SBT
SBT POWERED BY:
ISSUE 442
FREE
SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES
BUILDING UP TO 10 YEARS WITH THEIR LATEST #SHARE77K CHARITY INITIATIVE THE VIRTUAL BUSINESS AWARDS SUSSEX WINNERS ANNOUNCED www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975
1
Digital, design & branding
G N I H S WI
A U O Y
Y R E V
S A M T S I R H MERRY C
2 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
e: hello@whitespace.studio t: 01273 258000 w: www.whitespace.studio
SBTWelcome
WE LCO M E
Welcome to the final issue of 2020 and my favourite of the year, the SBT Charity Issue. We highlight some of the amazing charities from across our county and I am delighted to have our Cover story from Gavin Willis and Search Seven, who through a difficult year have maintained their continuous CSR and during a pandemic still raised over £10,000 for the #Share77k campaign.
This issue is to summarise and close what is a year we would mostly all like to forget. With a global pandemic to contend with, slowing down our fighting chance of keeping successful businesses going, it is breath-taking to see how many of us
have pulled through by pivoting, adapting to new working conditions and also taking on different types of work in order to survive. This issue is a round-up of the year and I refuse to focus on the negatives.
The Virtual Business Awards, run by County Business Clubs, was a personal highlight for me this year. It was a true honour to have many readers, and many others, attend to support the Rockinghorse Charity. More than that, I like to think your
attendance itself demonstrates the message I was trying to relay – that the Sussex business community, more than most, are extremely supportive of each other. It is an absolute pleasure to be a part of and I look forward to continuing my participation in it for 2021.
All that remains is to thank you for your commitment to Sussex Business Times this year. With this year’s expansion into
County Business Clubs, there is a real chance for businesses to expand their own networking scope by becoming members. I hope you will continue to support that venture as our mission is to promote and continue the loyal, friendly and supportive atmosphere which has become a real symbol throughout Sussex businesses.
With the end of the year in sight, and a credible promise of a vaccine which might help things return to some sort of normal in 2021, we have a lot to look forward to. I look forward to seeing you all in 2021. In the meantime I wish you and your families a wonderful Christmas and a happy, health and prosperous New Year. All the best. Sam Thomas, Managing Director
VALUE ADDED PARTNERS
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 3
Issue 441
05 09 Cover 441
13 17
Managing Director/Publisher Sam Thomas sam@thebusinessgroup.co.uk 01323 819 012 Production & Design Kim Butler
21
The Virtual Business Awards Sussex Winners Announced
SBT Roundup
A look back at some of the best of 2020
SBT Finance
MHA Carpenter Box – A year in review and a chance to look forward to 2021
SBT Legal
Employment Law Review of 2020 – By Alex Jones 365 Employment Law
SBT Property
Annual Musings – By Stephen Chipp, Town & Country Property Services
25
SBT Sales & Marketing
Published by The Business Group Sussex Ltd. Unit 1a Swan Barn Business Centre, Swan Barn Road, Hailsham, BN27 2BY
29
SBT People Management & Recruitment
Printed by L&S Printing Limited Hazelwood Close Worthing BN14 8NP
35
SBT Cover Feature
41
SBT Charity
Accounts Clare Fermor accounts@thebusinessgroup.co.uk 01323 819 016
01903 821005 www.ls-printing.com
All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. The views expressed in Sussex Business Times Magazine do not necessarily represent the view of The Business Group Sussex Ltd. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers of Sussex Business Times Magazine assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from the participation in any offers, competitions or advertisement contained within Sussex Business Times Magazine. All prices featured in Sussex Business Times Magazine are correct at the time of going to press. Copyright The Business Group Sussex Ltd. 2020 ©
4 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
57 61 64
As 2020 draws to a close – some Marketing Tips for 2021 from Consortium – More than Marketing
A call for businesses to take on apprentices – FFS… The most used phrase in HR in 2020!
We speak to Gavin Willis, MD at Search Seven about the latest #Share77k Campaign
Our Special Christmas Charity Feature – A focus on some of the amazing charities from across the county.
SBT Motor News
The Guiness Book of Cars – bought to you by Rivervale
SBT Ask The Expert
Three at Three James, Emma & Lisa are back with more great advice – 2021 Ready. Set. Go.
Cube Corner
Cube Consulting Paul Rogers Yearly Roundup.
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 5
Â? Â Â? Â?
6 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 7
Firstly thank you thank you thank you, for staying in to play
It’s not the normal Christmas do, but we’ll do it our own way. What a very strange year, no live networking or schmoozing But at least we still can do it, with a little bit of boozing.
We wanted a chance to bring the business community together Showing we acan all get through, any type of weather. As years go this one, has certainly been tough
Some ups, many downs but one thing’s true, when times get really rough The Sussex community business wise, really are quite brilliant Pulling together, carrying on, but most of all resilient
It’s hit us hard, this COVID thing with new rules every day
Masks, distancing, washing hands, no chance of getaways.
But we are still here, it won’t break us, and here’s a chance to make A great night in, with fun and games, so don’t make the mistake Of thinking this is another zoom call with no fun
Put your phone down, stop, engage, and stay till we are done. By way of introduction, I’m Sam from CBC
And from Network my Club we have my good friend Bradley joining me. You can tell the best looking one out of him and me One like James Bond, the other like Stavros Flatley.
Anyway, enough about us, look at all you gorgeous people here tonight, I’m so grateful you are here, and I have you all in sight.
On a slightly more serious note, the main reason we are here Is for Rockinghorse charity, one my heart holds dear
More than ever this special charity needs local support With finance and visibility, so let’s not come up short.
Those that know me are aware, that I think this charity’s amazing And I don’t think I will ever stop my continual praising
Of the work they do and hope they give to those in desperation, We can all assist them tonight by making a donation
A personal plea from me to you - the charity helped save my son I’m not sure, without their support, I’d even still have one. My son Luca, one of my twins, was born so very ill,
There was a point he might not make it, and time truly stood still The moments in that hospital will never leave my mind
The tests and wires and prayers all horrifically combined,
To make the threat of losing him one I just could not contemplate, Forgive me I really don’t want to open the floodgates.
Long story short, the doctors and equipment was mostly funded
By Rockinghorse, and so we watched how astonishingly well my son did. Against all odds he came right through to see the other side Unlike me and his Mum, he took it all in his stride. So there it is, my reason for arranging this event
I can assure you, money for Rockinghorse is very very well spent. So without further ado, let’s get on with enjoying tonight, I mean that truly and genuinely, I’m not just being polite.
I’m truly humbled to have each of you here, I mean that 100% I hope you have a great time, at this new unique event.
The votes are in, the winners are already pencilled on the board,
So enjoy yourselves, celebrate each other, at the Virtual Business Awards.
8 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
Written by Kelly Thomas
Info@remarkablerhymes.co.uk
www.remarkablerhymes.co.uk
SBT REVIEW
SBT ROUNDUP
WE LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THE BEST OF 2020
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 9
SBT Round Up - A Look back at another year brings the Sussex business community together. Based on the back of the 50
years running successful Sussex Business Times, this Club brings many wider online platforms into one space to promote and establish visibility for your business.
With five different platforms, County Business Clubs will allow you to
access many areas which you might
usually have to seek, and pay for, from separate providers:
• Business Community (social networking) • Business Funding (raising money for your business)
Issue 436 - CBC
• Marketplace (selling your products)
This is obviously my personal favourite
• Business Content Hub (E-courses
partners, Lee Mansfield, Greg Carroll
• Business Services (Advertising and
This has been several years in the making
You can pay one membership fee
tried to imagine an online space which
Business, social and online events will
issue of the year as my business
and I launched County Business Clubs.
and crystallizes many meetings where we
10 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
and webinars) Sponsorship)
and have access to all of these areas.
include many top Sussex businesses
and will be a chance for you to show off your own services and a fantastic way to explore providers of other services specific to your requirements.
There are seven different membership options, you can choose a rate
which suits you and tailor make your
accessible services in order to ensure you are at the forefront of the new County Business Clubs.
We are very happy to report that we now have the support of several big named
Value Added Partners such as Ridgeview, LoveLocalJobs.com, MHA Carpenter
Box and New World Tech. We have now upgraded our website, adapted some
content and are ready continue expansion. We would love if you could join us and
be part of the new wave of the Sussex Business Community in 2021.
SBT RE V I E W Jobs Foundation brings inspirational conferences, events and trips away to local schools. This supports the
core values of the business to raise confidence and help people be the
best version of themselves, which then springboards them into successful career choices.
During the COVID crises, like many
of us, LoveLocalJobs.com has had to
adapt and try and move into more online
training for the schools, certainly a tough gig but one which they appear to have managed seamlessly. Gary is clearly Issue 438 – Love Local Jobs
passionate about ensuring students
year anniversary of Brightonandhovejobs.
manage, and has shown determination
This issue was a celebration of the ten
have the right tools to equip them to
com. Our article outlined in-depth look
in securing the delivery of that training.
company founder Gary Peters.
Despite a tough year, there are
With the main intention of filling a gap
who continue to use and support the
difference to the local community, Gary
com and I wish them every success
at the business and an interview with the
successful businesses across Sussex
in the market, and making a positive
recruitment business at LoveLocalJobs.
outlined that he wanted to ensure he
going into 2021.
provided a business which would help
headed up by second generation
CEO Tamara Roberts and her brother, Chief Wine Maker Simon Roberts.
Ridgeview is at the forefront of the English sparkling wine industry,
pioneering a change in the reputation of English wines. Their dedication is
clear and Ridgeview was recognised in the International Wine and
Spirit Competition (IWSC) as the
“International Wine Makers of the Year,”
a truly respectable accolade. They were also crowned number 36 in the World’s Best Vineyards. Tamara has herself
been personally recognised as Sussex Businessperson of the Year and has also accepted a place after recently
being elected as President of the IWSC. Ridgeview work closely with the nearby Plumpton College in order to assist
and employ winemaking and viticulture
graduates. This shows a commitment to local employment and a keen devotion to ensure the best possible knowledge from their employees.
and inspire local future generations.
In 2020 Ridgeview has done their
American Express, Bupa, Domestic &
anniversary, an event slightly subdued
and EDF, Gary set about securing their
Inside the foil on opening every bottle is
become the successful one it is today.
To meet their own business needs,
Brightonandhovejobs.com have
distanced tours and online wine tasting
encourages skills of resilience,
to remain open and continue with
have been of particular use to all of us
the time to reflect and plan for events
With some big names on board, such as
best to celebrate their official 25 year
General, Legal & General, City College
due to the Coronavirus restrictions.
support and growing the business to
their philosophy “Life is for Celebrating.” Ridgeview has pivoted to offer socially
supported local schools and persistently
events and this has allowed them
determination and grit, skills which must
business. The company has also taken
this year. It prides itself on it’s unique
and business ideas for the future.
offering of knowing local business and
being able to provide online and face to
Issue 439 – Ridgeview
face services for recruitment.
This article focused on the history and
Two years ago, Gary launched the
and makes for a fascinating read. A
concentrates on working with school
25 years ago as a dream, has now
of the next generation. Launched by the
award winning wine maker in Sussex.
success of the Ridgeview Wine Estate
Love Local Jobs Foundation which
family run business which started
and employers to raise the aspirations
developed into a hugely successful
legend Harry Redknapp, the Love Local
The Roberts family business is now
Going into 2021, and with the hope of a vaccine for all, Ridgeview hope to
continue with their brilliant Ridgefest Music and Street Festival in August. With their wines now being sent to
seventeen countries around the globe, there is no reason why they cannot
continue to grow and maintain success. I wish them all the very best in 2021.
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 11
S BT R E VI E W
A fantastic partnership with the
Lawn Tennis Association to handle the corporate hospitality for the
Eastbourne based Nature Valley International Tennis Tournament
has served them well. A massive
acquisition campaign for Johnson
Controls, and the infamous Let’s Do
Business Exhibitions over the last few years are also perfect endorsements for the brand.
Passionate about Eastbourne, PRG
created and ran the Change Your View campaign, and Simon Groves is also Issue 440 – PRG Marketing Communications
A close up at the business of PRG
Marketing Communications for this
issue, with a particular celebration of their 40th year in business.
Based in Eastbourne, this fantastic
business started at the home of Ray Groves, Simon’s father, purely as a
a Parent Governor of Pashley Down
Infant School, showing commitment
and support of the local community. Despite a tough year, PRG continues
to go from strength to strength as is a beacon of hope that it is possible to
continue with a thriving business, even in a year like 2020. I wish PRG, and
Simon, every success going into 2021.
PR company. Over time and with clear
medium sized business clients, as well as enterprise clients, and he intends to provide them with the support to continue despite the crisis.
Undergoing massive transformation and pivoting to a completely new
direction might be, in Glenn’s opinion, the only way for certain businesses to survive. He gives examples of hotels
opening up rooms for businesspeople to use instead of working in their
home environment, or restaurants
providing pick up or delivery services to adapt to the current crisis.
This year is certainly one we will all
Oman and Africa.
not forget, but as many of us have
collaborated, and truly come together
Very much a family run business, they
as a community it has been great to
take strategic business decisions
continue sharing stories with advice
together as a team and have faced
12 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
NWT has built a number of small to
every success going into 2021.
throughout Europe and even as far as
strength to strength.
ahead of the crisis. Founded in 2016,
in these times. I wish NWT, and Glenn,
based, the company has seen clients
on and it seems have now gone from
strategy might allow businesses to get
possible to think outside the box even
strength to strength. Originally UK
Showing resilience, they soldiered
how an aligned IT and business
the positive article showing that it is
marketing, which has seen it go from
member of staff was lost to cancer.
In the first article, Glenn described
need it the most. Thank you Glenn for
website development and digital
fault of their own, and a very valued
survive during the Coronavirus crisis.
business services, a time when many
The company has now stepped into
large clients were lost through no
the reasons for, and how to pivot to
many businesses with their IT and
graphic design company.
describes a time in 2018 when some
a series of four articles detailing
all of us, NWT continues to support
expanded into a full marketing and
managing director Simon Groves,
Sussex Business Times to supply
Whilst 2020 has been challenging on
hard work and commitment, PRG has
their fair share of difficulties. The
CEO Glenn Ballard has partnered with
Issue 441 – New World Tech
New World Tech are the focus
of this round up from issue 441.
NWT provides a portfolio of digital
consultancy services. The company was designed to help their clients
modernise their IT and embrace the digital world.
and tips shared from our members,
as well as helping some businesses
celebrate some amazing milestones from across the Sussex business
community. We have survived and we will come back stronger in 2021!
Sam & the team
SBT FINANCE
2020: A YEAR IN REVIEW
AND A CHANCE TO LOOK FORWARD TO 2021
SBT FINANCE SPONSORED BY:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 13
2020: A year in review and a chance to look forward to 2021 Between Covid-19, lockdowns and Brexit planning, 2020 was a year few predicted, and unlike most businesses have ever seen. Finance
With 2021 fast approaching,
and regional lock
downs still part of
the economic landscape, businesses
across Sussex continue to trade under extremely challenging conditions.
However, there actions you can take now to ensure you start 2021 on a strong footing.
Spending Review 2020: implications for businesses
In his Spending Review on 25
November Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the “economic emergency� caused by Covid-19 has only just begun, as he
14 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
warned the virus would mean lasting damage to growth and jobs.
Current UK economic climate
Official forecasts now predict the biggest economic decline in 300 years.
The UK economy is expected to shrink
by 11.3% this year and not return to its pre-Covid size until the end of 2022.
Government borrowing will rise to its
highest outside of wartime to deal with the economic impact.
The Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) expects the number of
unemployed people to increase up to
2.6 million by the middle of next year. This means the unemployment rate
will hit 7.5%, its highest level since the financial crisis in 2009.
Furthermore, the Office for National
Statistics recently revealed that nearly half (48%) of trading businesses have
seen their turnover fall to below what is normally expected for this time of year. What does this mean for businesses?
Clearly the situation is unprecedented
in peace time. The cost of Covid-19 is
huge and the Government will need to find more money from spending cuts and taxes just to balance revenues on a day to day basis. Businesses
FI NA NCE
of supports and tax changes. Take some time to plan ahead to look
at maximising revenue and minimising or streamlining operating costs. We
can provide you with templates and
forecasts to do this or we can help you prepare accurate forecasts based on a could therefore expect to see tax rises
number of scenarios and do a “what if”
announced in the March 2021 budget.
exercise on your business.
There is already speculation that
Cash flow checklist for business
from changes to Capital Gains Tax,
So, if you are running a business and
taxes. However, this will not be
doing to ensure resilience?
so there may also be some corporation
Government support
insurance increases.
times and it makes sense to take
The big decision for the government
These include the new Job Support
support to the recovering economy
using Bounce Back Loans.
finances by tax rises. The extreme
There are also grants available to help
that decision could be.
export administration.
Planning ahead
Cash flow checklist
flow management now ahead of the end
can be very difficult but there are some
the government could raise money
resilience
pensions relief or self-employment
turnover is down, what should you be
sufficient to cover the Covid-19 costs tax, income tax, VAT or national
will be to decide when to stop the
and when to start strengthening public uncertainty underlines how difficult
Businesses should strengthen their cash
Clearly, we are living in tough
advantage of Government supports. Schemes, as well as deferring tax and
firms with Brexit changes for import and
Business planning for the unknown
practical steps you can take to minimise potential disruption to your business.
1. Review your budgets and set realistic and achievable targets for the
remainder of 2020 and into the early part of 2021.
2. G et your employees involved
in a discussion of likely trading
conditions due to Brexit and get
their input on reducing costs and maintaining revenues.
3. Use ‘bottom up’ budgeting where
everyone in the business gives input
on areas over which they have control – target a 10% cost saving.
4. Review and flow chart the main
processes in your business (sales processing, order fulfilment,
shipping, etc.) and challenge the need for each step.
5. Encourage team members to suggest ways to streamline and simplify
processes (sit down and brainstorm
about efficiencies and cost reduction).
6. P ut extra effort into making sure your relationships with your customers are solid.
7. Review your list of products and services and eliminate those
that are unprofitable or not core products/services.
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 15
FI NAN C E
It’s not about hoping that old services become popular again; it’s about
adapting old services to make them
better, more relevant, and more valuable to consumers today. 4. Stick to strategy
When the only constant is change itself, it can be easy to find your business
further and further away from your initial
objectives and goals. Detailed plans and forecasts are near enough impossible at the moment so strip your strategy back. Focus on your vision of where you want
to be and then build a one-page-plan of how you are going to get there.
The plan should be a guide, not a rule
book and stick to what you are good at.
Each adaptation should be to move you back in line with your vision. You should 8. Review the efficiency of business
processes and consider alternatives
such as outsourcing certain activities locally or overseas.
9. Agree extended payment terms with all suppliers in advance.
10. Pull everyone together and explain
the business strategy and get their buy-in.
Tips to get your business booming in 2021
Despite the challenging economic
landscape, there still are opportunities
for growth and plenty of success stories out there. So how do you capitalise on these and become one of the ‘lucky’
businesses thriving through adversity?
Below, we provide our top tips to hit the ground running for 2021:
1. Stay close to your numbers
Without a crystal-clear picture of your
business’ financial health, you will not be able to create an effective strategy that will help you weather business challenges. By making the effort to
understand your financials, including your revenue, expenses, profits, and
16 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
cashflow numbers, you will be able to plan accordingly.
Up to date management information will also assist in the preparation of
forecasts. Regular forecasting will be
increasingly important to monitor cash flows and identify any pinch points. 2. Improve Your Cashflow
Cashflow is the lifeblood of your business,
and ideally, you should be bringing in more income than the amount you are spending
adapt your services and operations, not your strategy.
5. External solutions for internal problems
Keep track of what’s going on around
you, what looks like it works and what
clearly doesn’t. Competitor analysis and product surround tools can be great for
identifying opportunities to adapt, but in its simplest form just keep track of what
your competitors are doing and don’t be left behind.
to sustain your business. However,
How we can support you in 2021
you must first ensure that you have
MHA Carpenter Box can provide the
before you can improve your cashflow, accurate financial records and an effective accounting system in place.
Once you have these sorted out, use our checklist above to take control of your
and beyond
guidance to help review your business, provide advice on accessing support
and assist with identifying options for cash flow needs.
cash position.
For more information, please visit
3. Adapt, don’t recover
01903 234094.
When business gets disrupted, most
businesses focus nearly all their attention on how to recover their old services.
By looking forward, you’ll see that the business environment has moved.
www.carpenterbox.com or call
SBT
LEGA L
LEGAL
EMPLOYMENT LAW: REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2020 BY ALEX JONES, 365 EMPLOYMENT LAW
SBT LEGAL SPONSORED BY:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 17
Employment Law: Review of the year 2020
I have written various updates for SBT over the year and these have of course been dominated by COVID 19 and the effect it has on the employment relationship. By Alex Jones, Managing Director, 365 Employment Law Most of the talking
Legal
points throughout the year followed
difficult decisions
that employers had
to make, relating to the health of their
staff, and the economic consequences of COVID. Those short term issues
have now turned into long term issues as the long terms effects, some
positive, some negative on working conditions take hold.
1) COVID 19 and Furlough Prior to late March 2020, the concept of furloughing in staff in the UK
18 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
employment relationship simply did
not exist. In response to the economic challenges the COVID pandemic was
presenting, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, introduced the concept of paid furlough leave for staff, to essentially place them in hibernation for a period of time, and
to assist business through any closures, reductions in turnover etc.
Certain areas were heavily impacted, including catering and hospitality,
temporary recruitment, and travel and tourism. The impact was immediate. As the pandemic took off in March,
I had employer client’s from various
areas, but particularly those from the
sectors I mention, faced with huge
drop in turnover (almost overnight), and the need to make immediate
redundancies and in some cases,
in order to avoid that, negotiate pay
reductions by consent with staff. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), then put a lot of those decisions on hold.
The CJRS introduced the concept of paid furlough, when in simple terms,
employers could inform staff they were not needed in the workplace, keep
their jobs open, and recover 80% of their salary (capped at ÂŁ2,500) from HMRC. Initially, employers had to
LEGA L
either place staff in furlough, or keep
them in work. They could not split the two options until later in the summer.
The problems I saw, both for employers and employees, was that the scheme was essentially a rebate from
HMRC, and this was fundamentally misunderstood by a number of
employers. The scheme did not change employment rights, it did not change existing contractual obligations, and
it certainly did not allow employers a
unilateral right to inform staff that they were being placed on furlough. This
opened up a number of challenges and claims, relating to unlawful deduction from wages, how to deal with staff
who refused agreement, claims arising for staff who had the changed terms
imposed without consent, and attempts by employers to change other terms permanently at the same time.
The employers that dealt well with the furlough issue, avoided claims. They
sought to negotiate furlough (following advice), with affected staff and reach an agreement on that furlough, both relating to being absent from the
workplace, and on reduced pay, by consent. They were able to do that
with a basic furlough agreement that
was time limited and two way, and this avoided problems and claims.
2) Health and Safety in the workplace Large parts of the economy started to reopen at the start of June, but large
parts of the workforce were either not back at work, or working from home
at that point. Those areas that almost
immediately went back to full attendance, including factories and warehouse
based business, had to consider what protections and systems they needed
to put in place to protect staff. In many cases, systems were not been put in
place, and lower paid staff were at times exploited and continue to be exploited.
The Health and
Safety Work Act
(HSWA) requires all employers to operate a safe
system of work and
we saw this applied in all workplaces,
specifically related to Covid. The specific application of that
to the return to work and Covid-19 had to be considered by employers.
Employers should of course continue to
Alex Jones
assess this.
That should
public transport, and also their home
plan, that focuses on the specifics
mitigation plans on an ongoing basis
just based on general guidelines eg
considered by all employers. Employers
about the risk areas for possible
the last 9 months, have found
those can be mitigated. A failure to
than those who dictated expectations
by the Health and Safety Executive
expectations had no legal justification.
October, another work from home “if
for more flexible and home working,
the government, but unlike in March,
ahead of others in recruitment.
requirement or sanctions.
3) Working Parents
Every workplace, should continue
The balance of full and part time staff,
relating to covid and their staff safety,
discrimination is an ongoing situation
relating to what to do in terms of
As covid developed, Employers faced
include a detailed risk management
working environment. Working out
of their business/workplace and not
in that regard eg later starts, should be
1 metre plus. Employers should think
who engaged with their staff throughout
transmission of COVID-19 and how
themselves in a much better place,
do this could result in an investigation
to them, especially when those
in the event of an outbreak. In
Staff expectations will continue to be
possible” declaration was made by
and employers who offer that will be
it was not backed up by any legal
to assess, on a rolling basis, issuing
working parents, maternity leave and
including having protocols in place
that all employers have to deal with.
symptoms and an actual diagnosis.
the situation where, as staff were
Employers should appreciate that
School and Nursery closures (even
extend to the worker’s commute to
workers ability to attend the office in
reduces transmission risk is not
The requirement to self isolate, and
workplace, for example, via crowded
testing, also increased this problem.
brought back into the workplace,
providing a safe workplace, can also
on a part reduced basis) affected
work. Eg an office that dramatically
accordance with their normal hours.
enough, if workers attend the
delays at times in getting access to
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 19
L EGAL claims. I have one live
case, where the employer put the employee (and others) on furlough in
April, and informed them they would continue to work despite this. My
client objected, and was
subsequently dismissed,
leading to various claims. Employers should be very careful in these circumstances!
7) What to expect in 2021 Covid will continue
to dominate staffing
matters, with the same
issues arising, including businesses closing and re-opening (and issues
Employers may be inclined, if numbers
5) Redundancy post Covid
to focus on those employees first. They
Redundancies as a result of the
cycles repeat, some locally, some
are happening and continue to be
management, furlough, redundancies,
ends next year. Employers should
The end of the CJRS in March, could
selection process, and should be
en masse in certain industries.
assuming that employees placed on
The other issue that will affect
the list for redundancy selection.
staffing issues, is Brexit. Whatever
Employers should be as flexible as
January 2021 will lead to sustainability
that the bar for reasonableness in any
in turn will lead to redundancies, and
need to be reduced through redundancies, should avoid this. This could open
them up to discrimination and/or unfair dismissal claims.
4) Disability Discrimination Most employers will have members of staff who would be classed as
having a Disability for the purposes
of the Equality Act 2010. I have seen a focus from employers on those
with a disability who are potentially
directly affected by COVID19 eg with lung conditions. If an employee has
a disability, the employer has a Duty to Make Reasonable Adjustments to assist with that disability in the
workplace. Employers should consider what reasonable adjustments need to
connected with that) as lockdown
economic fallout of the pandemic
nationally. This will lead to absence
inevitable when the CJRS Scheme
and the health issues I mention above.
always have a transparent and fair
also lead to large scale redundancies
cautioned against automatically
furlough previously should be top of
business, and how they deal with arrangements are in place on 1st
possible, and be alive to the possibility
issues for many businesses, which
unfair dismissal claims will be lower,
claims connected with that.
Covid 19, will not necessarily be the
Please always take advice.
and justification for dismissal presame in the current environment.
Alex Jones
be made given the ongoing situation,
6) Whistleblowing Claims
365 Employment Law Solicitors
lockdown’s happen again, even at
I have seen a number of examples,
ajones@365employmentlaw.co.uk
and what they will do as and when a local level. Eg An employee with extreme anxiety might consider working from home on a semi-
permanent basis a means of avoiding escalation of their condition.
20 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
where employees who have complained about their treatment relating to
furlough, have then been dismissed.
The employee will then be able to bring Protected Disclosure (Whistleblowing)
Tel: 01903 863284
www.365employmentlaw.co.uk
SBT PROPERTY
ANNUAL MUSINGS
WELL QUITE FRANKLY WHERE DO I START…?!
EDWARD STREET QUARTER
ANNOUNCES GROUND-BREAKING AIR-PURIFYING TACTICS
SBT PROPERTY SPONSORED BY:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 21
Annual musings Well quite frankly where do I start….?! Having looked back
Property
over the 15 newsletters sent to clients this year it is frankly staggering
the amount of change and information
that has had to be conveyed to ensure the smooth running of our business and our clients properties.
I am immensely proud of the team with how we have continued to provide a
seamless service to our clients during this ‘year of all years’.
We have had not just the Covid-19
legislation to read, understand (ha!!),
implement and comply with but also
22 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
further changes with the laws of the lettings industry itself. These have
created huge challenges – not least the electrical safety standards legislation –
during a time when access to properties, and contractor time, is difficult to come
by because of the changing nature of the various Covid-19 measures.
I have to also thank several other
businesses as we could not have carried on so seamlessly without them; •O ur partners at RDA Estates,
who facilitate the purchase and
management of investment properties for, mainly, overseas investors. If you
ever need assistance in growing your own property portfolio please ask
me for an introduction as they have a wealth of experience.
•O ur IT providers; Support Desk. It is
fair to say that without their assistance we would not have been able to pivot
so successfully without any disruption to our daily activities.
•J en Wallace of JooJoo Creative who deals with our marketing and on line presence and helps me make my newsletters look so pretty!!
• Finally the contractors who have to a
man, and woman, dealt with maintenance reported as swiftly as access, and the availability of materials, allowed.
P RO PE RTY property management, in my opinion, is
an industry that deals with people by and large so I long for the days when tenants come back to our offices to ‘check in’. This brings me on to what I think the
future holds for the lettings and property management industry.
I think we are certainly going to see
more localised, and possibly national,
lockdowns in the coming months which will obviously impact all economies and could have further impacts on tenants abilities to pay rent. We have taken
a human approach and, as we are an
agency that has experience of Universal Credit, are well placed to advise our
clients as to what is possible if there are issues.
It is vital that you have good
communications with your clients, and their tenants, as you can only hope to
address financial problems if you do. A kind and compassionate agent, in my
view, will have much greater success in
dealing with rent arrears by tenants than
one who threatens and adds pressure to
already difficult circumstances. It is a fine It goes without saying, but I will say it
again and again, that our biggest thanks goes to our clients this year, and all
years. We have never, nor will ever, take any of our business for granted.
Whilst there was of course a real dip
during the initial UK lockdown it was
as if the floodgates had opened once it was relaxed and properties have been
taken from virtual viewings and tenancies signed remotely with applicants only
coming to the office to collect keys and
to carry out Right to Rent checks. I have to say that I do think bigger agencies will wish for this to carry on due to costs but I actually like my staff to meet and get
a relationship with the tenants who are
moving into our clients properties. In fact I like people full stop and lettings and
line as tenants also need to be aware that unless stated rent will accrue as an arrear and will have to be paid back.
In 2021 the UK Government is going
to have to give some consideration to
landlords who, currently, could be over 6 months in arrears, with a mortgage,
who has a disruptive tenant and have
very little hope of obtaining possession quickly. As I say a fine line…
Energy efficiency will also continue to
have an impact on the sector. By 2025 it is mooted that any new tenancy may
as to whether many of the properties in
the UK will comply with this rating level. The Government is currently finishing
its consultation exercise and so we ca expect an announcement shortly.
I think that the UK Government, at some point after this crisis has passed, will look further at eviction processes by
removing the use of section 21 notices as this was included in the Queens speech
some time ago. I would think that if the above does happen tenancy terms will be made longer giving less rights for
no fault possession to the landlord but
perhaps putting more onus on carrying
out improvements to the tenant. This is
seen as somewhat of a negative currently but actually I see this as a positive for
the long term investor. What could be
better than having a guaranteed tenant for a number of years who has a legal obligation to upkeep the property?!
People will continue to need places to live and their ability to save for a
deposit to purchase will undoubtedly
be made that much harder due to the economic reality we are facing. This
should mean that property remains an
attractive investment opportunity so long as you are aware of the myriad pieces
of legislation that governs the sector. I
cannot stress enough that a good agent can save you thousands of £’s from
compliance alone. I might just know a good one if you are in need?! Ha Ha!
I will end by wishing you all the very best wherever you are reading this and with a quote I read on social media recently;
Before I agree to 2021 I would like to see the bloody terms and conditions!!
well have to be at a minimum rating of ‘C’ or above and this would encompass all
existing tenancies by 2028. The current
level is set at ‘E’ and above and I have to say that many of the energy assessors I
have spoken to are somewhat sceptical
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 23
PRO PE RT Y
Edward Street Quarter announces ground-breaking air-purifying tactics Edward Street Quarter, the mixed-use development currently being built at the former AMEX House site in central Brighton, will introduce ground-breaking ways to improve the air quality in and around the site. Developer First Base
Property
has ordered the use
of antibacterial and air purifying paints which will benefit residents
and occupiers as well as painters and decorators, as the materials are free
of VOC emissions. The paints work by
absorbing CO2 from the environment in
their carbonisation process which leads to cleaner and more climate-friendly spaces. To further reduce air pollution, the new neighbourhood’s design will introduce 16 species of native and non-native trees, in a mix of deciduous and
evergreen, to its three predominantly
green spaces – including field maple,
weeping birch, Himalayan cedar, dawn
stripped tree logs will also be installed to
make a positive impact around Edward
redwood, Scots pine, hazel and pin oak.
attract invertebrates.
Street Quarter.
The average reduction of particulate
To support local biodiversity, developers
“Keeping healthy and staying well
and 24 per cent, according to a study
boxes to encourage nesting of Great
Covid-19 has brought this to the forefront
healthy trees are the most effective at
the city and imbed 67 different plant
leading the way at Edward Street Quarter
matter near a tree is between 7 per cent
First Base also plan to install 20 bird
has always been important, however,
by The Nature Conservancy, and large,
Tits, Blue Tits and House Sparrows in
of everyone’s minds. We are pleased to be
improving local air quality.
species sourced from a British nursery
so that our community will work and live in
throughout the development.
a safe and healthy environment.”
will give the public games garden an
Landscape architect, Rosie Sargen
Edward Street Quarter will deliver
of disease-resistant Elms will provide
carefully selected a range of resilient
39,000 sq ft of food, beverage, retail
will be reintroduced with the development.
for its uses of Elm trees to bring shade,
homes and three new public spaces.
Buildings within the development will
cleaner air.”
built with a target to achieve a BREEAM
area equivalent to five tennis courts,
Steve Eccles, project director at First
sustainability assessment for buildings.
other plants which will absorb rainwater
big priority in urban locations and that
For more information, please visit
features such as hibernaculum and
new trees, shrubs and green roofs to
A diverse mix of mature specimen trees arboretum feel year-round and four species
of SpaceHub, commented, “We have
110,000 sq ft of Grade A office space,
shade and shelter to Mighell Street, which
species, for example, Brighton is famous
and leisure units, 168 new residential
shelter and importantly contribute to
The mixed-use development will be
feature 15,000 sq ft of green roofs, the comprised of sedums, wildflowers and
Base, said: “Improving air quality is a
and provide better insulation. Habitat
is why we will deliver air purifying paint,
24 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
Excellence rating, the globally recognised
https://edwardstreetquarter.com/
SBT
P RO PE RTY
SALES & MARKETING
AS 2020 DRAWS TO A CLOSE…
SOME MARKETING TIPS FOR 2021
SBT SALES & MARKETING SPONSORED BY:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 25
As 2020 draws to a close… some marketing tips for 2021 By Lara Squires – Consortium More than Marketing If I ask whether any
Sales & Marketing
of you will be sad to
see the end of 2020, I can almost hear a
collective groan and
moan saying NO! What a year it has
been, for business, for employees, and for human interaction! As a marketing agency specialising in professional
services, we have seen some great (and not so great) shifts this year. Looking back on 2020 What are those shifts? One has certainly been businesses have
embraced virtual networking and
26 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
virtual meetings, with the huge uptake of tools such as Zoom, Remo, Hopin, MS teams, etc. If anyone told you
to invest in Zoom this time last year,
would you have taken notice? Probably not. But no doubt virtual networking is here to stay, even if we eventually return to some form of ‘normal’ in
2021, I envisage it will be a blended mix of in-person and virtual events.
It is a great way to interact with one
another, whilst achieving that work-life
balance (by reducing travel) and all the while saving business costs!
Take a look at my recent blog about
what virtual networking opportunities
are out there and what you should go to. In my recent podcast with 10½ Boots I present a case for virtual networking.
Another not so positive shift has been with marketing spend. During times of uncertainty this is quite typical,
as many businesses consider some marketing activities to be non-
essential, however, companies that bounce back most strongly after a recession usually do not cut their
marketing spend, and in many cases
increase it. Do you have a strategic or
tactical marketing plan in place? If not, we urge businesses to forge ahead and plan for 2021 and beyond.
SAL ES & MARKE TI NG
Lara Squires
At the end of January, we’ll be launching
to engage your audience and promote
data. There are endless possibilities
Club to give professional services
effort into video content.
existing clients, if only your data was
The Consortium Marketing Coaching businesses the tools they need to
your brand. Invest in time, budget, and
develop their own marketing strategy.
2. SEO Marketing:
objectives, how to analyse your audience
while, but it is becoming increasingly
We will cover how to set marketing
and competitors, outreach tactics, and
how to network to grow your business.
We have 6 spaces in our group sessions, or we will have 1-2-1 sessions available. Get in touch if you are interested. Marketing tips for 2021 Here are my marketing tips for 2021
with the caveat that as with 2020, so much can change in a short time! 1. Video is king:
Video has been getting a lot of attention recently, and rightly so. It is a great way
SEO has been around for a long
important for businesses, from how
to cross-sell and upsell to your
in the right state to market to your
customers according to their needs and wants. New Year’s resolution – sort your client data out!
you present your website content, to
Over the coming months we will
and LinkedIn profile. With Google’s
changes, as no doubt the current
the keywords you use in your blogs new Page Experience algorithm
update in May 2021, SEO and our
websites are likely going to be more important than ever.
3. Client data and how you leverage it to get more clients:
How many hidden jewels do you
revisit some of these tips to see what coronavirus uncertainty will present many more challenges in 2021. Contact Lara via the platform or: Email: lara@consortiumbiz.co.uk Call: 01903 530787 www.consortiumbiz.co.uk
have in your data? If only it was
cleansed and segmented! I bet many
businesses have the same challenge:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 27
JACK NEEDS
YOU We’re looking for ‘Hero’ businesses from across Sussex to help raise the aspirations of our local next generation. Raise your profile and market your business while helping 1,000’s of young people. Find out more – visit LoveLocalJobsFoundation.com or email Foundation@lovelocaljobs.com
28 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
Dare to
Dream
Delivered by
SBT
COVER FE ATU RE
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT & RECRUITMENT
A CALL FOR BUSINESSES TO TAKE ON APPRENTICES
BY THE LETTING PARTNERSHIP
SBT PEOPLE MANAGEMENT & RECRUITMENT SPONSORED BY:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 29
The Letting Partnership calls for businesses to take on apprentices and give young people opportunities Specialist provider of services to the lettings industry The Letting Partnership is calling for businesses to take on more apprentices and support young people in a challenging jobs market. The company hired
HR
three apprentices after it witnessed a surge in demand for its
outsourced client accounting and Client Money Protection services this year. The Letting Partnership’s new
apprentices are supporting its ambitions to grow and have brought a fresh dynamic to the team.
Jenny Markham, CEO of The Letting Partnership, said: “We have had
30 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
incredible feedback from our clients
about our apprentices in their first few
months and they already feel like part of the team.
“It has been a privilege to offer
these hard working, intelligent and enthusiastic young people from
Greater Brighton Metropolitan College a platform to excel in such a difficult jobs market.
“It is giving us so much joy to nurture their professional careers, but their
arrival is helping us to successfully
navigate our recent expansion to meet the demands of the letting industry. “Today we’re calling on the lettings
industry to think about what it can do to
support young people, but we also want them to think about the benefits for their businesses of hiring apprentices.”
Apprentices Millie Draper, Chloe Smith
and Jake Collins were delighted to join
The Letting Partnership as apprentices during the summer.
P EOP L E MAN AGEM EN T & R ECR U ITM E NT
opportunities for
progression. By the
time they complete the apprenticeship thanks to the rigours of the
course and our inhouse training program,
they are competent and confident staff
members ready to take on responsibility and
sometimes seniority on the team.
“We are certainly
aiming to take on more
apprentices in the future as our business grows and we urge the rest
of the lettings industry and indeed the wider business community Guided by mentors, they have been processing client accounts, liaising
with agents on the phone and by email and carrying out day to day jobs, while working towards Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeships.
The Letting Partnership hired its
first apprentices in 2016, beginning with John Westwood who is now
the Client Induction Lead with full responsibility for onboarding and
settling in new clients since passing
his apprenticeship. He was followed
by Ocean-Lee Parker, who passed her
apprenticeship in September 2020 and accepted a full-time role as a Client
Accounts Administrator, mentoring the new apprentices.
The Letting Partnership said some
business owners are concerned that employing apprentices will take too
much time or cost too much money, but the truth is that apprentices can help to upskill a workforce and that when
a business hires any new employee it takes time to train them up.
The benefits of hiring apprentices
include providing increased support for
a growing business, fresh ideas and the opportunity to grow a member of staff
for the future, while existing employees can also learn from the new and enthusiastic recruits.
Government grants, such as the
recently launched Kickstart Scheme,
are available to businesses, providing funding for employers to create new
six-month job placements for young
people aged 16 to 24. Until the end of January 2021, additional Government
funded incentives are also available to
businesses which take on apprentices. Jenny added: “All three of our
apprentices are absolutely fantastic. Our mission is to provide them with a good working environment and training. In
return they have a fantastic opportunity
to do the same and to give young people a
platform where they can excel.
Claire Gehlig, Head of Apprenticeships at Greater Brighton Metropolitan
College, said: “Our students were so
happy to secure their apprenticeships at The Letting Partnership and they have told us what a supportive and
interesting working environment the business has provided for them. “It’s businesses like The Letting
Partnership which can see the benefits of taking on apprentices that are going to make a real difference to young people’s lives during a time when
finding an entry level job has become more difficult than ever before.”
For more information visit: https://www. thelettingpartnership.co.uk/
to progress up the career ladder.
“The lettings industry is the kind of environment which would
suit apprentices and there are
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 31
FFS…. the most used phrase in HR in 2020! (for a couple of different reasons!) So here we are,
HR
nearing the end of
2020 does anyone else think it went
January, February, March, zoom,
December?! Where has the year gone?
Whether it has gone fast or slow for you there’s no doubt that in business and pleasure we’ve all been affected.
Over the course of 2020, many of
us had those carefully laid people
strategies torn up by the end of March and re-written, covering many areas
32 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
that no one had thought would be on the agenda this soon.
So, whether you’ve lost parts of your business, grown, pivoted or started
something fresh, sit back and read our HR round up for 2020.
It doesn’t cover all employment law
changes (you can get them from Acas or gov. websites) but rather some of
the practical changes and challenges
that have affected employers over the course of 2020.
Furlough. Prior to about the 20th March that was a word that had not even come into my vocabulary yet today I often
play bingo and see how many times its mentioned in a day!
With agreement, employers have been
able to put employees on furlough leave and claim back from the government a
percentage of wages if they met the criteria of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Over the months the amounts and
rules changed – in July moving to a
P EOP L E MAN AGEM EN T & R ECR UITM E NT
flexible furlough scheme (FFS) where employers could ask employees to
work part of their hours and still reclaim their pay from the government for the hours not worked.
This scheme is now due to be in place until March 2021. Whether it will be
extended again and/or be recognised
as a term to use in future employment
areas and references only time will tell. Remote working. It’ll never work…well, well, well!
How many times have I received a flexible working request, and the
response has been “we can’t trust
our employees to work at home, be
productive and deliver results…. it’ll never work”
A lot of the aversion previously has
been lack of trust or potentially (dare I say it!) poor management skills but in
many businesses, this has been a real eye opener and I have heard
many stories of businesses now considering selling offices and
downsizing as this remote working has so many benefits….
It hasn’t worked for everyone and
some have hated homeworking. I personally love to see people and
know I bounce off others so I’m hoping that in the future there will be the
flexibility and understanding that a
hybrid approach is best. Managers will need support to ensure this continues to be a success and businesses need to comply with H&S requirements but let’s watch this space.
What do you know – it happened!!
Along with remote working, more
have no choice it’s been amazing to see
norm. Gone is the standard 9-5 with
When push comes to shove and we
how people have adapted and just got on with their jobs – and in many cases been more productive.
Flexible Working has also become the many people juggling partners roles,
home schooling and other caring duties whilst seeing the devastation of the
virus so there has been a shift for many to enjoying a better work/life balance. Forward thinking employers are
understanding that if objectives are met, projects are delivered, and customers are happy there is no reason why
employees can’t work hours to suit the family/home life.
With employees more engaged,
motivated and satisfied employees from the above two approaches, I hope the
approach continues when we go back to normality – providing the business can operate not to its detriment.
Employee Wellbeing has been
bubbling away in the background for several years but this year the health of employees has become a priority.
Not physically seeing team members,
understanding home working challenges and caring responsibilities (which
may not have been discussed or even considered before) have come to the forefront of many a managers minds and with regular check ins, better
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 33
PEOPL E MAN AGE M E N T & R EC R U ITM E N T
Theresa Cooper
There are many ways to do a formal, regular check in and this must be an
approach that works for the business – not just a corporate exercise we think we should have but I like a
regular check in and do think this is the way forward.
communications, some delivering
mental health awareness training and
recognition and gifts being utilised and
delivered in businesses to show thanks and support employees and employers have both benefitted.
There is still a long way to go but it has been great to start seeing
businesses use the human approach when dealing with their employees. Long may it continue.
Following on from above, many a job seeker will want to ensure that their
next workplace fits with their values and
goals and therefore Employer Branding and digital presence has become a key part of the people strategy.
Company websites have been updated and many businesses have taken the
opportunity to update their glassdoor
and indeed profiles to showcase their
business, giving potential employees a real insight on how it might be working for their company.
34 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
This is an area that I believe will continue - according to Link Humans, around 78% of candidates will investigate a
company’s reputation before applying
for a job so make sure you’re on top of this for 2021.
An area I have been discussing with
many of my businesses has been the Removal of Annual Appraisals and
Replacing with Regular Check Ins. Annual performance reviews are a formal, infrequent way to discuss
employee performance. Often, they
are time consuming and unproductive.
Sometimes, they even cause decreased employee engagement.
Because of the frequency businesses
have had to change over the last twelve
months a more formal regular review has been discussed as being more effective and valuable. It encourages agile
working and ensures the business keeps at the top of its game with the ability to adapt to whatever is thrown at it.
What a whirlwind! With Brexit,
the ongoing Coronavirus situation including the introduction of the vaccine (can we enforce
our employees to have it), huge
unemployment levels and the normal
changes to employment law there will certainly still be a lot going on in the HR world in 2021.
If there are any areas that you know you could or need to be better on and/or
you want to discuss an affordable way of managing your HR in 2021 please give me a call.
Have a great Christmas and New Year
and I look forward to seeing you in 2021. Theresa Cooper, Managing Director,
CooperativeHR Ltd, enabling business owners to do business, not HR. www.cooperativehr.co.uk
SBT COVER FEATURE
THEIR LATEST #SHARE77K CHARITY INITIATIVE
WE HEAR FROM SEARCH SEVENS MANAGING DIRECTOR, GAVIN WILLIS
SBT COVER FEATURE SPONSORED BY:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 35
Search Seven: Building up to 10 years with their latest #share77k charity initiative With their 10th anniversary fast approaching, Brighton-based paid media and SEO agency Search Seven have raised the bar by setting themselves the challenge of bringing their fundraising total to £77,000 by the end of 2021. We spoke to Managing Director, Gavin Willis to find out more. Cover Feature
We last caught up
“That’s right – the #share7 campaign
during your #share7
raised an amazing £20,000 for the
with you in 2018
campaign. Before
you tell us about the new campaign you have underway, what have you been up to since then?
36 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
across 2018 was incredible. We
seven charities we nominated, with
£10,000 going to our flagship charity Rockinghorse. Our efforts were
recognised locally by being awarded
the CSR Excellence Award at the
Brighton & Hove Business Awards 2019 and shortlisted for the same award at
the Sussex Business Awards 2019 - for our commitment to fundraising. We
were thrilled with this recognition and even more thrilled to hand over the
COVER FE ATU RE
monies we raised to our charities, and seeing it have such an impact.
We haven’t stopped raising money for charity, either – in 2019 we held our
respective annual golf day and quiz night, raising £8,000 combined, and our team have been on a fundraising rampage –
with Christina raising £1,000 for Epilepsy Society, and in March 2020 Andy and Ryan, took part in the Endurance Life
Half Marathon across Birling Gap, raising money for The Clock Tower Sanctuary and for The Royal Brompton Hospital,
of which we donated £650 towards their efforts as part of our CSR strategy to
encourage employees to fundraise for their nominated charities.
This brings us to new #share77k
tough. Charities that we know and
2020. Tell us more and has it been
events, were immediately postponed
campaign which launched in March difficult this year to fundraise?
support, as well as our own organised and fundraising in general came to
a halt whilst everyone was trying to
“The #share77k campaign is a
re-group and figure out what was
campaign, and the money raised will
many of our charities do not get much
nominated by the team, like we did
rely on fundraising events which they
continuation from our #share7
going on. It was a massive blow, as
be shared amongst 10 charities, each
government funding, if any, and solely
beforehand. As of the start of 2020 we
couldn’t put on.
the agency was formed in 2011.
We had to postpone our #share77k
As you mentioned, we launched the
golf day set for July, to later in the
week as the pandemic outbreak was
adamant I wanted us to help where
had raised just under £51,000 since
launch event, which was our charity
campaign in March, the exact same
year, but despite the set-back I was
announced, so this was incredibly
we could, so we immediately reacted
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 37
C OVE R F E AT URE
by promoting and hosting an online
charity quiz at the end of March, where we had 50 teams sign up, raising £750 which was fantastic.
Following this we launched a
Corporate Charity Rally on LinkedIn, asking people to record a video of themselves serving a volley and
tagging 4 people to keep the rally going. A bit of fun to keep spirits
high and to help raise much needed
awareness on behalf of our 10 amazing charities, so in essence we could rally
behind them during these tough times. This raised £400 and we classed both as un-official #share77k events.
What are the ‘official’ #share77k
events you have organised so far and what are the big plans for 2021?
“So we have six events lined up across 2020 and 2021, and delighted to say
that we hosted our charity golf day in
October at Mid Sussex Golf Club and
just a few weeks ago now we hosted our charity Christmas quiz online – with your very own Sam Thomas as quiz master extraordinaire – from both events we
raised a staggering £7,000 which (on top of the other events we did at the
start of lockdown plus other donations)
38 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
means we have now surpassed the
£60,000 milestone by end of the 2020,
which given how tough it has been, I am absolutely amazed by - and incredibly
grateful to everyone who has supported the #share77k campaign so far.
As we enter 2021, we have four events left to go - as well as the inaugural
charity golf day, and a charity football
match that we are bringing back for our finale year (over the summer months),
we are introducing two new events that we’re really excited about. People are all a bit quizzed out now, so we are
teaming up with County Business Clubs and Network My Club to bring everyone the Sussex Virtual (Pub) Games 2021, hopefully late February/ early March –
where teams can come together on their own group table and get involved in a
crystal maze style event in a virtual pub, with teams doing different challenges to win points and prizes – it’s going to be great fun, so keep an eye out for this. Then later in 2021, we’ll be asking
teams to pick up their table tennis bats and battle it out to be named
Ping Pong Champions! Some of our clients and partners have played on our office table tennis table - which is what sparked the idea - and we
think it’ll be great fun to get everyone playing against each other, whilst
giving them the opportunity to meet other local businesses, as well as
being inclusive to friends and family too, as all our events are.
I am thinking a dodgeball style event
with music, bar, each team having own headbands etc. It will be electric – and
as it’s the last event, we would combine this with an afterparty to celebrate our
10-year anniversary, and hopefully it will be double celebrations if we can reach our £77,000 fundraising target.
We have had some great support over the years, and we will be relying on
this to continue into 2021 as we get
closer to the end of our 10th year, and ultimately close in on the target we
have set. If we manage to do it, the Search Seven 10-year party will be pretty special and one not to miss! What impact has your fundraising
efforts had on charities over the years? “The money we have raised over the
years has made a massive difference
to many charities we support, in ways
we never imagined. RISE, a charity that supports people affected by domestic
COVER FE ATU RE abuse in Brighton, were able to fund
a Volunteer Coordinator who went on
to recruit 13 helpline volunteers 2019, allowing the helpline to open on an
additional evening. This has removed
the list of people waiting for a call back, and those that do require call backs
receive them on the same or next day. RISE has been able to support more
people, and provide a faster response to professionals, family and friends.
“The fundraising money donated to Rockinghorse has contributed to
a resuscitaire to enable training of
resuscitations skills at birth to benefit
the neonatal service at the Trevor Mann Baby Unit (TMBU) in Brighton. The
resuscitaire allows trained staff to teach essential resuscitation skills to doctors, nurses, midwives and advanced
nurse practitioners both in situ on the ward and on nationally recognised resuscitation courses.
“We have sponsored Allan Mubangizi for the last six years now, a pupil at Nkuringo Primary school in Bwindi
Forest, Uganda. As well as covering his yearly costs for education we
donated a water tank to the school
and my wife and I visited the village and school in 2017, which was the
most powerful experience, especially with the whole school and village
greeting us with songs and dancing when we arrived. A moment I will
never forget and its experiences like
this that make me very proud to have
charities that are close to their hearts.
We always support our flagship charity, Rockinghorse – and have done since day one. The other nine charities
have been chosen by me and the
Search Seven team. This year we’ve introduced three new organisations – Brighton Women’s Centre, Royal
Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity and Epilepsy Society.
built a purpose driven agency that
What does 2020 look like for Search
difference on people’s lives.
campaign?
really cares and wants to make a
In 2019, our donation from the #share7 campaign directly covered the cost
for life saving eye surgery for a patient
who lives in Nkuringo. These are just a
few examples of how the money helps our charities and spurs us on to do
more when we know what impact it is
having on communities locally, but also nationally and all over the world.
How did you choose your 10 charities? “It’s important that the team choose
Seven outside of the #share77k
“Very good question, as a lot of people think we are an events company these days! We are very much a digital
marketing agency with a charity drive/ ethos in place and we’ve got lots of exciting plans for 2021.
We have been working hard on plans to improve all things from client
services to getting an amazing people culture in place that can match the
amazing charity ethos we’ve built up over the years.
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 39
C OVE R F E AT URE
After a difficult year in 2020, and at
one point seeing half our revenue go overnight when many of our travel
and hospitality clients could no longer operate, we have steadily built things back up, and now in a position to re-
invest in the business and will be looking to add a further 3-4 people to the team in 2021- which is incredibly exciting! Our aim is to bring on board some
exceptional paid media talent, with new junior to mid-level roles being open
from January, and we are delighted to announce that we will also be joining the kick start movement, offering
6-month placements to one or two lucky individuals aged 16-24 and currently
seeking an opportunity to get into work.
So, with four key events to organise, as
dates and tickets, our events often sell
culture and talent programmes to
events and donations for our raffles and
and days out, there is plenty to keep
a JustGiving page, where you can also
from me though, when I started Search
closer to our £77k target.
run a successful agency that not only
“We have social media artwork and
make a real impact, both in donations to
followers and let them know about
same time. It’s why we call our service
a fundraising event, we can take part
well as a business to run, new people
out fast. We also need sponsors for our
develop, client days and staff parties
auctions. For one-off donations we have
us busy! You’ll hear no complaints
keep track of our progress as we edge
Seven I set out to prove that you could delivered results for clients, but could
content for you to share with your
charity and in knowledge-sharing, at the
our events, too. And if you’re hosting
digital marketing with meaning.
in we’d love to hear about it – every
Hopefully, our journey and purpose
total and shared between our 10
penny we raise counts towards our
driven ethos, inspires other start-ups and
amazing charities.”
in proving that you don’t need to be a big
Web: searchseven.co.uk/share77k
small businesses in Sussex and beyond, company to make a big difference.
JustGiving: justgiving.com/
opportunities for people to join a great
How can people get involved?
Twitter: @searchseven
people culture and be in an environment
“Please do come along and enjoy our
We will be providing some superb
team that has a strong purpose and
where they can develop and be supported whilst feeling like they can make a big difference on the community too.
40 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
events, whether they are online or not!
Keep an eye on our website and social
media channels for when we announce
fundraising/share77k
SBT CHARITY
ROCKINGHORSE CHILDREN’S CHARITY LOOKS BACK ON AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR
RUSSELL MARTIN FOUNDATION (RMF)
LOOKING FORWARD TO A VERY EXCITING FUTURE IN 2021
SUSSEX NIGHTSTOP HELPING OUR HOMELESS
SUPPORTING PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS OR AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS
ENABLING YOUNG PEOPLE TO FLOURISH IN THEIR COMMUNITY
ESTEEM - EMPOWERMENT, SUPPORT, TRAINING, EXPERIENCE, ENVIRONMENT, SUPPORT
DISABLED VETERAN COMPLETES CHARITY CYCLE CHALLENGE CROSSING THE FINISH LINE OF AN 874-MILE CHARITY CHALLENGE
CHILDREN’S RESPITE TRUST
DELIGHTED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP MANY FAMILIES IN 2020
CHESTNUT TREE HOUSE
A LETTER FOR YOU
CHOSEN CHARITY PARTNER:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 41
C HA RI T Y
Rockinghorse Children’s Charity looks back on an extraordinary year When 2020 began Rockinghorse had high hopes. They were aiming to fund between 40-50 projects worth a total of about £350,000. But then, along with the rest of the world, their plans changed.
But despite the
Charity
challenges this year has brought, the
team at Rockinghorse
have carried on working throughout, trying to find that silver lining. And
they really found it. From individuals
to businesses, young to old, they have
been overwhelmed by the support they have received this year.
Starting with the launch of their
Rockinghorse Hero campaign in March
and running through the amazing range of support from their fundraisers, there are lots of things to celebrate during 2020.
Rockinghorse Hero Campaign success Within a few days of their office closing, the charity’s Rockinghorse Hero
campaign was up and running across the local press and social media channels, letting their supporters know how
important their continued support was going to be over the coming months. And they didn’t let them down. The campaign helped them raise an
42 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
astonishing £95,000 over the first few
months of the lock-down, thanks to their amazing supporters.
Children supporting children
Amongst the many wonderful things
that has come out of this year, one of
the stands out has been the number of children who have put their time and energy into raising money for other young people in their community.
This included the young netball players who organised a shoot-a-thon over
Zoom that raised £3,500, twelve-yearold Bella who ran 26km as part of the 2.6 Challenge in May raising nearly
£2,000 and Molly aged 6 who set up
her very own Etsy store with proceeds coming to Rockinghorse. Charity Challenges
Along with their younger supporters,
they also had lots of people getting out
and fundraising by running, walking and cycling around their local areas.
In April there was the 2.6 Challenge,
created by the London Marathon
organisers to help charities raise some of the funds they were missing out on
following the postponement of the event. Individuals, couples and families all got involved in doing a range of activity to raise money for Rockinghorse.
There was also the astonishing Craig
Peters who undertook a 12-hour burpee marathon following the support his
twins received from the Royal Alex. He managed to complete 4,470 burpees raising £1,500.
And then there were the only organised events that Rockinghorse were able to go ahead with – two abseils from the i360 on Brighton seafront. In total 43
heroes took the plunge, raising a total of over £24,000 by dropping the 450ft to the ground from the raised pod. Individual support
The charities’ supporters also used their individual skills to help during the year. Supporters like Matt Culli, a father of two from Henfield, who runs his own
CHA RITY
YouTube channel where he organises
different giveaways and competitions raising funds for Rockinghorse.
Matt was inspired to help after his
youngest son Logan was born two
months premature and cared for at
the Trevor Mann Baby Unit. After the
help his family got, he wanted to give
something back so along with his regular YouTube posts he has completed two
24-hour live stream gaming events so far this year, with another planned, and has raised £3,500 so far.
What’s been achieved this year
Despite losing around £250k of income
since March, their priority has always been to provide equipment and services to the children and families that need it most.
Thanks to their amazing supporters, they have still been able to fund a wide range of services and equipment, including some directly related to the impact
of the coronavirus pandemic such as
individual paediatric stethoscopes,
they’ve been there to help. So, we want
function machine.
of them that have run, walked, jumped,
But they also knew it was important
We wouldn’t be here without you.”
projects like the oncology psychologist
If you have a brilliant idea to raise
hippotherapy project at Chailey Heritage
Rockinghorse’!
at Chailey Child and Adolescent Mental
You can find out more about us
parent camp beds and a portable lung
to continue funding their ongoing
to support young cancer patients, the
Foundation and their activity programme
to say thank you to each and every one baked, gamed, drawn, sold or cycled.
some funds, just ‘Remember
Health Unit.
and ways to raise money on the
Ryan Heal, Rockinghorse CEO, is taking
rockinghorse.org.uk or to speak to the
known how the year was going to pan
your ideas, call: 01273 330044 or
have been terrified about how such
enquiries@rockinghorse.org.uk
Rockinghorse website at: www.
a lot of positives from 2020: “If we had
charity about how they can support
out in January, I think we all would
email them at:
a small charity would cope. But not
only am I incredibly proud of the team for working through these exceptional
circumstances but I am absolutely blown away but our supporters.
“Despite our worries, they haven’t
forgotten about us and at every turn
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 43
Russell Martin Foundation (RMF)
Despite the difficult times we have all faced in 2020, the Russell Martin Foundation (RMF) has been able to see light at the end of the tunnel and is looking forward to a very exciting future in 2021.
Charity
The registered charity
‘Now, not only is our football provision
by Russell Martin in
also set up an education department
a football academy
to students throughout Brighton & Hove
which was set up
developing and expanding, but we have
Brighton in 2016 as
which is making a significant difference
to help local players. has since that
secondary schools and are about to
dreamed of.
Watching the organisation grow and help
‘When I originally set up the organisation,
an amazing experience and in 2021 we
then that eventually I wanted to moved
through facility management and health
time expanded to something he’d never
set up a similar project in Worthing.
so many young people has been such
I was captain of Norwich FC but knew
are looking to widen provision even more
back to my hometown, Brighton. I
improvement initiatives’
opportunities to others. Since that time,
RMF Chief Executive, Alan Sanders
me but also for the organisation’.
lies not only with Russell’s vision but
Russell, who is now manager of League
I’m not wholly surprised at the impact
also knew that I wanted to help give
life has changed massively not only for
1 side MK Dons sees a very bright future,
44 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
believes the success of the organisation with the staff. He stated, ‘I have to say we have had when I think about who
works for us and how committed they are. They are constantly striving to
improve and find new ways of helping
the local community. It’s a real privilege to work in such a vibrant organisation’ Football (led by Gary Mansell)
• A football academy, with over 600
players aged between 5-14, which is
cheap & affordable including the offer of sibling discounts.
• Many players who have gone on to sign for professional clubs
• Curricular and extra -curricular
activities in many local primary & secondary schools
• Holiday courses throughout the academic year (with over 2,000 participants for 2019/20)
• A post-16 academy for Varndean
CHA RITY
College. Sussex Champions for
2017/18 & 2019/20. Also, employment pathway for college graduates
• A short-term mentoring scheme for Year 11 – 12 students
• Managing the Hove Park as part of a 15-year lease for the Hove 3G pitch
with record numbers of participants from the local community
Education (led by Tom Betts)
• RMF have had outstanding success with alternative provision for 11-14
year olds which is funded by the local authority and all 10 Brighton & Hove secondary schools. This provision
is a 12-week course for 11-14 year
old students who are struggling with full time education. Their success is
measured on attendance, academic
progress and measured improvements
in social and emotional well-being. The
attendance levels for these students has been higher than the national average for mainstream students between
September and December this year
• RMF has now been given contracts
to set up 3 new centres in 2021 which
will be funded by West Sussex County
Council (WSCC) & 30 secondary schools in Worthing, Chichester and Crawley.
• RMF expanded its provision by
winning a European Social Fund project to help upskill the local
workforce by offering mathematics courses (Level 1 & 2).
Charitable donations (led by Donna Cox)
• RMF have been providing vulnerable families with food packages which
This opportunity showed a huge
for many has been a lifeline
increase in their wellbeing, confidence,
‘Clock Tower Sanctuary’- a registered
skill set.
•R MF has joined forces with the
charity which helps young homeless people aged 16-25 years. RMF
during November and December
has managed to provide brand new
understanding of the game and their • We have supported and funded the
walking disability ‘Limitless FC’ for the 3rd year running
• A free disability course which not
sleeping bags, hats, socks, gloves and
only gave the players a full day of fun
hygiene and cleaning products.
individual needs, this also gave the
44 low income families and provided
to have some rare ‘me’ time.
many more essentials items such as •T his year we have managed to help
packed activities designed around their parents much needed respite for them
them an annual membership worth £500 per player. This meant these
players could reach their full potential and play football at a high standard.
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 45
C HA RI T Y
Sussex Nightstop helping our homeless
Sussex Nightstop is a community response to homelessness, a local resident’s initiative to support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Our volunteers
Charity
understand the
limits of what they
can personally offer.
Nightstop’s professional partners bring the skills and resources necessary to secure long term housing and
specialist support. We do not seek to duplicate what others do, but no one else offers what we can. Our hosts
are normal (and yet amazing!) people who open their homes to provide a
hot meal, a warm welcome and a safe night’s rest. They volunteer the gift of
kindness and respect to people often
at their lowest ebb. Sussex Nightstop
46 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
enables this to happen safely for volunteer and guest alike.
Since starting out Sussex Nightstop
has enabled 80 volunteer households to provide over 3,800 safe bed nights
to 475 vulnerable people. Our support provides a stable foundation from
which people can find a safe and more
suitable long-term home. We are driven by the fact that every night someone
stays with one of our hosts, is a night
they are not vulnerable to the dangers of rough-sleeping. On the streets
or sofa-surfing, the homeless in our community risk sexual exploitation,
substance misuse and coercion into criminal activity.
This year has not been a ‘typical’ year for those experiencing or at risk of
homelessness. Covid-19 has brought even more anxiety for those facing or experiencing homelessness. Many
families and individuals have faced
challenging lockdown circumstances
and the predictions of recession will only precipitate issues that place people at risk of homelessness.
It is vital that we continue our work,
facilitating and supporting a community
CHA RITY
response that makes both practical
support and kindness possible at a time where people find themselves in the most bleak of circumstances.
More than ever before Sussex Nightstop
finds itself grateful for the financial aid of its corporate allies. The timely support of companies such as archangels
Architects and Mortgage Medics with their creative fundraising has given a much needed boost to our finances. From experience we understand the
responsibilities of being a charity working with business and we hope to find other
local businesses who see that partnering
with us can deliver mutual benefits. If you would like to join our fight against roughsleeping and think your business could be enhanced by working with Sussex
this community response to homelessness.
links below or speak with our business
our streets it is hard to know what the
Nightstop please contact us through the
Confronted daily with homelessness on
ambassador Richard Zinzan of Archangels
right thing to do is. For us, Nightstop is a
Architects (richard@aaarchitects.co.uk).
solution we can have confidence in.
Sussex Nightstop is supported
One initiative we have promoted is
Homelessness Charity. We are a
consultation to donate £25 directly
and accredited by Depaul UK
to ask clients who receive our free
registered charity (Charity No: 1132386
to Nightstop. We also opened our
For contact or further information:
of Nightstop to the Mayor’s charity gala
call 07887 492 927
pledges at the charity auction. We’ve
Website: www.sussexnightstop.org.uk
the team have had fun in the process.
charity/sussexnightstop/
we are doing something constructive
archangels architects
community. We encourage other local
about our community and proud to
great organisation.
Nightstop. This is a brilliant Brighton
Richard Zinzan, archangels architects
people aged 16 upwards. Nightstop
Mortgage Medics
training open their spare room to provide
charity that offers accommodation to
manager@sussexnightstop.org.uk or
Donations: https://localgiving.org/
Here at archangels we are passionate be Business Ambassador to Sussex based charity supporting homeless
contacts book to sell 30 seats on behalf
safe, non-judgemental, inclusive place
to stay for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Mortgage Medics are committed to
supporting Sussex Nightstop. That’s
why every time we arrange a mortgage for someone lucky enough to own property, we make a donation to
Sussex Nightstop, to help them support someone less fortunate.
and raised a further £1300 through
Sam Murphy – managing director
had great support from the charity and
thrilled to be in partnership with Sussex
Most satisfying though is the knowledge to help fight homelessness in our
businesses to join us in supporting this
recruit volunteers, who after selection and
Sussex Nightstop are a homelessness
a safe, warm bed and a hot meal.
people who are at risk of rough sleeping.
archangels architects, are proud to support
of volunteers who provide access to a
of Mortgage Medics – says: “We’re
Nightstop. They do such amazing work; helping young people and adults who
are at risk of homelessness. We’re so
proud to support their hardworking team of staff and volunteers. Our days are
spent helping those fortunate enough to own property, so it was a natural fit
to partner with Sussex Nightstop, to try
and help people less fortunate with their housing needs.”
They create and coordinate a community
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 47
Enabling young people to flourish in their community ESTEEM - Empowerment, Support, Training, Experience, Environment, Support. Cat Vizor has been
Charity
Chief Officer at
ESTEEM for over ten years. Based
in Shoreham, ESTEEM provides
vocational and wellbeing support for
14-26 year olds across Sussex. Since opening they have grown to work
with more than 500 young adults from across the region.
ESTEEM is unique in providing both paid and volunteer roles within the
48 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
charity. Young adults are able to build confidence in a safe and encouraging environment where they can identify life goals and passions. 70% of
young people find jobs through family connections in the UK, creating a
real barrier for those without family support. ESTEEM’s Mentor Me
programme instead helps young adults to find employment through local
networks. Mentors also support them
in creating CV’s, applying for jobs and preparing for interviews.
Alongside this work, ESTEEM provides wellbeing support. Mental health is a
huge barrier for young adults who are struggling to engage meaningfully in
society. Using counselling and coaching programmes, ESTEEM supports young
adults to develop resilience and tools to overcome adversity.
Cat Vizor explains, “We are a small but energetic team who put our heart and soul into working with young adults
to achieve their dreams. ESTEEM is
CHA RITY
Cat Vizor
all about creating a family feel where
people feel they belong. With support
young adults feel motivated to take part
in life-changing opportunities or develop
their own projects within ESTEEM. There have been some great success stories,
and we hope to be the catalyst for many others across the county.
The last six months has been a
testing time for the charity, with many participants needing more support than ever. We saw a seven-fold
increase in safeguarding referrals from our youth work team - concerned about people living in high-risk
situations. This wellbeing crisis
included issues such as unsecure
accommodation, a lack of income and worsening mental health.
As a team we worked hard to ensure
To read more about ESTEEM head
We had to adapt quickly and took on
uk or find them on Facebook https://
meals and food parcels.
and Twitter https://twitter.com/
As the long term effects of the
email us: hello@esteem.org.uk to see
young adults were as safe as possible.
to their website www.esteem.org.
new challenges, such as delivering
en-gb.facebook.com/esteemuk
esteemcharity?lang=en. You can also
COVID-19 pandemic start to bite,
the many ways you can support us.
the rise we expect to see an increase
ESTEEM reg. charity no. 1187128
we have been fortunate in securing
https://esteem.org.uk/
with unemployment and isolation on in need for our services. Until now
01273 091511 hello@esteem.org.uk
short-term grant funding, however in
the current climate, we recognise this is not a stable source of income. We would love to speak to local people and businesses to see how they
can get involved in helping ESTEEM
support the next generation to thrive in their community.�
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 49
C HA RI T Y
Disabled veteran completes 874-mile charity cycle challenge An army veteran, who was partially paralysed from a brain injury sustained in a near-fatal motorcycle collision six years’ ago, has crossed the finish line of an 874-mile charity challenge. This week, Steve,
Charity
a former Warrant
Officer with the Royal Engineers, achieved
his target of cycling the distance
from Lands End to John O’Groats on a static bike. He raised over £1,000 for Care for Veterans, a care and
rehabilitation facility in Worthing, where he is a resident.
Life completely changed for Steve when, after returning home from a
second tour of duty in Afghanistan,
he was involved in an accident whilst out riding his beloved motorbike. He
50 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
suffered a severe brain injury which significantly affected his speech
and paralysed one side of his body. Aged just 39, he was suddenly
unable to walk and needed to use a wheelchair. Before his accident,
Steve served in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Sierra Leone. He was a Joint
Service Mountain Expedition Leader,
loved canoeing, mountain biking and snowboarding.
Steve completed the final stretch of his
cycle challenge on his 45th birthday and celebrated crossing the finish line with
staff at Care for Veterans. His family was
outside cheering him on, as visitors are not currently allowed inside the facility due to the current Covid restrictions.
Helping him celebrate via a video call,
were four of his former army colleagues, as well as the actor, Christopher
Timothy, who supports the charity. Speaking on the day, Steve said: “I
finished my bike ride on my static bike
today. It was lovely to finish it, and I’ve
raised loads of money for charity. I liked doing it as it was good for me - I can’t
walk, but this will help me to get better. I
decided to support Care for Veterans, as the charity looks after people like me!”
CHA RITY
Steve set himself the challenge to
complete during his physiotherapy sessions which form part of his
extensive rehabilitation. Steve cycles
approximately 13km in 60 minutes: 20 mins with his arms, 40 mins with his legs, two to three times a week.
Lead Physiotherapist at Care for
Veterans, Emma Curtis, said: “I can
say that Steve has absolutely loved his cycle challenge and now wants to set new cycling goals. He looks forward
to his cycling a lot. The exercise helps with his psychological wellbeing,
cardiorespiratory health, as well as rebuilding muscle strength in legs and arms and helping with weight loss. “Setting himself this challenge has
been a real motivation, and we have been overwhelmed with the support
he has received. We need to raise £1.9 million each year to fund tailored and
comprehensive care and rehabilitation programmes for our residents, which really help them to improve their quality of life. We are extremely
grateful to Steve and so proud of his attitude and achievement, especially
during a time when Covid restrictions have had such a huge impact on the number of activities and visitors our residents can enjoy.”
Steve came to Care for Veterans
in December 2018, after spending
Steve Boylan
three years in various hospitals and rehabilitation centres where he was
not making progress and had become depressed. Since arriving at Care for
Veterans, he has made improvements in his speech and movements. Steve
said: “Care for Veterans has given me a new mindset and the determination to succeed with my recovery.”
Care for Veterans, a UK charity based in Worthing, provides the highest possible standard of care and rehabilitation to
disabled veterans from the RAF, Army,
Royal Navy and auxiliary services. A
centre of excellence for acquired brain injuries and degenerative neurological conditions, the 60-bed facility
provides services, including nursing,
curry4steve-boylan or call the Care for Veterans fundraising team on
01903 218444 or email fundraising@ careforveterans.org.uk
physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy, to help
rehabilitate those who live there so that they can live more independent lives. To sponsor Steve, visit www.
justgiving.com/fundraising/david-
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 51
C HA RI T Y
Children’s Respite Trust
Like most Charities it’s been a testing year for us at the Children’s Respite Trust, but we’re delighted to have been able to help many families nonetheless.
The Trust believes no
Charity
family should be left
to care for a disabled child alone and so
we provide respite, both at our Day-
Care Centre in Uckfield and throughout Sussex and parts of Kent in children’s own homes.
Back in March at the start of the
pandemic, we were unsure how we were going to be able to continue to provide a service, if the children couldn’t come to the Centre. We began by sending
out our “Smile Packs” to families, full of
52 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
sensory activities, crafts and stimulating
games, all tailored to each child’s needs. We offered help with shopping and just
wanted to be there at the end of a phone to remind families they are not alone.
Soon afterwards, we received the news that care provision such as ours was deemed an essential service and we
were given the greenlight to restart our community care, albeit with significant
restrictions. The families were so grateful. If you have faced difficulty adjusting
to the new normal, just imagine how it
must have been for a family with a child with a significant learning disability.
Routine is often vital to managing their challenging behaviour, but suddenly
life looks nothing like a familiar routine.
The knowledge that a friendly face, who knows their needs is visiting, can be such a lifeline.
Even if it is for just a couple of hours a
week, respite gives people the chance
to do something that the rest of us take for granted. It could be doing some
shopping or a household chore, or even
just getting some well-earned rest. When
CHA RITY
we ask families how they have spent
their time, more often than not they have dedicated it to their other children, who
can often miss-out on so much, because of the extent of the attention needed by their disabled sibling.
We’ve used the time that the Centre has been closed to good effect by
refurbishing it, including installing a new lift and putting in new flooring. But we
were all so desperate to hear the sound of children laughing and playing in the Centre again, so it was wonderful to
finally welcome children back in October. We celebrated 10 years of the Children’s Respite Trust in 2020 and it should have culminated in a grand ball, but as with
many events, celebrations had to be put on hold. Usually, we’d raise around half
of our annual income from events, so we
racing circuits starting at Goodwood and
were delighted when our golf day was
including a dinner at Silverstone.
many restrictions making it very different
None of the Trust’s work is possible
the generosity of many Sussex and Kent
community and so it is vital that we
able to go ahead in October. There were from our usual Golf Day, but thanks to
without the support of the local
businesses it raised over £10,000.
continue to make a success of the
We have to assume that things are
We welcome anyone wishing to get
come and so the Trust is excited about
Children’s Respite Trust”, a volunteer
for fundraising activities that can be
or Racetrack Run. Simply visit www.
events that we do manage to hold.
going to be different for some time to
involved, whether as a “Friend of the
events for 2021, where plans are afoot
or simply attending the Virtual Ball
successful in spite of future lock-downs,
crtcharity.org to find out more.
such as our recently launched “Friends
of the Children’s Respite Trust” scheme and our forthcoming Virtual Ball. One
event planned for April can continue even if we are restricted to small “bubbles”. It is called the Racetrack Run and is a
five-day rally linking all of the UKs motor-
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 53
Chestnut Tree House
We know how challenging this year has been for everyone and we are so grateful for the amazing support you continue to offer to local charities like Chestnut Tree House. We recently caught
Charity
up with Chestnut
Tree House children’s hospice to see what
is going on and find out how you and
your colleagues can support them this Christmas time.
What’s going on at your local children’s hospice?
When the pandemic struck, Chestnut Tree House had to respond really quickly. Their aim throughout the
pandemic, as always, has been to keep any disruption to an absolute minimum and where possible, maintain all
services and activity to ensure that they
54 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
can support the children and families who need hospice care, whilst also
continuing to raise the funds they need to sustain these services.
Unfortunately, in March, the hospice
had to close their doors to all but urgent and end-of-life care in accordance with government guidelines. The
team continued to support families
in different ways, and by August, the hospice was able to open back up
for short breaks, something that was helpful to families who have been shielding at home for months.
The hospice has also recently introduced
family annexe days, giving families the chance to spend some precious time
together in a dedicated area of Chestnut Tree House to play games, get messy with arts or crafts, or simply spend
some time away from home. Times are still tough, but Chestnut Tree House
are feeling really encouraged that they are working out new ways to support children and families.
It currently costs over £4.6 million each year to provide all the care services offered by Chestnut Tree House.
Families are never charged for their
care and less than 9p in every pound
is funded by the government, so they
CHA RITY
rely heavily on the generosity, help and
to be our last. My husband and I were
support of the people of Sussex.
desperately trying to keep the ship
Chestnut Tree House couldn’t do this
badly. Meeting Lucy, our Chestnut Tree
afloat, but in reality we were sinking
without the support of people like you.
House nurse, changed all of that.
care possible.
In the new year, Owen went downhill
A letter for you
became our home, and for almost
fundraising campaign to support Chestnut
precious time to step back from
Thank you. You make children’s hospice
quickly. So Chestnut Tree House
We hear from a parent who will be part of a
six weeks we were given the most
Tree House over the Christmas period.
medication and focus on us, our family.
Dear friend,
As a local charity, Chestnut Tree
My daughter Esther and I spotted a
robin in the garden yesterday, and it was a very special moment. For us,
it means that Christmas must be just
around the corner… and it also gave us a chance to talk about Owen, Esther’s big brother. He used to love watching
the garden with her, hoping to see one of Santa’s robins.
Sadly, Owen isn’t with us this
Christmas. He died of a brain tumour
four years ago, when he was just seven years old. But by talking about him
and sharing our memories, Owen will always be part of our family life.
Christmas is still a difficult time for us. I remember our last one with
Owen – we always knew it was going
House depends on the amazing
generosity of people like you. Please
will you send a gift of £10 today to help more families who could be facing
their last Christmas together? This
Christmas, after a year of uncertainty and disruption, there is a need for
donations more than ever. To donate
online, please visit www.chestnut-treehouse.org.uk/snowmanappeal
With love and best wishes for a very
happy, peaceful Christmas to you and your family.
so many more ways to support your
local children’s hospice this year with your colleagues! Reindeer Fun
Get together virtually for some Reindeer Fun! Maybe a reindeer cake break or a festive business brunch! Get your
team together and spread some festive cheer, what Reindeer activity will you take on this year?
Charity Christmas Cards
Don’t forget to send your colleagues
a Christmas card. You can browse the
new 2020 range of Chestnut Tree House Christmas cards on our website! Lottery
Play our Lottery and help change local
children’s lives this Christmas. From just £1 a week you could win £1,000 every week, which would mean Christmas presents for everyone!
Visit www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/ christmas to get involved now.
Registered charity number 256789
Gemma Support Chestnut Tree House this Christmas
As well as donating to Chestnut Tree House’s Christmas appeal, there are
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 55
MCR Media Ltd produces digital large format graphics, exhibition printing, signage, vehicle graphics, small format digital and litho printing, branded merchandising using sustainable materials and processes. Whatever aspects of brand awareness you need, we can help with design all the way through to delivery or installation, on time and at the most economical price. Sustainability is at the core of MCR and we do not only supply and manufacture sustainable print. We also consult and source sustainable materials for our clients, therefore reducing their carbon footprint and damage to the environment. We offer a very versatile and reliable service in all these fields from start-ups 56 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk and SMEs to international brands and wholesalers.
media
Think Big... Go Large
Unit 3, Lyes Farm Cuckfield Road Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 8RG Tel: 01273 233558 E: info@mcrmedia.co.uk www.mcrmedia.co.uk
SBT MOTORING NEWS
THE GUINESS BOOK OF CARS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY RIVERVALE LEASING
SBT MOTORING NEWS SPONSORED BY:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 57
MOTO RI N G N E WS
The Guinness Book of Cars
Have you ever wondered what the world record for the longest car is? Perhaps you have mulled over how much the most expensive car sold for? Brought to you by Rivervale Leasing www.rivervaleleasing.co.uk
Cars come in many Motoring different shapes and sizes. And while News there’s more to a car than how big it is or how fast it can go, we think you’ll enjoy learning more about some of the world’s most exciting record-breaking vehicles. Whether you’re interested in finding out what is the fastest car in the world or you want to know more about the world record for the smallest car, you’re in the right place. Read on to discover some of Rivervale’s favourite Guinness World Record winning cars and find out about some of the most impressive automotive records.
58 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
Most expensive private car sale This record is held by the 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO (4153 GT) which was sold in Germany for the staggering sum of £52,730,800. Just 36 of these highly desirable vehicles were ever made. Capable of accelerating from 0-60 in just over six seconds, the car boasts a top speed of around 175 mph. It was purchased in 2018 by David Macneil, CEO of Weathertech to complement his existing Ferrari collection. Fastest car Fitted with two Rolls Royce specification jet engines, the fastest car in the world is the Thrust Supersonic Car (SSC). Driver Andy Green reached the impressive land speed of 763 mph when he drove this
car through the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA in 1997. As a result, the Thrust SSC was the first car to officially break the sound barrier. Longest car A limousine created by Jay Ohrberg in California holds the title for the world’s longest car. Made in 1986, it has a grand total of 26 wheels and is a whopping 30.5 metres long. Designed to be used in movies and exhibitions, the car can be driven in either a straight-line configuration or with a bend in the middle. Take a look inside, and you’ll find a swimming pool with a diving board and a king-sized water bed!
MOTOR I NG N E WS
Smallest roadworthy car At just 68.5 cm high, 65.41 cm wide and 126.47 cm long, the record for the world’s smallest car is held by a vehicle with a number plate that ironically reads “IM BIG”. Built-in 2012 by Austin Coulson in Arizona, USA, this nippy motor can achieve a respectable top speed of 25 mph and has been approved for legalised use on the roads. Lowest roadworthy car The Mirai (which translates to “future” in Japanese) sits just 45.2 cm from the ground. Created in 2010, this vehicle is the brainchild of a group of teachers and pupils from Okayama Sanyo High School in Japan. This record-breaking, roadworthy car runs on six main batteries. Fastest police car in service With a top speed of 253 mph, this Bugatti Veyron is worth £1.6million. It was named as the world’s fastest police car in 2016. Driven by the police force in Dubai, this jaw-dropping vehicle can go from 0-60 in under three seconds, making it the ideal vehicle for tracking down and catching criminals. First flying car The Terrafugia Transition is an amazing two-seater flying machine. Its wings can be folded at the touch of a button, transforming it into a roadworthy car in just 15 seconds. It was invented in the UK in 2009 at a cost of approximately £132,000. Coffee powered Do you need a cuppa to get you going in the morning? Did you know cars can be powered by coffee too? The world’s fastest coffee powered car is affectionately known as The Cooperative Bean Machine. Made in Stockport, UK, by Martin Bacon in 2013, this car can manage an average speed of around 65 mph. Oldest functioning car This record is attributed to a four-seater steam-powered car which was made in 1884 by De Dion Bolton in France. La Marquise holds the title for the world’s
first-ever automobile race where it zoomed along the 19-mile track at an average speed of 26 mph. The car can achieve a top speed of 38 mph, which is pretty impressive when you consider that it is powered by wood, coal and paper! It was sold at auction in 2007 for more than £1.5million and is currently kept in California, USA. Fastest car in space In February 2018, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket was launched into space. This was a test flight, so there was no need to send any useful equipment. Instead, SpaceX owner and entrepreneur Elon Musk decided to pop in one of his Tesla Roadsters! The supercar is currently in an elliptical orbit around the sun, where it will probably remain for billions of years. A dummy astronaut sits in the driver’s seat, and rumour has it that David Bowie’s Life on Mars and Space Oddity are playing on repeat... Cars of The Stars – Notable Celeb Cars of 2020 2020 has been a year of challenges and adaptation but it’s also been a year of growth, redesign and unveiling. Speaking of which, 2020 has seen the unveiling of
pretty impressive cars being driven by some pretty impressive celebrities. Whether old, new or somewhere in between, we’ve scoured the dizzying heights of the celebrity driving playground and found our top 5 cars being driven around in style in 2020. Starting with... Who: David Beckham What: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Why: When it comes to luxury car ownership, footballer David Beckham has built up quite the collection. From hummers to Porsches and Ferraris to, most notably and recently, the purchase
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 59
MOTO RI N G N E WS £150,000, this stunning car is not for the faint-hearted but it is dripping in extravagance. That’s what makes it the choice of car for Rapper, Ludacris. It may be a thing of beauty to look at but it also provides a serious amount of comfort for its drivers and passengers alike. Possessing light-alloy wheels, an eye-catching grille and sophisticated chrome detailing throughout, it even offers an active air ride for entering and exiting the vehicle. It’s clear to see why Ludacris showcased his personal blue and silver trimmed Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 on Instagram. Go and take a luxurious look for yourselves. of the super sophisticated Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. But just what makes this car superstar so special? Boasting a huge and impressive V12 engine, this unique car, which actually possesses qualities more similar to a yacht, can reach 60mph in just under 6 seconds. For a car that weighs in excess of 3 tons? That’s pretty magnificent. Complete with its own decking, this luxury grand tourer is loud, proud and looks every bit as intimidatingly luxurious on the road as you’d expect. The perfect companion to a superstar celeb. Who: Lady Gaga What: Lamborghini Huracán Evo RWD Why: Okay, so this may not be one of Lady Gaga’s personal purchases but this ultra-loud, flashy, and impressive supercar features in her recent 911 music video. It’s aimed at those who seek to gain pure pleasure and excitement from their ride. And boy, does it excite. With a sleek nose, sharp angles and body work that says “don’t mess with the best”, the only way to drive this supercharged supercar is to pull the top down, hit the open road, and feel the exhilarating wind in your hair. Fancy being one step closer to owning this spine-tingling coupe? Fans of Lady Gaga can enter a competition to become the proud owner of a Huracán. Supporting the Born This Way Foundation, a gift for
60 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
Lady Gaga is a gift for her fans. Who: Jim Carey What: Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Why: As a celebrity with a big personality, it’s only right that Jim Carey owns an equally impressive car. Enter the glamorous 2-door SL63 roadster. Picking up this hot ride after ending a relationship in his personal life, Jim Carey is frequently spotted out and about town in this flashy motor. And it’s not hard to see why. As one of two powerful AMG versions of Mercedes’ two-seat open-top S, this particular Mercedes has a powerful 6.2 Litre V8 engine with a show-stopping 518 horsepower. It’s incredibly agile out on the open road and comes with spectacular acceleration - it’s able to go from 0 to 60 in just 3.9 seconds. The SL 63 is a pretty impressive vehicle and one that fits right in on the celebrity circuit. Who: Ludacris What: Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 Why: Due to an increase in demand for luxury SUVs, MercedesMaybach felt the need to keep up and design their own version. And they didn’t hold back. With a pretty eyewatering starting price of
Who: Kim Kardashian What: Cadillac Escalade Why: Unveiled as direct competition to the Mercedes-Benz ML-Class and Lexus LX, The Cadillac Escalade is a bigger than average SUV. As their fifth SUV in their collection of luxury cars, Kim and Kanye recently picked up their Cadillac Escalade with the imminent arrival of baby number 3, Chicago West. Focused on providing its passengers family sized comfort, it’s a true symbol of celebrity culture. Expensive? Absolutely, the 2020 model starts at £82,515 for the base trim. But it’s also fuel-efficient and has unbeatable towing capacity. And it’s not just Kim getting involved. In fact, between them, the Kardashian clan owns more than 4 Cadillac Escalades. If that doesn’t indicate status, we don’t know what does.
SBT ASK THE EXPERT
THREE AT THREE
WITH EMMA, JAMES & LISA
CUBE CORNER: OCTOBER 20
BY PAUL ROGERS
SBT ASK THE EXPERT SPONSORED BY:
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 61
AS K T H E E X PE RT
Emma Mills-Sheffield Mindsetup Ltd T: 07775 947 818 E: emma@mindsetup.co.uk
James Dempster, Managing Director Cobb Digital T: 01273 208 913 E: James@cobbdigital.com
Ask the expert:
Lisa Seymour, Managing Director Made By Spoken T: 01273 964044 E: lisa@madebyspoken.co.uk
2021 Ready. Set. Go! It’s December – how are you feeling about Ask the it? Are you very much expert looking forward to seeing the back of this year or has it been better than you thought in light of the challenges and uncertainty? As we say so long to 2020 - or good riddance! it is time to reflect. Yes, we’ve lived in very different times, but what have we learnt? What have we learnt about our businesses, our teams, and our resilience? It’s good to glance back before you look forward, but it’s important not to dwell. So, now’s the time to start thinking about next year and what you can plan for, rather than what you can’t.
The psychology of brand and really getting to know the people behind the businesses is a big focus for us going into next year, as it is fascinating learning the stories of why a brand is here and who is behind it. We ensure these stories are represented not only on their websites, but through its
62 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
design and aesthetic. This, we feel, not only differentiates us in our craft, but also cements our client relationships. We have formed collaborative friendships with our clients and have helped them share their story, whilst acting as a sounding board. This has never felt more important than this year. There have been some fantastic examples of business resilience over the last year - both practically within a business, but more so personally for business leaders. Stepping back whilst we’re still in the midst of a crisis is really hard, but there’s an optimistic feeling that we’re through the worst of it. Perhaps it’s the final rush towards that well deserved break over Christmas or something deeper. The economic fallout of the last year is going to hit many for a long time to come, but there’s a turn in mood to one of forward planning, looking at 2021 with positivity and less ‘fire-fighting’ which we’ve been doing for months. Take time to reflect on 2020 - what
worked, what needs changing in your business and take that focus into 2021. We’ve been resilient, supportive of others and we’ve made it! Don’t count your chickens mind, but do think about the turkey now. For so many of us, this year has been reactive, as it’s had to be. We have been so busy ‘doing’ that we haven’t had time to reflect or take stock and see how our business has changed and adapted. Take time over the Christmas break, to recharge, refocus and meet 2021 head on. From the three of us, thank you, for your support over the last year. Listening, sharing, and laughing. It helped us get through some tough times with our own businesses. Wishing you all an amazing Christmas and we look forward to seeing what each one of you and your businesses achieve in 2021. Lisa, James, and Emma x
Keeping you hydrated, healthy and happy at work Bottled Water Coolers Mains Water Coolers Hydration Solutions Fresh Fruit Boxes Healthy Snack Boxes Coffee Machines Specialty Taps Water Boilers
0844 579 3999 edgarsfruit.co.uk edgarswater.co.uk edgarscoffee.co.uk
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 63
C U B E C ORN E R
Cube Corner - December 20 Cube Corner
Welcome to the last
Cube Corner of 2020,
and what a year it has
been, there have been so many challenges
for all businesses throughout the year with the stop, start nature of the lock
downs and different restrictions across
the industry sectors. I have been in and around Brighton and Hove throughout the lock down period and it has been
really strange seeing the streets so eerily quiet. There are so many businesses that have been a real part of the
Paul Rogers
business community for so many years just closed up which is so sad. The
restaurant hospitality and hotel sector
has been the area which have suffered the most locally, even after investing
in infrastructure to make themselves
Covid compliant they have been forced to close, hopefully as we approach
2021 we can help our local community bounce back in the new year.
I think there has been a shift with the
public now keen to support the local and independent market.
I have just been reviewing the year with my clients and throughout all sectors they have been forced to re-evaluate
their business plan, although it has been very challenging there have also been very valuable lessons learned during
the year. The implementation of flexible working has obviously been brought to
the forefront of companies plan moving forward, after numerous conversations with owners and employees I think this will continue to evolve as we
move forward as each business and
64 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
each employee have different ways of
managing their diaries and tasks. There
are some real opportunities to work in an agile and collaborative way, whilst still
being home based with new platforms which have come to the forefront.
deal with for all of us, but we have all
managed to come through with a clear plan ahead, our meetings have had to
change a little this year from the normal but we have all managed to adapt, thanks again to the following;
It has been really interesting to see the
Vince Pemeberton and Neil Chapman
how they have evolved over this period,
Jason Young at Overline
work involved with my clients to see Vince Pemberton and the team at
Rivervale have completely re-modelled
their work space and have implemented a home based workforce and an office based team to keep the business
operating to its full potential. After a
challenging couple of months at the start of the lockdown with the shut down of manufacturing plants across UK and
Europe, things are now getting back on track with vehicle production now back up to normal levels.
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank my clients for all their support
throughout the year, all of the businesses have come through a tough period to
at Rivervale
Bruce Hayter at Rix and Kay Phil Bristow at Nsure,
Stuart Noakes at Carpenter Box Andy Tugwell at TSS
Glenn Ballard at New World Tech Paul and Lisa Ollerton at Meyado
Steve Darby and Malcolm Jacobs at City Utilities
Max Robinson at MCR Media
James Johnson at Picture Book Films Millie Stone at Whitespace
I hope you all have a great xmas break
and look forward to seeing you in person in 2021. Dodge
The Potting Room Sanderson
Gatsby Albany Opulence
Salvia DESIGNERS GUILD
Blue’s Blue PAINT LIBRARY
Fable Linwood
Mister David LITTLE GREENE
GREAT CHOICE, BR ANDS & ALWAYS GREAT SERVICE & ADVICE
Just visit brewers.co.uk to find your local store 38FOR www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk FURNITURE & GORGEOUS
ACCESSORIES BREWERSHOME.CO.UK www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
65
Search Seven’s #share77k campaign To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’ve set ourselves the target of bringing our charity fundraising total to £77k by the end of 2021.
justgiving.com/fundraising/share77k searchseven.co.uk/share77k Charity Events 2020
Charity Events 2021
ent
Kick off ev
Golf Day
Quiz Night Nov
8 October th
Table Tennis Feb
Footy Match May
Golf Day Sep
Quiz Night Nov
£77k target - 10 charities - 10th birthday IN SUPPORT OF:
66 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk
@SearchSeven
@searchse7en
Search Seven
@SearchSevenUK