SBT issue 455

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SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

MAYO WYNNE BAXTER AMPS UP EXPANSION PLANS THE AWARD-WINNING FIRM HAS SEVEN HUBS ACROSS SUSSEX WITH AMBITIOUS PLANS TO GROW FURTHER

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 1

S E RVI NG TH E SUSSE X BUS I N ES S COM MUN ITY S I NCE 197 5

All business is symbiotic in nature.

You can be inspiring your peers one day, learning from them the next.

In the end, people buy people.

That makes sharing our stories the most compelling way to connect with one another.

What’s needed is a platform to embrace and empower our regional business ecosystem.

Where varied backgrounds and perspectives provide new context.

Harnessing potential, enabling growth.

And at the heart of it, a dedicated term of curators unlocking insights for the good of us all.

So we’re changing the way people think of connecting.

Because we believe in self-reflection, rather than self-promotion.

By demystifying the art of storytelling, we deliver authentic thought leadership through events, publishing and broadcast media.

We come together to discover, share and grow.

But we won’t be limited by geography, or our imagination.

Instead, we’ll seek out local leaders, visionaries and experts, wherever great businesses thrive.

Growing communities, in partnership with the businesses that power them.

And nurturing the enterpreneurial spirit in everyone.

2 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

SBTWelcome Welcome to the latest issue of SBT!

As anyone in business knows, sharing how a product or service makes a real difference is key to raising a brand’s profile. Being able to solve a problem or streamline processes to make tasks easier and quicker can elevate a firm’s standing in its sector and enable it to grow.

At the Sussex Business Times, we believe in sharing success stories - not just to highlight the talents of entrepreneurs or good practice but to inspire others to do better, go further and, yes, sometimes take risks.

Harnessing the power of success is important in all economic climates but especially now when the challenges of inflation and energy price rises pose a real threat to the bottom line.

Whether it is throwing a spotlight on sound legal advice, people management

solutions or groundbreaking tech, we strive to always deliver relevant, practical ideas to drive your business forward.

News, we learn how Brighton is being challenged to lead the way in the transition to Net Zero.

Still growing after more than 150 years is highly respected Sussex law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter, the worthy subject of this issue’s cover feature.

With Ask The Expert, top Sport news and timely information on why financial advice is changing for the better, we think there is something for everyone in this issue.

You will find more success stories in our Monthly News roundup as well as a raft of constructive features, written by experts to help you improve your business. For example, BIPC Sussex shares important information about the hidden value of intellectual property and good business guru Rebecca Kimber explains how you can make your website ‘greener’.

Want to share something with us yourself? Contact us to tell the business community what you do - in print, online and across social media channels.

On the networking front, you will find top takeaways on five books that expert Bradley Hatchett is certain will make you a better networker. In Chamber

Finally, it’s not all work and no play.

Thanks to wine expert Michael Yeoman and County Business Clubs Sussex, we can help you choose the perfect tipple to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Cheers!

Sam Thomas, Managing Director

VALUE ADDED PARTNERS

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Issue 455

SBT POWERED BY:

ISSUE 455

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Monthly News

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SBT Finance

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SBT Legal

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SBT Sales & Marketing

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SBT Cover Feature

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SBT Start Ups & Entrepreneurs

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SBT Tech

37

SBT Good Business

41

SBT Charity

47

SBT Motor News

53

SBT Networking & Events

63

Chamber News

69

SBT Sport

77

SBT Ask the Expert

82

SBT Wine of the Month

SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

MAYO WYNNE BAXTER AMPS UP EXPANSION PLANS THE AWARD-WINNING FIRM HAS SEVEN HUBS ACROSS SUSSEX WITH AMBITIOUS PLANS TO GROW FURTHER

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 1

SERVI NG T H E SUSSEX B USI N ESS C OM MUN ITY SI NC E 1975

Cover 455

Joint Managing Director/Publisher Sam Thomas sam@thebusinessgroup.co.uk 07894 762304 Joint Managing Director Lee Mansfield lee@lifemediagroup.co.uk Production & Design Kim Butler kim@lifemediagroup.co.uk Accounts Clare Fermor clare@lifemediagroup.co.uk Published by The Business Group Sussex Ltd. Licenced to TBG by Pixel Publications Ltd Unit 1a Swan Barn Business Centre, Swan Barn Road, Hailsham, BN27 2BY Printed by Gemini Print Group 1A Dolphin Way Shoreham-by-Sea West Sussex BN43 6NZ 01273 464884 www.gemini-print.co.uk

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

A round-up of business news from across Sussex, including a major milestone for Preston Insurance Brokers

A look at how financial advice is changing and a major award for James Mallinson, of Servo Private Wealth

365 Employment Law discusses how firms can protect customers and confidential information

Award-winning automotive agency 67 Degrees reveals why dealers love working with them

With a 150-year history, we discover how leading law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter amps up its ambitious expansion plans

BIPC Sussex explains the hidden value of intellectual property

Silicon Brighton in conversation with Lacë-Chantelle Rogers, Lead Data Specialist in Advanced Analytics at Measurelab

How ‘green’ is your website? Rebecca Kimber explains how businesses can reduce their digital carbon footprint

Mental Health Awareness Week and how the inaugural Rockinghorse Ryder Cup ended up rivalling the real thing!

Rivervale Cars Limited announces a management buyout, the UK’s most abandoned car models revealed and why now is the best time to invest in an electric car

The 5 books that will make you a better networker, Jackie’s Networking Adventures and a round-up following Sussex Business Show

The Big Debate - is Brighton perfectly positioned to be leading the transition to Net Zero?

Plus, the British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference

The fascinating history of cricket in Sussex by Laurence Elphick and a round-up of sporting stories as well as features

Midnight Communications explains national media coverage is important for regional businesses and Mia Neupauerova writes about why employee management methods must change

Michael Yeoman reveals what you should be toasting the Queen’s Jubilee with

SBT MONTHLY NEWS SPECIAL

PRESTON INSURANCE BROKERS...

10 YEARS AND COUNTING!

SBT MONTHLY NEWS SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 5

Preston Insurance Brokers – 10 years and counting...

We caught up recently with Noel Preston, Managing Partner of Preston Insurance Brokers, to learn about the upcoming 10-year business anniversary and his thoughts and plans for the future.

So the business

Monthly News

is 10 years old in

December this year, what have been the highlights?

I’m pleased to say there have been

the turn of each year – we are on track with this which is great!

You mention your Team, what has been your secret to 100% staff retention?

a number of highlights. Surviving the

I think, perhaps it is a collection of a

fantastic loyalty of a large section

have to ask them for their own individual

members of staff - that is a statistic I

has different personalities, the main

10 years is a highlight in itself; the

number of things but I suppose you’d

of our clients and not losing any

reasons. Whilst everyone in the Team

am really proud of!

underlying common denominator is their

We are now up to 10 of us and the

genuine and good people.

business annually to be in a position to

We provide an environment for the team

plan from the outset was to grow the

employ the next member of the team at

6 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

attitude and the fact that they are all

to learn, to develop, to achieve personal

goals and where there is an ambition, we do what we can to harness that and help them reach their objectives.

As a business, we have always been a pretty flexible employer and find if you

employ the right type of person, treat them

like an adult and a human being then you’ll receive a work ethic that’s second to none.

I’ve said it before, we don’t take

ourselves too seriously. There are no

egos. Individually and collectively, we

are not too precious but, in respect of the work, we take this really seriously

with a lot of pride in everything we do.

We also like to have some fun - insurance

MON T H LY N E WS

can be quite a dry subject sometimes

so it’s always nice to lighten the mood a little and go out and enjoy ourselves

occasionally as a team. With the hybrid return to the office, we wanted the

team to have something to look forward to when coming back in, other than

of course just being able to see and

personally converse with each other.

Office pizza on the first Wednesday of

every month and cakes from one of our

clients on the last Wednesday are just a couple of things we have introduced.

So what for the future, any thoughts of hanging up your boots?

No, certainly not in the immediate

future, I enjoy it too much to think

about letting go just yet! Not unlike

most independent insurance brokers, we are regularly approached by the larger consolidator type brokers

looking to acquire businesses such as ourselves. Our preference is to

remain and grow as an independent

broker, continuing to provide the local personalised service which has been the foundation and bedrock of our growth and success to date.

Nevertheless, every business has to

plan for the future and those plans do

not just happen overnight. In September last year I was lucky enough to have a

coffee and a chat with the late, great Nik Askaroff, who was both a valued friend

and business mentor. Nik advised that any kind of succession planning takes time

over a number of years and doesn’t just

happen overnight, so we have started that

management and service delivery side of the business, Paul more so on the client relationships, development, marketing and new business elements.

I’m really looking forward to the future,

helping and supporting both them and the others in the team and witnessing them all develop and grow with the business.

process, not just in respect of personnel

Do you have any plans to celebrate

As businesses grow, the business owner

Yes, we have several things planned

but also evolvement of the business itself.

has to change their involvement, working more on the business rather than in it.

This can be a tricky time with the personal struggle of letting go, keeping in touch with all the members of the team and also ensuring any Client relationships

are unaffected. So, like a lot of things in running a successful business, it is all about the people.

With that in mind, we have recently

appointed both Aaron Thorpe and Paul Morriss as Associate Partners. Both

your 10 years in business?

through the year. Everyone works hard

enough, you need to make sure you make some time to have fun too. We will have

events as a Team, with our suppliers, our

introducers, our business contacts and of course most importantly our Clients.

As ever we will look to use the premises, products, hospitality, event space,

facilities etc of our Clients and business

contacts, just a small way of giving a bit back for their loyalty.

have their own particular skill sets

and really complement each other.

Aaron very much in the operational,

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 7

MO NT H LY N E WS

Left to right: Tim Bartlett and Ellen Miller from Lewes District Council, Councillor James MacCleary, Councillor Zoe Nicholson and Sam Buckland, Sussex Flow Initiative Project Officer at the Sussex Wildlife Trust during a visit to Hoath Wood in Newhaven to find out how leaky dams are helping to address flooding in the area.

Council launches plans that will ‘make a difference’ across district

Lewes District Council has embarked on an ambitious and far-reaching programme of community projects that will see a host of new developments and improvements across the district over the next 12 months.

The projects include a

Monthly News

renewal of play areas, new sports facilities, green initiatives

that will increase

biodiversity in the district, tackle the

impact of climate change and help the

council become carbon net zero by 2030.

There will also be greater access to the

countryside, a new wetland and wildflower meadows created, more tree planting and

enhancements in local parks and gardens.

Councillor Zoe Nicholson, Leader of Lewes District Council, said: “I am obviously delighted that the plans

we are announcing today will make

a difference in communities all over Lewes district.

“These are very tough time for many

residents and as a council we will do all we can to help, that includes investing in our play areas and green spaces, which everyone can enjoy.”

8 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

This week councillors visited Hoath Wood (pictured) to see how council

officers are working with the Sussex

Flow Initiative, a partnership including Sussex Wildlife Trust, to implement

natural flood management measures such as leaky dams, to reduce the risks of flooding during prolonged periods of wet weather.

Councillor James MacCleary, Deputy

Leader of Lewes District Council, added: “It was great to see how our officers and our partners are using natural

resources in Hoath Wood to slow down the flow of water.

“Flooding has long been a problem for residents in this part of Newhaven and

it’s brilliant to see action to address that while remaining in absolute harmony with the woodland environment.

“I am also very excited to see local play

areas being upgraded across the district.

“As a dad with two young children, I

know how important these facilities are to parents.

“It is these sorts of investments in our

community’s future that make me proud of the work our Alliance has done since taking over the council in 2019.”

The council is developing a website where

residents can visit and see all the initiatives that will benefit local communities.

Councillor Chris Collier, Cabinet Member for Performance and People, said: “The

Co-operative Alliance has the health and

wellbeing of all communities in the district at the heart of everything we do.

“It is heartening and a source of great pride for me and all my colleagues to

have funded a raft of projects that will bring so many different benefits and enhancements to the district.”

MON T H LY N E WS

Lightning Fibre appoints new board members

Alternative Network Provider prepares for expansion with appointment of new, senior board members

Pictured left to right Lighting Fibre board: Ben Ferriman, Amit Thakrar, Simon Bonini, Tim Passingham

Monthly News

Lightning Fibre, founder and CEO, Ben Ferriman

London, April 25,

experience and, along with Simon Bonini,

Fibre has created around 100 high-

Limited (Lightning

expansion and development of the South

underway to increase this to 200.

2022: Lightning Fibre Fibre), the alternative fibre network

they will play a vital role in the further Coast’s fixed telecoms sector.”

quality, local jobs - with plans

Amit Thakrar started his career as a

provider for East Sussex, announces

Matt Hammond, partner, Foresight

telecommunications and infrastructure

impressed by the ambition of the

projects. His experience in developing

the progress it has already made in East

will help Lightning Fibre accelerate the

Foresight Group, and Tim Passingham,

in 2020, the business has strengthened

and the South Coast.

Consulting, are confirmed as new board

to help support its further growth through

Tim Passingham is the founder and

fellow Board members; founder and CEO

executives to the Lightning Fibre Board.”

Consulting and spent his executive

Simon Bonini, non-executive director.

Sussex’s Lightning Fibre burst on to

Level3 Communications (now Lumens)

Ben Ferriman, founder and CEO of

to 100,000 homes and businesses in

pollution reduction technology business

board level appointments come at a time

pilot project in the seaside town

director of sustainability consultancy

development of Gigabit Britain is being

transforming broadband connectivity

of The Carrier Club.

substantial infrastructure and telecoms

expand further. To date, Lightning

www.lightningfibre.co.uk

chartered accountant before moving

the appointment of two senior

Group, added: “We continue to be

executives to its Board.

Lightning Fibre management team and

large-scale infrastructure deployments

Amit Thakrar, portfolio director, at

Sussex. Since Foresight’s investment

delivery of gigabit full fibre to Sussex

chairman of Cambridge Management

considerably, and Foresight is delighted

members of Lightning Fibre. They join

the appointment of two new, senior

of Lightning Fibre, Ben Ferriman and

into investment in infrastructure

chairman of Cambridge Management career in telecommunications in BT,

the scene in 2018 to bring full fibre

and Colt. Tim is also the chairman of the

Sussex. Following an initial successful

Iknaia, co-founder and non-executive

when the contribution of alt-nets to the

of Eastbourne, Lightning Fibre is

Edenseven, and a non-executive director

widely recognised. Tim and Amit bring

in East Sussex and is looking to

Lightning Fibre, commented: “These

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 9

MO NT H LY N E WS

Sussex soap manufacturer heads to Glasgow for FSB national finals Waldron-based business The English Monthly Soap Company News headed to Glasgow on May 19 for the UK Final of the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards after being named Family Business of the Year in the South East.

“We are all so very proud to achieve this regional accolade and are very excited to be attending the national finals in Glasgow. The recognition is a credit to everyone who works for us.

As well as winning the Family Business category in the South East Awards, the English Soap Company was a finalist in the Environmental/Sustainability category.

Inspired by their discovery, Bob and Juliet spent many years perfecting the art of soap making and perfumery to make the perfect soap. A soap bar smooth and silky in texture, that moisturises rather than dries the skin, and above all is infused with a luxurious designer perfume that lasts until the end of the bar.

Managing Director Oliver Butts said: “We are a true family business which was started by my parents Bob and Juliet more than 20 years ago after they discovered a number of vintage soap moulds lying disused in a machinery workshop farm in Kent. My wife Ailsa now also works for the business.

“We are also grateful to our distributors, customers and suppliers for helping us to achieve our success to date.”

As the business grew, Bob and Juliet moved their soap operation out of their kitchen and on to a local farm in the Sussex countryside. From here, the

business grew from strength to strength as demand for their soaps increased.

The English Soap company still makes all of its products on the farm site in the heart of the English countryside in Waldron, East Sussex. Customers are now worldwide and the company exports to every continent apart from Antartica.

Fighting back through creativity, friendship and shared experiences Eastbourne artist Maja Jones has Monthly overcome chronic News illness and family struggles - thanks to her love of creativity and the support of the mental health charity Holding Space.

The graphic designer and collage artist has decided to show her appreciation for the help she received from Holding Space by organising monthly Collage and Wine evenings for parents.

Maja is the latest artist to feature in the Beacon’s Instagram series, Creatives by the Coast.

“I’ve been going through a lot of health issues recently and have been recovering from a couple of operations in lockdown,” Maja explained. “Chronic illness can rob you of your creative identity and I was determined not to let this happen to me.”

Maja re-ignited her love of collage, 10 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

which fuses together different materials/ images to form a new piece of art. She found great support for her and her family at Eastbourne-based charity Holding Space and decided to re-pay the team through her creativity.

“I firmly believe that we are all creative and I am really passionate about spreading that message,” Maja continued. “We all need creativity, especially at the moment.

My collage and wine evenings are a great way of connecting with parents who have experienced a rough time during the lockdowns.”

It was through attending parent meet-ups and shared experiences that Maja realised the importance of the human connection.

“Many of us have become islands, dealing with a lot of issues on our own. I think it is so important to share our experiences and admit that we are sometimes not ok, we are not always fine,” she said.

Maja is originally from Montenegro, but has lived in the UK all her adult life. She

has lived in London and Brighton, but Eastbourne is where she and her husband have put down their roots.

“I love being by the coast. There is something for everyone here,” she explained. “The variety of beaches, the chalky cliffs and the green hills of the South Downs, it’s all so mesmerising.”

And she has special praise for the Eastbourne art community. Everyone is just so passionate about the town, but we need our voices to be listened to and the support of the townspeople,” she said.

To see Maja’s Instagram feature, go to www.instagram.com/p/CdG1pgZg2Id/

SBT FINANCE

HOW FINANCIAL ADVICE IS CHANGING

BY ENGAGE WEALTH MANAGEMENT

JAMES MALLINSON FROM SERVO PRIVATE WEALTH WINS WEALTH MANAGER OF THE YEAR AT THE 2022 RETIREMENT PLANNING AWARDS

SBT FINANCE SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 11

How financial advice is changing Finance

“Before we start,

folder stacked full of various brochures

through your process

then head back to the office to scan

could you run

and costs? When

I think of financial

advice, I think of estate agents and car salesmen too. No offence.”

These were the words from a recent

client in May 2022. Should I have taken offence? Perhaps. But her concerns are not unfounded. There is work to do in our profession to change this

perception. The good news is there is

a slow shift to better advice and better outcomes for financial advice clients.

‘The Times They Are A-Changin.’

Technology

Not so long ago, I would drive two

hours for a client meeting and then

two hours home again. I would take a

12 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

and paperwork for my clients to sign,

everything and shred. Furthermore, the pension provider would send welcome paperwork to my clients and a paper

The technology space in financial advice right now is exciting, honestly.

Technology, used efficiently, can provide better advice to more people.

copy to our office…

Financial Planning vs.

Our profession has struggled with

Financial planning, rather than advice,

technology.

But it’s getting better. We’ve seen

a considerable shift in advice firms

embracing technology in recent years.

Ultimately, this drives down costs and means advisers have more time to spend with their clients.

At Engage Wealth Management we

use digital fact finds, digital signatures, online identity verification, and we’re

virtually paperless. We hold over 80% of our client meetings online.

Financial Advice

focuses on your goals and what you want from life. Like a runner doesn’t

begin a training plan without a goal in

mind, a financial planner doesn’t invest your money without first discussing goals and creating a plan.

We see a shift away from advisers

providing products and focusing on minimum investment values.

Cashflow Modelling sits at the centre of financial planning. Cashflow Modelling allows advisers to create powerful

FI NA NCE people seeking independent advice.

The youth of today

The average age of a financial adviser in the UK is still somewhere around 58. This poses a problem for our

profession. Most advisers will be retiring in the next ten years.

Thankfully, many young professionals have seen this as an opportunity. The average age is also beginning to shift downwards. Younger advisers can

only be good news for clients receiving advice. Coached by more experienced

advisers, the next generation will be by their clients’ side for 20-30 years.

Oliver McDonald

Younger people are also seeking advice.

With the benefit of younger advisers

industry standard in the future.

understanding this demographic, coupled

More qualifications are excellent news

with greater technology, more people

for our profession.

should have access to advice in the future.

Fees

2022 and beyond

debating it for hours in the office.

industry has changed and continues

We’ll keep this short to avoid advisers lifetime cashflow forecasts, helping

clients visualise their future lifestyle and

Most advisers have used a percentage

pieces of technology for advisers.

with us, we’ll charge 3%. It sounds simple,

The perception of the financial advice to evolve.

model since 2012 – you invest £100,000

We have highly qualified, highly regulated

but this style of charging has its faults.

providing holistic financial planning. This

to focusing on planning rather than

There is a shift towards fixed fees – you

clients in the UK.

For this article, I will call us ‘advisers’.

second fee for implementing any changes.

The pinstripe salesmen are out;

Qualifications

Fixed fees seem to be more transparent

here to stay.

financial adviser, I completed a

change happen industry-wide.

Oliver McDonald

took nine months, and I passed with no

Independent vs. Restricted

DipFA PETR CeMAP CeRER

Our regulators have introduced further

until the cows come home. I won’t sit

+44 (0) 7545 522150

financial adviser. I genuinely believe this

Unit 5, English Business Park, English

income. It is one of the most critical

Whatever we call ourselves, a move products is good news for our clients.

When I first studied to become a Certificate for Financial Advisers. It

pay for the advice initially, then perhaps a

and fairer, but it will take time to see this

advisers embracing technology and

ultimately means better outcomes for

professional financial planners are

Director

prior industry knowledge or experience.

Another subject that could be debated

+44 (0) 1273 076587

qualifications since then.

on the fence here – I am an independent

www.engagewm.co.uk

Nowadays, the industry standard is a

is the best style of advice.

Close, Hove BN3 7ET

take pride in their qualifications. Many

But we’ve seen a change with clients,

level, which I believe will become the

discussion often comes up. We see more

Diploma level qualification. But advisers advisers are continuing to chartered

too – when researching advice, this

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 13

FI NAN C E

James Mallinson from Servo Private Wealth wins Wealth Manager of the Year at the 2022 Retirement Planning Awards James Mallinson, Director of Servo Private Wealth, based in Brighton and Haywards Heath, has been named the winner of the Wealth Manager of the Year (South East England) award at the 2022 Retirement Planning Awards, hosted by the Wealth and Finance Magazine.

The Retirement

Finance

Planning Awards

aims to celebrate

the companies and

individuals that have

helped those young and old put their future into perspective.. The awarding body are fiercely passionate about recognising

outstanding achievement, game changing innovation and stellar performance and felt that James and Servo were most deserving of the accolade.

Upon winning the award, James

Mallinson, Director of Servo Private

Wealth, said: “I am delighted to have been recognised as one of the Top

Wealth Managers in the region by the

14 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Wealth and Finance Magazine, and it

Awards Co-ordinator Victoria Cotton

the team and I have put in the last 12

business, we are proud to showcase

puts into perspective the hard work that

said: “When it comes to impeccable

months – so, thank you!’

James as he has excelled in the industry.

Servo Private Wealth is an Independent

2022 ahead.”

which specialises in working with

You can find out more about

The award showcases the talent and

servoprivatewealth.com

it offers its clients and is added to the

Servo Private Wealth Limited is an

Practice Award which the firm won in

Practice IFA Group Limited, which

Chartered Wealth Management practice Business Owners & their families.

expertise at Servo and the difference

We sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of

Servo Private Wealth here: www.

Most Innovative Wealth Management

appointed representative of Best

2021 at the Southern Enterprise Awards.

is authorised and regulated by the

Speaking on the success of James

Private Wealth Limited is entered on the

Mallinson at Servo Private Wealth,

Financial Conduct Authority. Servo

FCA register under reference 913631.

SBT

LEGA L

LEGAL

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CUSTOMERS AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION BY 365 EMPLOYMENT LAW

SECTION 21 NOTICES AND THE QUEEN’S SPEECH 2022

BY MAYO WYNNE BAXTER

SBT LEGAL SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 15

Employment Law: How to protect your customers and confidential information I am often approached

Legal

by employers in fear

of lost revenue, after a senior employee

has left, as customers

often follow those employees. The employer’s ability to protect their

customer base is often better if they have well drafted post termination

restrictions. Those restrictions must be reasonable to be enforceable. My task is often easier, if the employer comes to me with a contract that I (or even

another employment lawyer) has drafted.

When I am approached by an employer

in these circumstances, they often have

16 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

pre-conceived views of how the courts deal with these type of restrictions.

Sometimes they have drafted the

restrictions themselves. The views are often polar opposite, with the stance

either being that covenants are never

enforceable, or that courts will always

enforce them. Neither position is correct.

Contractual Covenants

The starting position in law is that restrictions are unenforceable, as

they restrict livelihood, but courts will enforce if they are reasonable and go

no further than is necessary. There are 4 main types of covenants that employers should consider, non-solicitation of

customers, non-solicitation of staff, non-competition, and confidential information protection.

Non-solicitation of Customers

This type of restriction is actually as it says, it stops an employee, for a

set period, from attempting to secure

business from the employer’s customers for a set period. If the set period is too long, it won’t be enforceable. Typically

6 to 12 months post employment are as long as would normally be reasonable, although there can be exceptions.

Non-solicitation of Staff

This type of clause is similar to the

LEGA L from using the confidential information of the employer (eg customer and

price lists), from being taken and used.

A comparable duty, the duty of good

faith, is implied into every contract of

employment. If an employee, either in breach of any contractual or implied duty, takes and uses confidential

information, then they can be stopped by the employer from using that

information, by way of an injunction, and the employer may also have a claim in damages for losses.

I am often asked which clauses are

enforceable, and which are not, and

there is no real definitive rules, but there are patterns:

Alex Jones

1) A restriction on non-solicitation for

employees will rarely be enforceable if longer than 12 months;

2) The same is true of other employees; 3) For both of these, a back date is crucial eg no solicitation for 12

months for any customers that they

have had personal dealings in the 12 months prior to departure;

4) Non-compete clauses in the digital world are becoming increasingly harder to enforce. If you have a geographical area, how do you customer one. If an employee leaves,

define that? Unless the customers

them/their new employer for a set period

the company has limited national or

normal length of time.

compete will only really be a deterrent;

they cannot recruit staff to work for

are all very local eg a hairdresser, or

of time. 6 to 12 months would be the

regional competition, then a non-

5) It is always easier to bring proceedings,

Non-Competition

or persuade an employees new

as for a set period of time, the employee

enforceable covenants;

These clauses are the most controversial, is prevented from competing in their

employer to settle a claim if there are

industry, within a set geographical area.

All is not lost if there are no covenants,

defined, or the employee is senior and/

unenforceable, as the implied duty

be enforceable.

employment contract. If an employee,

Confidential Information

future employment ie give themselves/

enforceable, as it stops an employee

start, that they wouldn’t have got

For that reason, unless they are very

or some of the covenants are

or in a niche industry they are unlikely to

of good faith is present in every

This type of clause is almost always

in the open marketplace, then that is actionable. This usually involves

either the taking of customer lists, or

the soliciting of customers whilst still employed. Any employer taking new employees on, should always make

clear that such theft is unacceptable.

If you are an employer, who now has a percentage of your workforce remote

or hybrid working, you should be even

more alive to the potential for the theft of confidential information, and the losses it can cause you.

Employers should also always be alert

to any issues involving departing staff,

and always take proactive advice in how to deal with these issues.

Alex Jones

365 Employment Law Solicitors Tel: 01903 863284

ajones@365employmentlaw.co.uk www.365employmentlaw.co.uk

uses their position to springboard their their new employer, an unlawful head

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 17

L EGAL

Section 21 notices and the Queen’s Speech 2022

It is estimated that there are some 4.4 million households privately renting in England and that one fifth of renters did not end their last tenancy by choice.

Currently when the

Legal

term of an assured shorthold tenancy

comes to an end a landlord can serve

notice on their tenant to move out of the

property with a minimum of two months’ notice. If the tenant fails to leave on

expiry of the notice the landlord can

commence court proceedings seeking an order requiring the tenant to vacate the property and face eviction, should they not leave.

Organisations such as Shelter have

been pushing for greater security in the private rented sector for many years

•A lter and strengthen the grounds on

which a landlord can rely when faced

tenant organisations and landlord organisations alike, it waits to be

with repeated incidences of rent arrears.

seen how long it will take for the

accept poor conditions in a property

behaviour so that landlords are able

Paper and for the Bill to be provided.

with a Section 21 notice if an issue

when appropriate.

Paper setting out more detail on

to provide more security for tenants

to enable disputes to be settled quickly,

expected ‘shortly’.

intention to provide tenants will more

The Ombudsman will cover all private

For the time being a landlord is still

In addition, the Government aims to

aim to ensure that when a complaint is

process to recover possession of their

and have said that many renters live in fear of eviction. Renters are known to because of the fear of being served

is raised. In order to combat this and

•R educe the notice period for anti-social to regain possession of their property •C reate a Private Renters’ Ombudsman

Government to publish the White

It has been announced that the White the proposed Renters Reform Bill is

the Government has announced its

at low cost, without going to court.

secure and higher quality housing.

landlords letting properties with the

able to use the Section 21 notice

made, landlords take action.

property, however, it is highly likely that

market that is fairer and more effective

landlords understand their obligations

of their property on a no-fault basis will

As part of the Queen’s Speech 2022, the

•S et out a legally binding Decent Homes

halve the number of non-decent rented properties by 2030 and create a rental for tenants and landlords.

Government announced that it intended it to introduce a ‘Renters Reform Bill’.

The main proposals to be included in the

• I ntroduce a property portal to help

and give tenants information to hold their landlord to account.

a landlord’s right to regain possession be removed.

We are able to assist a landlord from

Standard with the intention to give

service of a Section 21 notice through

value housing.

and offer a fixed fee scheme. We can also

tenants safer, better quality and better

Bill are to:

The proposal for a Renters Reform Bill

• Stop ‘no-fault’ evictions by removing

change’ in the protection for tenants

the court procedure and to the eviction

assist where rent arrears are outstanding.

For further information, please visit

was first announced in 2019 as ‘step

www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk.

section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. It

and hailed as the biggest change

By Paul Rooke, Associate Solicitor

for tenants and allow them to challenge

generation. Whilst the announcement

retaliatory eviction.

met with guarded approval from

is hoped that this will provide security

to the private rented sector for a

their landlord without the fear of a

in the Queen’s Speech has been

18 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

SBT SALES & MARKETING

FIVE REASONS WHY DEALERS LOVE WORKING WITH 67 DEGREES BY 67 DEGREES

SBT SALES & MARKETING SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 19

SA L E S & MARK E T I N G

Five reasons why dealers love working with 67 Degrees

Are you a car dealer that’s fallen out of love with your website provider? Then let 67 Degrees help! Experience award-winning websites created by an award-winning automotive agency, for a match made in heaven.

Based at Brighton

Sales & Marketing

City Airport in

Shoreham-by-Sea,

67 Degrees is a team of experienced,

dedicated and like-minded

professionals. Together the team develops innovative websites,

e-commerce solutions, and provides

creative marketing services exclusively within the automotive industry.

Whether you are an independent or

prestige dealership, a car supermarket,

20 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

or a franchise group, then put your

seatbelts on as 67 Degrees is here to

shake things up… Think of them as the Robin to your Batman, the Chewbacca to your Han Solo, the Rodney to your

Del Boy; basically, they’re the best sidekick you’ll ever have!

Here are just five reasons why you’ll love working with the team at 67 Degrees…

1. Implementing innovative technology We all love a bit of tech, but where

do you start when it comes to finding

the right products for you and your dealership? Well, look no further

than 67 Degrees! Working exclusively within the automotive industry, they

are experts in offering the best online marketing solutions possible.

In fact, the agency has developed

its very own ecommerce products for your customers. Their buying

habits have changed, now it’s time to change yours too! Get ahead of the

competition with a two-step reserve online or full end-to-end solution

SAL ES & MARKE TI NG

just be a number.

The team takes great

pride in cultivating and managing every single one of their customer

relationships, to ensure

they get the best out of a partnership.

designed to totally transform your customers buying journey.

2. Providing outstanding customer service

Like you, 67 Degrees want success

and won’t settle for anything less. Not

only do they aim to achieve outstanding results for you and your dealership,

but also match that with outstanding customer service too - it’s the 67 Degrees way.

When it comes to putting customers first, 67 Degrees is pretty confident

they’ve smashed it. But don’t just take

their word for it; check out over 50 fivestar reviews the company has received on Google from its customers - you’ll be wondering why it’s taken you so long to get in touch!

3. Visits to your dealership

As a 67 Degrees customer, you’ll never

Unlike some other

automotive agencies,

you’ll never feel ghosted. They make every effort to put your website and

marketing first, which is why they go

5. Brownies on your birthday!

Sounds too good to be true? Think

again! If you can’t enjoy the best-ever brownies on your birthday, then when can you?! 67 Degrees believe it’s the

little things that go a long way when it comes to showing people you care.

That’s why the team always makes sure you receive a box of brownies on your birthday each year, just to remind you that they’re always there. That’s their pinky promise!

out of their way to visit you and your

Get in touch with the team

you may be based!

At 67 Degrees it’s your website, your

dealership - no matter where in the UK

4. A dedicated dealer WhatsApp group Nobody wants to deal with a faceless

company, which is why at 67 Degrees,

they do things differently. You’ll not only receive support from your very own

Account Manager, they will also set up a dedicated WhatsApp group for your

dealership too. We all love a good chat, so it’s the best way to make sure you get heard - loud and clear!

Every member of the team working on

your account gets added to the group, so you’ll have the right expertise and

advice you need at the other end of the phone. What’s not to love about that?!

way. That idea in your head, let 67

Degrees make it a reality - they can

make your dream website come to life!

Head over to 67degrees.co.uk to find out how they’re driving businesses beyond the forecourt.

As an all-in-one automotive marketing

agency, the team is ready to transform your online presence, so get ready to

connect! Why not slide into their DM’s on social media, pop them an email

to info@67degrees.co.uk, or pick up

the phone and give the team a call on

01273 007 855 to find out why they’re the perfect website partner for your car dealership.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 21

22 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

SBT COVER STORY

MAYO WYNNE BAXTER AMPS UP EXPANSION PLANS WE FIND OUT MORE...

SBT COVER STORY SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 23

MWB and Ampa members met up in Brighton

Mayo Wynne Baxter amps up expansion plans

Founded 150 years ago in Lewes, Mayo Wynne Baxter is a leading law firm for life and business in the South East.

Steeped in history,

Cover Story

the firm was

originally founded

by Wynne Edwin

Baxter; who was not

only a successful lawyer but also the

first mayor of Lewes, and the coroner who famously carried out inquests into three recognised victim cases

of Jack the Ripper in 1888. He also investigated the deaths of Joseph Merrick (known as the ‘Elephant

24 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Man’), German spies, First World War bombing fatalities, accidental deaths and murder victims.

Fast forward, and more than 15

mergers and acquisitions later, the

award-winning firm has seven hubs across Sussex, including Brighton, Crawley, Eastbourne, Storrington,

Lewes, Seaford and East Grinstead, as well as ambitious plans to grow further into Kent and Surrey.

Despite being one of the oldest law firms in the region, the forward thinking firm

has remained progressive, with a culture of collaboration, transparency, equality and inclusion.

Ready for its next step, the 170 peoplestrong brand has officially merged with

national legal and professional services group Ampa, a union of brands that leaders of Mayo Wynne Baxter and Ampa confirm is a ‘win-win’.

COVE R STO RY

Ampa’s CEO Sarah Walker-Smith and MWB’s Dean Orgill

a great move for us and we have the full support of our people across the

business. There is a lot of consolidation in the legal market right now, but no

one else is offering what Ampa does.

This is not a takeover, there are no

redundancies as a result, nor a big ‘payday’ for equity partners; it is a merger

of the purest kind, where we know that

the sum is greater than its parts and that With no money exchanging as part of the merger, Mayo Wynne Baxter will

remain a separate LLP, keeping its brand and independence, but adding more than 900 other experts across legal

disciplines and business operations to

increase the breadth and depth of what the firm can offer to its clients .

Ampa will benefit from Mayo Wynne

Baxter’s well-established presence in

a new region and growing client base.

The merger will take Ampa to a turnover above £100 million for 2022/23 and a group of more than 1,100 people.

Dean Orgill, chief executive partner

at Mayo Wynne Baxter, said: “This is

working together will make us stronger and enable bigger and faster growth.

“Our move to join Ampa is part of a

wider strategy shared by the businesses for growth, collaboration and combined infrastructure, as well as shared values in terms of supporting clients and the

community. When we saw what Ampa

had planned, we were excited: merging was a case of ‘want to, not need to’.”

While Mayo Wynne Baxter and Ampa

share clear commercial ambitions, the

starting point for the union was culture and values.

CEO of Ampa Sarah Walker-Smith said:

“The most important thing for our group

is culture, whether that be appointing

someone to work in our post room, right through to bringing on an entire new

entity. Having shared values and a desire to do business for good is absolutely critical and this is always our starting point in any discussion.

“So often in our industry large and

aggressive businesses will acquire firms only to destroy the very heart of that

brand and the reason they have loyal clients – we want to reverse that. At

Ampa we’d rather do ‘M without the A’; we strongly believe that it is possible to have a true merger with parties of

different sizes and we’ve done just that with Mayo Wynne Baxter.

“What we’re looking for is teams,

individuals and brands that will either join an existing brand to bolster their

offering, or – like in the case of Mayo

Wynne Baxter – maintain their brand and offer something different to the group; whether that be a unique location,

service offering, route to market or

a fiercely loyal client following. Our

approach means brands can ‘have

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 25

C OVE R STORY

Ampa’s CMPO-Ben Buckton and CE0 Sarah Walker-Smith

their cake and eat it’ by benefiting from the economies of scale, bigger buying power, higher profile and access to a wider client base, while maintaining

their own personality, identity and what makes them special.”

Mayo Wynne Baxter will be Ampa’s

‘regional anchor brand’ for the South East, meanwhile full service law firm

Shakespeare Martineau is the group’s

‘regional anchor brand’ for the Midlands and London.

As part of the merger, Mayo Wynne

Baxter’s personal injury and clinical negligence teams will join Ampa’s

existing national consumer-focussed law brand Lime Solicitors, with full

continuity of service for clients, adding around £1.2 million additional turnover to Lime Solicitors.

Other brands in the group include

cyber security company CSS Assure, uninsured loss recovery experts

Corclaim and planning consultancy Marrons Planning. In 2021, the

London team of clinical negligence

26 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Dean Orgill and Sarah Walker-Smith

and personal injury solicitors Hudgells moved into Ampa’s consumer

champion law firm Lime Solicitors.

Gearing up for growth

Currently Mayo Wynne Baxter supports clients across property, corporate and

commercial law, employment, litigation, international, private client and family

law. The firm’s long-standing reputation has been built on providing exceptional service, achieved by employing outstanding people.

In the next 12 months and beyond

Mayo Wynne Baxter is looking to grow its expertise in its long-established services such as private client,

property, specialist litigation and rural

affairs, while also increasing the team’s strength and depth in commercial advice and transactions.

With plans to grow by more than 35

people in the next two years, the firm

is also open to ‘bolt-ons’ as part of its growth strategy.

Dean said: “We are recruiting proactively

across Sussex, Surrey and Kent. We are also looking for like-minded teams or

smaller firms in our locality - and into Kent and Surrey - who share our culture and

values to join our brand and help us drive

growth and development of our business, provide better service to our clients and

importantly provide new people and teams with the resources they need to flourish.

Being part of Ampa enables us to increase the pace of this programme.”

Mostly servicing SMEs and high net

worth individuals, Mayo Wynne Baxter’s

new capabilities and access to additional professionals will enable the firm to

service larger clients across the South East and beyond. Not forgetting small

businesses, start-ups and families with a tighter budget, Mayo Wynne Baxter is also looking to expand LawEasier; its online platform that offers one-off consumer purchases and business

subscription services for bespoke letters and legal documents that don’t require extensive expert advice.

Group-first mentality

Ampa takes a ‘group-first’ mentality and

COVE R STO RY

MWB marketing team assist Ampa events team

as a result, while individuals will work

for and represent their specific brands,

equity members sit at a group level and no brand is ‘more important’ than the other, regardless of size.

Sarah explained: “The benefit of a portfolio, ‘house of brands’ approach helps mitigate risk for those businesses, brands, and

people that join us; having a wider sector and service offering means we’ll be in a

better position to weather future economic

shifts and enable individual brands to focus on what they do best without limiting the broader group’s growth trajectory.

“When one brand succeeds, we all succeed.”

Mayo Wynne Baxter’s equity partners

have merged into Ampa’s membership

and Dean Orgill will now sit on the Ampa group board while also working with

the firm’s partners to steer the growth of Mayo Wynne Baxter as a regional anchor brand for the group.

Changing business for good

with all registered office hubs using

in Ampa also pledge commitments to

increasing the use of sustainably

As well as commercial success, brands

100% renewable energy as well as

service not just clients and its people, but

sourced or recycled office supplies

also the community and environment.

and furniture.

As B Corporation pending, brands

Sarah added: “Achieving B Corp status

to consider the impact of business

to us; it’s not a box-tick exercise, but

suppliers, communities and the

by enshrining our people, client and

across the group are legally required

is something that’s really important

decisions on their people, customers,

a reflection of how we do business

environment; ensuring a balance

community commitments at our core.

between purpose, people and profit.

“We believe good business can be both

Working together, the brands have

purposeful and profitable and we want

pledges including increasing female

only do we provide excellent service and

committed to 30 responsible business

our clients to be confident that we not

representation within the membership

advice, but that we do it responsibly.

per cent (currently 33%) and racial

“Our ambitions provide us with targets to

as well as supporting teams by training

about both what we want to achieve and

(those with equity in the group) by five diversity by two per cent (currently 8%),

challenge ourselves on, while being open

100% of managers in wellbeing.

how we are going to do it. We have a lot

To support the environment, the group

is it the right thing to do for our people,

looks to be carbon negative by 2030,

to do over the coming years, but not only our clients, our communities and our

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 27

C OVE R STORY

planet – it is also the commercial thing to do for our business.”

Community also plays a key role, with the group dedicating 10,000 hours of volunteering by the end of 2022.

Dean said: “We may be part of a national group, but our local

community remains paramount. The

relationships that we have built across the business community and with

local families that we have supported with legal advice will only become

stronger. We will also continue to play

our part in our local communities from

continuing our support with Brighton &

Hove Albion to lending our expertise to all manner of charities and community projects within our areas.”

Commitment to doing business ‘for

good’ goes even further, as the group

has also been listed in Best Companies

28 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

2021 as ‘outstanding’ and in the top 20 law firms, top 100 Midlands and

top 75 large London businesses. Voted anonymously by teams across the

group, Mayo Wynne Baxter’s people

will also contribute towards the group’s ranking from 2023.

A ‘win-win’

Sarah said: “We launched our ‘house

of brands’ strategy in 2020, following a full management restructure earlier

in the year and despite the pandemic remained steadfast in our strategy and direction of travel. We don’t

intend to have hundreds of brands in a huge confederation of businesses

but maybe five or six regional anchor

brands and further national specialist brands, with a joined-up strategy of how to go to market.

“Our commitment and investments in

technology and our people are starting

to pay dividends. We are back to organic growth and our financial results in 21/22

reflect that. Mayo Wynne Baxter will only add to that in our results next year and so it’s an exciting future for us all.”

Dean said: “Our clients and people

remain our top priorities and all our commercial decisions are made

with them front of mind. This merger

benefits our people because it provides greater opportunity for growth and

development and Ampa’s values ensure

a positive work culture that matches our own. Our clients benefit from access to a huge number of experts across new services and specialisms, including legal and non-legal.”

All Ampa brands are recruiting lateral hires and teams, and the group is

proactively looking for like-minded businesses to join the group.

SBT

COVER FE ATU RE

START UPS & ENTRPRENEURES

THE HIDDEN VALUE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

BY BIPC SUSSEX

SBT START UPS & ENTRPRENEURES SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 29

The Hidden Value of Intellectual Property How to identify intellectual property (IP), understand what type(s) your new business has – and know what to do with it.

At the Business &

New Business

IP Centre (BIPC)

Sussex, we work with many start-

ups around their

intellectual property (IP). We’d be lying if we said every start-up who walked through our doors understood the

‘why’, the ‘when’, or even the ‘what’

of IP beyond having ‘something to do with information.’

30 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

It’s our mission to help start-ups and

growing businesses understand what

IP is, what IP their company has, and how to finance or protect it. So, let’s get to grips with the basics here.

The Intellectual Property office (IPO) is the official UK government body responsible for IP rights including

patents, designs, trade marks and

copyright. Internationally, regulations

vary so head to the World Intellectual

Property Office (WIPO) for clarity when thinking about your IP abroad.

So what is IP? How do new businesses recognise their IP? What do they need to do once they know they have IP?

Can they register it, protect it and even monetise it?

Each type of IP has different regulations,

START UP AN D EN T R P R E N E U RE S

Van Halen, guitar legend, received US patent No. 4,656,917

titled “Musical instrument support,” issued on April 14, 1987 expiry deadlines and costs involved but

Different types of Intellectual Property:

mind, such as inventions; literary and

Copyright

fundamentally it refers to creations of the artistic works; designs; and symbols,

names and images used in commerce.

IP is a protectable, physical idea which

is an asset of your company if you ever

sold it. Plus, IP itself can be licensed or

sold, bringing in revenue and working to increase the bottom line.

By ‘physical idea’, this means

someone cannot simply call the IPO and saying they’ve thought up a

continuous motion machine – the IPO

will ask for diagrams, descriptions and details in order to register it.

The odd one out, and yet the most

common type of IP as it is free and

automatically attributed when someone creates something artistic (drawings, paintings, music, literature, films,

broadcasts and so on). Copyright is

too daily occurring to be registerable

like the other types of IP - if you were

to doodle something whilst reading this article, it would be copyrighted to you

as copyright is automatically assigned regardless of skill or artistic merit.

You may have spotted the problem

though – it’s so commonly occurring

that in this internet age, many people don’t know what the laws are, and infringe (use copyrighted works

without permission) with even realising

they’re doing it. Moreover, ignorance is not an excuse.

Trade Marks

Arguably the most common type of

registered IP, trade marks (you may be more familiar with the terms brand or

logo) is the recognisable visual trading mark of your company and/or service/ product. To emphasise the power of

trade marks, you need only think of the golden arches, the big tick, the fruit

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 31

Registered Designs

there can be no excuse for infringement.

company creates products,

diagrams, highly technical descriptive

of products. The shape,

in. It’s certainly worth ensuring you have

fabric of a handbag, the

check over your application!

chair, even 2D designs

To sum it all up, if you’re not sure about

avoid the chance of people

us, it has some) get in touch with BIPC

changing one detail then

permissible to register, how the registering

new, it is common for

and conduct a ‘prior art search’ with you if

Only applying if your

Expect requirements for detailed

this is all about the aesthetics

text, and a long list of classes to register

texture, colour, size and

a patent attorney (solicitor) handy to

curves, aesthetics of a

with the bite taken out of it to realise

like registered patterns. To

the IP your business holds (and believe

studying their design,

Sussex. We can help you identify what is

registering it as something

process works, how to speed it along,

registered designs to come

necessary. We can also show you tools to

with a small number of

how strong trade marks can be. And

variations on the design, so that the

a text, colour scheme, image but a

be registered and protected, making

estimate the value of your company’s IP,

and how to identify it, protect it, and what

these can include not only a piece

main design and the variations will all

to do if an infringement does occur.

jingle, company character or mascot

imitation harder.

When it comes to helping you identify IP

smoking jacket, anyone?).

Patents

we’re here with free advice and support.

Do not underestimate the power of trade

the most expensive and longest process

trade mark will be a financial asset of your

something new and original functions.

brands can be a mark of reputation, trust,

specific (which makes sense, as they

loyalty can have value.

application must be clearly defined so

(desert dwelling mammal in a red velvet

Ah, inventions! Registering a patent is

marks. If you ever sell your company, its

of them all. Patents are all about how

company, not just a pretty picture. After all,

The application forms are incredibly

and reliability for customers. That kind of

have to protect your invention). The

32 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

and finding out how it can work for you, Visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/bipc or email bipc@brighton-hove.gov.uk

SBT

COVER FE ATU RE

TECH

A CONVERSATION WITH LACË-CHANTELLE ROGERS LEAD DATA SPECIALIST IN ADVANCED ANALYTICS AT SILICON BRIGHTON

SBT TECH SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 33

TEC H

A Conversation with Lacë-Chantelle Rogers, Lead Data Specialist in Advanced Analytics Brighton Cloud is a friendly and inclusive group developed by Silicon Brighton - here to build a network and a community among Cloud professionals.

Open to all passionate

Tech

technologists,

engineers, digital professionals,

entrepreneurs,

graduates - and anyone who’s interested in how cloud computing is changing the fabric of IT systems - Brighton Cloud meets up regularly to discuss topics across all aspects of Cloud usage.

The Silicon Brighton team caught up with one of the organisers, Lacë-Chantelle

Rogers (Lead Data Specialist in Advanced Analytics at local analytics consultancy Measurelab), to learn how she got into the world of Cloud, her predictions for

the future of the technology, what advice she can offer those looking to enter the industry or migrate their business to Cloud, and more.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the work you do?

34 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

I’m a data engineer and scientist

working in digital marketing and an allaround cloud obsessive. I’m currently heading up an Advanced Analytics

function and team at a consultancy in Lewes, working on anything data and Google Cloud Platform.

My work varies greatly from day to day, which I love, including training and

developing colleagues and clients, and product and business development.

This is alongside still being an active programmer in what is an everchanging environment.

Outside of work, I spend a lot of my time studying programming as it’s something

I have a passion for and have a lot of fun with, alongside gym and hiking.

me really reflect on what I wanted to do and pushed me to take more risks and challenges. So I decided to leave my very secure role and the team I loved

to work with at Lloyds and went to an 8 person start-up in mobile gaming.

I got asked many times whether this

was the right move, especially with BI

[business intelligence] in the app industry being very much in its infancy at this

point, with startups going bust all the

time. I also had almost zero experience

in gaming or apps, but the director took a punt on me, and I’ve never looked

back. The industry went from strength to strength, and I feel incredibly honoured

to see the evolution of data analytics and science in the mobile app industry over the past 7 years.

Tell us about a moment that helped

What piece of advice would you give

In 2014 I lost my mother, which made

Take risks. Remember that even if

define your career…

your younger self?

TECH terminology, and the term cloud put

estimated spend. I can say from a GCP

yourself, and have fun. It’s ok for

people are shocked at how low the price

experienced you are - errors happen.

and storage.

resource; learn bit by bit about the

What are your other big tech

you off. Set up a small project for

(Google Cloud Platform) price, often

things to go wrong, and however

actually is compared to on-prem servers

You don’t need to know every

Lacë-Chantelle Rogers

tools you find interesting.

predictions for 2022?

Blogs like Medium are your best friends

change on everyone’s lips is Google

share and support people. One of the

with Firebase in apps, I predict that

you don’t need to remember everything.

scratched the surface of their data will

your best friends.

data-driven organisations because of

Do you have any predictions for the

organisations already working with the

Being in digital marketing, the big

in learning. The community loves to

Analytics 4. From my experience

biggest words of advice I can give is that

companies who have historically only

Google, GitHub and learning sites are

be able to accelerate towards being

future of Cloud? How is it changing the fabric of IT systems?

you are not the expert in the field, you

In time, I believe cloud tools will

experienced they are. And learning is a

and more accessible for users without

the free GA4 dataset. And for those

cloud, I predict much greater adoption of automation using Cloud tools,

meaning we programmers get to do

can support others’ growth however

continue to develop and become more

more of the fun stuff.

journey rather than an objective.

significant upskilling. I also very much

And finally, Silicon Brighton wouldn’t

Can you explain the difference

using the best elements of each platform

back to the community, so… what does

believe in the hybrid data stack, in that

be here without people like you giving

between Cloud (computing

to build an enhanced environment.

the word community mean to you?

infrastructure?

Working with data, I also see more

build from the newest user to the most

accessing data and tools alongside the

science and engineering to build a

a voice to share and develop.

and storage. This includes accessibility

usage standards.

Supporting people from diverse

ability for people to pick up a broader role

Do you have any advice for businesses

part of the community for me, both

and storage) and traditional IT For me, it’s removing the boundaries to

legislation around cloud-based data

centralisation of resources such as data

structure around data management and

from remote locations, alongside the

For me, it’s the support network we

experienced, allowing everyone to have

backgrounds is a particularly important

due to the ease of use of these tools.

looking to switch to Cloud?

Cloud-based tech has been tested

what you’re likely to do with the tools;

where we have been working with

speciality. Set clear goals in mind and

to build networks alongside supporting

located around the UK. Additionally,

always advise making sure you continue

they can enter the industry. And most

growth, in part because of the power

hardware and software applications

passionate and like-minded people who

vast array of tools available.

migrated. Even down to storing CSVs

people along for the journey.

being a woman in tech and someone

Work out what you really need and

who grew up in a children’s home.

and proven during the Covid epidemic,

each of the cloud stacks has its own

These communities are a great place

multiple clients in a team which is

gradually develop the usage of tools. I

growth for those who may not feel

it has facilitated an escalation in skill

to review what on-prem [on-premises:

of all, it’s just great to meet so many

and speed of data processing and the

that are hosted on-site] tools can be

really care about what they do and bring

Do you have any advice for people

and storage, the cloud has tools.

wanting to start a career in Cloud, or

One of the other significant

Don’t let the documentation,

platforms has calculators to work out

looking to develop their Cloud career?

considerations is cost. Each of the major

To join Silicon Brighton, Brighton Cloud and other local tech communities, visit siliconbrighton.com.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 35

36 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

SBT

COVER FE ATU RE

GOOD BUSINESS

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR DIGITAL CARBON FOOTPRINT

BY REBECCA KIMBER

SBT GOOD BUSINESS SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 37

How To Reduce Your Digital Carbon Footprint

When it comes to environmental issues we’re swamped with news about plastic pollution, aviation emissions and cutting back on meat and dairy. The latest Netflix series you’re watching, or the email you just cc’d to colleagues is likely not on your radar as something contributing to the climate crisis.

That’s probably

Good Business

because we rarely

see what happens

behind the scenes

to make the internet

work and we’ve coined terms like

“surfing the web”, “the cloud” and “cyberspace” to manifest it.

The ephemeral sounding “cloud”

is actually an estimated 100 million

servers powering the internet. They

exist in power hungry buildings requiring constant air-conditioned temperatures and enormous amounts of energy to

run 24/7. Most of this power currently comes from fossil fuels.

One of the largest data centres in the world is in Reno, Nevada, USA. It is

38 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

a 1.3 million square feet warehouse

complex filled with powerful machinery.

It’s also not particularly unusual in its

size with other data centres around 1 million square feet too.

You’ll probably be surprised if I tell you that the annual carbon emissions of

our internet activity and infrastructure

surpassed that of the aviation industry

back in 2018 and it’s growing every day.

It’s equivalent to driving all 31 million

cars in the UK all the way around the planet each year.

With the recent IPCC report detailing

that global emissions for 2021 actually surpassed previous years and hit new records, it’s clear that things are not happening in the right direction fast

enough and more changes to our

individual actions and those of our organisations are needed to help.

Whilst there are plenty of reasons why we need changes at government level

to push faster improvements, there are

also lots of actions we can take to have a more positive impact and move the

needle. After all, it is our behaviour that is often responsible in the end and, if

enough of us make small changes, we can move the needle.

I write this from a position where

purpose, planet and people are integral to our decision making processes and the actions that we take at Create.

You might think it’s a bit strange that I, a person who has built a company

GOOD BUS I N E S S

that provides websites and hosting

to small business owners, is drawing

attention to the issue, but we all need

to be more aware of how we can apply pressure on each of our industries to become greener.

As we all wake up to our environmental impact as individuals and businesses,

there are actually lots of opportunities on the horizon to be ahead of coming legislation, supplier reporting and

the eventual carbon taxes. It is good business, but it is also good for business too.

There is a lot of talk around net zero

and carbon neutrality at the moment

and lots of advice on how a business

should measure and approach this. My aim in this article is to give you some

simple practical steps you can take to

reduce your digital emissions within your business. The more you reduce, the less there is to measure and actually a lot of it is common sense.

Reviewing The Digital Services You Use We all use a lot of online tools these days for the work we do and these

services will all be creating emissions.

Whether it’s your accounting software, email marketing suite or social sharing

tools, investigating what they are doing to limit their environmental impact is a good place to start. The key area

here is understanding their own plans to reach net zero and reduce their

emissions as this plays into reducing those of your business.

At Create we have a spreadsheet of all

the services we pay for (including digital ones) and keep track of their progress.

There have been some opportunities to

switch to greener providers and moving forwards we include this criteria in our

purchasing decisions. There is also a big opportunity for us all to start asking our

providers what they are doing about this in their organisations so that it gets on more business agendas.

Greening Your Website

While we’re on the subject of

providers, a relatively easy action is to switch to a website host running on renewable energy. Doing so will

dramatically cut the emissions your business is responsible for in this

area. Plus there’s a good selection of

hosts around using renewable energy

or REGO credits to ensure the power being used is from green sources.

If you’re not sure if your host is

sustainable you can quickly check it by

using our Website Eco-Checker (https://

www.create.net/eco-checker) and if your host isn’t making commitments in this area consider moving providers.

Another big opportunity on your

website will be optimising it for speed.

This is done by using images that

are the correct size and have been

optimised, by looking at third party

plug-ins (which can often be power

intensive) and by being considerate

about video use and not auto playing multimedia. Depending on how your

website has been built there could also be potential code improvements or upgrades that can speed it up.

Optimising is important because a big portion of the emissions your website emits will be being generated by your visitors using it. These emissions will

be through the data transfer across the internet to get to your visitor, and also if the visitor themselves is not using renewable energy. That means any

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 39

GOOD B US I N E S S deleted items folder

As a rule of thumb the bigger the piece

inbox for emails with

been created during its production.

don’t need any more

average annual footprint and is good

a priority. As you’re

When you do need to replace, choose

unsubscribing from

better for the planet and save money

regularly. Search your

of tech the more emissions will have

large attachments you

Keeping it in use longer reduces your

and delete those as

for the accounting bottom line too.

deleting, consider

more energy efficient models to be

newsletters that aren’t

on energy bills too.

using an online email

Embedding Organisational Change

inbox stored in the

behaviours help to reduce our own

fossil fuels and is being

in encouraging this across teams and

between devices too.

a Green Champion or Champions can

Whilst we’re on the

about this area.

are times when sending

There will be many actions that can

the environment. If you

your company’s carbon footprint,

relevant too. If you’re service then all your

Whilst these changes to our

cloud could be burning

carbon footprints the biggest win is

synced back and forth

within our organisations. The creation of

subject though, there Rebecca Kimber

optimisations you can make will reduce

the power the site is using and the data transferred to visitors. This means less emissions overall.

Plus optimising is likely to give your SEO rankings a boost as loading speed is

one of Google’s ranking factors. Which can be a big win for a business.

Look At What You Create And Store

Email is another area where it’s easy for us all to take action. Estimated email emissions vary from 0.3g for a very short email, to 50g if you add a big

attachment. More if you CC in lots of

colleagues. These may be individually small but as we all send so many we can make a collective difference. If

everyone in the UK sent one less email each day we would save over 16,000 tonnes of carbon a year.

One of the easiest actions you can

take is to delete old unneeded emails, clear a few each day and empty the

40 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

be an excellent way to start thinking

an email is better for

be taken when you start to dig into

tend to post letters and

generally these also have an

documents, consider

if digital could do the job instead?

Substantially less emissions would be created.

associated energy or resource saving, as well as importantly helping to fight climate change.

Rebecca Kimber

The same tactics apply to files you

www.create.net

Google Drive and Dropbox. If clients

www.create.net/eco-checker

when you’ve completed the work for

About Rebecca Kimber

really easy to start deleting emails,

online marketing with over 20 years’

When you think about what you really

Rebecca is passionate about having a

productive environment to work in and

been making changes to Create over

store in online services like Sharepoint, send logos and images, delete them

Eco checker tool

them. It might be a slow burn, but it’s

Rebecca is an expert on websites and

documents, photos, graphics and more.

experience in the digital industry.

need to keep you’ll end up with a more

positive impact on the planet and has

after all who doesn’t want to achieve

the last few years to reduce its

that elusive inbox zero?

carbon footprint.

Keep Your Tech Longer

With a focus on enabling small business

from the production of the equipment

own websites, Create’s carbon-neutral

the emissions of making and delivering

efficient technologies means that you

Macbook is around 326 kg CO2.

planet and great for business too.

There are the embodied carbon emissions

owners to design and manage their

that we buy to do our work. Apple claims

hosting and investments into energy

the iPhone 11 are 63 kg and a 13 inch

can have a website that’s better for the

SBT

CHA RITY

CHARITY

THE FIRST ROCKINGHORSE RYDER CUP RIVALS THE REAL THING! ORGANISED BY TWO LONG-TERM ROCKINGHORSE SUPPORTERS

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK ROCKINGHORSE SUPPORTS YOUNG PEOPLE DURING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

CHOSEN CHARITY PARTNER:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 41

The first Rockinghorse Ryder Cup rivals the real thing!

The very first Rockinghorse Ryder Cup, organised by two long-term Rockinghorse supporters, is a wonderful success.

Charity

You’ve all heard

and was aimed at bringing together two

the biennial golf

raise money for Rockinghorse.

of the Ryder Cup, competition between Europe and the

United States, but this year saw the

inaugural Rockinghorse Ryder Cup.

And whilst it may not have been quite

so well publicised as its namesake, the competition was no less fierce!

The event was organised by two of

our long-term supporters, Gavin Willis, founder of Search Seven, and Sam

Thomas, Managing Director of Firmballs,

42 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

teams of golfers to have some fun and

So, over two days earlier this month, two teams of 16 players arrived at the East

Sussex National resort in Uckfield ready for some high stakes play.

And despite 45mph winds on the first day, both the yellow and blue teams had a great time. Gavin said: “You

couldn’t have written day one. When

the scores came in from the groups, the momentum swings between the yellow

and blue teams were crazy, but it ended 8 v 8 on points which was brilliant,

setting it up nicely for the final day.

“In the captain’s match up, I got the better of Sam to get the first yellow point up on

the board for team yellow, and there were some incredible match ups in the other

groups, with one pairing shaking hands

on the 18th tee to call it a draw rather than competing the final hole.”

After the first day the teams enjoyed a lovely evening meal, accompanied

by Donna Holland and Janella Merritt

CHA RITY

from Rockinghorse who came along

to support the event and thank all the players for taking part.

During the evening players were also

able to take part in a raffle to win some great prizes including afternoon tea at

the Ivy, dinner for two at Malmaison and tickets for Brighton and Hove Albion’s final home match of the season.

There was also an auction to win a year’s pass to Lingfield Park Racecourse,

scooped up by Paige Collins, the event’s main sponsor.

Paige said: “Sometimes being involved

in a charity event becomes an inspiration and when I was asked by Sam whether Warren House Accountants (WHA) would be the sponsor of the two-

day Ryder Cup style event, I had no

hesitation in saying yes, and what a

the final winners were the yellow team,

great event it was.

headed up by Gavin.

“Organising a one-day event is a challenge

Gavin said: “The inaugural Rockinghorse

generosity of Gav and Sam’s connections

We went over our target on players and

days. We were all so pleased when they

absolutely delighted. It was a great two

some £3,500 for the event! And what a

able to team up with Sam and support

but over two days, well! But such is the

Ryder Cup event was a great success.

that 32 players signed up to play over two

on what we hoped to raise, so I am

counted the money raised and it came to

days, and always a real privilege to be

great start to Sam’s challenge of raising

Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, which

£10,000 for Rockinghorse.

is so close to us both.

“A big thank you to Sam and Gav

“We’re both feeling very proud to put on

raise such a wonderful amount for the

we’re already looking forward to doing it

and everyone that took part to help

this event and for it to go so well and

Rockinghorse Children’s Charity. We are

all again next year!”

all now looking forward to 2023.”

Perhaps you might like to organise your

And after another tense day on the

own golf day in support of Rockinghorse?

a close run between the two teams,

click here to find out more.

course, and despite it continuing to be

We have all the information you need, just

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 43

C HA RI T Y

Rob Hinds

Rockinghorse Children’s Charity supports young people during Mental Health Awareness Week Rockinghorse fundraising for projects supporting the mental health of young people with chronic health conditions.

Being diagnosed with

Charity

an illness like cancer

or diabetes as a child is a life-changing

experience. Not only

does it inevitably have an impact on their physical health but often the longer-

lasting impact on their mental health can be just as difficult to deal with.

In 2021, 9-year-old Venus Hinds from

Newhaven was diagnosed with an optic pathway glioma, a tumour situated

between the back of her eyes and the front of her brain, which has taken

away the vision in one eye. Treatment

involves Venus undergoing 85 weeks of chemotherapy in order to shrink, and hopefully remove, the tumour.

And understandably this treatment has

an enormous impact on Venus’s life; her

44 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

experiences at school, her relationships with her friends and of course how she

manages her feelings around her illness.

Venus’ dad Rob explains: “Since we found out about Venus’ diagnosis it

has really affected her mental health

as she’s missed quite a lot of time at

school, and she wasn’t with her friends.

She also knew something was very

different in the house as we were being really cautious about how we talked about her illness around her.”

Finding a place where young people managing life-changing conditions

like this can talk about how they are feeling, meet people with similar

experiences and have some fun, can

really help. Which is why Rockinghorse

Children’s Charity is fundraising to help children like Venus.

Janella Merritt, Head of Fundraising at

Rockinghorse explains more: “Children who are poorly can often feel very

isolated from their peers. The inevitably have to spend time in hospital being treated which means they are away

from their friends and their normal life.

And even back at school they can feel

different because of what they are going

through. All of this can make living with a condition even harder for them.

“Our aim is to offer spaces where these children aren’t defined by their illness,

where they can meet other young people who are going through similar things and help them feel like their lives aren’t just defined by their illness.”

With their current ’55 for 55’ campaign, celebrating the charity’s 55th

Anniversary year, the charity is raising

CHA RITY

Venus Hinds

money for projects including art therapy sessions, sea swimming courses and

woodland wellbeing days which aim to address this issue.

In a site surrounded by nature, the

woodland wellbeing days offer children

the chance to play games, light fires and create art using the natural materials

around them. They are run by Charlotte Savins, psychotherapist at the Royal

Alexandra Children’s Hospital, and are offered to children at the hospital with long-term medical conditions.

The aim is that they help to build selfesteem, promote emotional resilience and give children a fun day out that helps build their confidence.

Charlotte said: “Children and young people with long term conditions

are more vulnerable to experiencing

mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and low self-esteem,

alongside feeling isolated. They are

having to manage above and beyond

what their peer group have to deal with, so these days are really important.”

Rob heard about the Woodland

Wellbeing days from Young People vs

and things are much more stable. She

benefit from a day outside, away from

new activities that keep her busy when

Cancer, and he felt that Venus might

has been able to take up some other

the everyday issues that she and her

she must miss school including learning

family are dealing with.

Spanish and playing the flute.

But the experience led to a change

Rob added: “As parents, Michelle and

coming to a couple of sessions Venus’s

own stresses but it’s helpful that we

seemed to have more awareness and

effects that Venus experiences from her

and would refer to her diagnosis and

has things like the woodland wellbeing

that Rob wasn’t expecting: “After

I are still finding ways to manage our

language about her illness changed. She

know how to manage most of the side

understanding of what her situation was

treatment now. And it’s great that she

treatment in a less traumatized way.

days to help her and hope more people

“This really helped us all feel more

along to more of these woodland

will donate so she will be able to go

comfortable talking about what was

wellbeing days in the future.”

going through challenges, parents like

As Venus herself said: “The days are

that a diagnosis like this can have.

one who has an illness because you can

“And you never know exactly how your

and it’s really nice because you get to

going on because even though Venus is us are also going through the challenges

really nice if you feel like you’re the only meet other children who have them too

child is until they can accept their illness

make new friends.”

it, which is exactly what these sessions

If you would like to support Rockinghorse

absolutely amazing if we had found these

to their website at www.rockinghorse.

and start opening up and talking about helped her do. It would have been

to help more children like Venus, just go

sessions earlier on in her treatment.”

org.uk to find out more about the ’55 for 55’ campaign and donate.

Venus is now 63 weeks into her treatment

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 45

46 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

SBT MOTORING NEWS

THE UK’S MOST COMMONLY ABANDONED CARS REVEALED

BY RIVERVALE LEASING

RIVERVALE CARS LIMITED IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE...

THE COMPLETION OF A MANAGEMENT BUYOUT AND THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

WHY THE BEST TIME TO GET AN ELECTRIC CAR IS RIGHT NOW AND WE TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BEST ON OFFER

SBT MOTORING NEWS SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 47

MOTO RI N G N E WS

The UK’s Most Commonly Abandoned Cars Revealed Using FOI requests to 50 UK councils, Rivervale has investigated 21,106 vehicles reported abandoned during 2021 to find out the most common and where this is happening most frequently.

There are a number of

Motoring News

reasons a car might

be abandoned, from

it having been stolen and dumped to it

reaching a state where the owner can’t afford to shell out for repairs or towing

costs. According to the UK Government website - a car can, at their discretion, be considered abandoned if it meets any of the following criteria:

• There is no registered owner in the DVLA database and is untaxed

• It has been left stationary for a significant period

•T here are clear signs of damage i.e., missing components, flat tyres or broken windows

• It has been burned out

• There is no number plate

48 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

The Ford Transit had the highest total

abandoned in 2021 followed closely by

The trusty Ford Transit topped the list of

The UK’s most commonly abandoned

abandoned vehicle reports in 2021

the Peugeot 206.

most commonly abandoned vehicles in

car brands

610 instances across the 50 council

Ford may be the UK’s fourth best-selling

that’s the equivalent of 12 of them being

by quite a wide margin when it comes to

2021 in terms of individual reports. With jurisdictions we sent FOI requests to,

car brand as of 2021 but it tops the charts

abandoned every week.

the amount reported abandoned by the

The Suzuki Vitara is the most

commonly abandoned car per licensed vehicles on the road

The Ford Transit may have the higher

councils in our study with 2,216 in total.

The rest of the top three is rounded out

by British mainstay Vauxhall in second

place with 1,508 reports and the current

UK best-selling brand Volkswagen in third

total number of abandonment reports,

with 1,149 abandoned across the year.

against the number of licensed models

Bradford had the most reported

most likely vehicle to be reported

our study

however, when looked at proportionately in the UK, the Suzuki Vitara was the

abandoned cars of the 50 councils in

MOTOR I NG N E WS sentence and an unlimited fine.

How to report an abandoned car?

If you live in England or Wales and

suspect a car has been abandoned, the

best place to go is the UK Government’s abandoned cars reporting page.

From here you’ll be directed to enter

your postcode and be given relevant

council website details where you can inform the proper authorities and they can investigate.

Looking for more automotive news, in-

depth features like our Global Supercar Study or great car leasing deals?

Rivervale has you covered.

Methodology

Using FOI requests to 50 UK councils,

Rivervale has investigated over 21,000 vehicles reported abandoned during 2021 to find out the most common and where this is happening most

frequently. To compare abandoned vehicles with the total amount of

vehicles on the road, the most recent Of the 50 councils we contacted and

7. Newham: 1,106

the information requested - Bradford

9. Portsmouth: 1,034

those that responded to provide us with in West Yorkshire reported the most

abandoned cars within their jurisdiction.

8. Southampton: 1,074 10. Sunderland: 876

They passed along a list totalling 3,561

What happens if you abandon a car

perspective, that’s the equivalent of 10

Abandoning a vehicle is a crime (Section 2

vehicles across 2021. To put this in cars abandoned per day.

Significantly lower than the top spot,

second and third place Milton Keynes

(1,869) and Barnet (1,846) were closer in

reported figures - with over 1,800 vehicles

reported abandoned in the space of a year - that’s around 150 per month.

1. Bradford: 3,561

2. Milton Keynes: 1,869 3. Barnet: 1,846

4. Sheffield: 1,746 5. Croydon: 1,548

6. Leicester: 1,434

in the UK?

of the Refuse Disposal Amenity Act 1978) and could land you with a £2,500 fine as well as three months of prison time.

If you abandon a vehicle, you’ll also be

liable for storage costs or disposal and can even be disqualified from driving.

To top it off, once a vehicle has

come to the end of its useful life,

it can be classified as ‘hazardous waste’, so abandoning it could

mean you’re breaching Section 33

of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 which has a maximum 5-year

DfT & DVLA figures were used at the time of research.

The councils we contacted include

Aberdeen, Allerdale, Ashfield, Barnet, Belfast, Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford, Brent, Brighton & Hove, Bristol,

Bromley, Cambridge, Cardiff, Croydon, Derby, Dundee, Ealing, Enfield, Exeter, Hull, Islington, Lambeth, Lancashire, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton,

Manchester, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne,

Newham, Norwich, Nottingham,

Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke on

Trent, Sunderland, Swansea, Swindon, Wandsworth, Warrington, Wigan, Wolverhampton and York.

Looking for a new vehicle? Get in touch

on 01273 433480, or request a callback at a time that suits you.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 49

MOTO RI N G N E WS

Why the Best Time to Get an Electric Car is Right Now

For years, car experts have been predicting the rise and dominance of electric vehicles, and it seems the time has finally arrived. There has never been a better time to switch from an internal combustion engine to a battery-powered car than right now!

Electric cars have been

Motoring News

improving year on year, increasing their range while also coming

down in price. Now

EVs are among the best cars on the road

that money can buy, and many come with some advantages that petrol and diesel cars simply cannot compete with.

There are some significant reasons to make the change soon, too. The UK

Government has mandated a ban on

the sale of all petrol and diesel cars from 2030 onwards, and even hybrids will

face a ban from 2035. This means that sooner or later, we are all going to be driving electric vehicles.

What are the benefits of electric cars?

The biggest benefit to driving an electric vehicle is environmental. These cars are powered by electricity stored in battery

packs in the vehicle, meaning they don’t burn fossil fuels to get around.

Drilling for oil, refining it, and

transporting petrol and diesel fuel

worldwide has a substantial adverse

effect on the environment. It causes all kinds of damage to the planet, most

notably oil spills in the ocean. Electric vehicles don’t need any of this. This

massively reduces the negative impacts driving has on the environment, and not

just the environment around your home.

The benefit many electric vehicle drivers notice first, however, is the difference

they can make to your wallet. Charging an electric vehicle at home or work is incredibly cheap when compared to

50 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

filling up your tank at the pump, often costing just a few pence per mile to

drive. This is drastically cheaper than the price of petrol and diesel fuel,

which rises every year with no signs of

becoming cheaper. This is also a reason why it’s so hard to get driving lessons and tests in 2022.

Is now a good time to get an electric car?

There has never been a better time to buy or lease an electric car than right now.

There is a huge choice of electric options on the market, each with a unique take on what an electric car can offer.

There are government grants and tax

incentives available to cut the cost of

purchasing an electric vehicle and zero road tax on EVs. This means you can reduce many expenses by choosing

to drive an electric car, helping it pay for itself over time. These financial

incentives, combined with lower running costs and cheaper maintenance, make EVs attractive.

The average range of EVs is increasing

too, and more and more electric vehicle charging stations are opening. This has

made EVs more practical than before, as you can make longer journeys without worrying about running out of power.

Now is a great time to invest in an EV for your driving future! If range is a deal-

breaker, then read up on the list of the electric cars with the longest range.

What are the best electric cars of 2022?

Tesla Model 3

The Tesla Model 3 is one of the world’s

most popular electric cars. Drivers love

its high-tech features, minimalist styling, and superfast charging capabilities.

You can add an 80% charge in less

than 45 minutes! The Tesla brand has dominated the EV market, and the

Model 3 combines all their experience and technology into a single package that offers a lot of value for money.

Specification

• Range: 360 Miles

• 0-62 MPH: 3.1 Seconds • CO2: 0 g/km

• Luggage Capacity: 542 Litres

Tesla Model 3 leasing prices start from £435.08 exc. VAT per month Nissan Leaf

If you are looking for your first EV, then you should take a long look

at the Nissan Leaf. This was one of the first mass-production electric-

powered cars, and the latest models are developed and improved from

those early days into one of the most functional and practical EVs on the road. With a Nissan Leaf, you get

all the advantages of an EV with the

peace of mind that comes with buying a car from a major manufacturer.

Specification

• Range: 168 Miles

• 0-62 MPH: 7.9 Seconds • Top Speed: 90mph • CO2: 0 g/km

• Luggage Capacity: 435 Litres (Seats up), 1176 Litres (Seats down)

Nissan Leaf leasing prices start from £196.13 exc. VAT per month

MOTOR I NG N E WS

Audi E-Tron

became an instant hit with drivers. The

• Luggage Capacity: 510 Litres (Seats

too, and the Audi E-Tron has everything

source when camping or travelling,

BMW iX3 leasing prices start from

SUV but with an all-electric drivetrain.

to power anything from a kettle or a

family as well as plush leather seating

Specification

suspension system. When driving an

• 0-62 MPH: 3.5 - 7.3 Seconds

piloting an EV, until you put your foot

• Luggage Capacity: 490 Litres

twin electric motors.

£355.42 exc. VAT per month

• Range: 219 Miles

BMW iX3

• CO2: 0 g/km

to think you are looking at a car from the

There are executive-level EVs available

Kia EV6 can even be used as a power

you would expect from a premium

using the energy stored in its batteries

This car has plenty of room for all the

microwave to a television or a computer.

Should I buy an electric car?

backed up by a super comfortable air

• Range: 316 Miles

and the only vehicles available to buy

Audi E-Tron, it is easy to forget you are

• CO2: 0 g/km

down and feel the performance of its

Kia EV6 leasing prices start from

Specification

• 0-62 MPH: 4.5 Seconds

When you look at a BMW iX3, it is easy

• Luggage Capacity: 660 Litres (Seats

future. Both inside and outside the car,

Audi E-Tron leasing prices start from

from the other EVs around and the other

up) 1725 Litres (Seats down)

£524.88 exc. VAT per month

its design and stylings help set it apart

vehicles in the BMW range. The vehicle

up), 1560 Litres (Seats down)

£566.97 exc. VAT per month

It won’t be long until you have no choice will be all-electric. Sooner or later

everyone is going to have to make the

change and switch to battery-powered electric cars, so why not now?

EV’s offer more than just a new way of

powering your personal transport. Most EVs are packed with the latest tech like intelligent driving assistance and self-

parking, as well as over-the-air updates

that can unlock new features and help to keep your car future-proof.

has a powerful electric motor at the rear

With all the financial incentives available,

The EV6’s styling and its huge number

give you over 285 miles of range on a

technological advances that electric

made this car one of the most in-

for any long journeys and perfect for the

been building up their brand over the

more, check out our BMW iX3 Review.

car manufacturer known for making

• Range: 285 Miles

Their latest car is the culmination of all

• Top Speed: 112mph

Kia EV6

wheels and a great size battery that can

of standard features have quickly

full charge. This is more than enough

demand electric cars around. Kia has

family runabout. If you want to know

last decade and has now become a

Specification

high-quality EVs at affordable prices.

• 0-62 MPH: 6.8 Seconds

that hard work and investment, and it

• CO2: 0 g/km

reduced running costs, and the

vehicles can offer drivers, it is easy to

see why so many people are making the switch to an EV. There has never been a

better time to buy or lease an electric car, than now! Give Rivervale a call on 01273

433480 to discuss car leasing, and see if

we can match you with your ideal model.

Alternatively, you can request a callback for a time that is convenient for you!

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 51

MOTO RI N G N E WS

Rivervale Cars Limited is pleased to announce the completion of a management buyout and the appointment of a new Board of Directors

Since the group

Motoring News

Chairman, Tommy

Sopwith passed away in May 2019, the

business has been

operating under the stewardship of the

Trustees of Endeavour Holdings Limited, who once owned and controlled the

Endeavour Motor Company which is

where it all began. The board of Trustees felt that the ownership and direction

of the motor business sat better with

the core Management team within the Rivervale business.

Rivervale have seen the business grow

substantially and adding Fleet and Fleet Management, Minibus Leasing and

taking on a Maxus van franchise have all contributed to that growth.

In addition, car and van leasing through their leasing division has never been so

52 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

popular and the increased demand on

used cars via their used car operation has also been impressive. They have also had to expand their Aftersales operation to cope with the increased requirement.

Neil Chapman former CEO of Rivervale Cars moves to Chairman, Vince

Pemberton former COO moves to CEO. The board also welcomes Simon Fuller former Leasing Director who will now be Commercial Director and Duncan

Stocks, former Leasing Sales Director, will become Group Sales Director.

Speaking on behalf of the Management Team, Neil Chapman says: “This is a

once in a lifetime opportunity for us to

take Rivervale forward to the next level and beyond.

“We have seen strong consistent growth and navigated the challenges thrown at

everyone over the last 3 years and we are well placed to now look at opportunities to further our growth. We are excited to see what prospects develop.”

Vince Pemberton added: “This has been on the agenda for some time, and I

would like to thank Endeavour Holdings and, in particular, Mrs Gina Sopwith for helping to make this happen.

“We all know that the hard work starts here but we are incredibly proud of the team we have managed to assemble, and I know they are all committed to the cause.

“Our industry has changed enormously over recent years and we have all had to move with it, but I am extremely

excited about the plans that we can now push on with to make Rivervale an even stronger well recognised brand in the sectors that we operate”

SBT NETWORKING & EVENTS

JACKIE’S NETWORKING ADVENTURES SPECIAL WITH COUNTY BUSINESS CLUBS

5 BOOKS THAT WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER NETWORKER

BY NETWORK MY CLUB

SUSSEX BUSINESS SHOW 5TH MAY 2022

SBT NETWORKING & EVENTS SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 53

N ETWORK I N G & E V E N TS

Jackie’s Networking Adventures

County Business Club’s member meet up - Worthing- April April’s members’ meet

Networking & Events

up was our third to be hosted with our partners Freedom

Works. The creative

and digital hub in Worthing has extended the town’s offering of co-working and

flexible office space to 20,000 square foot in the heart of the community located on the ground floor of the iconic art deco building Stoke Abbot Court - just a 5

minute walk from the central station an 5 minutes from the town centre.

This space is designed with a light

industrial look of 20 offices of various

sizes, a hot desking area, meeting rooms

continue to rotate on this cycle,

bike storage on sites plenty of town

to see the different venues, joining

shower facilities.

different locations. At each of the meet

The Worthing meet up was the 3rd

local to the location as well as

and a cafe breakout area. There is also

giving our members the opportunity

centre car parking as well as access to

like-minded businesspeople from the ups we have welcomed businesses

event of its kind for CBC members in

Freedom Works’ members.

have now hosted events at Astral Towers,

There are several benefits for our

three of these co-working spaces have

across the Freedom Works portfolio.

their look and feel.

me directly, jackie.ashwood@

collaboration with Freedom Works. We Hove and most recently Worthing. All

County Business Club members

so much to offer yet are also different in

For more information, please email countybusinessclubs.co.uk

Our monthly member meet ups will

Dates for the diary: June 23rd in Hove, July 28th in Worthing, September 29th in Gatwick

54 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

N ET WOR K I N G & E V E NTS

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 55

N ETWORK I N G & E V E N TS

Sussex Cancer Fund - Afternoon tea Hosted at Malmaison in Brighton Marina.

Fund for Treatment and

Research. Now named the Sussex Cancer Fund, the

goals of the fund are to work hand in hand with the NHS

to give every cancer patient

in Sussex the best available treatment and facilities.

Their most recent support

I was delighted to attend the Sussex

for cancer patients’ success

Cancer Fund afternoon tea at Malmasion

included over £1 million worth of

networking partner in crime, Millie Stone.

Sussex Cancer Centre including:

The Sussex Cancer Fund was created

• A comfortable patients’ lounge

in Brighton Marina alongside my

refurbishment to patient areas at the

in 1981 by Consultant Oncologists Dr

• A more accessible entrance and

Originally called the Sussex Cancer

•U p to date Impression Suite and the

to include the funding and development

•T he North extension released offices to

became known as the Sussex Cancer

• The patient and carers’ car park

Deutsch, Dr Hodson and Dr Murrell.

Treatment Fund, the charity progressed of research programmes and later

reception

latest immobilisation system provide vital clinical space

• Refurbished quiet room

• Refurbished chemotherapy waiting room • Recipe books for chemotherapy patients

• Accessible garden – providing a relaxing, outdoor space to aid the support to cancer patients and their families

Having recently lost a close relative to a blood cancer after a 25-year battle, this event was very close to my heart. The

event was organised by Joanna Godden from Sussex Cancer Fund, and we were very fortunate to have guest speaker by

Doctor Timothy Chevassut, Professor of haematology and director of academic training from Brighton Sussex Medical School who gave us an insight into some of the work and research the

department is currently working on.

The research they carry out is

phenomenal and crucial to help provide

life-saving treatments for cancer patients.

The Boundary Club Hove for informal networking, a 3-course lunch and a

guest speaker against a backdrop of first class cricket.

The lunch at boundary never fails to impress,

the food is always of an exceptional standard.

What’s not to like about networking with the backdrop of a game of cricket? The

This month we were treated to a warm

unique networking and membership

most amazing slow cooked pork which

hosted right alongside the boundaries

chocolate and mango sorbet.

anniversary year and aims to bring

The guest speaker was Tom Sergy, an

Boundary Club is Sussex Cricket’s own

salmon and prawn tart, followed by the

club, where business meets cricket,

was delicious. The desert was a white

edge. The club is now in its 10th

together like-minded businesspeople

56 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

expert in English wines and a drinks

brand consultant. Tom, who is incredibly passionate about his English sparkling

wines, took us on an incredible journey on how the climate and soil had lent

itself to creating a perfect glass of wine we were then able to enjoy networking.

As always, it was great to see so many

knew but also familiar faces. Boundary is a great place to maintain existing

client relationships but also develop

many new ones too. Unfortunately, on this occasion, I was unable to stay till the end [usually there are a couple of

us that are last to leave, but I shall not name names] as I had to get myself

across to Worthing for our own event, the County Business Club monthly member meet up.

N ET WOR K I N G & E V E NTS

Brighton Summit 2022 The annual Brighton Summit brings together 300 businesses and

entrepreneurs from across our city’s

diverse business community. Hosted

by Brighton Chamber, it’s a day for

strengthening existing relationships and forging new ones. Brighton

Summit celebrates the spirit of our

open-minded, quirky city, which makes it such a dynamic region to live, work and do business in.

There were several inspiring speakers, expert-led workshops and energising discussions, with plenty of time for networking built in at every turn. I

was fortunate enough to hear from Keynote Speaker Rachel Watkyn,

founder of the Tiny Box Company.

Rachel Watkyn, who spent part of her childhood in care. An early job took

her to Sierra Leone and she was there during the military coup. The poverty

she witnessed inspired her vision for a Fairtrade business.

It was initially a jewellery company but her struggle to find green packaging

sparked the idea for Tiny Box Company, supplying businesses with attractive, ethical packaging.

Despite the problems that life continued to throw at her – including cancer, fire, flooding, an IT hack and of course the pandemic – Tiny Box has flourished.

It’s now the UK’s largest online gift packaging e-commerce company

with 90 employees, 700 products and 120,000 customers.

Rachel initially found her investment

from appearing on Dragons Den – she is the programme’s most successful female entrepreneur yet.

I also, alongside Sam Thomas, attended a workshop ‘Bubble and Speak - learn how to speak confidently in public.

Stefan Holmström is a professional

opera singer and expert voice coach working with singers and speakers

worldwide from his studio in Brighton.

He has performed at Glyndebourne,

voice use. Estill teachers are known for their expert knowledge of the

physiology and function of the voice,

as well as for their fun and innovative approach to vocal development.

This was a highly engaging session of

giggles, bubble blowing and making lots of silly noises while exploring what your voice can do.

Actors and singers learn how to identify and change their voice habits easily… but anyone can (and probably should) do it. With conscious muscle training,

you can overcome nerves and learn to

get your voice to sound exactly as you want it to in any situation.

The key take aways from this session were:

• An understanding of the anatomy and physiology of your voice

the English National Opera and Opera

• Tools to express yourself as you

as a member of Phantom of the Opera

• Breathing, posture and tension release

Holland Park, as well as in the West End at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

As a certified Estill Master Trainer,

Stefan uses Estill Voice Training (EVT)

as a baseline for safe and sustainable

choose, not as dictated by old habits

• How to speak freely with a clear and varied tone

• How to cope with nerves

• How to keep your voice in good working order

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 57

N ETWORK I N G & E V E N TS

5 Books That Will Make You a Better Networker

Whether you’re brand new to building business relationships, or you’re an experienced networker, here are five books that have shaped how Network My Club’s Founder and Managing Director, Bradley Hatchett, approaches networking and traits he’s noticed from the most successful networkers.

Human beings are

Networking & Events

complex. Building strong business

relationships doesn’t

always come easily to

everyone. Many factors are at play when networking. First impressions, how you

communicate, how you listen, what you

say, how you say it, your approach… after all, networking is a skill, not a one-sizefits-all activity.

1. Never Eat Alone – Keith Ferrazzi

This book should be a bible for anyone looking to make their networking more efficient - those already in the industry and those just starting out. It has so

many actionable tips about developing

new relationships and nurturing existing

ones. Ferrazzi’s lifestyle in maintaining his relationships is thorough, extreme and

58 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

pretty relentless, but the results speak

for themselves. Taking just a few of his

tangible methods will positively affect your ‘Relationship Action Plan’ as he calls it.

Key Takeaway: ‘Build it before you

need it’. The idea is that you should be

networking before you need something, rather than when you do. You should

always be building your network, being

able to tap into different corners of your

network when you can help someone or when you are seeking something.

2. Chimp Paradox – Steve Peters This book taught me more about

communicating and understanding different personality types than

any other I’ve read. It changed the way I observe, interact and share

with people. When networking, I’d

encourage becoming a chameleon and

adapting to your surroundings and who you are speaking to. You meet a lot of different types of people when you’re

networking, and Peters’ Chimp Paradox helps you prepare for that.

For me, being able to manage different conversations successfully has all

stemmed from the Chimp Paradox. It

helped me understand why you react emotionally to certain things and

how to manage and recognise that in yourself and others.

Key Takeaway: ‘Gremlins’ are what Steve Peters explains as beliefs or ideas about

specific people or ideas that we hold, and can really affect your relationships. Our

opinions on someone’s size of business, the industry they work in, and their job

N ET WOR K I N G & E V E NTS

title can give you a closed-off mindset if they don’t suit your agenda. You never

know who knows who when networking,

and any exchange can lead to something (if you ask the right questions). I’ve learned never to judge or assume something about anyone.

For example, I met a lady who worked part-time in a network marketing

company with a poor reputation on the networking circuit. However, we got

chatting and ended up discussing her

attend events regularly. Then when

you are at an event, build good habits that make your time worthwhile.

Key Takeaway: “Every action you take

your business solve? That’s interesting, John; I’ve found that too.

5. Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss As chief hostage negotiator for the FBI,

is a vote for the type of person you wish

Chris Voss knows how to ask the right

or business you want to become. Want

and death. Thankfully, networking isn’t

informed and a key person of influence

questions will make your networking

to become”. Think of the type of person

questions. For him, it’s a matter of life

to become more connected, better

quite like that. However, asking the right

in your industry? Attending a networking

experience more positive and fruitful.

activity to achieve that and is a ‘vote’

Being prepared going into an event with

event is a habit you can build into your towards that goal.

practical questions up your sleeve is a

She was previously on the board of a

4. How to Make Friends and Influence

process. It’ll help your experience

position to balance work with bringing up

This was one of the first personal

questioning. Rather than; “Have you

Network My Club – and I’m so glad it was.

“What do you hope to achieve from

It’s had a massive impact on me - how I

with genuine curiosity, asking the right

previous career.

FTSE 100 company and was in her current her two young children. She introduced

me to three or four great people from her

previous career, whom I’ve since added to my network or worked with.

And I’ve never forgotten it. Never write anyone off. Let go of your Gremlins.

3. Atomic Habits – James Clear

Networking should be a habit; it’s all

about consistency and being in it for the long term. We talk about that a lot with our community and onboarding new

members. If you want short-term gains and do not attend events often, you’ll

simply join the hundreds of others in the ‘networking doesn’t work’ club.

This book teaches the importance of

implementing good habits by blocking out parts of your diary to ensure you

People – Dale Carnegie

development books I read as I started

hugely valuable part of the networking and those on the receiving end of the

been to this event before?’ How about; being at this event today?” It starts

interact with people, develop and nurture

questions to elicit the most thought-

relationships, and live day-to-day.

provoking and productive responses.

There’s a reason this is one of the best-

Key Takeaway: Voss’ skill of ‘tactical

time. Written in 1936, the principles are

Understanding the other person’s viewpoint

selling and most influential books of all

empathy’. It’s about listening.

as true today as back then.

and making them feel heard. Arguably, it’s

Key Takeaway: Highlighting the most

demonstrate when networking.

important thing that belongs to anyone

one of the most powerful skills you can

– their name. It’s simple to remember

Looking to up your networking game?

to do this with anyone I meet. One tip to

membership options or book a call with

times in conversation when you’ve first met

by visiting www.networkmyclub.co.uk

someone’s name but so powerful. I try

We can show you how - explore our

remember someone’s name; say it three

one of our friendly team at NMC today

them. You could start with; Hi John, nice

to meet you. So, John, what problem does

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 59

N ETWORK I N G & E V E N TS

Sussex Business Show - 5th May

The Sussex Business Show arrived with a bang on May 5th at the South of England Event Centre, Ardingly.

Renowned for more

Networking & Events

than just B2B trade-

shows, Sonny Cutting, the event director, has for a number

of years hosted trade-shows with a

twist. He brings together game-themed

events to break the ice and pioneering conferences offering innovative B2B services delivering an experience of

energy with networking opportunities.

The South of England location was his biggest event to date with a refreshed

style and feel, to cement its profile in the B2B event scene. The show had high

expectations to live up to with over 400

business guests to please, and it did not fail to deliver!

With a showcase of the local region’s

powerhouse speakers, the Sussex event was teeming with expertise, experience and energy. It also brought together twelve masterclass leaders who all

delivered business talks on the day.

Talks included topics such as wellbeing, cyber security, diversity and inclusion,

data storytelling, digital marketing and start-up success to name a few.

For the first time ever, the Sussex Business

60 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Show utilised a full shell system to enable

for the businesses that demonstrated

elevating the exhibition’s professionalism.

Gatwick Diamond Business came in

look to the show, the day was host to the

place was Knockhatch Adventure Park

exhibitors to have their very own spaces,

exemplary customer service experience.

And along with the new professional

as the event’s Honorary mention. Third

innovative spin-off, The Tiger’s Pen.

and second place was print specialists,

The Tiger’s Pen gives 8 aspiring start-ups

winner for the show was Yeoman’s

and advice. The ‘Best Pitch’ award in The

Customer Service is still at the very core

Nettl Face Media Group. But the outright

the opportunity to pitch for investment

Toyota in Brighton, who proved that

Tiger’s Pen, sponsored by Gold Pebble

of business today.

called Changing Minds Training. Olivia-

The show’s focus of games, experiences

Minds Training, didn’t win investment on

unmatched, however at this particular

professionalism won her the Best Pitch

special for this new format and created

Brighton, courtesy of Simon Rand, and

casino theme. Prizes were given out

this year, went to an aspiring start-up Louise Hamilton, owner of Changing

and recognition at every event is

the day. However, Olivia’s passion and

show, Sonny wanted to do something

prize - a day out at English’s restaurant in

The Grand Draw to go along with the

Kuuleats Local.

throughout the day, and we also had

Another delightfully surprising element

Darth Vader and his stormtroopers

guests from a galaxy far, far away with

of the tradeshow was the long-awaited

making a surprise entrance on the day.

returned to the show.

A spectacular day of business had by all.

All 85 exhibitors with a phone number

The Sussex Business Show moves to

with a mystery shopping campaign.

Exchange.

fourth business was given an honorary

Please look at the show website for more

customer experience awards which

on their website were called pre-event Three winners were chosen and a

mention. Big congratulations are in order

Brighton in 2023 - The Dome, Corn

details - www.sussexbizshow.com

w a s h e c e k s v i v n s in g | r lu sine s | li |d nt r u g e e B in m k k a n i e r sp erta two nt ne | e s v e z i pr

ACUMEN BUSINESS CONVENTION 2022 Heat

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BOOK NOW OOK N O BOOK W OOK N NOW OW ACUMENBUSINESSCONVENTION.CO.UK OO K anth ony will ough by

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phil c arr www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

61

“Connecting Businesses”

Thursday 23rd June 2022 from 10am to 3pm Venue: American Express Community Stadium, West Stand, Mayo Wynne Baxter and Gap Solutions Lounges, Village Way, Brighton BN1 9BL 62 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

SBT CHAMBER NEWS

NET ZERO: BIG IDEAS AT THE BIG DEBATE

BY MARK O’HALLORAN, ILAW

BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE GLOBAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2022 THURSDAY 30 JUNE - QEII CENTRE, LONDON

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 63

Net Zero: Big ideas at the Big Debate

by Mark O’Halloran, iLaw

If there’s a city in the UK which should be leading the way on transitioning to Net Zero, it must surely be Brighton.

Afterall, how much do

Chamber News

we pride ourselves on our green credentials, with our Green Partyled Council and the

only Green Party MP in the country?

What’s certain though is that this is

not a partisan, party political issue. It

involves all of us, challenging ourselves in how we run our businesses and how we live our lives. And so it was at this year’s Big Debate.

As the Chair, Richard Freeman of always possible made clear the

debate wasn’t about trying to build a consensus, but dissecting and

exploring ideas in a safe space where

every voice would be heard. Richard’s

hope was that each of us who attended would be inspired to do something specific as a result of the debate.

64 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

We heard from a panel representing the spectrum of stakeholders. First up was Kirsten Firth, Sustainability

Projects Officer at Brighton & Hove City Council. Kirsten leads on the Council’s Carbon Neutral 2030 plan, which she

admits is very much a work in progress.

The Council itself is responsible for

only a small percentage of the city’s

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions so it

needs to work closely with businesses and individuals across the city.

Peter Newell, Professor at University of

Sussex, represented academia. He runs the Rapid Transition Alliance whose aim is to spread “evidence-based hope” by sharing examples of impactful change around the world. Peter explained the

need for massive reductions in carbon-

demand, not just switching to improved products like electric vehicles - global

subsidies for fossil fuels continue to run at US$11,000,000 per minute! Proof enough of Peter’s assertion that the

voices of the oil, coal and automotive industries continue to drown out the

voices of SMEs and local communities.

The next panellists, from two very

different businesses, gave us some hope for how things could change.

Camille Pierson, Founder of The Float Spa, told us about her company’s

journey towards sustainability, which

began in 2007. Driven by her customers and the Japanese-inspired philosophy of Kaizen (continuous improvement), Camille and her team identified and

rooted out single-use plastics across

the operation, even where that meant

initially losing revenue, such as no longer selling water in disposable bottles. The upside however has been a more loyal

CHAM BE R N E WS

customer-base who now happily bring their own bottles for refills.

Shoreham Port was represented by its Chief Executive, Tom Willis. With two

cement plants on-site and heavy HGV traffic to and from the Port, you might

think Tom would ask for time to adapt.

Far from it. Tom explained how the Port

was run by a Trust, rather than a private company, and sees itself as embedded

within the local community - with people living within its boundaries.

Tom is leading a project to create a

hydrogen plant for the Port which will in future power all their heaviest vehicles, with all lighter vehicles switching to electric. Tom told us about a wider

initiative to encourage more goods

transport around the UK by ship rather than door-to-door HGV, as a single

cargo vessel could replace up to 300 trucks for most of the journey.

We learnt the significance of the Port’s two cement plants when Victoria

Vasiliauskaite from event sponsor

Roadways, told us that cement making alone accounts for 8% of global GHG

emissions. On a more positive note, she

only by truly collaborating with each

to road building, taking a leaf out of

economy for everyone’s benefit.

volcanic ash component to reduce CO2

In a final call to action, Sarah Springford,

told us about Roadways’ new approach the Ancient Romans’ book and using a

other can businesses build a circular

emissions by 40%-70%.

Brighton Chamber CEO, announced that

The floor debate was lively and challenging

of the Chamber’s Net Zero Champions.

sample of ideas that caught my attention:

For my part, I’ve been proud to be a Net

• Fund people to place solar panels on

So I told myself I really had to put my

• Design all products and activities to be

one significant change in response to

• Accept expansion of Rampion wind farm

discussing it at home, we agreed it was

(as we had hoped for!) Here is just a

everyone would be invited to become one

Zero Champion for some months now.

South-facing roofs

effort where my mouth was and make

low-carbon, rather than retrofit solutions

participating in the Big Debate. After

• Reuse Centres, not just Recycle Centres

time to sell the car and not replace it.

• Every person and business should have a carbon allowance

• Support the Edible Cities Network

• Be happier with fewer things. Eat less meat. Buy local and organic.

Mark O’Halloran is Consultant at iLaw. The Big Debate: Net Zero was run by Brighton Chamber. To find out more about net zero in Brighton, head to brightonchamber. co.uk/net-zero-in-brighton

There were many more. Closing

thoughts were delivered by Steve Creed, Co-Founder at Circular Brighton & Hove, who described how at least 45% of the reductions we need in GHG emissions will have to come from how we make things, and use land. Steve said that

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 65

C HA M B E R N E WS

British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference 2022 Thursday 30 June - QEII Centre, London We are extremely

Chamber News

pleased to announce, that one of our very

own Sussex Chamber members, Bola

Lafe, CEO of Opus Innovations, will

be speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Annual Global

Conference. This is a great opportunity to support a local Sussex business

leader at this very prestigious national

conference. Our CEO, Ana Christie, from the Sussex Chamber, will also be talking at the conference.

opportunity for business leaders from

The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, UK

together and look to a more sustainable

speaking at the BCC Global Annual

the UK and around the world to come

Chancellor of the Exchequer will be

and responsible future.

Conference 2022, along with a host of

Through thought-provoking

discussions, talks and peer-to-peer

Away from the sessions there also will

explore and debate how we can

greet existing contacts and meet new

challenges ahead, with a particular

their dynamic network of Chambers and

sessions, delegates will be able to

be networking time for delegates to

individually and collectively rise to the

ones; and BCC will also be showcasing

focus on:

strategic partners.

People

The flagship Global Annual Conference

Developing talent now and for

calendar, with the 2022 Conference

Planet

is one of the main events in the business taking place on Thursday 30 June at the QEII Centre, London.

After a turbulent few years, the BCC

Global Annual Conference will be an

66 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

other exciting speakers.

the future

Boosting a green global economy Progress Seizing new opportunities

Bookings can be made by contacting us

on 01444 259259 or visiting the website: sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

It would be fantastic to see you at the Conference.

CHAM BE R N E WS

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 67

68 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

SBT SPORT

THE HISTORY OF CRICKET IN SUSSEX IT APPEARS TO BE THAT CRICKET BEGAN LIFE IN SUSSEX AND KENT

EQUESTRIAN’S PRIDE OF SUSSEX PROFILE OF KRISTINA (TINA) COOK

‘BLACK PREMONITION’ WINS INAUGURAL ‘ROOKER PRIZE’ SOUTHAMPTON-BASED LEWES FC OWNER DUNCAN BROWN WINS

TAKE IN THE T20 IN STYLE AT HOVE THIS SUMMER THE FOUR-DAY FIXTURE BEGINS ON FRIDAY 20TH MAY

SBT SPORT SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 69

The history of Cricket in Sussex

It appears to be that cricket began life in Sussex and Kent with ecclesiastical records dating back to 1611 indicating the first time the sport was documented was in Sussex as well as being the first reference to cricket being played by adults. The records blame cricket for the non-attendance at church on Easter Sunday by two parishioners of Sidlesham in West Sussex.

The first reference to

Sport

women’s cricket also comes from Sussex

and dates from 1677.

Formed in March

1839, Sussex County Cricket Club is

believed to be the oldest professional sports club in the world, therefore

making it certainly the oldest of the

eighteen first class County cricket clubs.

Founded in 1971, the Sussex Cricket

League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Sussex

and since 1999 the Premier Division of

the Sussex Premier League has been a

70 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

designated ECB Premier League. With

nine titles, local team Preston Nomads are the league’s most successful club.

Since November 2018 the Sussex

Cricket League is the largest adult

cricket league in the world, with 335

participating teams in 34 divisions. In

2018 the Sussex Cricket League saw the integration of the East Sussex Cricket League, Mid Sussex Cricket League,

West Sussex Invitation Cricket League

and the Sussex Premier Cricket League.

Sussex County Cricket Club played its initial first-class match against

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at

Lord’s Cricket Ground on 10 & 11

June 1839. They won the unofficial

Championship seven times and shared

it once between 1826 and the formation of the County Championship in 1890.

It would then take them 113 years to

win the Championship as they finished

runners-up for three years in succession between 1932 and 1934.

After World War Two Sussex again

finished second in 1953 and fourth

in 1955. The 1960s gave rise to Ted

Dexter who led the team to victory in the first knock-out competition ever

held by the counties in 1963. They won

S PO RT Other notable clubs across the county are Firle Cricket Club which was founded in

1758 and is quite probably among the ten oldest clubs in the world. On 15th July

1725, the Duke of Richmond challenged Sir William Hall Gage to a match on the

same pitch at Firle Place where the club still plays today.

Henfield Cricket Club also lays claim to possibly one of the oldest cricket

clubs in the world having been formed in 1771, while Chalvington and Ripe Cricket Club (CRCC) was once one

of the main club sides in the country and the grounds at the Yew Tree Inn

have been their home since 1762. In Adams to create a culture of success in the dressing-room. Other notable

contributions in this period came from the batsmen Richard Montgomerie

and Murray Goodwin, and Matt Prior together with bowler James Kirtley,

who’s success with the ball helped the team to victory in the 2006 C&G final.

Sussex also has some of the oldest

cricket clubs in the world. Dating from it again in 1964, and the 1970s saw the arrival of exciting players to the team

featuring the likes of John Snow, Tony Greig, and Imran Khan.

It would not be until 2003 that they

1704, Arundel is recorded as the oldest cricket club in Sussex.

The aforementioned Preston Nomads Cricket Club was a founder member

of the Sussex Cricket League in 1971,

finally ended their quest for the

having been founded in 1927. Based

Adams successfully united a team

XI plays in the Premier League of the

obvious space in the trophy cabinet,

Championship in the League’s inaugural

had finished in last place. Sussex then

and are the current Premier League

by winning it again in 2006, doing the

The Sussex Cup final in 2004, the 1sts

C&G Trophy. One of the keys to this

the following year. In the late 2000s and

Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed,

Premier League six times in eight

102 in 2006, where undoubtedly his

are current champions after winning the

Championship title, as skipper Chris

in Fulking, West Sussex, the club’s 1st

with only a few stars to add to the

Sussex Cricket League, winning the

which came just three years after they repeated their Championship success double by additionally winning the success was the astute signing of

after he took 103 wickets in 2003 and

dedication and professionalism helped

year, and again in 1982 and 1988

Champions. Having been Runners Up in then went on to win the competition

early 2010s the 1st XI won the Sussex

seasons between 2006 and 2013. They Sussex Premier league in 2021.

centuries gone by, the Sussex County team played here against legendry players such as W. G. Grace.

In 1851, Sussex cricketer, William Henty, bowled the first ever ball in a first-class cricket match in Australia. In 1864,

former Sussex cricketer John Wisden published the ‘Wisden Cricketers’

Almanack’, a cricket reference book that is considered the world’s most famous sports reference book today.

In 1876, Sussex MP and the third Earl of Sheffield, Henry Holroyd laid out

a cricket pitch at Sheffield Park near Haywards Heath and this was used on 12 May 1884 for the first cricket

match in England between England and Australia.

In the late 20th century and early 21st century the County Ground in Hove

was used for other cricket matches in addition to matches involving Sussex teams. A One Day International

match of the 1999 Cricket World

Cup between India and South Africa

was staged at Hove, which has been

followed by various matches involving

England women’s cricket team as well as consecutive finals of the Women’s Cricket Super League tournaments.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 71

S PORT

Extra strong mint - profile of Alan Minter Born on 17 August 1951, Alan Minter was a British professional boxer who sadly passed away in September 2020 from cancer at the relatively tender age of sixty-nine.

Photo credit: W8 Media

Having competed

Sport

professionally from 1972 to 1981, he

held the undisputed middleweight title

in 1980, having previously held the

British middleweight title from 1975 to

1976, and the European middleweight title twice between 1977 and 1979. At

twenty years old, he became the 1971

Amateur Boxing Association of England Middleweight Champion, after which

he was selected to represent the UK at

the Munich Olympics in 1972, winning a bronze medal in the light-middleweight classification, losing in the semi-final

to eventual gold medal winner, Dieter Kottysch of West Germany.

72 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Minter was born in Penge, Kent, before his family moved to Crawley and at

eleven years old, he began his boxing

journey and joined Crawley Boxing Club.

Following his bronze medal triumph in

Munich, he made his professional debut against Maurice Thomas in October

that year winning by a knockout in the 6th round.

Nicknamed ‘Boom Boom’ Minter’s

career saw him win thirty-nine of his

forty-nine bouts with twenty- three of those victories by way of knockout.

After his debut victory, he went on to record ten more wins, with his first five victories by knockout. He first

tasted defeat in June 1973 against Don McMillan when the fight was stopped

by the referee in the eighth round after Minter sustained severe cuts.

Following his loss to McMillan, he got back on the winning trail, recording

back-to-back victories against Octavio Romero and Ernie Burns. However, his successful run ended after he lost to

Jan Magdriarz in successive matches in

October and December after both fights were stopped due to cuts sustained in

the eighth and sixth rounds respectively.

The following year began with victory over Tony Byrne in the eighth round,

after which he lost successive matches

S PO RT

Photo credit: thetimes.co.uk

Photo credit: Getty Images

against Ricky Ortiz in round two. He also

took on Jan Magdriarz for a third time but this fight ended in a draw. He finished the year with a win against Shako Mamba.

Minter won the British Middleweight

Championship in 1975 where he was

declared the winner over fifteen rounds against Kevin Finnegan. The year

after, Minter achieved six victories,

eventually taking his winning streak to ten consecutive wins, where he

successfully defended his British title against Billy Knight and in a rematch with Kevin Finnegan. Finishing that

year unbeaten meant he was able to be included in the top ten Middleweight challengers of the year.

His success continued into 1977, with

victory over Germano Valsecchi but his undefeated status finally ended in April

that year when he lost to Ronnie Harris after the fight was stopped in round

eight. After bouncing back with a win

against Emile Griffith, September saw

him lose his European Middlewight title against Gratien Tonna.

In 1978, he won all the three fights lined up for the year. His fight against Angelo Jacopucci which resulted in his favour after a 12th round knockout helped

him regain his European Middleweight Championship. In the rematch against

Gratien Tonna, he successfully retained his championship title.

The highpoint in his career came in

1980 when he was given a chance at World Middleweight Championship against Vito Antuofermo. Much to

his delight, he won the fight over a

fifteen-round contest in Las Vegas thus holding on to the World Middleweight Championship title for the first time.

In the aftermath of his victory against

Antuofermo and his subsequent World Middleweight Championship title, a

rematch was held which he won yet

again by a TKO in eight rounds. He lost the next match to ‘Marvellous’ Marvin

Hagler at Wembley Arena on September 27, due to cuts sustained in round three in a bruising encounter. However, the

build up to this fight was overshadowed by a war of words, with Minter being accused of racism and the contest

ended in chaotic scenes as bottles and

cans of beer flew into the ring hurled by

drunken fans unhappy with the result. A

sad end, but perhaps not a surprise one considering what had preceded it.

Hagler had reigned supreme during

the bout and the result never looked in

doubt. In an interview with Iain Probert of Boxing News five months before

his passing, Minter had said,” What I

didn’t realise he could do was go from southport (leading with the right hand) back to orthodox (leading with left

hand), he was switching all the time. I

didn’t know which punch to throw, I was bemused by it all.” Ironically this proved Hagler’s undoing when he eventually

fought in the ring against the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard.

In 1981, he faced three fights of which

he won once against Ernie Singletary in

round 10. With this victory, he successfully retained his Britain and European

Middleweight Championship. However, he lost the next two fights against Mustafa

Hamsho and Tony Sibson and following

these defeats, he retired from boxing. After losing to Tony Sibson, he retired aged

just 29 after being transferred to hospital

in Brighton following the fight to discover

he had an infection in his nose which was leading to his brain.

Following his funeral in 2020, when

crowds lined the streets as the funeral cortege passed by, some residents in Crawley had called for a permanent statue to honour his achievements.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 73

S PORT

‘Black Premonition’ Wins Inaugural ‘Rooker Prize’ Southampton-based Lewes FC owner Duncan Brown has won the club’s inaugural writing competition with a 250-word novel opener called ‘Black Premonition’.

Lewes FC – a

Sport

football club owned by some 2,300

worldwide community shareholders and

rising – recently announced a writing

competition for its owners, challenging them to compose a 250-word opening

to a novel of any specified literary genre.

The idea was cooked up at the

club’s Xmas do, and a pen-nib award especially made by local carver and

engraver Neil Turner. Turner, enamoured by the humorous reference to the more famous ‘Booker Prize’, fashioned the

trophy out of oak and yew, giving the

74 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

pen both ink and the football club’s badge in brass.

Famously nicknamed ‘The Rooks’ -

after both the town’s castle and the

birds which nest around home ground

‘The Dripping Pan’ - Lewes FC is 100%

socially owned, and holds regular virtual ‘town halls’ for its community of owners as well as connecting to them via a Mobile App.

Head Judge, elected Lewes director

Karen Dobres, who came up with the name inspired by The Booker Prize,

explained: “Our club often makes the link between football and the wider

world through culture, and The Rooker Prize is another manifestation of the way football reflects and impacts

society, and has the power to bring communities of interest together.”

Fellow judge and Lewes FC owner,

author Mark Crick, remarked: “It was thrilling to see how many nascent novelists are lurking amongst the

ownership of Lewes Football Club”, adding, “Judging the short pieces

critically has taught me a lot about my own writing style.”

Lewes FC owner and Guardian

journalist Suzy Wrack, who also joined

S PO RT

Duncan Brown

the panel, said: ‘It was an honour to

judge the 17 entries for the inaugural Rooker Prize, and we had a lot of

fun doing so. Not one entry did we

consider bad or unworthy of a prize every writer had potential.”

The judges announced the winner on

the evening of 27th April because, as they explained: “We discovered that

this is in fact ‘International Crow and

Raven Appreciation Day’, and therefore a very appropriate day to name the Rooker Prize winner’.”

Winner Brown said: “Given that it was Crow and Raven Appreciation Day, I

am properly chough-ed to have won the inaugural Rooker Prize! I chose

the historical novel genre because the Dripping Pan name reminds me of the pottery dripping pans used from the

13th to 16th centuries to catch the fat that dripped from meats roasting on

spits in front of hearths and open fires.

“As for the trophy, I think it would look great behind the bar at the Rook Inn,

where it might inspire more people to

enter the Rooker but it also is a splendid symbol of what the club is all about.”

Shortlisted entries were, Biram Desai’s ‘Untitled science fiction’, and ‘Court of Crows’, Charlie Stubbs’ historical

thriller. These entries can be read on Lewes FC’s website here.

donate to a charity of his choice. He

has chosen to donate to Kangaroos – a charity which provides activities and

‘Black Premonition’ was favoured by

sports opportunities to children with

imagery, and the fact that they were left

for something sports-related and found

the judges for its descriptive power and

learning disabilities – saying: “I looked

eager to know what would happen next.

Kangaroos, based in my hometown of

“Brown’s piece seemed to answer all

a school in Cuckfield, which is where my

at (i) the quality of writing, (ii) whether it

are buried. Also, my twin sister lives in

and (iii) asking ourselves how much we

You can find out more on their website:

Haywards Heath. They also originated at

our criteria perfectly. We were looking

brother was born and my parents ashes

made us feel more alive in some way,

Australia, so their name is a nod to her.

wanted to read the rest of the novel.

www.kangaroos.org.uk.”

Congratulations to Duncan, and thank

you to all the Lewes owners who entered the first ever Rooker Prize!”

Brown wins the trophy and £250 to

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 75

S PORT

Photo credit: Sky News Australia

Take in the T20 in style at Hove this summer

This Summer The 1st Central County Ground in Hove will be hosting seven T20 Vitality Blast matches, as well as the Royal London One Day Cup and the world Test champions, New Zealand.

The Sussex Sharks

Sport

have plenty to be

excited about when it comes to this

year’s Vitality Blast

campaign. With a squad that boast’s

a number of world-class stars, there is

plenty of optimism that the Sharks can go all the way this year.

England international fast-bowler Jofra Archer is set to return for the opening

game against Glamorgan on May 26th and will line up alongside the world’s number one ranked T20 bowler, Rashid Khan.

Led by legendary all-rounder Ravi

Bopara, Sussex Sharks will face seven games at The 1st Central County

Ground in Hove this Summer, as they

aim to lift the T20 Vitality Blast trophy for the second time in the club’s history.

Whether you’re looking to entertain clients, or enjoy a special night of

76 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

cricket with friends, experience all the

August is when the Sussex Sharks kick-

Hospitality packages:

campaign. The traditional white ball game

Curry & Cricket £70 + VAT per person:

cricket with a relaxed atmosphere.

action with one of their two Premium

includes a two-course curry buffet before the match begins, as well as a dedicated

off their Royal London One Day Cup

is an opportunity to enjoy fast-paced

Finally, in September Sussex wrap up

seat in the Spen Cama Pavilion

their LV= Insurance County Championship

All Inclusive £130 + VAT per person:

Worcestershire and Glamorgan, and

season with two fixtures at Hove against

includes a three-course dinner served

Hove also has the pleasure of hosting a

bar and seats right on the boundary’s

Women and India Women on Sunday

before the match begins, an all-inclusive

one-day international between England

edge in the Cow Corner hospitality area

18th September.

As well as a bumper season of T20

Premium Hospitality packages are still

Test champions, New Zealand as they

London One Day Cup and County

against England in June.

fast. If you fancy entertaining clients,

The four-day fixture begins on Friday

cricket with family or friends reach

Championship squad the opportunity to

sussexcricket.co.uk

cricket, Hove will play host to the world

available for the New Zealand, Royal

take on Sussex to prepare for a series

Championship fixtures, and are selling

20th May and gives the young County

ply their trade against the world’s best.

or want a special day out at the

out and contact corporatesales@

SBT ASK THE EXPERT

WHY NATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE IS IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESSES

BY MIDNIGHT COMMUNICATIONS

WHY THE WAY WE MANAGE OUR EMPLOYEES MUST CHANGE FIND OUT HOW CAN WE HELP YOU TURN YOUR BUSINESS INTO A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT

SBT ASK THE EXPERT SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 77

Why national media coverage is important for regional businesses

By Flo Powell and Alex Hankinson, Joint Managing Directors, Midnight Communications Ask the Expert

What’s the value

radius of their bricks and mortar outlets

coverage for local

simply don’t apply. If a business

of national media businesses?

A lot of our clients

start out by thinking that their target

and offices, but today those constraints owner wants to reach more people

geographically and digitally, it makes

sense to broaden the reach of coverage

consider trade media and sector media as part of the mix.

A clever media relations campaigns

should always be multi-layered. People

are not one dimensional, neither should

audience is based in a specific

and bring in the nationals too.

reaching out to local media. While we

As a rule, publications with national reach

So how to you get regional

in local media and its potential to build

traffic and a higher domain authority. At

We use several tactics, all of which

growth, national media has a very

of getting our clients into both.

region so they should focus solely on

appreciate the huge value of coverage

will have a higher search volume, higher

reputations and accelerate business

Midnight, we have a strong track record

important role to play too.

Historically, businesses would serve

clients and consumers within a certain

78 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

As an agency that specialises in

supporting businesses targeting other businesses, it’s important too, to

your PR campaign be.

businesses that coveted coverage? work to boost businesses’ profiles

and position them as experts in their particular sectors.

Responding to events in the media as they break – or newsjacking – has the

ASK T H E E XPE RT national print, digital or broadcast media gives it real credibility.

National media only publish insights from experts who have valuable

things to share with their readers. So those placements offer validation to

prospects and clients, which is great for employees, clientele, local audiences, national audiences – and business.

How do I make my story relevant to the national media?

Know your audience and do your

homework. We work hard to understand who editors’ readers are, and which

stories are likely to land and those that won’t. That PR instinct, honed over

decades, coupled with strong media power to reach wide audiences, build reputations and establish business

credibility, so it forms a core part of many of our PR strategies. But the

viewpoint pitched into national media

has to be relevant to a wide audience.

Recently we jumped on the controversial P&O Ferries story, where 800 workers

were sacked with no notice via Zoom, for two of our Southeast-based legal clients, Mayo Wynne Baxter and

Trethowans. The resulting coverage in iNews, the Mirror and The Guardian positioned them both as experts in

national employment law – a key aim of their PR strategies.

Placing thought leadership articles in

national media is another tactic we use to position our clients as progressive critical thinkers, which can have substantial impact on growth.

According to a 2021 report by LinkedIn and Edelman, which surveyed 3,600

53% decided to increase the amount of business they did with the organisation, and 54% were persuaded to buy a

new product or service that they hadn’t previously considered buying.

We also issue press releases to

national media when appropriate. They enable business leaders to drive their own narrative and influence opinion, establishing a positive brand story.

A current example of this is for our

client the Youth Sport Trust which is

powering a school wellbeing movement called Well Schools in partnership with BUPA Foundation. Part of our b2b PR

strategy has been to raise awareness of the movement amongst school leaders.

So far, this month, our research-based press release has been featured in the

Tes (Times Education Supplement) and Daily Telegraph, as well as achieving thought leadership placements in education trade media.

global industry leaders, 42% of

Why not just self-promote businesses

to bid for a project based on a piece

We do that as well, but third-party

decisionmakers invited an organisation of thought leadership that they’d read;

48% awarded a project to the business responsible for the thought leadership;

on social media, such as LinkedIn? endorsement is more powerful and

achieves stronger success metrics.

Sharing a story that has appeared in

contacts, means that we know exactly

what journalists are looking for. And we

know what annoys them too – stories that they have already covered, comments

and articles that have no relevance to their readers, and anything overtly promotional.

We continually touch base with

journalists and editors, pre-empting their needs, and carry out regular

media audits, which means we can

provide timely, relevant and compelling comments, opinion pieces and news exactly when they’re needed.

What should businesses do when they do land coverage in the nationals?

Use it! Getting national media coverage

isn’t easy, so it lends visibility and kudos.

Share across social media and reach

out to people who react and comment.

Reconnect with prospects and clients,

sending them links via email. Showcase

media mentions on the company website, using links to drive traffic.

This is a golden opportunity to get

noticed and position a business front of

mind with key target audiences, so make

coverage work as hard as possible – and then start planning the next hit… www.midnight.co.uk www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 79

AS K T H E E X PE RT

The way we manage our employees must change Is it the responsibility

Ask the Expert

of managers to adapt their communication

style to suit individual employees?

Of course, it is!

Is it the responsibility of employees to adapt to their managers’ communication styles?

That depends...

But if you’re expecting your employees to adapt to your managers’ way of

working, you need to provide them

with the knowledge and tools to do it.

Effective communication skills are rarely taught at school or college, and, unless your profession requires it, you cannot expect your employees to understand how to deal with different personality traits and communication styles.

80 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

As John C. Maxwell relates in his

But listening is only the first step.

Few Connect: What the Most Effective

Developing self-awareness

insightful book Everyone Communicates, People Do Differently, communication is often confused with talking at people.

Shouting louder and louder to get a

point across instead of trying to relate to people by listening to them and

finding a common language that helps build connection.

Finding it frustrating to deal with evident disconnect when we don’t feel heard by our audience.

Responding emotionally to awkward

situations, because we haven’t learnt to manage our emotions effectively.

To be a great communicator and

connect with others, you have to make a conscious effort to want to know others.

This requires both personal commitment and exceptional listening skills.

To be able to communicate and connect with others on a deeper level, you

need to know yourself. You need to

understand your triggers and how to

overcome the urge to react prematurely.

You need to understand how your

communication style differs from others.

How your words, body language and

micro-expressions trigger (potentially negative) reactions in others.

You also need to be able to reflect

constructively on any mistakes you

might have made during discussions and arguments, and identify ways to

avoid making those errors in the future.

Self-awareness is often the most

difficult step to take. But invariably the most important one. Because

by understanding your personality,

ASK T H E E XPE RT

motivations, and strengths and

weaknesses you will be able to minimise (if not completely avoid) uncomfortable situations with people around you.

Dealing with our feelings

A forbidden word in work environments, discussion of ‘feelings’ can mean

treading on thin ice. But the truth is, we are all driven by feelings.

First, come our thoughts, whether

generated from recent conversations with people or based on deeply held beliefs

we carry with us from childhood. Those thoughts create feelings. Even events

that happened a long time ago can bring

real emotions out, apparently unrelated to what is happening to us now.

If you reflect on recent ups or downs, you will be able to see how those

feelings affected your mood, actions and behaviour. If you’re in a good

mood, everything seems great and little things don’t bother you. If, on the other hand, you feel tired, overworked or

overwhelmed, even a small issue can feel like a big challenge.

The problem most of us have is that we

don’t really know how we feel. (Yet another

subject absent from the school curriculum!)

And if we don’t know how we feel, it’s

harder to identify what we need to do or change to be able to feel better again.

Understanding our needs

By this point, you might be wondering

how this relates to managing people in the workplace. Fair question!

Well, we are all human beings with needs and just because we’re not

amongst friends and family doesn’t

mean we become machines. If someone isn’t feeling good about their job and their needs aren’t met, this will affect their performance in the workplace.

When we talk about needs and feelings,

many people think this is to do with love

what their strengths are and which tasks

what you do and you feel connected to

with someone you don’t even know?

likely to deliver your best. Isn’t that true?

Without trust, you will struggle to achieve

and connection. In a way it is. If you love the people you work with, you’re most

So why do we ignore such an important

to delegate? How can you build trust

your goals. Without trust, relationships fail.

aspect of humanity in the workplace?

The way we manage must change to

The military is often used as a great

With well-being and mental health

bluntly, they have to work together to stay

that leadership skills will have to adapt.

act collectively because every decision

As harsh as this sounds, we can no

example of leadership and teamwork. Put alive. They have to trust each other and

reflect current realities in the workplace. coming to the forefront, it is inevitable

has the potential to affect other decisions.

longer treat people like machines (not

I also like to use the example of a

first place!). We need to build strong

are different personalities but also

other like never before. Or we will run

that we ever should have done in the

symphony orchestra. Not only there

relationships and connect with each

very different instruments in a typical

out of people to employ.

adding depth and colour to the overall

Because being employed comes with

contribution while complementing what

or precarious contracts, low pay,

the conductor for guidance and direction.

solo and set up your own company

In both cases, each member has to

businesses don’t require huge capital

also understand the outcome and the

consultants who can help those new

orchestra. They all play an important part, sound. They all have to master their own

great uncertainty these days (flexible

other musicians are doing and looking to

risk of redundancy etc). And to go is easier than ever before. Many

learn their own piece or place but

to start with and the market is full of

consequences of not working together

to self-employment.

everything about their role, but they

So, you might want to ask yourself the

as a team. They might not always like know how important or beautiful the end result will be.

Trust is the cornerstone of a successful workplace

question: can you afford to lose talent?

If you’re struggling with low morale,

rising conflict and poor productivity, please do get in touch at mia@

So where does adapting to your

neupauer.org for a free consultation to

the above example, a conductor

business into a positive environment

instrument and its strengths, and

find fulfilment and thrive.

them all working together. Working

Mia Neupauerova

to create a masterpiece.

Neupauer Training

As a manager/leader, if you don’t know

mia@neupauer.org

them in the right way? How do you know

Eastbourne, East Sussex

employees come into place? To use

find out how can we help you turn your

has to learn about each and every

where your employees feel appreciated,

maybe try different approaches to get within a defined musical environment

your employees, how can you motivate

Trainer & Coach

+447588751506

www.neupauer.org

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 81

WI N E OF T H E MON TH

County Business Club Wine of the Month May/June 2022

As we come into summer and to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee I have chosen an

English sparkling wine from the Wiston Estate, which is based on the beautiful South Downs, 10 minutes North of Worthing. This wine has been produced by Dermot Sugrue who, in my view, is the UK’s most talented wine maker who makes wines for many other English wine brands. The wine of choice is Wiston NV sparkling wine which is the entry level offering of the Wiston wines and the most popular of their range.

I would say that this is the benchmark

for English sparkling wine and is made in the same way as Champagne using the

same three grapes with a typical split of 35% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier. This wine was named

as Best Sparkling in the Independent English Wine Awards 2019 and, in

my view, is a benchmark for English

sparkling wine and would beat most

Champagnes. The wine has consistent

fine bubbles, with a pleasant fruity nose which is backed up with a perfectly

balanced initial green apple and citrus backbone followed by a bakery notes from the bottle aging.

Tasting notes from the winemaker are as follows;

Our Brut NV combines a purity of

green apple and ripe lemon flavours

82 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

with a rich and complex maturity. This

Stellenbosch in South Africa. This

sparkling wine with fine bubbles, lots

specialists across Sussex, Brighton

multi-vintage wine is a highly-scented

wine is available from multiple wine

of toasty, biscuity autolysis from long

and Hove Wine Club or direct from the

lees-aging and a long finish.

vineyard.

FOOD PAIRING - Tapas, charcuterie,

Michael Yeoman,

cheese, antipasti

This wine is the perfect aperitif or

English Wine and International Wine Specialist

accompaniment to canapes. I can

Michael Yeoman produces his

Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations. Why

with Spirit of the Downs (www.

Wine Tour or Chalk Restaurant off the

with small batch local vineyards with his

platform to present these excellent

brightonandhovewineclub.co.uk)

think of no better wine to cheer on the

own range of sustainable spirits

not try a bottle or visit the excellent

spiritofthedowns.co.uk) and works

A24 which provides an appropriate

Brighton and Hove Wine Club (www.

wines and locally sourced foods?

The owner, Pippa, originally comes

from South Africa and so the facilities have a grandeur which reminds me of the 300-year-old vineyards from

A N E W ADVENTU RE B EG I NS

SOUTH DOWN S

6 -7 AUGUST 2022

WE ST SUS S E X

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 83

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