disruption and restrictions caused the pandemic, 2020 has been a successful year at both Upton and Link Business Centres.

There has been a swift turnaround on availability and lettings with new tenants including Nammu Tech, Signs Central and Beaver Plastic Solutions Ltd occupying units. In total there are 40 Units across the 2 sites ranging from 500 to 3,500 sq. ft. and 3 secure open storage compounds ranging from 30,000 to 70,000 sq. ft.

Martin Wilesmith, who runs the site with his son Mark says ‘We’re delighted to have had such a high retention rate in a difficult year for businesses. Our strength has always been the loyalty of our long-standing tenants and we have one who has been with us for 40 years’ ‘We’ve used this period as an opportunity to undertake a survey of our tenants’ views to see how we can improve their experience on

both sites’ continues Martin. ‘We have also worked with a local agency to undertake a marketing review which was long overdue’ In late 2019 Martin was introduced by the Chamber to Bromsgrove-based marketing and PR agency Bees Knees Marketing.

Director Rosie Hamilton has been working with the Martin and the team to undertake the tenants’ survey and marketing review.

The survey found that that 90% of tenants would recommend the Business Centres to business associates citing reasons including excellent management, a friendly

business community, good location and the convenient size of the units which are ideal for start-ups. As a result of the marketing review, new branding is now in place and a new website is currently being built in preparation for a 2021 launch.

Upton Business Centre has seen a 50% expansion of its lettable space with the addition of a secure compound extending to approximately 70,000 sq ft. Work is now underway to prepare the site which has been fully let, subject to contract.

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Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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BUSINESSNEWS

MIDLANDS AIR AMBULANCE CHARITY TEAMS UP WITH BREWING COMPANY

ROWLEY FARM KEEPING IT LOCAL Worcestershire based family farming business Rowley Farm are keeping all things local in their newly converted holiday accommodation.

Aimed at providing guests with a hands-on farming experience, the John family wanted to ensure visitors had a true taste of the two counties when staying on the farm. From the locally screen printed artwork by Jan Jay Designs to the Kit Bamford jam produced from plums on the farm, where possible everything has been sourced locally. Produce from the farm does not travel far either, with the lambs on sale at Broomfields of Holt and the pear crop supplied to Hussingtree Gin. With a biomass boiler providing heat to the accommodation and off cuts from local firm M & M Timber used in the woodfired hot tubs, a sustainable ethos runs through the heart of Rowley Farm.

So far guests have loved the opportunity to experience a little bit of the good life, whist staying in the comfort of luxury accommodation on a working farm. www.rowleyfarmholidays.co.uk The family behind Rowley Farm, the John family

HEREFORDSHIRE AND WORCESTERSHIRE BUSINESSES RECOGNISED IN 20/21 RURAL BUSINESS AWARDS The National Finalists for the 2020/21 Rural Business Awards have been announced, and the Chamber are pleased to see a host of local Members recognised.

Congratulations to: OLPRO, nominated for ‘Best Rural Retail Business’, Rural Media, nominated for ‘Best Rural Creative or Artisan Business’ and Celtic Marches Beverages, nominated for ‘Best Rural Drink Business’.

The aim of the awards is to give recognition to businesses operating right across the rural sector, to acknowledge the breadth and depth of opportunity presented by the great british countryside, as well as to celebrate the achievements of our rural businesses, from engineering through to artisan food producers and professional services organisations.

Birmingham Brewing Company has teamed up with the crew at Midlands Air Ambulance Charity to introduce a new low-alcoholic brew to its charity’s festive gift range in a bid to raise funds for the local lifesaving service.

The beverage has been brewed with the charity’s core purpose in mind, as people can enjoy a drink and still drive. The brewery donated five per cent of each sale to support Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s critical care aircrew and vital work, during the Christmas period.

Pam Hodgetts, Corporate Partnerships Manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “It’s thanks to local businesses showing their support that we are able to continue funding lifesaving missions across the Midlands.

“We are excited to try the ‘Sober Brummie’ brew from Birmingham Brewing Company, even more so, knowing that a percentage of the sales will support our rapid response pre-hospital emergency service.” www.midlandsairambulance.com

The eleven awards are decided by an independent panel of judges drawn from the rural business sector, official agencies and rural charitable organisations.

After the second round of judging, the winners will be announced at the online National Final held on Thursday 25th February 2021, good luck!

WYVERN MOVE TO SUPPORT REMOTE LEARNING AND REMOTE WORKING WITH THE IVIEW LEARNING YOUTUBE CHANNEL The admin team and trainers have moved to remote working, answering calls and supporting students as usual. The Builds and Technical departments are continuing to carry out repairs and helping set up student’s machines prior to delivery.

iView Learning YouTube channel. The free tutorials are accessible to everyone and can be used to better understand and increase productivity on everyday pieces of software.

Over the course of the next few months the iView Learning team will be releasing instructive tutorials which cover topics such as, Zoom, Outlook, Microsoft, Apple, G Suite, Word, PowerPoint and more.

In addition to adapting their processes, Wyvern have continued to shoot, edit and upload critical training tutorials to iView Learning.

Now working remotely, the iView Learning team felt more needed to be done in assisting remote workers and making a positive impact to their ‘new normal’.

Therefore, in order to help facilitate working

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from home and remote learning, the iView Learning team have chosen to launch the

Explore the iView Learning YouTube channel today and subscribe: www.wbs.uk.com

January/February 2021

ADVERTORIAL

T2M RESOURCING – YOUR TRUSTED PARTNER FOR PROFESSIONAL RECRUITMENT IN 2021 With over 60 years of recruitment expertise, the team at T2M Resourcing are passionate about providing a great recruitment experience to our clients and candidates in a professional, ethical and agile manner.

We partner with clients to attract, recruit and retain the best talent available to help companies grow. We strive to ensure that we provide great opportunities for candidates to advance their careers with organisations that can provide the right environment for everyone to succeed.

Recent campaigns we have successfully delivered for our clients include: Managing Director – ‘Software as a service’ (SAAS) provider Chief Technology Officer – aim listed Plc that provide ‘B2B’ services Group Finance Director - Privately owned design and engineering company

Head of Procurement – Private equity backed facilities management company HR Director & HR Business Partner – nationwide compliance services group General Manger – manufacturing group Interim Finance Manager – Healthcare sector What our clients say about our service: Steve and the team at T2M are an integral supporter of our strategic vision and the quest we have to get the best possible candidates into our business. T2M support our business with the headhunting of strategic senior roles, engineering and field based technicians, through to experienced middle management and departmental / functional skills set candidates. The T2M team build long term relationships – that is why we work with them. To us, cultural alignment is just as important as experience and technical ability. I do not hesitate to recommend T2M as a partner of choice for resource needs. Phil - CEO of an AIM listed Plc

Managing Director at T2M Resourcing on 07412 786686 or email him at Steve@T2Mresourcing.com www.T2Mresourcing.com

For a confidential discussion about your next permanent or interim recruitment requirement contact Steve Randall,

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Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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CITY SIGNS’ NEW £110K SIGNAGE & DIGITAL CUTTING FACILITY Worcestershire based City Signs has officially unveiled their new £110K signage and display facility at their Head Office on the Ball Mill Top Business Park in Worcester.

The new digital flatbed cutter and router, which City Signs received support through EU funding, will revolutionise signage and display production at their facility, creating new jobs and expanding their client base to serve the UK. The capability of the new innovative cutting edge signage and display facility which produces a wide range of high quality printed signage, launches a fresh and dynamic range of services for the family owned business, who have been trading for over 60 years. Assistance to buy the machine came from a grant supplied by Worcestershire County Council with the EU and Central Technology belt.

It allows more processes to be automated which helps increase productivity and efficiency, overall City Signs can manufacture far more inhouse and create new jobs for people in Worcestershire.

Darren Wilkins, Managing Director at City Signs explains “It’s a great milestone in the history of City Signs and a big investment that will springboard the growth of the business. Last year we celebrated our 60th year as a second-generation signage company, and believe me 2020 presented us with challenges, like many businesses across the county. Having this new digital cutting facility inhouse will completely change the way we work and expand our capabilities throughout the country.”

support in these challenging times and I look forward to working with new and existing customers throughout 2021”.

City Signs are Worcester’s leading signage and display company, specialising in professional signs, banner printing and vehicle graphics. For more information about City Signs’ new production facility, please call 01905 640 007 or alternatively email info@citysigns.co.uk.

Darren adds, “I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the Worcestershire business community for their unwavering

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January/February 2021

ADVERTORIAL

THE NEW ‘NORMAL’ FOR THE COMMUNITY HOUSING GROUP

With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting companies across the world, The Community Housing Group (TCHG) didn’t want to sit back and let the virus force colleagues into a dangerous working situation.

After a vigorous cleaning programme of the offices from the end of February 2020, by the middle of March, TCHG took the proactive approach to ask office-based colleagues to work from home where reasonably possible. With support from IT, and ensuring everyone had appropriate equipment to carry out their roles, colleagues successfully adapted to working remotely, relying on Microsoft Teams and SharePoint Online to effectively communicate with each other.

Those colleagues who were still carrying out their front-line duties were equipped with full PPE and new mobile devices to ensure they could keep in touch with their managers and be kept up to date with news from the organisation. Social media, the website and the use of text messages ensured tenants and customers were kept informed of the evolving situation, with welfare telephone calls made to more vulnerable residents.

With COVID secure guidelines from the Government in place from July, TCHG acted quickly in putting plans in place to ensure a safe working environment for those colleagues who wanted to work back in an office environment. By the beginning of December, the head office had been transformed. With walls demolished and an open plan hot-desking environment created, TCHG enlisted the help of ACCENT Office Interiors Ltd to create an inviting, yet socially distant

Both the Group and staff have adapted really well to this new way of working. Feedback from colleagues has been very positive, and through the use of the technology we have in place, we’ve still been able to carry out training and consultations via webinars and online resources

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

space for colleagues to work alone or collaborate with other team members.

Alongside this, the IT team developed an application through SharePoint Online to allow staff to book their time at a desk to ensure social distance could still operate effectively.

Jo Whaley, Head of Human Resources, said: “Both the Group and staff have adapted really well to this new way of working. Feedback from colleagues has been very positive, and through the use of the technology we have in place, we’ve still been able to carry out training and consultations via webinars and online resources”.

Marina Banner, Group Director, said: “This pandemic has brought unprecedented human and humanitarian challenges, and like many companies around the world, I’m proud that TCHG has risen to the occasion, acting swiftly to safeguard employees and migrate to a new way of working that even the most extreme business continuity plans hadn’t envisioned. It’s been a great learning experience for us all, and I’m really pleased with how the alterations to our head office have created a safe, productive space for colleagues”.

Take a look at our photos to see the transformation for The Community Housing Group’s new ‘normal’

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SKILLS

NEW GOVERNMENT KICKSTART SCHEME CREATES OVER 19,000 WORK PLACEMENTS The Treasury has announced that the government’s jobs scheme for young people has helped to create more than 19,000 work placements across the UK so far.

University of Worcester graduates perusing careers with local technology companies

It is a £2 billion fund designed to create hundreds of thousands of high quality, 6-month work placements for young people aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit.

Under the scheme, government covers 100% of the age-relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours work per week, plus pension and National Insurance contributions.

Employers also receive £1,500 to set up support and training, and to pay for uniforms and other work-related costs.

The unemployment rate among young people is at a staggering 14.6%, which is far higher than the overall rate of 4.8%.

To find out more information about The Kickstart Scheme, please visit www.hwchamber.co.uk/support/ kickstart-scheme.

LOCAL GRADUATES ARE HELPING TO LEAD BUSINESS INNOVATION IN WORCESTERSHIRE Local graduates have been able to continue their career development within the emerging technology sector in the county through the community of BetaDen. Through BetaDen, Worcestershire’s Technology Accelerator and the University of Worcester, 4 former students have stayed within the county to pursue careers with local technology companies.

Jon Wills started a degree in Business Management at the University in 2016 and quickly understood that new markets and emerging products were an area of interest for him.

The brand new Duckworth Centre

£4 MILLION ENGINEERING TRAINING CENTRE HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY HEART OF WORCESTERSHIRE COLLEGE Worcestershire’s new centre of engineering, The Duckworth Centre, has been created to help meet the need for local engineers, with a focus on automotive, plumbing and heating engineering.

The Duckworth Centre has been completed by Heart of Worcestershire College, and is named after Founder of Worcester Bosch, Cecil Duckworth.

The building is just one of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership’s Local Growth Fund projects, receiving an investment of over £4 million.

The first stage of the project saw the facility open in October last year and has since welcomed over 200 students. The next phase saw state of the art equipment installed at The Duckworth Centre,

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renewing further college campuses and the development of new training courses like T-Level programmes.

The college can now use the brand-new site and facilities to help train and upskill more engineers in Worcestershire and beyond, helping to meet the current skills gap and grow demand for engineers.

Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “After attending the official opening and tour of the new Duckworth Centre for Engineering in October 2019, I am proud to see that the second phase of the project has now been completed too. The refurbishment, new equipment and training courses are all vital parts in helping to train the county’s future workforce and provide the engineers of tomorrow.”

Moving to the current cohort of BetaDen, this local talent connection continues with Emily Bratt of DronePrep. Emily studied Geography and found a real passion for drones. She participated in a funded project which involved travelling to the Swiss Alps to collect drone imagery. Emily has also participated in fieldwork landing work placement with Geodime and working with large companies like Hanson.

Even within the BetaDen team, local talent is key. Corinna Elliot, Community and Communications Manager, studied Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations at the University and has worked tirelessly on helping the cohorts to be accelerated through the programme.

Also within the BetaDen team is Donston Powell. Donston helps to lead on the programme’s digital content and is helping to further raise the profile of the brand. Donston studied psychology at the University and used this to shape his career direction. www.beta-den.com

January/February 2021

WORCESTERSHIRE WORKS WELL

THE NEXT BI-ANNUAL EVENT WILL BE TAKING PLACE ON 27 JANUARY 2021

Worcestershire Works Well is a free accreditation scheme designed to support businesses to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees. Improved employee health and wellbeing has been shown repeatedly to improve profitability and productivity of businesses.

The Worcestershire Works Well brand-new framework was launched at the start of September 2020, with three levels of accreditation which an organisation can work towards. Businesses that are interested in finding out more are encouraged to email WWWAdmin@worcestershire.gov.uk for further information.

CHAMBER LEADS WELLBEING INITIATIVE Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce is now the new lead partner for the administration, co-ordination and development of Worcestershire Works Well.

Speaking of the announcement Sharon Smith, CEO of the Chamber, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the delivery of such a well-known and recognised health and wellbeing initiative. The scheme already works with over 100 businesses locally, and we look forward to taking it in a new direction to support organisations in what continues to be an unprecedented time for all.

The Chamber will now lead on the marketing and growth of the initiative in Worcestershire and will continue to work alongside supporting partners Community First and Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire, and steering group members Worcestershire County Council and Worcestershire Regulatory Services.

The theme for this event will be Leadership and will take place virtually.

Further details will be provided nearer the date.

and the innovative methods they have implemented to support workplace health and wellbeing over the last few months.

As usual, we will be joined on the day by a number of inspirational and knowledgeable speakers and business leaders. We are very much looking forward to welcoming them and hearing about their experiences, challenges

Registration for the event is now open.

Please email events@hwchamber.co.uk.

We will look forward to seeing you on the day.

‘HELP US HELP YOU’ - NHS CAMPAIGN In November, NHS England and NHS Improvement, and Public Health England launched the mental health phase of their ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign.

The campaign seeks to address the barriers that are deterring patients from accessing NHS services. The mental health phase focuses on encouraging people struggling with mental health issues like anxiety and depression to get help through NHS talking therapies, by referral from their GP, or by self-referral.

people, aged 16 and over, who are experiencing problems such as stress, anxiety, low mood and depression.

They help people improve their mental wellbeing through a range of interventions such as short courses, talking therapies, and self- help information. www.healthyminds.whct.nhs.uk www.worcestershire.wellbeinghub.org.uk

The ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign will help to reassure patients that they can receive care safely. There are a number of resources employees can use to ensure the mental health and wellbeing of their employees is where it should be.

Worcestershire Wellbeing Hub is an information and signposting service for people over the age of 16 who are experiencing low mood, anxiety or stress, and feel that they would benefit from support from local community providers.

Worcestershire Healthy Minds supports

ACTIVE HEREFORDSHIRE & WORCESTERSHIRE PROVIDE WORKING FROM HOME PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH TIPS It has never been more important to keep active to support our physical and mental health and wellbeing and help fight back against the pandemic. Just 10 minutes of physical activity per day can benefit your physical and mental health.

stairs, chairs and household objects could be used to create your own indoor circuit class! Some home-exercise favourites can be found here www.activehw.co.uk/stay-active-at-home.

We understand that Covid-19, or Coronavirus, raises concerns around being active, particularly within sport and physical activity environments and facilities. There are plenty of ways that you can get active in and around the home, you don't need specialist gym equipment -

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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FEATURE

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January/February 2021

CHAMBERNEWS

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS NEEDS A TEAM YOU CAN TRUST The headline numbers of Harrison Clark Rickerbys’ real estate team are mind-boggling. Last year alone, the 70-strong team advised their clients on transactions worth more than £700 million and were involved in the buying and selling of 2,000 homes.

Planning for the future

They’re the team of choice for two key reasons.

Rosalind Andrews, planning & highways partner, explains: “A raft of new planning and permitted development legislation has been introduced this year, providing much needed flexibility for businesses. Then there’s the government’s planning consultation, ‘Planning for the future’, which aims to streamline and modernise the planning process. To realise the benefits of the changes, clients are going to need fast, efficient lawyers who are experienced in all aspects of the development cycle.”

A one-stop shop with a real people focus The first is their breadth of knowledge and experience. They work with individual clients buying and selling homes. They also have expertise in commercial property transactions, real estate finance, property development, energy and renewable projects, agricultural land, and the resolution of property disputes.

It means they are a one-stop shop for everything to do with real estate – and beyond. Matt Hayes, who is head of the firm’s real estate team, says: “We work together across the team all the time, so that clients have the right combination of skills. It makes their life simpler and means delays are kept to a minimum so the whole process moves more smoothly.”

But perhaps the simpler reason for Harrison Clark Rickerbys’ success is that behind the impressive statistics, the team knows that every piece of work matters. Whether it’s the purchase of a first home or a multi-million pound property development scheme, it involves real people making lifechanging decisions.

Matt says: “We are robustly commercially minded but we never forget there are always emotions involved, whether it’s a personal or a professional matter. It’s why we work tirelessly on behalf of all our clients.”

The wide-ranging expertise and ability to work proactively on behalf of clients has perhaps never been more important.

Planning law is seeing its biggest shake-up for decades, providing exciting opportunities for property development.

HCR’s real estate development team, which sits within the real estate team, has precisely the expertise required. It brings together experts in land acquisition, real estate finance, tax, planning and highways, construction and engineering, new homes and plot sales to help clients achieve their ambitions with speed and commerciality.

The value goes beyond that too. Rosalind comments: “We are lawyers first and foremost, but we keep our ears to the ground, so we know how the market is shifting and the changes and opportunities that are coming up.”

The team for success It all adds up to an impressive service. A one-stop service for developers, builders, landlords and property buyers and sellers providing all the support you need to see success.

Matt Hayes and the team can be contacted at mchayes@hcrlaw.com or on 01432 349 662.

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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CHAMBERTRAINING

WHEN’S A WEBINAR NOT A WEBINAR….?

Liz Gait owner of EG People Development, delivers Leading Change training on behalf of the Chamber, we spoke with her to find out how she went from delivering classroom training, to a whole new virtual world.

Let’s be honest, how many of us confess to doing any of the following whilst watching a webinar…

1. I wonder what I should have for tea tonight and then popping into the kitchen to get something out of the freezer 2. What do I need from the supermarket – I’d best write my shopping list 3. Gosh, this is so boring, I’ll just crack on with my emails – the trainer will never know 4. I’ll just add a question in the chat box every now and then to make it look like I’m taking part 5. I really have so much to do – I’ll take my laptop around the house with me and do some of my jobs while I’m listening to the trainer chatting away to themselves Ok – I confess – I’ve done all of those things (not in the same session I hasten to add!) whilst being on a webinar…. Naughty you I hear you say!

Rolling back to March 2020 – I was in complete denial about any notion of a lockdown as I really didn’t believe we could be banned from carrying out our day to day lives in the ways which we always had.

My whole business was centered around travelling to clients – either coaching or delivering training to teams or groups of managers – surely there was no way anyone could stop me from doing that – but they did.

Of course, we know the rest of the story – life transferred to one entirely virtual, spare bedrooms became offices and we discovered a whole new virtual world.

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different and if you’re considering attending a course, ensure it has the following elements: Interactivity – find out how the trainer will be encouraging this – for example, using Zoom gives you the opportunity to annotate with stamps, the ability to write in text boxes and circle text on slides.

Use of breakout rooms at every available opportunity – you’ll likely want the chance to work with everyone in the room as there is as much learning to be gained from fellow delegates.

For me, that denial turned into panic as regular clients pulled training days right up into the summer and with it, went my income. Until on 17th March, a client simply said, ‘well can’t you deliver it virtually?’

So after putting my creative hat on – the course went online, then in late April along came another course re-booking and coaching, then another, then another and now all these months later – every single course is online and I’ve even had the joy of delivering to a global team with delegates in Moscow, USA, Italy, Egypt, Dubai, France, UK, Mexico, Peru, India and Pakistan – how on earth did that happen! Something I had never envisaged occurring way back in March 2020.

Small groups – this will enable you to chat to each other as if you were in a training room. It will also give you the opportunity to ask lots of questions and not need to use the chat function.

So – when’s a webinar, not a webinar… when it is Virtual Training – there is a significant difference. Of course, there is a place for a webinar if you need to attend a short information session, but virtual training is

If possible and relevant, the opportunity to share your screen – some topics lend themselves to this approach and your learning could be greatly enhanced if you’re able to do this.

Clear ground rules for delegates at the start – in the training room we would switch off email and mobile phones – ensure delegates are with you in the room and not elsewhere.

A decent length session – people are loving being back in the room with each other, appreciating the opportunity to reflect, share, learn and be social. Will the course give you the opportunity for that?

Structured like a training day with breaks and plenty of activities.

Creativity – are there supportive training documents which make your learning memorable and informative as well as fun and enjoyable?

The Chamber have transferred all their learning into a virtual world so if you were thinking ‘boring’ and considering writing your shopping list – think again! The challenges in our businesses continue, and probably more so in this virtual world. Lockdown has highlighted new challenges in managing people, performance, how we market and promote ourselves, to name just a few. So go on, give it a whirl – virtual training and well constructed webinars are a chance to connect with others and be inspired!

All courses can be found here: www. hwchamber.co.uk/online-training-courses.

Can’t find what you are looking for? Email training@hwchamber.co.uk with your course suggestions.

Why not take a look at our Leading Change course delivered by Liz, www.egpeopledevelopment.co.uk it absolutely guarantees interactivity and quite a lot of fun too! Click here for information: www.hwchamber.co.uk/ product-category/training/online-training. leading-change/

January/February 2021

CHAMBERTRAINING JANUARY COURSE DATES Effective Use of Social Media – Part 1 – Facebook and Viral Marketing Tuesday 12 January - 2.00-4.00pm £60+VAT Members £85+VAT Non-members Mentoring in the Workplace Thursday 14 January - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members Effective Use of Social Media – Part 2 – Facebook Advertising Tuesday 19 January - 2.00-4.00pm £60+VAT Members £85+VAT Non-members 7 Steps to Closing the Deal Wednesday 20 January - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members Introduction to Microsoft Excel Wednesday 20 January - 9.00am-4.00pm £200+VAT Members £160+VAT Non-members Introduction to Shopify – Part 1 – How to Setup and Configure Shopify Thursday 21 January - 2.00-4.00pm £60+VAT Members £85+VAT Non-members Effective Use of Social Media – Part 3 – Twitter and LinkedIn Tuesday 26 January - 2.00-4.00pm £60+VAT Members £85+VAT Non-members Creating a Customer Care Culture Tuesday 26 January - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members

FEBRUARY COURSE DATES IOSH Working Safely Wednesday 3 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members Managing People in the Team Thursday 4 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members Assertiveness and Confidence at Work Tuesday 9 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members

FEBRUARY COURSE DATES PowerPoint for Presentations Tuesday 16 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members Communicating for Success Tuesday 16 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members Quality Manager Training Thursday 18 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £236+VAT Members £295+VAT Non-members

Leading Change Tuesday 9 February - 10.00am-4.00pm £95+VAT Members £120+VAT Non-members

Digital Reporting & Google Analytics – Part 3 – Using Additional Reports & Segmentation Tuesday 23 February - 2.00-4.00pm £60+VAT Members £85+VAT Non-members

Writing Effective Marketing Copy Tuesday 9 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members

Employment Law Update Tuesday 23 February - 10.00am-12.00pm £60+VAT Members £85+VAT Non-members

Digital Reporting & Google Analytics – Part 1 – Setup and Configuration Tuesday 9 February - 2.00-4.00pm £60+VAT Members £85+VAT Non-members

Mental Health First Aid Awareness Thursday 25 February - 9.30am-12.30pm £105+VAT Members £140+VAT Non-members

HR for the Non HR Managers Wednesday 10 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members Successful Telesales Wednesday 10 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members

Role of the Team Leader Thursday 25 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members Mental Health First Aid Awareness Thursday 25 February - 9.30am-1.30pm £105+VAT Members £140+VAT Non-members

Advanced Microsoft Excel Thursday 11 February - 9.00am-4.00pm £160+VAT Members £200+VAT Non-members

Introduction to Microsoft Excel Wednesday 20 January - 9.00am-4.00pm £200+VAT Members £160+VAT Non-members

An Introduction to Digital Marketing & PR Thursday 11 February - 2.00-4.00pm FREE for Members £110+VAT Non-members

Introduction to Shopify – Part 2 – Designing a Store Thursday 28 January - 2.00-4.00pm £60+VAT Members £85+VAT Non-members

Digital Reporting & Google Analytics – Part 2 – Understanding the Core Reports Tuesday 16 February - 2.00-4.00pm £60+VAT Members £85+VAT Non-members

Whilst we are continuously expanding our online offering, please let us know if there are any training courses you would like the Chamber to deliver in the future. All up to date courses can be found on our website: www.hwchamber.co.uk/events-and-training-calendar.

We are looking forward to welcoming delegates back to the Chamber office for future courses.

For more information on any of our training courses, please see our website or email our training department on training@hwchamber.co.uk.

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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TRIBUTE TO CECIL

TRIBUTE TO CECIL DUCKWORTH In November, the two counties received the sad news of the passing of Worcester Warriors Club President Cecil Duckworth CBE at the age of 83 after a short illness.

Born in Macclesfield in 1937, Cecil Duckworth first moved to Worcestershire in 1958, before starting the Worcester Engineering Co Ltd four years later, helping to invent the combi-boiler.

He sold the company to Bosch in 1992, after which he became involved with Worcester.

He funded the development of Sixways and inspired Warriors’ rise to the Premiership for the first time in 2004.

Sport-loving Duckworth also served as club president with Worcestershire County Cricket Club and will no doubt be missed throughout the county of Worcestershire.

We thank Cecil for a lifetime of hard work and have collected a series of tributes from people around the county.

“Everyone at Warriors is deeply saddened by the news of Cecil’s death.

Our thoughts are with Beatrice and the Duckworth family. His rugby legacy is an immense one and one that we are proud to have inherited.

“Cecil has been a tremendous help to us over the last two years and a source of invaluable advice and guidance in his role as President.

“It says much about Cecil’s vision that the plans for the development of the Sixways site that we are working on at the moment are based on a masterplan that Cecil drew up 25 years ago.

“Cecil was respected throughout rugby, he was a superb ambassador for Warriors and for the city of Worcester and Worcestershire.

“Although Cecil was born and raised in Macclesfield, he lived in Worcester for more than 60 years and took great pride in the local community through his generous support of so many charities and organisations, including Warriors Community Foundation.

“Cecil was much loved by players and staff, past and present, at Sixways and he will be missed by us all.”

Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring, Worcester Warriors Co-owners

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“I first met Cecil Duckworth in 2001. I had just started a new role as a Senior Commercial Bank Manager for NatWest and Worcester Rugby Club were one of my customers.

“It was with some trepidation that I went to meet the great man. I had done my research and knew how he had made his fortune and also was aware of the significant personal investment he had made into the club.

“He was the antithesis of this stereotypical successful businessman.

Like many successful people he had a clear vision for the club both in respect

“Cecil Duckworth was a unique person, an extremely talented businessman and entrepreneur, a pioneer, a visionary, an innovator and at the same time a dedicated family man and a caring, fun person to be around, and of course a keen supporter of the Worcestershire area.

“Cecil had the spark of an idea, borrowed £300 from his wife Beatrice and set up our company first known as Worcester Engineering in 1962. He pioneered the Combi Boiler here in the UK and grew our company to be the No.1 boiler Manufacturer in the UK. He then found a good cultural

of playing as well as the development of Sixways.

“He achieved results in a different way to many through empowerment, encouragement and motivating his team.

“The Worcestershire Ambassadors recognised his significant contribution to the County by awarding him with the inaugural Pride of Worcestershire Award.

“If Elgar is Worcestershire’s greatest son then Cecil Duckworth is Worcestershire’s greatest adopted son.”

Phil Dutton, Worcestershire Ambassadors

fit with Bosch and finally handed over the reins in 1996 and retired aged 59.

“Despite officially leaving the company in 1996 – Cecil never really left Worcester Bosch. He took great interest in the company, regularly kept in touch, always attended company celebrations and wholeheartedly involved himself in the Worcester Bosch community that he inspired.

“He was simply “one of life’s good guys” and he will be sorely missed by all.”

Carl Arntzen, CEO of Worcester Bosch

January/February 2021

CHAMBERNEWS

BUSINESSES MUST PROTECT ASSETS AS DEEP RECESSION LOOMS Corporate and Commercial Lawyer James Hayes is advising businesses across the two counties to protect their assets from a deepening recession.

James, a Partner at mfg Solicitors, says more family and individually owned firms should be looking to protect their assets by setting up new companies to ensure that those assets are not lost if the economy fails to recover quickly from the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said: “As long as directors can manage the business as a going concern, maintaining solvency and pay their creditors, they don’t need to hold on to cash to pay some future unknown creditors.

“It is therefore sensible planning to make sure that cash is protected, but this can be done by ringfencing it through the creation of a new company.

“Sadly, it’s possible that the recession caused

by Covid-19 will be deep and will mean businesses may struggle. Taking steps is something many companies will want to grasp quickly.”

Chamber members looking for further advice can contact James through james. hayes@mfgsolicitors.com. www.mfgsolicitors.com

GMP RECRUITMENT MARKS SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR Jobs firm GMP Recruitment has celebrated its first anniversary after bringing new jobs to Worcestershire and placing hundreds of people into a variety of specialist roles.

The Worcester company was founded last summer by Mike Pincott and Gareth Matts with the business going on to place over 750 people into permanent or temporary office, engineering, manufacturing and logistics jobs.

The recruitment agency has also created four new jobs internally over the first year, with plans to double in size in the next 12 months.

Mike said: “To be marking our first anniversary is a brilliant milestone. Gareth and I are really proud of what our team has achieved in a hugely tough and demanding year.

Gareth and Mike with team at GMP Recruitment

“We have partnered with over 50 businesses to place people into short-term jobs, fixed-term contracts and permanent roles. The feedback has been exceptional and it has shown that the jobs market in certain industries continues to thrive.” www.gmprecruitment.co.uk

mantra to ‘see the person and not the disability’ is a core value that is shared by all the team at Melton. We started working with Leonard Cheshire at the beginning of the first pandemic lockdown in March, with the donation of hand sanitiser when resources were scarce.”

The Melton Group are proud to be part of the Disability Confident employer Government scheme which supports organisations in changing attitudes to recruiting people with disabilities, drawing from the widest possible pool of talent.

Already employing people with disabilities, Melton are continuing with their internal development program to support the scheme as part of their long-term strategy.

Melanie Baker, Founder and Managing Director of the Melton Group, explains: “Our

Plans have been submitted to transform a well-known Worcester building into state-of-the-art teaching facilities for health students.

The University of Worcester has submitted a planning application to develop the former Worcester News building, known as Berrows House, on Hylton Road.

DISABILITY CONFIDENT EMPLOYER MELTON FORGE NEW ALLIANCE WITH CHARITY LEONARD CHESHIRE As part of their commitment as a Disability Confident Employer, Worcestershire based Melton Group will be working closely with leading UK disability charity Leonard Cheshire, with fundraising campaigns and developing further their ‘see the person, not the disability’ culture.

FORMER NEWSPAPER OFFICES TO BE TRANSFORMED INTO STATE-OFTHE-ART TEACHING FACILITY

Melanie Baker, MD of the Melton Group and Sarah Grout, Regional Fundraising Executive at Leonard Cheshire

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

The large two and three storey 1965 building, designed by Austin-Smith Salmon-Lord Partnership, will become a spacious, flexible, modern teaching facility for health and medical education.

Attractively clad, flooded with natural light from the impressive North light roof structures it will become an architectural highlight on the St John’s bank of the River Severn.

University Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor David Green CBE, said: “The development of this facility will be key in providing inclusive and inspiring learning facilities to educate the next generation of health professionals that this country so badly needs. This new centre for health and medical education will bring much-needed jobs and prosperity to the city, creating hundreds of new opportunities to gain a first-class education and vital professional qualifications in a wide variety of health professions.”

The plans, drawn up by Midlands-based Glancy Nicholls Architects, include a state-of-the art anatomy laboratory, a suite of GP simulation rooms, and a range of general seminar and teaching rooms.

There will also be offices, break-out spaces for group study and a café.

Low or Zero Carbon technologies will be utilised throughout the building in line with the University’s environmental and sustainability ethos, with the aspiration of achieving RICS SKA Gold. www.worcester.ac.uk

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BIG INTERVIEW

EMPLOYMENT MARKET IS EVOLVING INTO ‘A BETTER NORMAL’, SAYS RECRUITMENT FIRM Now celebrating 40 years in business, Hewett Recruitment is a reliable barometer of the health of the employment market in Worcestershire.

By HELEN COMPSON Needless to say, 2020 has been a strange old year, but Director Ben Mannion paints an altogether more positive picture than the job-loss headlines might suggest.

Yes, the failure of big high street names does have an impact nationwide. However, as Hewett Recruitment has found, the resultant sense of insecurity has modified job prospects rather than ended them.

“During the first lockdown, when a lot of businesses deemed to be producing non-essentials had to stop work, things did go quiet on the industrial side of things,” he said.

And what the team has found this year is that, as confidence has indeed faltered, employers have gone over to recruiting on a temporary rather than a permanent basis.

“They contacted us this week and said, ‘by the way, candidates can be based anywhere – they don’t have to be within a 25-mile radius of Worcester’.

Ben said: “As the first lockdown eased up, we saw a real surge in demand for temporary blue-collar workers; the pent-up demand for workers on the shop floor was released.

“So, we can now run our searches on their behalf nationwide, opening up many more possibilities.”

“It is encouraging too that the demand has continued, although at least some of this is driven by the fact employers are cautious about employing people on a permanent basis. A lot of people are using temporary labour to cope with increased demand during uncertain times.

“That is sensible though - they don’t want to over-commit or stretch themselves – and it still means there are opportunities out there.”

There were pockets of struggle and success in the employment market, depending on which sector you looked at.

“But it is a testament to the robustness and innovativeness of the local market, which is largely dominated by SMEs, that it has generally remained fleet of foot.”

While one of Hewett’s biggest clients, a financial services software house, was doing a roaring trade, the retail supply chain businesses on its books were enduring an uncomfortable rollercoaster ride.

Established in 1980 by Louise Hewett, the Worcester and Kidderminster based firm harvests talent in the fields of IT, engineering, commercial, industrial and executive talent. Ben and his co-Director, Laura Hewett, head up a team of specialist Consultants covering requirements across these sectors.

One unexpected advantage of the ‘work from home’ policy was that employers were now free to fish in a much larger pool of talent. “One client we have needs very specialised software engineers,” he said, “but there is a skills shortage in this sector UK-wide and sometimes they have struggled to attract the right calibre.

As the first lockdown eased up, we saw a real surge in demand for temporary blue-collar workers; the pent-up demand for workers on the shop floor was released.

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Whereas in times gone by employers he’d spoken to had been adamant home-working would not be entertained, that had all changed now, of course. The genie was well and truly out of the bottle.

However, it had mutated into an acceptance – a flexibility – that employees could work at home if and when they needed to, by mutual consent.

Far from sounding the death knell for office culture, Ben in fact forecasts the wholesale return of staff fed up with staring at their living room walls. “A lot of people tell us they want to be back in an office,” he said. “The novelty of working from home has certainly worn off.

“It was very sunny and warm and heading into summer during the first lockdown, but now it’s dark and wet outside, sometimes people just don’t leave the house.

“I think flexible working will be the way ahead.

It will be give and take, with the choice of working in the office or from home in a way that works for both parties.

“We will be doing that with our own team. ‘Come in or work from home – just let us know in advance’. I think a lot of businesses will be doing that.”

He preferred to reinterpret the ubiquitous phrase ‘the new normal’

January/February 2021

BIG INTERVIEW as ‘a better normal’. By that he meant the new and refined terms and conditions of employment now being introduced would together represent a step forward for all concerned.

The flexibility of home-working and the ability to recruit nationally were part and parcel of that, as was the sharing of resources embodied by co-working spaces such as The Kiln, in Worcester city centre.

While Hewett Recruitment has a fully-fledged office in Kidderminster, its Worcester staff are now splitting their time between home and The Kiln.

“We embrace the flexible, co-working style,” he said. “The events of 2020 have definitely had an impact on how we work and will continue to work for the foreseeable future.”

One thing that wouldn’t change though was the firm’s commitment to training and nurturing the talent of the next generation.

Hewett Recruitment was named the county’s first Cornerstone Employer – a business committed to supporting careers guidance, training and job opportunities for young people - by Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, and Ben chairs its Future Skills Board.

“We can’t let the progress that has been made fall by the wayside,” he said.

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

“Covid-19 brought about a lot of short-term issues, such as getting the right IT into people’s homes, that have been dealt with now. My real plea to people now is ‘don’t lose sight of the long-term, bigger picture.

“The Future Skills Board works hard to deliver career guidance in local schools and to ensure schools and businesses work together to produce the right skillsets needed.

“Young people’s employment prospects usually take the hit in any recession, so I would encourage all employers to look to the future and to think of the needs of the next generation coming through.”

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COVER FEATURE

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MARKET FLOURISHING IN THE FACE OF THE PANDEMIC Who says office working is dead?

Certainly not the commercial property experts at GJS Dillon Ltd.

By HELEN COMPSON A specialist in the sale and rental of office and industrial premises, the company has the evidence that turns the received wisdom on its head.

Andrew Lewis, Associate Director of GJS Dillon and a RICS registered valuer, said: “Pre-Covid 19 there was a shortage of stock for SMEs and that hasn’t changed – there is still high demand from small to medium sized enterprises looking for business premises across Worcestershire.

“Yes, in the early days of the first lockdown the situation was pretty dire for those trying to let; a lot of space came to market at once following Boris Johnson’s ‘stay at home’ message.

“But the situation has moved on again, and surprisingly so.

GJS Dillon’s data reveals that in August, September and October, viewings were up 249% in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. With this leading to a 214% increase in transactions.

So, business more than doubled in the eye of the pandemic. “The stats shocked me!” said Andrew. “It just shows how popular office space still is.”

Worcester’s location, at the junction of the M5, M42 and M50 and so close to Birmingham, has always been attractive to companies wanting to cut their costs.

Commercial premises are so much more affordable here.

And cutting the commute is a huge incentive too, particularly now that people have got used to not doing it.

He said: “I was talking to a recruitment

company yesterday that is based in Birmingham and whose staff have been driving up Hagley Road and sitting in traffic for one-and-a-half hours each way, every day as long as they’ve had the office there.

“But then suddenly they’ve started working from home and got back three hours a day and their clients haven’t been overly-affected at all by them not being based in the city.

“They are now looking to relocate to an office in Worcester.”

Indeed, during the month of the second lockdown, every business GJS Dillon spoke to indicated the wish to ultimately move out of the city.

While that doesn’t bode well for city life, it may be a harbinger of better things to come for our towns – a more even distribution of jobs and revenue, perhaps.

The team also detected a determination to retain a physical presence, despite the mushrooming of ecommerce.

Andrew said: “SMEs are saying they still need premises where their clients can come to see them and that they still want to maintain a presence – a visibility – on the high street.

SMEs are saying they still need premises where their clients can come to see them and that they still want to maintain a presence – a visibility – on the high street.

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“There is also the simple fact that people really do miss being in the office. They miss having their colleagues around them and all of the facilities that allow them to press ‘print’ and then go and get their documents from the printer.

“But the biggest thing of all we hear is that they miss the distinction between home and office. At the minute, they aren’t jumping in their cars at 5.30pm to go home.

“Instead, they are thinking ‘I’ll make tomorrow easier by just finishing that bit of work’ and before they know it, they are still sitting there at 7pm.”

In terms of rental potential, the higher the quality of the office space on offer the better, even if there was a price tag to match.

There was strong demand for purpose-built or highly-renovated space that would provide attractive offices without the fear of hidden repair or maintenance costs.

When it came to industrial premises, well, the picture was equally positive there too.

While there was a shortage of small-scale stock, the viability of and demand for existing large-scale industrial premises had made them a very good investment indeed, particularly at a time when low interest rates and stock market volatility made investors think twice about bonds.

Andrew said: “All things considered, it’s a very encouraging picture for property investment and this explains why our Property Asset Management service has proved a popular option for some investors during lockdown. “ “Yes, we’re commercial property agents so we’re going to say the market is fine, but actually, it really is!”

January/February 2021

COVER FEATURE

£7.3M SHELL STORE RENOVATION TO CREATE HUNDREDS OF NEW JOBS IN HEREFORDSHIRE

L-R Mark Pearce, Andrew Manning-Cox, Cllr Trish Marsh, Cllr David Hitchiner

In eight years, Skylon Park, Hereford’s Enterprise Zone, has developed into a flagship infrastructure project for the county and the wider region.

Already home to 46 businesses employing nearly 1,000 people, another 1,000 jobs are expected to be generated from investment that tops £48m to date.

Those are impressive figures. And what’s more, the 17 acre area of the Zone known as the North Magazine is being made ‘shovel ready’, bringing the prospect of further investment and new jobs.

But it is perhaps the development of one building in particular, completed late last year, which signifies the importance of progress made on this growing business park.

The historic Shell Store, part of a former munitions site dating back to the First World War, had lain empty and derelict for more than half a century. Zone Managing Director, Mark Pearce acknowledges the “what to do with the Shell Store” debate had raged long before the inception of Skylon Park, a 110 acre area of land owned

by Herefordshire Council and the Goodwin Trust.

He said: “The Shell Store falls within the boundary of the zone and we always knew

that any development of the building would need to be sensitive to its heritage. But it was derelict, the walls were crumbling, the roof had fallen in in places and conservation of the whole building just wasn’t an option.

“But we are an enterprise zone. Skylon Park is a catalyst for investment and sustainable job creation and we wanted to bring this redundant building back into productive economic use.”

Herefordshire Council, the Herefordshire Enterprise Zone Board and the Skylon Park team worked closely with architects, history groups and funders to develop a vision for the Shell Store.

And in March 2019, the first diggers arrived on site to launch a project that would see the building transformed into a 2,500 sqm business incubation and networking centre offering flexible office space to new and growing businesses.

Mark said: “The shape of the Shell Store roof is iconic. We were able to save and use the original steel frame, which allowed us to recreate the same roofline but transform the area below into the dynamic open space we have now.”

Fast forward to November 2020 and the Shell Store has been reinvented thanks to a £7.3m project funded by Herefordshire Council, the European Regional Development Fund and a loan from the Marches LEP’s Marches Investment Fund.

It will become home to 25 dynamic and innovative businesses, hoping to generate nearly 130 new jobs by 2023 and rising to more than 450 by 2031.

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

Mark added: “Now we have high quality commercial space, created within the existing building footprint. We are also able to offer conferencing facilities once all Covid restrictions have been lifted.”

Facilities include 1,000 sqm of business incubation and development workspace, 500 sq m of offices for rent, conference, seminar and flexible meeting and hot-desking space with an onsite cafe.

“This year, as a first step, we will see the business support service, the Marches Growth Hub, move into the Shell Store with expert advisers on site for our new and growing business tenants. The Shell Store will be a place for businesses to do business.

“We’re already seeing a lot of interest in office space for 2021 as businesses look to plan their future post-pandemic. We expect to welcome our first tenants in the New year or when restrictions allow, and a formal full opening in the Spring,” added Mark.

If the events of recent months have taught us anything, it is that to help businesses start, grow and thrive is vital to our economic resilience.

Just as the Shell Store once supported an effort to get the country through one of the worst times in history, it will again be part of a different, but just as important, economic effort to rebuild.

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BUSINESSNEWS

AA SALT – HELPING YOU MANAGE THE TRIALS OF WINTER As forecasters predicted, we have seen a cold and unsettled winter across Herefordshire and Worcestershire with more freezing weather expected in the coming weeks.

The cold snap has meant a busy period for winter gritting and maintenance firm AA Salt with the Himbleton-based company supporting over 400 customers by salt-spreading and clearing snow on access roads, car parks, pathways and privately-owned estates.

Supported by 14-strong gritting fleet, this winter the company has maintained huge stocks of salt with 500 tonnes ready to be spread if the conditions worsen. It has also

been a hectic time for its grit bin services which are supplied and regularly refilled for customers who want to be in control of their own, smaller-scale gritting.

The award-winning firm’s sales and operations director Ben Tanner said: “It has been a cold winter so far and as ever we have been well prepared to support our customers. Those customers include hospitals, retail parks and supermarkets who have benefited from

our round-the-clock support and postcode specific weather forecasting.

“After such a tough year, we have found this winter that more than anything, site and business owners want full peace of mind that their staff, visitors and premises will be safe. This was especially true with retail and commercial sites as people across the UK started to return to shops after lockdown restrictions were eased. We’ve been delighted to support them.”

For more information, readers can visit the firm’s website through www.aasalt.co.uk

To Let

New and Refurbished Industrial Units Pleasant and Convenient Location For enquiries please call

01384 569556 or 01299 822731 Wilden Industrial Estates Wilden lane, Stourport-on-Severn DY13 9JY

enquiries@wildenestates.co.uk

www.wildenestates.co.uk

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January/February 2021

BUSINESSNEWS

Marshall Structures Limited Structural Engineers | Party Wall Surveyors | Clerk of Works Professional and impartial advice for Home Owners, Architects, Estate Agents, and Builders. n Structural Advice for Extensions and New Buildings n Structural Engineers’ Reports n Party Wall Notices and Awards n Clerks of Works Inspections Call now for independent guidance, for new or existing properties.

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GROWAGRI Supporting development in horticulture and agriculture

NEW BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAMME FOR 2021!

Worcestershire SME? Discover how you can be supported to diversify into the Agri-Tech sector.

Latest research suggests that the global Agri-Tech market is set to experience an average annual growth rate of 150% over the next five years.

Starting in 2021, a programme of expert-led webinars will showcase the cutting-edge technologies that are being developed in horticulture to revolutionise the way we grow our food by maximising productivity, data collection, precision and efficiency, at the same time as benefiting the environment.

In January, Technological opportunities in Agri-Food, features a comprehensive line-up of industry leaders that will examine a range of issues from food security and Brexit to new trends in the food industry.

In February, Malvern-based Borwell will be presenting three virtual talks on Space, Cyber & GIS, exploring the use of digital technologies and data collection in support of the agri-tech agenda.

For more information or to book on either event call 0300 135 7179 or visit wcg.ac.uk/growagribusinesssupport.

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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BUSINESSNEWS

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT TO ENGAGE IN BEHAVIOURAL DETECTION TRAINING 27 November 2020: An innovative behavioural detection programme developed by one of the UK’s leading learning and development consultancies will be delivered to delegates in Houses of Parliament.

In partnership with Critical Cinema, a producer of film-based e-learning, MaST have been commissioned by Houses of Parliament to deliver their Behavioural Detection Analysis course. The delivery of the course will provide delegates with the confidence and capability to both identify anomalous behaviour and act on their observations.

The entry-level course was developed by both MaST and Critical Cinema to enable the opportunity to learn from hindsight in this crucial area of responsibility, whilst delivering an increased understanding of how to build an organisation-wide culture of involvement in risk mitigation and resilience.

With relevancy to all crowded environments, including airports, rail stations, venues or retail businesses,

the e-learning programme has helped organisation’s in a multitude of sectors give employees the confidence to assess the baseline of average behaviours and spot those which are out of the ordinary and conduct an initial resolution conversation.

Houses of Parliament will be the latest organisation to benefit from the immersive film-based course, after recognising the significant training opportunity it represents.

Engaging in good behavioural detection practices across an organisation is a vital part of keeping that organisation strong, and each trainee plays a vital role. Even with all the technical and AI support available nowadays – CCTV cameras, facial recognition – nothing is more effective at recognising human behaviour … than a human themselves.”

Brian Mitchell, Managing Director at MaST, commented: “We are extremely proud to have been approached by Houses of Parliament to deliver this e-learning programme. Unlike others, the Behavioural Detection Analysis course empowers trainees to learn from experience as they watch potential real-life scenarios

MaST is the UK’s longest established learning and development consultancy.

Delivering global immersive and experiential learning solutions, their expertise was recently highlighted when they became a Qualifications Network (QNUK) approved centre.

We are extremely proud to have been approached by Houses of Parliament to deliver this e-learning programme.

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portrayed right in front of them by our specialist actors.

Critical Cinema are a producer of streamlined solutions for the security sector, with key learnings embedded in 10-minute episodes of a drama series followed by assessment modules.

January/February 2021

TWOCOUNTIES

WORCESTERSHIRE PARKWAY WINS TOP AWARD AT PRESTIGIOUS CIVIL ENGINEERING AWARDS The project, which saw the first new station constructed in Worcestershire in over 100 years, was also awarded the Geotechnical Award and the Large Project of the Year Award as well as the Best Overall Project Award.

The annual West Midlands Institute of Civil Engineering (ICE) Awards ceremony celebrates the best civil engineering projects, as well as highlighting those people who have contributed to promoting civil engineering across the region.

The new station, which opened in February this year, is a key part of the wider Worcestershire strategy to improve rail connectivity, enabling easier travel into and out of the county, boosting the regional economy and supporting growing communities.

I’m delighted that this fantastic project has been recognised at the ICE West Midlands awards.

“It’s an excellent example of improving connectivity to benefit the community, of which we can be proud.”

Worcestershire Parkway forms part of the wider £50million rail investment programme in Worcestershire and is a key part of the longer-term Worcestershire Rail Investment Strategy. The brand-new station follows improvements already made at Bromsgrove, Foregate Street in Worcester, Malvern Link and the redeveloped Kidderminster station which also opened earlier this year.

Worcestershire Parkway Station was part funded by the Worcestershire LEP through the Local Growth Deal Fund from central government with a total of £8.3m invested.

Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure, Councillor Ken Pollock, said: “Worcestershire Parkway is a culmination of years of hard work and

EXPERT HELP AT GREEN GRANTS FOR GROWTH EVENT Businesses across the Marches received help to boost their green credentials at a special online event staged in December.

The Marches Growth Hub’s Green Grants for Growth event brought together a range of the leading grant, funding and support schemes working across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to help companies to go green.

The event was targeted at SMEs based in the Marches area, including business2business, business2consumer, charities and not-for-profit organisations. www.marchesgrowthhub.co.uk

Guest speakers included Tim Yair of the Midlands Energy Hub, and Craig Baker, of the Meres & Mosses Business and Environmental Network (MMBEN).

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

Professor Elena Rodriguez-Falcon, President & Chief Executive of NMITE

NMITE OPENS FOR BUSINESS AND LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR 50 FUTURE ENGINEERS NMITE (New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering) announces that it is open for business and is inviting applications to fill 50 places in its Pioneer Cohort who will be the first graduates of NMITE’s Master’s Degree in Integrated Engineering in just over three years' time. Successful applicants will have their academic fees and accommodation costs covered in full for their first year thanks to a host of Pioneer Funders who, with other partners, have together provided a valuable contribution and investment in NMITE’s future success. The news comes as the institution has received validation

by The Open University which enables it to start student recruitment.

NMITE exists to address the UK’s shortage of work-ready graduate engineers and will focus on an integrated engineering programme to train and nurture learners ready to tackle global challenges - such as sustainable food production, access to safe water, and clean energy - which do not fall neatly into traditional mechanical, electrical or materials engineering boxes.

Professor Elena Rodriguez-Falcon, President & Chief Executive of NMITE, comments on the news: “We are delighted to announce that NMITE is now open and ready to recruit its Pioneer Cohort of learners. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in getting us to today including those who had the inspirational vision and tenacity to push forwards, all my colleagues, funders and industry partners who have shared this vision and supported us.” www.nmite.ac.uk

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EVENTS

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SERIES NEW FOR 2021 Sponsored by 3WH

COVID SAFE GUIDELINE CERTIFICATION; SECURE YOUR EMPLOYEES’ TRUST

Following the huge success of the Leadership Development Series in 2020, where over 60 business professionals were transformed into exceptional leaders, the Chamber is pleased to announce a new programme for 2021, in partnership with 3WH. Re-designed to reflect the challenges of the new Covid-working world, this six-part personal leadership programme will focus on the difference between being a manager and a leader. Learn more about what it takes to be an exceptional leader through times of change and uncertainty, build high performing teams and lead change with confidence and conviction.

Presented as interactive workshops, these sessions are designed to develop the future leaders of business, help unlock hidden potential in future CEOs and invest in the future of the people at the heart of businesses.

Date: Tuesday 19th January 2021 Time: 3.00-4.00pm In this webinar, from ISO Quality Services and Covid Safe UK, we will explain how the new Covid Safe Guideline Certification can help secure your employees trust and confidence that the company has met specific government guidelines.

£49.00+VAT Members for 1 Workshop £69.00+VAT Non-members for 1 Workshop

PROGRAMME DATES AND TOPICS: Wednesday 20th January Virtual Communication Wednesday 17th March Motivational Leadership Wednesday 19th May Rethinking Performance Management

Each workshop will take place virtually on Zoom and run from 8.30-10.00am.

Wednesday 21st July Boosting Performance through Leadership

Cost:

Wednesday 22nd September Multi-generational Leadership

£249.00+VAT Members for 6 Workshops £349.00+VAT Non-members for 6 Workshops

Wednesday 17th November Imposter Syndrome

FREE FUTURE FORUMS Sustainability Forum in partnership with Business Energy Efficiency Programme Date: Thursday 14 January 2021 Time: 10.00-11.00am Growth Forum in partnership with EBC Group

UPCOMING WEBINARS

CHARITY FORUM Date: Thursday 4th February 2021 Time: 10.00-11.30am Women’s Business Forum in partnership with Bishop Fleming

Date: Wednesday 20th January 2021 Time: 10.30-11.30am

Date: Thursday 11th February 2021 Time: 10.00-11.30am

Food and Drink forum in partnership with mfg Solicitors

Manufacturing Forum in partnership with NEOPERL

Date: Thursday 28th January 2021 Time: 10.00-11.30am

Date: Thursday 25h February 2021 Time: 10.00-11.30am

EU EXIT EVENT, DELIVERED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL. Date: Tuesday 9th February 2021 Time: 8.00-9.30am Industry experts from Bishop Fleming, Strong & Herd, Hewett Recruitment and Gowling WLG will present and discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with EU Exit. As the UK will have officially left the EU when this event takes place there will be more clarity about what is required from businesses as they continue to trade with their EU partners.

R&D TAX CREDITS: FUNDING YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH INNOVATION Date: Wednesday 24th February 2021 Time: 12.00-1.00pm Join Bishop Fleming’s tax team for an interactive session on the practicalities of R&D tax credits. At a time where cash is king, the team will talk through how to fund your business through innovation.

For further information on any of the above events or for a full view of the Events scheduled for January and February, please visit the events calendar www.hwchamber.co.uk/ events-and-training-calendar or email events@hwchamber.co.uk.

To book onto any webinars, please email events@hwchamber.co.uk or keep up to date with all of our latest online events at www.hwchamber.co.uk/events-and-training-calendar.

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January/February 2021

EXPLORING WHAT MAKES THE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP TICK Whenever I think of the dynamics of the provider-to-customer relationship, my mind inevitably goes to the infamous Two Ronnies’ “Four Candles” sketch.

That back and forth between what the customer expects, what the provider understands, and the exasperation on both sides when it goes wrong. The reason we all love that sketch so much…besides the misunderstandings and the general outrage of Ronnie Corbett…is that we can all relate to what is happening.

Now of course shops have changed a lot since the sketch was written (although Coronavirus has turned back the clock in some). But how often have you gone into a shop looking for something only to find it hidden in an unexpected place? Or asked a question on live chat and spent more time explaining what you mean than you do getting the answer?

It’s the same as asking for “four candles” and getting “fork handles”—a level of frustration and confusion on both sides of the counter.

SO HOW DO YOU AS A RETAILER OR SERVICE PROVIDER PREVENT THIS?

The answer is simple, but the process to actually implement it is anything but.

You need to really put yourself in your customer’s shoes, understand where they are coming from and what they expect from you. Think about Ronnie Corbett, he only stopped the endless cycle of frustration by snatching Ronnie Barker’s list.

He found a way into his customer’s brain.

Now that’s easy when someone walks in with a list. But the real world isn’t usually so obliging.

And let’s be honest, it’s not just about preventing frustration. These people are your customers. They pay your bills and give your business (and your employees) purpose. Most, if not all, of your business’ goals revolve around them.

They expect value from you, your team, and your product or service.

1. Sales, 2. Surveys, and 3. Swearing

SALES

The first is probably the one that is the easiest to get solid information about (at least if you have a good CRM system).

Looking at sales patterns and performance will tell you where your customers are spending their money. Voting with their wallets, as it were.

When the sales go down in a particular area, you know your customers aren’t seeing the value anymore (or at least not as much). When sales go up or stay consistent, you know the value is being felt. Although you can’t take it for granted that high performance will always stay high, sales data will give you the broad strokes of how your customers are feeling (and expecting from you).

SURVEYS

The second S of customer relationships is going the direct route and basically asking your customer for their shopping list. Or rather, asking them how they feel about their shopping list following an interaction with your team.

Did they get everything they wanted?

How did they find the service? Will they be coming back?

And the only way to give them that is to understand what value they expect: What is on their shopping list when they come to you?

Imagine a little survey at the end of the Four Candles sketch…was Ronnie Barker happy with his purchases? Probably. Was he equally happy about the service? Possibly not.

GETTING THAT SHOPPING LIST FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS

This direct method will give you an idea of what your customers think and how much they value what you are doing.

Aside from asking your customers for a list (or grabbing it out of their hands in frustration), how do you find out what your customers actually want from you?

In my experience, there are three key places to look for this information. I like to think of them as the Three S’s of customer relationship management:

But keep in mind that most people often only respond to surveys if they’re REALLY happy or REALLY angry. So those in between people will have to tell you how they’re feeling via their purchases.

your customers are if you are carrying out surveys, there is another place to look for negative feelings about the value of that customer relationship.

The obvious one is, of course, complaints.

If you get a lot of complaints, especially sweary complaints, you know something is going wrong. But that really belongs under the “survey” heading in the past section.

The “swearing” I’m actually referring to here from your team.

If your customer facing teams are frequently frustrated with your customers, it’s a good indicator that something is going wrong with your customer relationship. Pay attention to this and try to find out where things are going wrong.

Think about Four Candles one last time, Ronnie Barker may have felt ambivalent about his shopping experience, but Ronnie Corbett certainly didn’t. And if his frustration got carried over to every other customer interaction he had that day (and if those interactions followed similar paths), it doesn’t take a genius to work out that this will affect his sales. And the value his customers are placing on them.

So my advice?

Pay attention to what your customers are doing (sales) and saying (surveys), but also listen to how your team is feeling (and if they’re swearing).

These three things will give you a window into customer relationships and what you can do to improve them. www.opencrm.co.uk Graham Anderson, is the CEO and founder of OpenCRM, one of the UK’s leading customer relationship management systems.

SWEARING

Although you’ll get a feel for how angry

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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BUSINESSNEWS

Find your digital voice!

Engaging your brand with audiences that matter.

www.be-everywhere.co.uk E: info@be-everywhere.co.uk T: 0191 580 5990 036

January/February 2021

BUSINESSNEWS

EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING In a world where nearly everybody has a vast amount of information available at their fingertips, it is concerning how many business owners cannot say the same for their financial information.

Harrison Clark Rickerby’s leading technology law expert Nicola McNeely

TECH FIRMS SUPPORTED BY MENTORING AND EXPERTISE Harrison Clark Rickerby’s leading technology law expert has been supporting growing companies being developed by Malvern-based tech accelerator BetaDen, which is now looking for its next group of entrepreneurs and tech companies to apply to join Cohort 4.0.

Nicola McNeely, who has worked with tech companies throughout her career, has been giving a day a month to the companies pro bono. An acknowledged expert in her field nationally, she offers legal advice on everything from their contracts and the structure of the companies, to negotiations with investors and suppliers and their market strategy.

She said: “It’s hard work, but I get the opportunity to work with really interesting tech businesses; I have spent my career with this kind of business and I really enjoy it. Their issues are very varied, and it is great to be able to help them set a course towards success.”

The current cohort of businesses are developing products and services using blockchain, artificial intelligence, drone mapping, 5G and thermal sensors. www.hcrlaw.com

This became even more apparent during the lockdown period when business owners, financial controllers, and bookkeepers had difficulties accessing their financial information.

Rob Pearce, Tax Director at Bishop Fleming, said: “It is understandable that people are often too busy running their businesses to deal with the “necessary evil” of bookkeeping, however, the importance of accurate financial management information should not be overlooked, particularly when attempting to gauge the impacts of a pandemic.

“Management accounts contain a wealth of information and the more regularly they are prepared, the more useful they will be. The figures allow owners to check key variances to their budgets so that corrective actions can be taken in a timely

manner, as well as giving them a better understanding of the financial health of their business.”

With the advances in technology, moving to cloud-based accounting provides even greater flexibility and freedom for business owners, giving them access to figures wherever and whenever required, from a computer, tablet, or mobile phone.

For more information please contact Bishop Fleming’s Tax Director, Rob Pearce at rpearce@bishopfleming.co.uk. www.bishopfleming.co.uk

LOCAL AUTHOR WRITES BUSINESS BOOK ‘IN DEMAND, IN COMMAND’ New member Philip Grant, based near Ludlow, has written a globally published business book ‘In Demand, In Command’ that is now published worldwide by Austin Macauley. It is a comprehensive and accessible business guide on how to digitally serve customers better, leaner and smarter.

The primary reason for Philip writing the book is that, despite the exponential growth of digital and mobile services, companies simply do not achieve their business potential when managing their customers.

With over 35 years working with service provider organisations worldwide, Philip has found that many businesses of all shapes and sizes could, and should, be doing so much better at understanding and serving their public.

Although the book was written prior to the global pandemic, in an ever-evolving digital world, it’s topic and central themes are even more relevant to our times. Philip believes that if you really want to stay ahead of the game and be in command of an always connected world, you need to differentiate yourself in the market with a winning digital customer strategy. www.philipgrant.ampbk.com

WELL-LOVED CAFÉ ASKING WORCESTERSHIRE RESIDENTS TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS THIS WINTER IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE TRADE IN THE AREA The independent coffee shop, which serves a range of artisan coffees and speciality teas, closed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and are happy to be getting back to work again.

Tom suggests that you can support his and other businesses locally by purchasing a gift card, sharing their news and updates on social media, adding a review on Google as well as buying from them directly.

Tom Gaunt, Chef and Owner of House of Coffee, comments: "We're proud to have such a loyal customer base in Worcester and have sincerely missed serving everyone over the recent lockdowns. Now that we're set to reopen again, the team and I are hoping that lots of locals will shop within Worcestershire this winter and support businesses that really need their trade.”

House of Coffee is Covid-secure and have had a consistent 5* health & safety review since opening.

To book a table, please email houseofcoffeeworcester@mail.com or call 01905 20990. www.facebook.com/HouseOfCoffeeWorcester

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

037

MOVERSANDSHAKERS

BCRS CEO APPOINTED ONTO BOARD OF NATIONAL RESPONSIBLE FINANCE ASSOCIATION The chief executive of West Midlands based BCRS Business Loans has been appointed as a Board Member for the national trade association for responsible finance providers.

Stephen Deakin has joined Responsible Finance as a Board Member after working in the sector for over seven years at one of the organisation’s long-standing members, BCRS Business Loans.

Responsible Finance works with its members to build a strong responsible finance sector across the UK that aims to create positive social and environmental impact for businesses, individuals and communities that are not adequately served by mainstream finance providers.

CHRIS HYLAND JOINS ECRUBOX DIGITAL AS NEW BOARD ADVISOR With growth comes change and Ecrubox are absolutely delighted to have appointed strategic Board Advisor Chris Hyland to help drive the agency’s vision forward.

Not only will he bring an innovative and commercial outlook to the agency’s future goals, but his trusted experience and expertise will also be of great value to the business as they build a growth culture and create an environment whereby their team can thrive.

Ecrubox’s co-founder, Heather Horton, added: “We are excited to welcome Chris Hyland to the Ecrubox family and look forward to an exciting start to 2021 with his guidance and support.” www.ecruboxdigital.com

NEW APPOINTMENT TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF AGRI-BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAMME Pershore College’s GrowAgri Worcestershire project, is set to go online in 2021 with the help of a new recruit.

Dr Hatcher, who has a doctorate in plant ecology from Loughborough University, will be sharing his expertise as part of a brand new virtual business support programme set to start in the new year.

Hatcher said: “Our 2021 virtual support programme aims to promote diversification of businesses into the agricultural sector, and also aims to support growers in advancing their methods for growing by incorporating new technologies into their established protocols.” www.wcg.ac.uk/growagri

www.bcrs.org.uk

PROMOTIONS FOR KEY POSITIONS IN THE HAZELTON MOUNTFORD GROUP

PRIME MIX WELCOMES NEW DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Worcestershire based marketing and PR agency Prime Mix, welcomes Alisha Mand to the team as their new Digital Marketing Manager.

Highly experienced in digital marketing, social media and brand storytelling, Alisha will manage client accounts and build a team to support Prime Mix’s ambitious growth plans.

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Veronique Veillet has been promoted to Senior Account Handler in recognition of her outstanding work. Veronique will now have extra responsibility, working with Group Managing Director Gordon Hazelton, on their Isle of Man initiative plus overseeing a new and exclusive property insurance facility.

In addition, Steph Hilton-Turvey has been given a promotion to Associate Director of the firm’s dedicated tenant referencing business, ‘HM Referencing’.

Steph was previously Referencing Supervisor and this senior appointment allows her to continue to work with Gordon – running the company under his guidance.

Christina Darling, Managing Director at Prime Mix, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Alisha has joined the team. She has a wealth of experience in the fast-paced world of digital marketing and her skills will be put to good use as we enter a growth phase and launch new services.”

Gordon Hazelton, Group Managing Director, said: “After what for all of us has been a challenging time, it’s wonderful to be able to deliver such positive news about Veronique and Steph’s promotions.

The Hazelton Mountford Group look forward to supporting them both – and all of our team – in their careers.”

www.primemixmarketing.co.uk

www.hazeltonmountford.co.uk.

SINCLAIR DAY APPOINTS NEW ACCOUNTING WIZARD Sinclair Day Accountancy has announced the appointment of Mike Brown as their Accounts Wizard. Mike will be working his magic by preparing and reviewing financial statements for clients as well as supporting the team with cashflow forecasts and strategic planning.

A full member of the Association of Accounting Technicians for the past 15 years, Mike has built up an extensive range of experience and knowledge during his career.

Mike says: “Sinclair Day’s determination to do their very best for clients, no matter how tough things get, has really shone through during the pandemic and it’s great to be part of such a fantastic team.” www.sinclairday.co.uk

January/February 2021

NEWMEMBERSPROFILE

EMPLOYMENT LAW AND HR SPECIALISTS KEYHR

NEW MEMBERS AGILITY RISK & COMPLIANCE Established in 2004, with roots dating back to the 1960’s, Agility Risk and Compliance Ltd provide tailored solutions to mitigate risk and improve compliance in Health and Safety, HR, Training and Occupational Health.

As a nationwide provider of Health and Safety training, Agility have the flexibility to offer training courses across the country either as open courses in a classroom environment or as a closed course at your premises tailored to your organisation.

Rachel explained that the company is very good at what they do, winning lots of awards along the way, but are "looking to expand their connections further.". Rachel is looking to utilise the Chamber's promotional powers.

Looking to connect with SME's and help them through the confusing realities of compliance and risk & fleet management.

KeyHR are all too aware that many smaller businesses do not have access to specialist in-depth employment law and HR knowledge and as a result it is all too easy for a small business to find itself on the wrong side of the law, or even worse faced with a tribunal claim. KeyHR can give your business the kind of access to specialist HR advice and support normally only available to larger companies with their own dedicated HR professionals.

KeyHR offers a free no obligation HR consultation for employers to discuss their HR / employment law issues, Should you then need additional support they offer a range of affordable support options including adhoc pay as you go or a retained consultancy service.

With their retained HR consultancy services you get your own dedicated HR Business Partner who will not only supply you with the correct advice and guidance when you need it, but will also supply any supporting letters, templates and documents you need.

This will ensure you are not only legally compliant but also operating within current HR best practice.

Their monthly subscription packages allow you to spread the cost of your HR support over a 12-month period with no upfront costs. www.keyhr.co.uk

INTRODUCING QUALITY PA SOLUTIONS – YOUR VIRTUAL ASSISTANT Quality PA Solutions is a Virtual Assistant (or Virtual PA) service for entrepreneurs and small business owners. A professional PA with over 20 years’ experience in office management, HR, recruitment administration and PA support, Nicky offers a friendly and reliable support service.

Professional PA, Nicky, says: “For the past 8 years, I have provided full support to Directors and a Recruitment Consultancy Team covering all secretarial and administrative functions.

Following redundancy, I wanted to use my skills and experience to help others whilst still balancing my work with family life.”

Quality PA Solutions provides a flexible virtual solution for all administration and PA tasks without the need to employ a permanent member of staff.

For more details please contact Nicky@qualitypasolutions.co.uk.

www.agilityrac.com

www.qualitypasolutions.co.uk

EXPERIENCED HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSULTANCY PROVIDERS BN SHE CONSULTANCY LTD BN SHE Consultancy Ltd provides a health and safety consultancy service across the UK with offices in Hereford.

They are fully committed to identifying and controlling business risk from health, safety and environmental factors and helping to improve quality within your organisation. BN SHE Consultancy have experience providing services to a diverse range of industries and aim to give pragmatic, cost efficient solutions that will keep your business and staff protected.

Their consultants have in-depth knowledge of their field, each with at least 20 years of experience, ensuring your business meets all of its requirements, while enabling you to concentrate on managing it effectively.

and uncomplicated approach, they will ensure your business remains on top of its safety, health, environmental & quality management systems. www.bnsheconsultancy.com

From their offices in Hereford, they help businesses and companies throughout the country achieve and maintain health and safety compliance, directives and company specific objectives.

With experience across a diverse portfolio of industries and a professional, pragmatic,

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

039

INTERNATIONALTRADE

CUSTOMS DECLARATIONS, CUSTOMS DUTIES AND VAT AFTER EU-EXIT From 1st January 2021, the UK left the Customs Union, leading to changes in import and export procedures for goods and services going to the EU, and the rest of the world, that businesses need to be aware of.

Among the many implications this will have on businesses the below article will focus on two particular areas that firms need to be aware of and prepare for: customs declarations and customs duties and VAT

CUSTOMS DECLARATIONS Customs declarations provide government authorities with information about goods being imported and exported. These typically include information about the type of goods, transport, customs value and any applicable tariffs or duties. HMRC anticipate approximately 270 million additional customs declarations each year from UK companies for the import of EU

goods with a similar number expected on the EU side of the border.

Most customs declarations are completed by customs agents (private companies specialising in customs procedures) on behalf of traders. They are usually submitted electronically using the Customs Handling Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system in the UK.

CUSTOMS DECLARATION AND IMPORTS FROM THE EU TO THE UK? From January 2021: Full declarations will be required for controlled goods (e.g. excise goods like tobacco and alcohol).

For standard goods simplified customs requirements will be in place from January. Traders will have to keep sufficient records of their imports but will be able to defer full customs declarations until 1 July 2021, although they may submit customs declarations before if they wish.

From July 2021: Full customs declarations will need to be made at the time of import for all goods. Some traders may

Most customs declarations are completed by customs agents (private companies specialising in customs procedures) on behalf of traders. They are usually submitted electronically using the Customs Handling Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system in the UK.

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be eligible for simplified declaration procedures.

CUSTOMS DECLARATIONS AND EXPORTS FROM THE UK TO THE EU? From January 2021: Full customs declarations (UK export declarations and EU import declarations) will be required.

CUSTOMS DUTIES (TARIFFS) AND VAT Tariffs may be payable on goods traded between GB and the EU. Even if a deal providing for zero tariffs is agreed, some goods will still be subject to tariffs because importers choose not to, or are

January/February 2021

INTERNATIONALTRADE

unable to, comply with preferential rules of origin requirements. The tariffs applicable to GB imports are outlined in the UK Global Tariff, while those payable on EU imports from GB are outlined in the Union Customs Code.

although many traders will be able to defer payment.

From July 2021: Any applicable tariffs will be payable on import, although many traders are eligible to defer payments.

Import VAT will also be payable on relevant goods.

CUSTOMS DUTIES (TARIFFS) AND VAT - EXPORTS FROM THE UK TO THE EU

CUSTOMS DUTIES (TARIFFS) AND VAT - IMPORTS FROM THE EU TO THE UK

From January 2021: If applicable, tariffs and import VAT will be payable at the time of import, unless traders are eligible to defer payments.

From January 2021: If applicable, tariffs will be payable, but it will be possible to defer payment until customs declarations are made (no later than July 2021). If applicable, import VAT will be payable,

In summary, a Customs Declaration can be complicated and a right first-time approach to completing them accurately is essential to prevent delays and extra

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

costs for your business (not to mention dissatisfied customers and consumers).

Likewise, to ensure good cost and margin control, it will be vital to ensure that your business is fully aware of any VAT and tariffs that may be associated with the import and export of goods.

Please also don’t hesitate to contact the International Trade teams at the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber for details of EU-Exit International Trade training courses, EU-Exit related webinars as well as EU-Exit advice and consultancy. For further information please email internationaltrade@hwchamber.co.uk.

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IS THE CGT TIME BOMB TICKING? Martin Adams, Tax Partner at Ballards LLP chartered accountants, shares his thoughts on capital gains tax (CGT) prior to the 2021/22 tax year budget.

With the 2021/22 tax year budget having been delayed to March 2021, business owners have a narrow opportunity to plan in anticipation of potentially material tax hikes.

One tax that seems likely to be towards the front of the tax reform queue is CGT. The Office of Tax Simplification recently issued a report recommending material changes to CGT. This coupled with changes to Entrepreneurs’ Relief that have already targeted business owners, including a rebranding of the relief to BAD Relief (Business Asset Disposal Relief), perhaps foreshadows the future direction of government policy towards capital gains taxation.

So what should business owners be considering? Given that this will be planning based on speculation, care needs

to be taken not to let the ‘tax tail’ wag the ‘commercial dog’. Notwithstanding this, things to consider as part of your overall strategy to mitigate the effect, should material changes to CGT rates and reliefs occur, could include: If you are in a business sale process, or contemplating a business sale, ensure this occurs before the March 2021 budget, as that may be when any new rules take effect.

If you have a company that is due to wind-up, ensure this is done prior to the next budget.

If no sale is contemplated currently, then consider the general ownership structure of your business. Depending on your longer-term intentions, crystallising CGT now at lower tax rates could save tax in the long run.

This could be achieved for example by giving adult children equity stakes in the business either direct or through trusts.

Business sales to crystallise capital gains do not have to take the form of third-party disposals, other options that could be considered are:

Martin Adams, Tax Partner, Ballards LLP

Management buyouts.

Sales to Employee Ownership Trusts, which can normally be done completely free of CGT! For more information regarding CGT or other tax planning matters contact Martin Adams on martin.adams@ballardsllp.com.

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MEMBERSBENEFITS

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

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NEWPEOPLETODOBUSINESSWITH DROITWICH

STOURPORT ON SEVERN

ENERGIFIX Ltd

Key HR Limited

07949 136297 Green Energy Specialist www.energifix.com

03330 154048 07453 048243 HR Consultancy www.keyhr.co.uk

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01905 852033 Wealth Management

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01212 225007 Telecom Construction www.arcc.uk.com

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LH Heating

07775 706308 Engineers www.lhheating.co.uk

Project Management Consultancy

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IT and Telecoms Services www.bridgecloud.co.uk

Bloomfield HR Consultancy Limited

Cleeve Window Repairs

01386 40593

01684 274666

Human Everything

HR Consultancy

07921 955566

Quality PA Solutions

Employee Wellbeing Solutions www.humaneverything.co.uk

07510 283621

www.cleevewindows.co.uk

Virtual Assistant

Our Local Business Limited

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07966 145753

LEDBURY NACM Cider Makers Ltd

Real Energy Management

07989 492941

Window Repairs

Business Support www.ourlocal.uk

01531 660832

Energy and Sustainability Management

National Association of Cider Makers www.cideruk.com

Rose Diversity Training

Paycare

07463 680898

01902 371010

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MALVERN

www.rosediversitytraining.co.uk RTB Business Solutions Ltd

JG Animal Health Ltd

01886 880482 Animal Health www.jganimalhealth.co.uk

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Bridge Cloud Solutions Ltd

01217 960600

Actors Mean Business Ltd

07763 96345

OUT OF AREA

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www.paycare.org Wessex Distribution Limited

Business Solutions

07734 563657

www.rtbbusinesssolutions.co.uk

Consultants

January/February 2021

BUSINESSNEWS

KATHERINE HARRIET LTD WIN CARE EMPLOYER AWARD 2020 Katherine Harriet Ltd were winners this year at the Hereford Health and Social Care Awards, as voted for by the general public in the ‘Care Employer 2020’ category. There were over 250 nominations this year for the Awards and during this Coronavirus Pandemic it has been an even greater achievement.

The company is run by highly experienced care professionals with a team of talented, warm hearted and kind Wellbeing Assistants to offer a first class, all-round service for clients needing support at home at any time of the day or night. www.katherineharriet.care

Hattie Hayes, Managing Director at Katherine Harriet Ltd, said: “Our people make us. A huge thank you to everyone that voted for us. This year our team have been fantastic and have worked above and beyond, I am very proud of them all.”

While it is still uncertain when live experiences will return, it is safe to say that despite the robust and popular virtual solutions out there, live interaction is not a thing of the past. What 2020 has taught us, is that virtual is, and must remain, a part of our daily communications. The future is hybrid, combining the powerful pros of both virtual and live to create hugely impactful, wide-reaching solutions.

Katherine Harriet is a fresh style of homecare in Herefordshire, where wellbeing, life enrichment and the interests of a person are considered just as important as daily care. Katherine Harriet employs over 60 people in Herefordshire and supports over 90 Clients in Herefordshire.

THE MENTAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTIVITY PILOT A major initiative aiming to boost economic productivity is calling on businesses across the West Midlands to prioritise their employees’ mental health after COVID-19 has put significant strain on workers’ wellbeing.

WHAT DOES 2021 LOOK LIKE FOR THE EVENTS INDUSTRY

Any business looking to improve mental health in their workplaces should visit the MHPP website and sign up at mhpp.me/employers.

The Mental Health and Productivity Pilot (MHPP), funded by Midlands Engine, is a pan regional pilot being delivered across the Midlands and is urging employers in the region to take steps to support and improve the mental health of their workforce – and boost their bottom line at the same time with no financial cost.

Professor Guy Daly, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) at Coventry University, said: “MHPP is a brilliant new initiative which points businesses in the right direction to improving their employees’ mental health.

“By using MHPP and the resources it provides, businesses in the West Midlands can make such a difference to the health of their employees and, therefore, their productivity too.”

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

Dale Parmenter, Managing Director at DRPG, explains: “The communications methods at our disposal are changing as external factors force hands, technology advances and implementation is accelerated. Virtual has proven itself over the past six months and is here to stay. But this does not change the fact that communication sits at the heart of business success. Communication is not a cost; communication is an investment; cut it and you cut the lifeblood that is keeping your organisation going. If this means investing in new tech, virtual solutions, or digital transformations then the companies that are unwilling to do so will find themselves sorely outdated, extremely quickly.

“In 2020 the number of organisations hosting virtual events has doubled. This has also allowed us to have more virtual events than we would have live! In the current climate it is more important than ever to stay connected with our audiences.

Virtual events are a great way of achieving this, with 91% of organisations choosing keeping members connected as a primary goal of virtual events.”

There are many types of virtual event, from broadcasts to fully immersive virtual worlds. 2020 has demonstrated that virtual is an engaging and powerful communications tool. www.drpgroup.com

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January/February 2021

CHARITYNEWS

PHOTOGRAPHER SUPPORTING COMMUNITY THROUGH BUSINESS Paul Ligas Photography will be donating £1 for every print sold through his online print shop to a local charity of the customer’s choice.

Ledbury-based photographer, Paul Ligas, says: “My business is run on deeply held values and ethics that business should be a big part of the community, and this is just one way that I support some of those groups in my community that help people, and the environment that we all live in.”

in Hereford, said: “Many thanks to Paul for this kind gesture; both as a fundraising opportunity but also the promotion of Yeleni.”

You can view the long-lasting, fine art photography prints available on the shop with free UK delivery. www.paulligas.com/print-shop The Cart Shed accepting their Chamber Champions award in September have now been recognised as part of a national campaign

On checkout, customers will be asked which one of three local charities they would like the donation made to: Yeleni Therapy & Support – supporting people living with cancer, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust – conserving and creating wildlife havens or Ledbury Food Bank – helping people experiencing hardship.

Beth Hudson, Community Liaison Coordinator at Yeleni Therapy & Support

TIME TO CHANGE WORCESTERSHIRE WILL CONTINUE CAMPAIGNING It’s been recently announced that the national Time to Change campaign is to close in March 2021 after 15 years. The Worcestershire team are sad to lose the parent campaign but proud that so much has been achieved in changing attitudes towards mental health.

But the good news is that the Worcestershire hub, initially funded for 18 months by Time to Change, worked hard to develop a sustainable project and managed to secure local funding last year. They will be continuing their work to help overcome the stigma and discrimination around mental health for at least another two years, including

providing grants of up to £500 for Champions and Changemakers who want to run a social contact conversations activity in their community or workplace.

To get involved and contribute to ending the stigma against mental health please keep up to date with the Time to Change Worcestershire social media. www.facebook.com/ttcworcs

This year they have raised the stakes once again. Not only are they looking to raise funds for British Heart Foundation, but they are also looking to give back to their local community, which has been hit hard in several different areas during the announcement of the recent national lockdown.

In September, the Charity was awarded with the ‘Accomplishments in Adaptability Award’ at the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce Chamber Champions Awards. As a result of this, they were nominated for a BCC Business Heroes Award and were selected to be featured as a case study.

The Cart Shed Charity created a ‘virtual woodland’ in response to Coronavirus, enabling the charity to continue to support over 100 individuals during lockdown.

Finding themselves in a critical situation, due to the high risk of suicide and self-harm amongst their clients, The Cart Shed had to create – at speed – a meaningful, purposeful programme that delivered a service which replicated what normally happened in the woods.

ECRUBOX DIGITAL COMMITS TO GIVING BACK TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WHILE RAISING MONEY FOR THE BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION ‘A Month of Good Deeds’ is a campaign devised by global digital marketing agency, Ecrubox Digital, of Worcester. The campaign aims to help those who may feel overwhelmed, or forgotten about during these challenging times. Ecrubox has announced its month-long campaign that will help to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and give back to their local community during what promises to be a difficult winter for the vulnerable.

THE CART SHED CHARITY RECOGNISED AS ONE OF UK’S BUSINESS HEROES

BY THE BCC

They developed a range of courses and set up a closed Facebook group for participants to access them. They also delivered activity packs to people’s homes across the county.

The Cart Shed Charity demonstrated that with ingenuity and access to basic technology, they could offer a first-class remote mental health ‘therapeutic woodland’ service to their existing client group and those who couldn’t previously access their service.

For more information on ways to donate please visit the Just Giving page by scanning the QR code below.

Katie Eastaugh, CEO of The Cart Shed Charity, said: “Since the Chamber’s nomination, we’ve received funding from HM Government and the Lottery to develop our innovative ad-hoc virtual woodland therapeutic service; exciting opportunities for Herefordshire in challenging times.”

www.ecruboxdigital.com

www.thecartshed.co.uk

From November 6th onwards, the team has been committed to doing a good deed a day.

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

047

BUSINESSNEWS

ONLINE FRINGE FESTIVAL PUTS CYBER SECURITY ON THE INTERNATIONAL MAP The academic team behind the new Midlands Centre for Cyber Security in Hereford put cyber security on the international map after delivering a successful online Cyber Fringe Festival recently.

The Festival, which ran during the last week in November 2020, featured 42 talks with delegates from 23 countries and 70 people from Herefordshire businesses taking part.

Experts from across the world delivered a range of Strategic, Operational and Technical online sessions covering Cyber industry, defence and emergency services as well as diversity, government, acceleration and skills.

The £9m state-of-the-art hub will support innovation and industry in the sector.

The Centre is a joint venture between the University of Wolverhampton and Herefordshire Council and part-funded by the government’s Local Growth Fund, via the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

“Now, more than ever as globally we collectively try to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, the sessions were of real value to people who are launching or growing their business.

“This Festival was very well received and covered some of the specialisms we offer, whilst at the same time, forging strategic partnerships and relationships with some of the world’s leading expertise in cyber and security. The festival really put Herefordshire and the Midlands on the international map.”

Supported by the University’s Wolverhampton Cyber Research Institute (WCRI), the centre will also be home to 16 cyber SMEs and well as offering product testing and certification, CPD and short courses and cyber conferences attracting experts from across the globe. www.cyberquarter.co.uk

AIR AMBULANCE CHARITY WINS COVETED ASIAN BUSINESS CHAMBER AWARD Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has been crowned the overall winner at Asian Business Chamber of Commerce’s (ABCC) 2020 annual awards.

048

Councillor Ken Pollock, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Infrastructure for Worcestershire County Council, said: “The major milestones on the Southern Link Road scheme are coming thick and fast, with yet another bridge to improve walking and cycling connectivity, being moved into place.

“This bridge, alongside two further bridges, a new underpass and a much wider shared walking and cycle path between the Ketch roundabout and Powick roundabout, will vastly improve the walking and cycling routes in the area. This is in addition to the scheme providing a dual carriageway for traffic from the M5 to Powick roundabout.”

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, headed up by Chief Executive Hanna Sebright, attends emergency incidents across the West Midlands, including road traffic collisions and cardiac arrest calls.

Mandy Canny, Head of Membership at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and head of the judging panel, said: “Midlands Air Ambulance charity has shown exceptional work during

Another brand new footbridge, set to improve walking and cycling connectivity when complete, had its main span installed over a section of Worcester’s Southern Link Road in December.

The Broomhall Way Footbridge, once complete, will allow for better and safer crossing of this busy road for pedestrians and cyclists. It will provide a link between the new commercial and housing development on the south of the A4440 to Power Park in St Peter’s on the north.

Professor Prashant Pillai, Head of the School of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “We were overwhelmed by the interest from across the globe in the Cyber Fringe Festival, with speakers sharing their experiences, strategies and knowledge.

The charity operates and funds air ambulances and critical care cars, used by doctors and critical care paramedics which provide care to those critically ill or injured, before conveying patients to hospital.

WORCESTER’S NEWEST WALKING AND CYCLING BRIDGE LIFTED INTO PLACE

the pandemic, continuing to deliver advanced pre-hospital patient care, while maintaining awareness of and support for the organisation.”

Alongside the charity, seven other businesses and individuals picked up awards during the virtual event, live streamed from Chamber House.

Now the main span of the bridge is in place, further works are needed before the bridge becomes operational, including the construction of approach ramps and wider connection to the existing highway network on both sides of the road. www.worcestershire.gov.uk

www.midlandsairambulance.com

January/February 2021

MEMBERSERVICES

2021 - MEMBERSHIP HAS NEVER BEEN SO IMPORTANT It has never been more important to take advantage of your membership in 2021. From HR support to accessing guidance on navigating a post EU environment, Chamber Membership has many benefits that you may not be aware of.

ADAPTING TO LIFE OUTSIDE THE CUSTOMS UNION With the end of the transition period there are new rules the UK must follow. Businesses can access 1:1 support on any EU Exit related issue by contacting out team of expert International Trade Advisors who will be on hand to provide advice and guidance on the day-to-day changes that your businesses may be faced with.

The brand-new EU Exit hub provides a one stop information hub for businesses to access support and guidance on the issues they may face within the coming months as the UK adapts to life outside the Customs Union. The comprehensive online information centre will provide businesses with the guidance they need in order to navigate a challenging time.

To visit the Eu Exit Business Support Hub, please visit www.hwchamber. co.uk/eu-exit-hub.

QUEST MEMBER SUPPORT Did you know that as part of your Membership package you get a full package of support for Tax, Health & Safety and HR? All in one place and from a team of experts, the QUEST member support package is essential in these unprecedented times we are facing.

HMRC & TAX ADVICE Members get free access to professional advice from the Tax Advice line (01455 852037 option 4) for any HRMC enquiries.

They also have the protection of Chamber Legal Expenses Insurance which includes tax inspection cover should they receive news of an HMRC investigation.

HEALTH & SAFETY ADVICE Health & Safety advice is available through the Chamber Advice Line (01445 852037 option 3). Advice is available during offers hours and is unlimited. In the Chamber Document Library there

Business Direction published by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

is a range of template documents and information relating to COVID-19 including risk assessments and guidance notes. Any member who is unsure about their health & safety capability can book a One2One Review

HR SUPPORT Chamber HR includes unlimited access to HR advice and is available 24/7, 365 days a year (01455 852037 option 1).

The Document Library features over 400 employment templates plus a lot of information. Indeed Section 12 relates specifically to the Job Retention Scheme. Any member who feels they need additional support can book a free One2One review.

For more information on your Member benefits and how you can make the most of your Membership please visit www.hwchamber.co.uk/membership.

049

LASTWORD

FORMUS PRO’S ADVICE TO BUSINESSES ON MICROSOFT’S PLANNED DECEMBER PRICE HIKE TO D365 STORAGE COST Does your Business have Microsoft Dynamics 365 customer relationship management (D365 CRM) software? Do you use the Common Data Service (CDS) storage facility it to store your database, file, and log information?

Formus Pro are encouraging all organisations using Dynamics 365 to check their licensing plans, contact their software partners and calculate their renewal costs.

You could be set for an unwelcome surprise after the end of December 2020 if you don’t.

WHAT IS CHANGING? As an example, from December this year the cost for storage could see you jumping from £3.80 to £30.20 per GB. There are 3 different types of storage: database, file, and log, all with slightly differing new prices, however this is a flavour of things to come when you next renew your licence no matter what type of data you are storing in CDS. Before April 2019 you could buy your D365 package with a given amount of data storage space included. Any extra storage licences needed for customer data, project documents or business logs were fairly reasonably priced (depending on the offer and licencing you opted for).

However, over the last year Microsoft have slowly been rolling out new prices for this additional space… to the tune of almost an eight-fold rise. For businesses storing significant amounts of complex records, this new monthly price hike could represent hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of pounds of extra costs per month.

Many businesses we have spoken to are not aware of this upcoming price increase.

WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN? It has already begun for some organisations. Details of the higher storage costs were quietly released by Microsoft last year.

Businesses with a Dynamics licence that haven’t yet switched to an alternative

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storage solution will be automatically transitioned to the new pricing plan on December 31st, being applied upon the individual business’s next annual licence renewal.

WHAT TO DO NEXT? Don’t wait for you next licence renewal date. Investigate now and give yourself plenty of time to seek advice, look at your options and choose what you would like to do going forward.

Check your actual data storage size: The amount of data held within a CRM environment can be large; with millions of records, workflows, files, attachments and audit logs. For some industries, such as finance, with databases holding details on every single transaction, the storage requirement will be even larger.

Cleanse & clean up your data: Bring your storage requirement size down by deleting and de-duplicating as much data as possible. However, be aware that this might be a short-term solution as data rarely shrinks or stays the same over time.

Split your data: What really needs to stay within the Dynamics environment and what could be stored somewhere else? There are cheaper storage platforms to choose from however you need to make sure the two platforms are still seamlessly linked. You want little or no disruption to how you use your CRM as a result. It is possible to achieve but you may want to seek advice on how to do this.

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION? With the considerable dependency on database storage, Microsoft is starting to nudge licence-holders towards other, more efficient, storage solutions.

Although these price increases have been known for a while, it concerns us that it has not generated much publicity in the market.

As a Microsoft Gold Partner we keep an eye on Microsoft updates to decipher what they might mean in real terms for business.

We can certainly help you.

However, if you have the time and the in-house capacity, some further useful public information can be found within the Microsoft admin power platform documentation itself, under New Capacity Storage Model.

You may also find it helpful to check out their documentation on freeing up storage space.

When you consider that some businesses have CRM databases containing hundreds of gigabytes of data, it goes without saying that storing that data within Dynamics 365 is about to get a lot more expensive.

However, it may also prompt users to have a careful think about how and where they’re storing data, which is likely Microsoft’s objective for these and many more changes to come.

January/February 2021

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MOTIVATE, INSPIRE, RETAIN

TAKE ADVANTAGE

OF THE GOVERNMENT APPRENTICE SHIP INCENTIVE You only have until 31st March 2021 to take advantage of the Government incentive payment available to all employers who hire a new apprentice.

Age Of New Apprentice

Incentive Payment

16 - 24

£2,000

25 +

£1,500

This payment will be in addition to the existing £1,000 incentive payment that the Government already provides for new apprentices aged between 16-18, and those aged under 25 with an Education Health Care Plan, where that applies.

WCG Apprenticeships are the only training provider in Worcestershire to offer apprenticeships in the following areas:

• • • •

Agriculture Animal Care Arboriculture Equine

• Horticulture Inc. Golf • •

Greenkeeping & Sports Turf Land-based Engineering Veterinary Nursing

BE QU ICK

ENDS 31ST MARC 2021! H

Contact our Business Development team who will be able to help you negotiate the new incentives so that they benefit you in the best way possible:

0330 135 6940 | employerenquiries@wcg.ac.uk

wcg.ac.uk/apprenticeships