business matters

Women’s national league club crawley wasps is delighted to announce ex F1 driver and the original ‘Stig’ from top gear Perry McCarthy joins as Co Owner and Commercial Director

Crawley Wasps have been inspired by the heroic successes of the England lionesses and are totally focused on promotion from playing in Tier 3 to moving up to the FA Women’s Championship.

Now with Chairman Jack Ayles and Perry McCarthy at the helm, Crawley’s dream is getting closer to becoming a reality, especially now with the Sussex Chamber of Commerce as a keen supporter!

As well as being an excellent team, Perry and Jack are family friends and have been for as long as the Wasps Chairman can remember: “We have a great relationship and I still have a signed photo of him driving at the Le Mans 24 hours that he gave me when I was only 8 years old! Perry is a bit of a legend within the world of motor racing having overcome huge odds to make it to Formula One. He’s now bringing that same determination, enthusiasm, and incredible commercial experience to make sure we bring Championship football to Crawley’’ said Chairman Jack Ayles

Building young leaders on and off the pitch

Last season, Wasps finished strongly under Manager Dan Logue and now, from their new home at Horsham’s Camping World Community Stadium, they are looking to raise their game further.

Perry McCarthy is equally enthused about potential both on and off the pitch: ‘We are in a senior football division and as we progress, in addition to skill development our players will be helped and encouraged as young leaders capable of motivating themselves and others. Communication is so important in sport and in business and regular and beneficial interaction with their Teammates, Coach, Manager and Trainers are just some of the attributes we’ll look to grow all aimed at creating self-confidence and an unshakable belief in the team and in their own abilities’

Developing Strategic Partnerships

Perry continues: ‘On a personal note, I am still smiling that Jack has presented me with this fantastic opportunity to be a central part of Crawley Wasps and its story going forward. He has done such an incredible job in building and bringing the team to a leading position within Tier 3, and now I am fully engaged alongside him and our great players to help deliver all the commercial backing and resources they require to fulfil their ambitions of promotion soon. As a sponsorship package, we are an excellent fit for community relations and employee engagement, and I would be delighted to hear from any company who may be interested in what we have to offer.

There are so many similarities to motor racing such as focus and teamwork but it’s also about heart and personality and I know we have that throughout the team. I’m looking forward to this adventure and to developing our fan base and partnerships. Get the buzz - C’mon Wasps’’!

Additional information

Crawley Wasps FC is a multi-age group women’s football club from West Sussex with teams ranging from as young as under-11 to the senior first-team which plays in the third tier of Women’s football, playing in the FA Women’s National League Premier Division, where this season they will take on teams such as Watford, Portsmouth and Ipswich Town.

Crawley Wasps was founded in 1991 and have been essential in the successful growth of girls’ football in the West Sussex region as well as helping to pioneer the development of ladies and girls’ football in the south of England, through being a founding member of the Sussex County Women and Girls’ Football League in 2002-03.

New co-owner Perry McCarthy. At the age of 18, Perry had a dream of becoming a Formula One racing driver and it was his talent, drive and determination that took him from working on North Sea Oil Rigs, to Formula Ford Champion and onward to Grand Prix racing. After, Perry raced for several manufacturer works teams in the GT World Championship with five visits to the famous Le Mans 24 hours before publishing is best-selling autobiography ‘Flat Out Flat Broke’ and then going on to become the first ‘Stig’ on BBC Top Gear.

To interview or contact Perry please e-mail:

Newhaven - vibrant Chamber in the heart of the community

Newhaven Chamber of Commerce has bounced back since Covid to support the local business community offering a wide range of networking opportunities and social events for business owners.

The Chamber meets weekly for breakfast at the Luna Rossa Italian Restaurant on the quayside and works in partnership with the Newhaven Enterprise Centre offering a free monthly networking lunch. These events are very popular and help businesses engage, connect and support each other.

Newhaven Chamber of Commerce is the powerhouse behind the annual Seahaven Business Awards run in conjunction with Seaford and Peacehaven Chambers. The local business awards celebrate professionalism, creativity, innovation and business excellence. Winners include businesses from every sector, and of every size. A glittering awards dinner is held every year in May in the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, the Vietnamese Ambassador, local MPs, Town Mayors, and Chamber Presidents.

Mike Shorer, President of the Newhaven Chamber, said “We have some brilliant local businesses located in the town who are innovative, hard-working and inspirational. Newhaven is a great place to run a business and it still surprises us as to how many companies are located in the town. This year we have had more business owners than ever come along to breakfast and lunch networking events. We listen to their stories and recall them, so that when opportunities arise, we are first to pass on contact details to help them grow their networks. We are eagerly looking forward to the 2023 SBAs, and are delighted to announce that John Young, TV presenter and journalist will be joining us as host again this year. There are a few sponsorship opportunities available if anyone is interested.”

The Chamber is very active in the community supporting charities and local CIS groups. Everyone from sole traders to larger organisations are welcome to join and details can be found on the website at newhavenchamber.co.uk

If you run, or work for a business in Newhaven, you are welcome to come along to one of our Wednesday breakfast meetings, but please book via the website or give our secretary a call on 01273 517544.

How to use workplace values to create a wellbeing culture

Westfield Health believe that every successful wellbeing strategy is backed up by a supportive culture. Their latest research confirms the importance of this link as the majority (86%) of employees surveyed said they’re more productive at work if there’s a good culture and, worryingly, 64% said they’d leave their job if they felt the company’s culture wasn’t a good fit.

Shared values form a critical part of workplace culture and an organisation’s core values should be reflected in its business plan as well as its wellbeing strategy. When assessing workplace values, a good place to start is to gather feedback from people across the organisation to capture different perspectives. A company might ask questions such as:

Finish this sentence: in this organisation we value…

What do we expect of our employees?

What can our employees expect from us?

How are our values reflected in the actions of individuals across the organisation?

What is our organisation’s reputation within our industry? Are we transparent in our decision-making?

How do we recognise success?

How is conflict handled in our organisation?

How are we prioritising diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace?

Westfield Health’s free interactive e-book, ‘The wellbeing strategy workbook’, is available to download now. It contains three chapters packed with advice, resources and activities to help companies create and measure a wellbeing programme, drive culture change and build positive habits that stick.

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