Niche Magazine Issue 30

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#FindYourNiche

January/February 2019

Paradigm wills & Legal Services On what the Niche Business Awards mean to Leicester Harrison Gamble

Holding the most titles in Riders’ history

Chat Ninjas

Chat window secrets revealed

Queen Victoria Arts Club Making history in the city

Business Expo Connecting Local Businesses

CONNECT

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INSPIRE

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PROMOTE

Entering its third year, the Cross Connections Business Expo is creating waves in the exhibition market with its easygoing approach, relaxed attitude, and openhearted atmosphere.

A specially selected collection of exhibitors will showcase their unique offerings with outstanding installations enticing guests from all over Leicestershire and beyond.

The exhibition will take place at the fitting venue of The Kube at Leicester Racecourse. Its open space and tech offerings continue to provide the best possibilities for our clients.

Our exhibitors are attracted by the The Kube’s accommodation of their individual ideas creating an atmosphere unlike any other business expo.

Visitors comment on the welcoming, informal environment we have created after they have escaped their usual working surroundings to a fun, casual networking event.

Interactive workshops educate and inspire, music lifts spirits, and wholesome dining and refreshments energise and satisfy.

Cross Connections Business Expo aims to enable the businesses we work with to connect with each other and go on to flourish in the Leicester community and beyond.

Join us for a full day of meeting new potential clients or partners face to face, being inspired by powerful speakers, and learning how to stay ahead and stand out from the competition.

SPONSORED BY

LEICESTER RACECOURSE

Already booked

70+ EXHIBITORS 3 INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS UNLIMITED BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES ONE DAY OF POWERFUL NETWORKING

REGISTER FREE

at crossconnectionsexpo.co.uk

INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS

creating possibilities for disabled children

www.flr.co.uk

FLR GROUP

DESIGN + PRINT

Soar Valley Press

DOMINATE YOUR INDUSTRY WITH VIDEO CONTENT 10am Adam King, Incite Video

BRAND CREATION AND EXECUTION 11am Pete Frost, Unity Media, Mark Robinson, Creative62 & Jenny Cross, Cross Productions

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION IN A SKILLS SHORTAGE 1pm Eileen Richards MBE, ER Recruitment & Toni Robinson, Nucleus HR

WEDNESDAY 15TH MAY 2019 9AM - 4PM

Cover: Paradigm Wills and Legal

LEANNE BAKER

JENNY CROSS

Services. Photographed by Alex Benyon Photography alexbenyonphotography.co.uk info@alexbenyonphotography.co.uk 07950 822 374

MANAGING DIRECTOR 07815 899 574

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

jenny@crossproductions.co.uk

Contributors

leanne@crossproductions.co.uk

The Miller Partnership, Glynis Wright & Co, Ian Guyler, Leicester Racecourse, Leicester Riders, St Martins House, Soar Valley Press, Ian Guyler, Fothergill Wyatt

SALLY SMITH

LIAM DEACY

SALES DIRECTOR 07931 220 116

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

sally@crossproductions.co.uk

liam@crossproductions.co.uk

Photography & Video courtesy of: Adam King hello@incitevideo.co.uk Dave Sinclair dave@corporate-motion.tv Official Media Sponsors of the Leicester Riders

KERRY SMITH

SUSAN HOLMES DESIGN EDITOR

SENIOR JOURNALIST

susan.holmes@crossproductions.co.uk

kerry@crossproductions.co.uk

BECCI HOULSTON

EMILY KIRTON JOURNALIST

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

emily.kirton@crossproductions.co.uk

becci@crossproductions.co.uk

0116 271 2573

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nichemagazine.co.uk Published by Cross Productions Ltd 17 Mandervell Road, Oadby, Leicester LE2 5LR info@crossproductions.co.uk

Marketing Partner of the Leicester Falcons

Also Sponsoring Robbie’s Rugby Festival Leicester Law Society Awards Hope Against Cancer Rainbows Dorothy Goodman Academy

Disclaimer – Niche Magazine and Cross Productions Ltd are fully protected by copyright; no part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without the complete and expressed permission of the publisher.

The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy, however there can be no liability accepted by the publisher for errors and omissions. We can under no circumstance be held responsible for any materials, matter or photographical copy submitted for publication or not within the website or magazine. We cannot be held responsible or liable for any breaches of copyright from adverts, materials or photography or any other such material supplied by a third party. The views and opinions expressed within our publications are not necessarily those of the publisher or indeed Niche Magazine or any featured parties.

Distribution Media Matters Direct Mediamattersdirect.co.uk Self Select Distribution Selfselectdistribution.co.uk

A WORD FROM JENNY

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ere we are in 2019. Another new year and with all the drive and ambition that comes with January 2 being back in the office!

Looking back across 2018 it was such a great year for Cross Productions. Working alongside Leicester based businesses Creative 62 and Unity, we have rolled out a rebrand and new website (live at the end of January). As a result, we have seen massive growth in the business.

Working with local business coach WiserWays, we have been able to put processes in place to ensure the foundations are solid for us to continue to grow over 2019 meaning more jobs are created and we can work with even more businesses helping to take them to the next level.

So, what does 2019 look like for us? Our plan is to continue working alongside the local business community bringing fresh content and addressing different hot topics each issue whilst at the same time ensuring we do our bit

nichemagazineuk

@magazineniche

to give back and support elsewhere.

We are excited to be supporting Leicester Comedy Festival and will be getting stuck in with the Leicester Falcons; the two times championship winning American Football team who, by the time this hits the shelves, will have announced their move to an exciting new ground ahead of what’s set to be a great season!

New Year’s resolutions? Not for us. We set goals all year round and have every intention of working to those for 12 months, not just one!

Wishing you all a prosperous new year and we look forward to seeing you soon.

#FindYourNiche

CONTENTS

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

NEWS

LIFESTYLE

08 Business News 10 Sarah Harrison

52 Property columns

Featuring Fothergill Wyatt, Oadby House and FLR Group

BUSINESS FOCUS

54 56 58 62 64

Fothergill Wyatt FLR Flooring Utility warehouse Ponds by Michael Wheat Health columns

Featuring Rossell Fitness, Function Jigsaw and Priti Coles

12 Niche Business Awards 14 Paradigm Wills & Legal Services 16 Nucleus HR 18 Eileen Richards Recruitment 20 St Martins House 22 Finance 25 LBF Private Equity Event 29 Finance Lab 34 Glynis Wright & Co Family Solicitors 36 Leicester Law Society 38 Legal Columns

Featuring Glynis Wright & Co,

Hollingsworths Solicitors and Josiah Hincks

39 Hollingsworths Solicitors 40 Legal Columns

Featuring BP Legal, Gately PLC and

Paradigm Wills & Legal Services

41 BP Legal 42 Marketing 45 Incite 46 Alex Benyon Photography 47 Chat Ninjas 48 Marketing columns

Featuring Soar Valley Press, WiserWays

50 Manufacturing Forum

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70 Debbie Moore Coaching 71 Oakdale Dentist 72 Foodcourt 74 Queen Victoria Arts Club 76 Everards

SPORTS 81 Sports

Featuring Oadby and Leicester Gymnastics Club

83 Outlaws 84 Harrison Gamble 86 Leicester Racecourse

SOCIAL 90 Hanlon Hospitality 92 Mercure Leeds 93 Whittlebury Hall 94 Leicester Comedy Club 95 Tracey Miller Culture 95 Amwell Care Home 96 CRS 97 Focus 98 Wishes for Kids 100 Zinthiya Trust

IAN GUYLER Business Consulting

Mixed messages, Brexit, and 1922 and all that!

14 COVER STORY Paradigm Wills

56 FLR Flooring

74 Queen Victoria Arts Club

It’s December 10 and the crescendo of uncertainty as to what type of Brexit (soft, hard, Norwegian, non or other) hovers overs us! As I write, the Commons vote is almost upon us (December 11). When you read this we’ll know more, but probably not the final outcome!

We are beset with mixed messages on the economy. As I read through the economic comment in the Sunday newspapers each week, we seem to be performing well in many macroeconomic areas. However, we must look forward. It’s Brexit uncertainty that disturbs us.

Conservative MP Sir Graham Brady (Chairman of the “1922 Committee”; the grouping of the Conservative back benchers) spoke at the Uppingham Biz Club recently.

One theme was “Where is the feel-good factor?” – a little tongue in cheek given the potentially significant change in our economy.

However, Sir Graham stated that with the lowest unemployment and the relatively high growth in European terms, we should be feeling good!

One measure is productivity which has actually been improving in quarters 1 and 2 but by quarter 3 this improvement had reversed.

A very unscientific straw poll of the Leicestershire banking and corporate finance fraternity revealed a mixed picture. Deals are generally being completed and properties are still being purchased. On the other hand, one banker has commented on applications for debt being down year on year and ‘paid off’ debts not being replenished. Equally, they said that their clients’ business performance is still good.

One observation I have is that in recent weeks the clarity from the media on Brexit has improved markedly. Local events have added to this. Brexit, Brexit, Brexit was the key theme at this autumn’s East Midlands CBI dinner, and the excellent Chamber of Commerce Brexit conference discussed the challenges in such a way that – in my view – was needed in the lead up to the referendum. With greater information, the conundrum people faced in 2016 might not have been so great! Until next time!

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BUSINESS NEWS LEICESTERSHIRE Marc Reeves becomes new Reach PLC Editorin-Chief The newspaper publisher’s Steve Hall is leaving his position as Editor-in-Chief.

Steve works across East Midlands titles including Derby Telegraph, Leicester Mercury and Nottingham Post. He has spent 36 years working in regional media and was named Editor of the Year at the Regional Press Awards in 2012.

Current Reach plc West Midlands Editor-in-Chief Marc Reeves will take over from Steve, expanding his portfolio across both the East and West Midlands.

As a result of the changes, Anna Jeys becomes Editor of Birmingham Live and Julie Bayley has been promoted to Editor of Derbyshire Live.

OVER £100,000 APPROVED IN INTEREST-FREE LOANS The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity revealed that a total of £114,560 has been approved in interest-free loans in December 2018, which will be used to establish or develop four businesses within the county and allow a further eight individuals the opportunity to study for postgraduate qualifications.

Among the business ventures to benefit from the interest-free loans provided by the charity is a personal trainer, a fashion brand designer, and a creative business.

Meanwhile, students successfully accessing an education loan from the charity will now go on to study in the fields of audio production, law, and training to become an associate physician.

The figure from the latest

quarter means that The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity has approved a grand total of £453,970 in interest-free loans across the calendar year.

David Howard, Chair of Trustees at The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity, said: “As always, it’s pleasing to be able to approve a number of loans to help young people achieve their goals, whether that is in business or studying for qualifications to enhance career prospects.

“To have been able to offer just short of half-a-million pounds to people within Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland is very promising; however, we want to help more. With 2019 on the horizon, I’d encourage anybody within the county aged between 18 and under 35 to get in touch to see if

we can help, whether it’s to start a new business venture or to inject some funding to develop an existing business.

“Our next application deadline is Monday, January 7, so there’s still time to apply, with packs available immediately through our website.”

Eileen Richards Recruitment meets future King Back in April, Eileen received a letter from the cabinet office to state that the Prime Minister was proposing to submit Eileen Richards’s name to the Queen and recommending the Her Majesty may graciously approve that Eileen be appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire MBE. This recognition is for services to the Promotion of Female Entrepreneurship.

On the June 9, 2018, the London Gazette published the

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Queen’s Birthday Honours List, in which Eileen’s name was presented.

She commented: “It was an indescribable whirlwind of emotions, I cannot put into words how privileged I feel to have been able to experience such a phenomenal 24 hours and to be awarded an MBE by Prince Charles.

“Supporting women in business and being part of the collaboration between organisations located throughout the Midlands is something I took a natural lead and interest in. However, I never expected that this commitment would be recognised through such a prestigious honour. I would like to thank all of the people who have contributed to me achieving this award. I am beyond grateful for this outstanding recognition.

“Prince Charles had certainly read about me, and was very interested in my business, my role at Hope against Cancer, and my role as a Board Director for the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce, including Enterprising Women. He was very complimentary about Leicestershire! A day I will never forget!”

NAJ Awards – Workshop of the Year Winner Lumbers Jewellers has had an exceptionally busy and successful year, and to finish it in style, Lumbers inhouse goldsmith, Martine Gregory has gained the business another award, by being crowned ‘Workshop of the Year’ by the National association of Jewellers.

The winners of the 2018 NAJ Awards were announced at the Benevolent Society Ball on December 13. The awards are now in seventh year and the sponsors not only support the industry but also make a fantastic contribution to the Benevolent Society; the charity which supports retired members of the jewellery community, as well the talent of today by awarding much needed educational bursaries.

Martine was awarded with a fantastic trophy designed by Lorna McNaught from the Birmingham School of Jewellery.

It will serve as a fantastic reminder of the tools of our trade and remain a unique memory for years to come. Martine has been the mainstay of the Lumbers workshop and embraces

both repairs and bespoke manufacturing with relish. Being completely self-taught she has worked upon and made some of the finest jewellery sold in the midlands and, indeed, repaired jewellery with Royal provenance.

Lumbers Managing Director, Dominic Gomersall, commented: “We are exceptionally proud of Martine, this is a fantastic accolade which reflects our dedication to making sure that our clients get the best service, from every part of the business. I feel truly blessed to have a loyal employee like Martine, who has worked for the business for 37 years, first for my father, and now for me.”

Martine would like to thank Lumbers local partners and most of all the loyal customers that visit the store and trust her with their jewellery. Martine has received fantastic feedback and support on social media in light of her award which goes to show her skills and hard work have built a fantastic reputation for the business.

Job creation continues but uncertainty climbs – cbi/pertemps network group Firms are on track to create more jobs, adding to the UK’s record labour market performance, according to the latest CBI/Pertemps Network Group Employment Trends Survey.

The annual survey – now in its twentyfirst year, with 350 respondents employing around 1 million people – revealed that 45% of businesses across the UK expect to grow their workforce in the year ahead, with confidence highest among small and medium sized employers (46%).

However, there is a Brexit drag weighing on larger firms, with optimism about adding new jobs at its weakest among businesses more exposed to the uncertainties posed by Brexit.

Confidence though is ebbing, with nearly half of UK businesses saying that the UK has become a less attractive place to invest and do business over the past five years.

Firms are still reporting access to skills as the most significant threat to the UK’s labour market competitiveness, with 83% stating it is a worry (up from 79% in 2017). With a new immigration system due to replace the free

movement of people when the UK leaves the EU, six in ten firms are concerned about access to enough labour (up from 49% in 2017) and three in five firms see the ability to move UK workers across the EU in future years as a threat.

Matthew Fell, CBI Chief UK Policy Director, said: “It’s encouraging to see firms across the country investing in training their staff and helping them develop new skills. But this investment alone is not the silver bullet that will meet all our needs. Business and the Government need to plug the skills gap and champion the flexible labour market on which our economic strength relies, to ensure investment continues to flow in.”

Encouragingly, nearly nine in ten businesses see a diverse and inclusive workforce as important or vital to their future success. A majority have also reported they have taken action to increase workforce diversity, by improving progression opportunities (62%), training for line managers (55%) and introducing flexible working opportunities (54%).

The result for firms is an increased ability to attract and retain people, an increase in skills and capabilities, as well as increased levels of staff engagement.

Nearly all firms are taking action to reduce the gender pay gap and improve gender diversity at all levels of businesses.

More than two thirds of respondents (70%) to the survey aim to raise pay for their employees in line with, or above, inflation in the coming year (up from 52% in 2017).

Over half of businesses are impacted by the National Living Wage. Steps being taken by firms to cope with the associated costs range from investment in training to raise productivity (38%), absorbing part of the costs through reduced profits (35%) and raising prices (33%).

In the foreseeable future, more than a third of respondents affected are planning to offset costs by increasing productivity through greater training and investment in automation, while others will look to raise prices.

NICHE | 09

BUSINESS NEWS

Tackling

homelessness in Leicester

Due to a lack of affordable homes, high rents and changes to benefits, Leicester, like other cities across the country, is feeling the impact of a growing, national housing crisis – City Centre Director Sarah Harrison tells us more

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ore than 30 people a day contact Leicester City Council because they are in fear of losing their homes or have already lost them.

The council’s head of homelessness, prevention and support Caroline Carpendale says there’s a misconception that homeless people are those living on the streets, when in fact many more people fall under the definition of being homeless. “You can be classed as homeless even if you have a roof over your head,” she said.

“People who have to stay with friends and family, are staying in B&Bs, or live apart from their families

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because they don’t have anywhere to live together, can also be classed as homeless.

“Rough sleepers are the very visible face of homelessness, but in England there are approximately 4,750 rough sleepers, compared to 61,000 families living in temporary accommodation.

“Rough sleepers are often very vulnerable and may have problems with drug and alcohol abuse as well as mental illness, requiring a range of support services. Families, on the other hand, usually don’t have high support needs, but need affordable,

good quality housing.”

The council spends more than £5.6million a year on tackling homelessness. Last year it managed to prevent homelessness for more than 1,400 families and 2,000 individuals who asked for help.

It’s also finding new ways to provide the affordable housing that families and others need.

Assistant city mayor for housing, Councillor Andy Connelly said: “Working with partners across the city we are able to offer a good range of services to rough sleepers, but when we have 6,000 people on our register

waiting for a council house, acting when people are already homeless is not enough.

“We have therefore set up our own housing company and will start work soon on the first of the 370 homes planned. By making land available to other providers of social housing we have enabled another 300 affordable homes to be built.

“And most recently we have allocated £8million towards buying up privately owned properties. All of these will go to people in the most need on our waiting list, at an affordable rent.”

For people whose homelessness can’t be prevented, the council has a number of services in place to help them, including an outreach team that looks for rough sleepers to offer them support.

If long-term accommodation can’t be found straightaway, the council has the Border House hostel for families, and the 42-bed Dawn Centre for singles.

The council also works with partners across the city, such as Action Homeless, which provide accommodation and services including help to tackle drug and alcohol addiction.

Generally, the council has access to around 90 temporary beds, and 10 emergency beds. In the winter, it activates a severe weather protocol when it can offer beds to people who it’s not usually allowed to assist, such

THE ROUGH SLEEPING TEAM, LEICESTER

as people from abroad who aren’t seeking work.

It also works with the One Roof Winter Night Shelter project, which offers food and a safe place to stay in the winter through seven different faith venues in the city.

Businesses and organisations across the city have also recently joined the city council and Leicestershire Police in signing up to the Leicester Homelessness Charter. Led by Leicester Cathedral the charter aims to improve the way everyone works together to tackle homelessness in Leicester.

If you see someone sleeping rough in the city the best way you can help them is to report their location, so they can get the support they need.

An easy way to do this is to contact StreetLink.

StreetLink is a website, mobile app and phone-line that enables people to alert local councils to rough sleepers in their area. streetlink.org.uk 0300 500 0914 download the free mobile app NICHE | 11

HEADLINE SPONSOR

2019 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 ATHENA, LEICESTER

Meet this year’s

judges

Introducing 2019’s Niche Business Awards judging panel. Get to know who will be adjudicating each category, and who will be assessing you or your business in the run up to the ceremony in September

BYRON DIXON OBE

HELEN DONNELLAN

Founder and CEO at Micro-Fresh®

Director of Business Engagement at DMU

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yron Dixon is the founder and CEO of antibacterial and antifungal brand Micro-Fresh®. The award-winning company is now the ‘go-to’ freshness partner for leading retailers such as John Lewis, Debenhams, Next, Sainsbury’s, the Pentland Group (Kickers), Scruffs Workwear and Avon.

After working for leading Danish shoe brand ECCO, Dixon launched Corium Solutions on his return to the UK in 2001 and started to develop the technology behind the MicroFresh® brand, which launched in 2006. The company now runs offices in Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia, with the headquarters in Byron’s home town of Leicester.

Byron has received several accolades for his work, and his entrepreneurship was recognised formally in 2018 with the award of an OBE for services to industry and innovation.

“I’m honoured to have been asked to judge for the 2019 Business Awards. These awards recognise the brightest and best of the county’s business community, bringing them valuable third-party recognition and the increased confidence that goes with it.”

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elen is Director of Business Engagement at De Montfort University where she is responsible for encouraging enterprise and business relationships across the university.

Helen works with employers across the board from individuals setting up their business to multi-nationals.

Helen was previously Inward Investment Director at Leicester City Council during which time she and her team brought IBM, Hastings Direct, PPL PRS and Octopus Energy to the City. Before working in the public sector Helen was a senior manager at Dow Jones where she was responsible for Marketing and Communications across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“I am very pleased to be a judge in the Niche Business awards. It’s so important that we celebrate and recognise the wonderful businesses we have here in our county as they make Leicester such a successful and rewarding place to do business. Having so many dynamic businesses will, I am sure, make the judging challenging but equally rewarding. I am really excited to learn more about all the finalists.”

NICHE FEATURE

ALISTER DE TERNANT

EILEEN RICHARDS Director at Eileen Richards Recruitment

Managing Director at Associate Events

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he latest Niche Businesswoman of the year Eileen Richards is the MD of Eileen Richards Recruitment located in Leicester city centre. The team has expanded since the bespoke recruitment firm was first established in 2013 and now specialises across 8 different sectors including at Director & Non Executive level. Eileen sits on the Board of the East Midlands Chamber and EMB Group alongside being a Co-Chair for Enterprising Women, which have all seen her judge many prestigious award ceremonies throughout the Midlands. As a Trustee for Hope Against Cancer, a Leicestershire and Rutland based cancer charity, Eileen recognises the importance of local business collaboration and rewarding achievements through accolades such as the Niche Business Awards.

“I’m delighted to be a judge for the Niche Biz Awards 2019.

As local leaders within the recruitment industry, we recognise the importance of celebrating the talent and success of our Leicestershire businesses. The awards are an incredibly fun and an empowering way to applaud professionals who truly deserve it.”

lister is the Managing Director and CoFounder of Associate Events, a leading Events, Production, PR and Brand Management Agency, based in Leicester. In 2018 the company managed over 400 events, engaging over 22,000 people and generating a market reach for its clients in excess of 200 Million.

Formerly the Commercial Director of Curve and latterly Kings Place London (the UK’s first arts organisation to turn a profit without public subsidy) his career and experience spans from blue-chips to universities and from commercial services to the arts.

“It is critical to support, promote, celebrate and showcase the extraordinary breadth, innovation and diversity of our ever growing business community.

These awards are a superb way to do just that together - and I am delighted to have the opportunity be part of the 2019 team!“

SARAH HARRISON

MUKESH PATEL

City Centre Director

Managing Partner at Freeths LLP

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arah has been Leicester’s city centre director since 2009 when she formed the 40-member strong LE-One City Centre Management Partnership. Career highlights over the last nine years have included leading the marketing for the reinterment of KRIII and measuring the economic impact of LCFC’s Premier League win and Champions League success. In November last year Sarah was instrumental in bringing home a successful BID ballot worth £4.2 million for city centre businesses. Sarah has worked in Dubai, Spain and South Africa as a marketing specialist for the shopping centre industry and owned her own consultancy in Covent Garden, London for 8 years. She has a BA (Hons) in Marketing, Communications and Psychology and a MBA in Marketing from Toledo University, USA. “I am honoured to be a judge of the Niche Business Awards 2019. In my role I meet many talented people with a real dedication and passion for what they do. Leicestershire is a special place, providing a fantastic support network for the business and service communities and these awards provide a great platform to recognise local excellence”

ukesh is Leicester born and bred. He studied law at Oxford and began his legal career 25 years ago in London. He came back to Leicester in 1999 and is the Managing Partner of Freeths LLP; a top 50 ranked law firm. His area of specialism is commercial litigation and Freeths is a fullservice national firm with 12 offices and a turnover approaching £85 million. He is particularly proud of the company’s Best Company and Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For awards. Mukesh is recognised as an “Elite Leading Lawyer” in Commercial Litigation by the Legal 500 and is also recognised in Chambers and Partners 2019.

“I am delighted to be a Judge this year as I believe it is really important to celebrate success as it is great for morale and I believe it encourages even greater success. The Leicestershire business community is close knit and supportive; it truly believes in and supports the success of others.”

NICHE | 13

The

Paradigm of Leicester

The countdown to the Niche Magazine Business Awards is already upon the Cross Productions office after having secured the headline sponsorship of locally influential company Paradigm Wills and Legal Services Inspired by Paradigm Wills and Legal Services’ impact on local businesses, the team behind the Niche Magazine Business Awards has decided to take a fresh approach in organising the event for next year.

Cross Productions has been running the awards for four years and, going into its fifth year in 2019, is planning exciting changes.

The team has evolved the awarding categories in order to really encompass all kinds of companies within the county.

The public is now able to vote for establishments based on a new range of capabilities including Employer of the Year, Best Family

Business, and Digital Business of the Year.

There will also be surprises with new forms of entertainment throughout the night, and as ever, a unique theme which is set to be the most talked about in 2019.

On sponsoring the event, Bhavin said: “We’ve helped a lot of company owners to offer benefits to them and their staff and we thought it was about time to do that on a bigger scale. We want to be known as a local business that supports other local businesses to grow and sponsoring the Niche Business Awards is the best platform to get that message out.”

Satwinder added: “We see

how great the positive effects of connecting with other local organisations can be – there is strength in that. We work closely with Niche Magazine and Cross Productions and thought it was only fitting to sponsor the awards as it epitomises everything we stand for at Paradigm Wills and Legal Services.”

The public can now nominate their favourite businesses in Leicestershire putting them in for a chance to win a prestigious local award in one or more of 15 categories. Nominations opened on Thursday November 21, 2018 and will close on Tuesday April 30, 2019.

Find out more about each award category and how to nominate at nichemagazine.co.uk/awards 14 | NICHE

NICHE FEATURE

THE CATAGORIES

THE SPONSORS

BEST NEW BUSINESS

Sponsored by Hollingsworths

BEST FAMILY BUSINESS Sponsored by Everards

BUSINESS GROWTH R PA RT N

E

THE

S

HIP

DIGITAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

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AT I

ST

X TA

Sponsored by Claremont Financial Planning Ltd

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RS

BEST SMALL BUSINESS

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Sponsored by Southall Hathaway & Co

ON

SPECI

AL

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Sponsored by Creative62

INNOVATION IN BUSINESS

Sponsored by SFB Group

RISING STAR

Sponsored by Unity

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Shakespeare Martineau

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE

Sponsored by Leicestershire Garden Design

CHARITY OF THE YEAR

CLAREMONT FINANCIAL PLANNING LTD

Sponsored by Beau Aesthetica

ACHIEVEMENT IN SPORT Sponsored by Leicester Racecourse

THE AMBASSADORS

EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Sponsored by Morningside Pharmaceuticals

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Sponsored by The Miller Partnership

BUSINESSMAN OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Glynis Wright & Co

EVENT PARTNERS

BUSINESSWOMAN OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Evolve

COMMUNITY CHAMPION*

Sponsored by Paradigm Wills & Legal Services *Nominations will not be accepted. A Community Champion will be selected by the Niche Business Awards headline sponsor Paradigm Wills and Legal Services.

NICHE | 15

NICHE BUSINESS

Forum

HOW TO NEUTRALISE INCREASING EMPLOYER COSTS TONI ROBINSON Director at Nucleus HR The Budget is fresh in everyone’s mind, and if you are an employer who was already facing a further 1 per cent increase for Auto Enrolment in 2019, you would have been thrilled with the announcement of a further 4.48 per cent average increase to the National Minimum Wage planned for April 2019.

With rising costs across the board, how is an employer supposed to remain competitive? The costs have to be borne somewhere, and our customers – who are simply looking for more for less – aren’t always the answer. So, what do you do?

Of course, you could look to try to reduce your costs across the board.

But hey, if you’ve been practical and achieved a saving of 1 per cent, you have done well.

So how do you make these increases a cost-neutral exercise?

Ok, this is where your commercial HR team should come into their own. Planning a performance improvement programme that is designed to engage productivity across the board will, without doubt, cover the majority of those costs.

Additionally, working on a proactive engagement initiative

– which has to work hand in hand with the performance improvement programme designed to release the 10 per cent discretionary effort that all employees have in them to go above and beyond what you pay them for – should be simple to implement.

Before you know it, not only are the costs covered, but you have engaged team members who are rewarded for their achievements.

07960 418 494 nucleushr.com

nucleushr offers expert insight in all areas of HR ●

HR Strategy & Implementation

●

Employee Relations

●

Performance Management

●

Training & Development

●

Recruitment & Selection

●

Employee Reward & Benefit

Lets meet and talk! tel: 07960 418494

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●

email: info@nucleushr.com

●

www.nucleushr.com

Awards Gala Dinner Friday 8 March 2019 Headline Sponsor

Print Sponsor

AV Sponsor

www.emc-dnl.co.uk/enterprisingwomen

Design Sponsor

Have you started to consider your 2020 plan?

With 2019 in key focus for many, we ask you to look further ahead to determine where it is you want your business to be in 2020.

A year from now, where do you see your firm?

When considering 2020, there is a lot of speculation about where we might be as a society. Will we be made redundant due to the introduction of technologically savvy robots? Will we be able to control our laptops with our brains? Will we be flying into the office in an economically friendly vehicle? The future is uncertain, but what we do know is that regardless of the endless possibilities of what might be – you need to start planning in advance!

For the team at Eileen Richards Recruitment, our 2020 plans are already well underway, with recruitment, retention and expansion in key focus for many firms, how can today's goals be achieved by this time next year?

0116 254 9710

www.eileenrichards.co.uk

@ERRECRUITMENT1

Our recruiter opinion: As local experts within the recruitment industry, we advise our clients that it's what we do right now in terms of recruitment and retention that will shape our future teams and ultimately aid us to achieve our business objectives.

As people facing professionals, we believe that despite the increasing interest and engagement within innovative technologies - nothing will compare to the rapport built with loyal and ambitious employees who value your business and the service you provide. With this in mind, it is vital that you have the right people behind you who mirror your vision of progression for the firm.

Only 36% of organisations monitor employee engagement Construction

Before addressing recruitment and adding Construction to your organisation, it is new delegates important to look at your existing framework.

Construction According to statistics, 36% of organisations Construction monitor employee engagement with regular one to one meetings. With staff retention becoming an increasing issue for employers, the need for interaction with our staff is more imperative than ever with 75% of leavers stating they would have stayed in their existing role had their hiring manager invested more time in them.

Executive Accountancy Search & Executive & Finance Selection Search & Executive Selection Search & Executive Selection Search &

Training

Although this time doesn't have to be set in the diary as an official meeting, a simple conversation with your employees will not only empower them to achieve their full potential, but will also enable you to assess how satisfied they feel within their current position. We believe that no line manager should receive a resignation letter unexpectedly, yet unfortunately as a recruiter we see it occurring far more frequently due to a break down in communication which could have been easily resolved.

75% of leavers would stay if they were invested in more.

Specialising within 8 different sectors and offering a unique service of recruitment training across firms, our industry knowledge tells us that in order to grow, your foundations much be rich.

Whether you are looking to recruit fresh new blood to inject into your existing team, or whether you're dreaming of robots in 2020 to replace your vacant chairs, our specialist recruiters can assist you to make your journey to the next decade a smooth one!

Construction

Supply Chain & Procurement

Sales & Marketing

Office incl EA/PA

Human Resources

Happy New Year from all of the team at Eileen Richards Recruitment

Customer Service & Onsite

Executive Search & Selection

Smart

Conferencing St Martins House is a smart, contemporary, and unique setting for any conferencing needs and with chic nearby accommodation it’s 24hr

L

ocated in the Historic Quarter, St Martins House provides a unique and sophisticated conference centre. Walk just a short stretch away from the hustle and bustle of the vibrant city centre and you find yourself stumbling across the cobbled alleyways that lead to a modern courtyard surrounded by buildings steeped in history with St Martins House at its heart.

Whatever your event specification, from an intimate small gathering event in the 19th century styled Bishops room for up to 12 people with buffet, to a larger magnificent event in the Grand Hall with its glorious high vaulted ceilings and historical features accommodating up to 200 people complete with three course dinners, cocktails and entertainment.

Whatever the reason for your

20 | NICHE

NICHE FEATURE

St Martins House has the capacity and skill to create a vast range of events in this distinct, historic area of the city visit, you’ll have been a part of one of St Martin’s remarkable corporate experiences just as Estée Lauder did when they held their senior team meeting at the centre for 70 guests in the Grand Hall. The beauty brand chose a cabaret style meeting and used St Martin’s state of the art in-house AV facilities to run their presentations.

Just a few other noteworthy events to be hosted by the expert planners this last year are the BNI Hydra weekly breakfast meeting, the RIBA Awards evening with their colleagues in the cathedral, a warm welcome to Marks & Spencer and their regional section managers and back in April they celebrated their award from Leicester College for the Apprentice Employer Award.

Originally built in 1877, St Martin’s House is a stunning Grade II listed former Grammar School that opened as a Conference Centre in January 2011. An elegant mixing of period features with contemporary styling has

ensured that St Martin’s House has not only won awards for the quality of its refurbishment, but also stands out from the crowd giving you, the event organiser, something truly unique.

Now able to provide accommodation for delegates in the nearby high-end hotel St Martins Lodge which is just a stone’s throw from the site where King Richard III’s bones were discovered in 2012. The elegant £1.8m development retains many original features with each of the 28 rooms styled beautifully any event is enhanced by this chic accommodation.

St Martins House has the capacity and skill to create a vast range of events in this distinct, historic area of the city and with the addition of St Martins Lodge, can now provide 24hr conferencing facilities.

0116 261 5200 stmartinslodge.co.uk stmartinshouse.com NICHE | 21

BUSINESS FOCUS

The Budget 2018 Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond delivered his 2019 Budget to Parliament on Monday October 29. Our local experts review several areas of interest

THE CUT IN BUSINESS RATES WILL MEAN AN ANNUAL SAVING OF UP TO £8,000 FOR UP TO 90 PER CENT OF INDEPENDENT SHOPS, PUBS, RESTAURANTS AND CAFÉS

SARAH HARRISON Leicester City Centre Director at Leicester City Council

O

n October 29, 2018, The Chancellor Philip Hammond announced a business rates cut by a third for two years for shops, pubs, restaurants and cafés with a rateable value (RV) of £51,000 and under in a bid to save Britain’s high street. The chancellor said he recognised small retailers were ‘struggling to cope’ with high fixed costs including business rates and the rapid rise of online shopping.

The cut in business rates will mean an annual saving of up to £8,000 for up to 90 per cent of independent shops, pubs, restaurants and cafés. As an illustration, a business with a rateable value of £37,750 will save £6,178 next year.

This is in addition to the already introduced business rates relief worth £12bn. The next rates revaluation will take place in 2021.

The Chancellor also announced a £675m Future High Street Fund to support local councils to invest in improvements and redevelop unused areas. In addition, a digital services tax for ‘tech giants’ was announced, which is not a tax on online sales and will only be paid by firms that are profitable and generate £500m or more in annual revenue. The tax will come into effect in April 2020 and is expected to raise £400m a year. The apprenticeship 22 | NICHE

levy will be cut from 10 per cent to 5 per cent for smaller businesses as part of a £695m package to support apprenticeships.

New data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that one in every five pounds spent in UK shops is now online. Sales rose by 15.3 per cent over the past year and now make up a record high of 18.2 per centre of all retail sales.

With consumers in the driving seat the mindset is changing and businesses need to position themselves to respond. Consumers are looking for quality over quantity and are value driven instead of price driven.

Loyalty is fragile with consumers being more promiscuous with multichannel purchase options. Sales are now more research driven reducing the number of impulse purchases.

The winners will be those that excel at showcasing a greater experience, customer service and embrace new technology. Small businesses have an opportunity to invest the money they will save from the business rate reduction over the next two years to help future proof their offer. Rather than taking a short-term view, businesses should look at how best to capitalise on this opportunity by seeking advice, training and taking up innovative offers of help such as the scheme soon to be offered to small businesses by BID Leicester.

RAJESH MODHA Chartered Financial Planner at The Finance Lab

I

n terms of personal finance, the Budget last October was a particularly quiet affair – thankfully!

Each year a colossal amount of speculation is provided by the industry trying to predict what the Chancellor may or may not due. This year – like every year – most of it is way off the mark and is essentially geared at scaremongering consumers into making hasty decisions regarding their financial affairs. My philosophy on this never changes: plan to maximise your Return on LifeTM, concentrate on the factors that you can control, and deal with everything else as it occurs.

Review. Repeat.

The good news for everybody

Finance

ow businesses effectively manage the pay increases to National Living Wage (NLW) and the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is perhaps trickier than meets the eye. Although ‘only’ a rate increase was announced in the Autumn Budget, considering the wider context of pay increases is an important challenge for employers to really think about.

NMW has been used by good employers as a reason to progress.

This increase of between 4-6 per cent is likely to narrow the difference in pay between employment grades and company roles. This could result in a lack of motivation to progress into senior roles given that there is little difference between the pay packages.

A more severe consideration is whether they continue to employ someone or try to manage without.

Higher wages, more National Insurance contributions, increases to the Apprenticeship Levy Charge, and pension costs mean businesses have less patience when it comes to employing unskilled staff. For small, independent businesses, the need for staff to be able to deliver on day one is now a much higher requirement than it used to be.

Everyone should be entitled to a good living wage. However, the economy isn’t growing as fast as the NLW and NMW is.

Restaurants are a prime example of this dilemma. Prezzo, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and other big restaurant chains have had to wrestle with restructuring as the cost of goods and wages increase.For smaller businesses, restructuring is probably quite a drastic step to take.

How can a business innovate?

Where can it be more efficient?

Rather than just increase prices, these are the ways businesses will be able to navigate and compensate for increases.

concerning pensions was that he pretty much left them alone. Quite a surprise really, as each year every Chancellor has provided some additional layer of complexity to the retirement puzzle. It was lovely for once not to sit down and try and understand what changes needed to be explained to our clients and how this affects their financial futures. The one piece of good news on pensions was that the Government will finally instigate a ban on cold calling. This will hopefully reduce the number of families being manipulated by unscrupulous salespeople of their retirement savings – this can’t be implemented soon enough in my opinion.

The Chancellor sweetened the income tax burden by bringing forward the increase to the basic and higher rate bands to £12,500 and £50,000 respectively.

Essentially, giving most people a

pay rise. A little more spending money for all involved, which I suspect he hopes will trickle into the economy by increased spending.

In the area of property, Mr Hammond has included stamp duty relief for first-time buyers purchasing via a shared ownership scheme up to £500,000. The Chancellor has also extended the ‘Equity Help to Buy’ scheme to assist those who have the financial capacity but not the deposit to purchase a new home, which should keep the builders and banks happy.

Overall, a budget that lacked the spark and talking points of previous ones, but with the uncertainty of Brexit looming, I suspect the Chancellor didn’t really want to rock too many boats. Regarding your personal financial planning... it’s as you were. Carry on!

TIM EMMONY Managing Director at MNE

H

BEN STOCKING Director at Jonstar

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overnments continue primeval methods of tackling energy efficiency, carbon reduction and climate change through taxation? Well, the old carrot-stick technique remains effective, and with tax sticks like Climate Change Levy on most energy bills increasing year on year there’s growing urgency for businesses to use less electricity. On top of this, UK businesses’ electricity prices are increasing by up to 50 per cent in recent years, there is certainly sharpening of focus upon efficiency measures.

Less well known is a tax relief carrot, Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA) for energy and water, introduced in 2001. The initiative provides tax relief opportunities for businesses that purchase and choose energy efficient plant and machinery such as refrigeration and heating detailed within the Energy Technology List (ETL) and the Water Technology List (WTL). This is being changed as announced in the Chancellor’s recent budget.

The measures will update the lists of energy efficient and environmentally beneficial technologies and products eligible for Enhanced capital Allowances.

Overall, the scope of the incentives is being constricted. However, there will remain significant opportunities for tax relief, and whilst large businesses may incur additional cost, the impact on small firms is expected to be very limited.

So, the carrot is different and there needs more awareness the carrot exists.

It’s worth reviewing from an operational perspective with a tax specialist.

Ultimately, government and businesses need to step up – and fast – to ensure the future of our planet.

Businesses that are ahead of the game will ensure huge fiscal benefits and brand enhancement. A positive move from the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget 2018 that was enabled through the streamlining of ECA will be a new Industrial Energy Transformation Fund. It’s designed to help businesses that use large amounts of energy transition to use less. It will receive funding peaking at £90 million in 2021/22!

NICHE | 23

BELIEVE Incredible things can happen when you approach the future with confidence. For long-term financial planning, designed around you, our expert wealth managers are here to help.

To find out how Brewin Dolphin can help, please call Scott Charlish on 0116 242 0729 brewin.co.uk/leicester

PE N S I O N S | R E T I R E M E N T | I N H E R I TA N C E | I N V E S T M E N T S The value of investments can fall and you may get back less than you invested.

Brewin Dolphin Limited is a member of the London Stock Exchange, and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register reference number: 124444).

It’s the deal of your life, so make it count Whichever route you might consider taking, we know that a successful transaction ultimately comes down to diligent preparation, a sound strategy and good timing.

Our Road to Exit guide provides a four-stage roadmap which focuses on all of the ways to successfully execute a deal. An exit may be the biggest deal you ever make, so it’s vital to do it right.

If you’d like to find out how best to maximise value in your business or to prepare it for sale, contact Ian Borley, Senior Partner at KPMG in the East Midlands, at ian.borley@kpmg.co.uk It’s your life’s work, value it. kpmgenterprise.co.uk/road-to-exit © 2019 KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved. The KPMG name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG International.

NICHE FEATURE

Leicester Business Festival

Private Equity Event

An overview of the business talk made by 200 Degrees Coffee owner Tom Vincent WORDS BY IAN GUYLER

N

ovember 2018 saw the fourth Leicester Business Festival take place. This annual festival produces 110 individual events showcasing what our local businesses are doing to promote our business community.

One of the festival highlights was an informative dinner with guest speaker Tom Vincent, co-founder of 200 Degrees Coffee, and arranged by Brewin Dolphin, KPMG and Ian Guyler Business Consulting.

This informal round table setting of local business leaders generated lively interest, challenge and debate. Tom Vincent – who hails from Norwich but is a committed Nottingham Forest fan

and cricket enthusiast – talked about his formative career after graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from Nottingham University. Tom has always had a “serial, entrepreneurial passion” for developing customer service driven businesses including some notable pubs. Now Tom and his business partner, Rob Darby, have developed a business with seven unique, bespoke coffee shops and a coffee roasting factory – a roastery!

Over the evening interactive discussion, questions and challenges revealed a fascinating story: how Tom and Rob had combined coffee and customer service to produce

a successful business which this “snapshot” gathering from the Leicestershire business world found so interesting. The success of the business had created such interest in the East Midlands corporate finance world that Tom and Rob were able to select from a number of private equity partners, eventually choosing The Foresight Group as their partner.

The discussion went on to explore how this funding changed 200 Degrees Coffee and helped Tom and Rob fund their vision – and its resultant growth – in the two sectors of retail and manufacturing. They plan to open further shops with a target of 24 within NICHE | 25

Working with business owners is the most interesting part of my role at Brewin Dolphin and this event cast a light on the issues that many growing businesses grapple with

two years.

It was not “all plain sailing” as Tom explained. From being an entrepreneurial business, they quickly moved into the more structured world of governance with a chairman, a non-executive and a finance director.

Formal business planning and financial disciplines followed, all of which challenged their traditional way of business decision making. They were quickly forced to learn the need to balance entrepreneurial flair with the need to explain and persuade the company board as to the potential

benefits and business outcomes their decisions were predicted to produce.

Scott Charlish, Head of Financial Planning at Brewin Dolphin, added: “Working with business owners is the most interesting part of my role at Brewin Dolphin and this event cast a light on the issues that many growing businesses grapple with. Many thanks to Tom for sharing his experience as part of this year’s business festival.”

KPMG senior partner Ian Borley said: “I was delighted to host what was a very interesting discussion.

Tom was able to share with us how

different life has been under private equity ownership and the exciting plans that the company will now be able to pursue with this investment behind them. It was also fascinating to hear about the challenges of running a business that combines both retail and manufacturing processes. A great opportunity for a number of local business people to share their experiences.”

Ian Guyler, who chaired the discussion, explained: “This was a very interesting event and a massive thanks to our guests for their enthusiasm and input. Helping facilitate and enable the interaction was a very enjoyable experience” The organising team of this particular Leicester Business Festival event made a statement: “We are thinking of running another similar evening on a related topic in the New Year, perhaps towards the end of January or beginning of February when we have all recovered from the annual festive season!”

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NICHE FEATURE

What is your

‘Return on Life™?’

New Year. New You. Get fitter, lose weight, get finances in order.

Just a few of the promises many of us make every January.

Here, Rajesh Modha looks at how to make financial promises work “Do I have enough money to ______ (fill in the blank)?”

“Will I have enough money to retire?”

W

e expect our money to help us feel safe, especially as we grow older and start thinking about retirement.

Unfortunately, if you view your savings and investments only as numbers on a page that you’re trying to nudge upwards, then there’s no such thing as ‘enough’.

You could always be saving more.

You could always be investing more. You could always be spending less. But does doing so make you feel any happier?

Ask new questions

Today, people are starting to ask a new question about their financial plan: “Am I getting the best life possible with the money I have?”

Instead of focusing exclusively on their traditional return on investment (ROI), these folks are starting to focus on their Return on Life™ (ROL).

But how do you know if you are getting a good ROL? We concluded that people need to measure where they are presently against the ideals they are striving for in the context of ROL. This is how the ROL Index

was born.

The ROL Index helps you answer the question: “Am I getting the best life possible with the money I have?” It consists of 20 questions that are grouped into three categories: Well-Being, Progress, and Freedom.

You can think of the ROL Index as a measure of life satisfaction and how well you are using your money to live your best life possible.

WELL-BEING: Consists of your Return on leisure, health, and relationships. ◆ What is your Return on Leisure?

Are you enjoying your life? ◆ What is your Return on Health?

Are you able to take care of yourself without financial stress? ◆ What is your Return on Relationships? Can you afford to take care of the people you want to help?

PROGRESS: Consists of your Return on work, residence, achievement, and learning. ◆ What is your Return on Work?

Do you feel good about the contributions you make? ◆ What is your Return on Residence? Do you feel like your

AM I GETTING THE BEST LIFE POSSIBLE WITH THE MONEY I HAVE?

home is the right place for you?

What is your Return on Achievement? Are you able to fund your needs and pursue your aspirations? ◆ What is your Return on Learning? Are you effectively using your finances for you or your children/grandchildren’s education?

FREEDOM: Consists of your Return on purpose, autonomy, and security. ◆ What is your Return on Giving?

Are you free to give your time and talents generously? ◆ What is your Return on Autonomy? Are you using your money to free up your time and allow you to do things you want to do? ◆ What is your Return on Security? Do you feel secure financially? ◆

We invite you to go to the website below and take 5-10 minutes to complete the ROL Index and receive your personalised report.

0116 262 1414 financelab.co.uk/RoL NICHE | 29

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“We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle” Sir Winston Churchill

New Year, New You If you’re planning changes to your business in 2019, don’t overlook the tax elements As we embark on another new year, you might well be considering making changes to your business.

But whether you’re planning to restructure, acquire, demerge or dispose of your business, then one thing is for certain: there will be tax implications.

If 2019 is the year you’re going to sell up and retire, you should first ensure that you’re only paying capital gains tax at the entrepreneurs’ relief rate of 10%.

Tax won’t be an issue If your buyer is paying cash up front, but if you’re selling to a third party such as your children or your management team and not receiving the money from the outset, then you’re looking at a structured disposal.

Generally, capital gains tax must be paid on January 31 after the next April 5 (so January 31, 2020 for transactions completed on or before April 5, 2019) – and you’ll need to have the cash available to pay the end of January’s tax bill.

It could be that rather than sell, you’re looking to demerge this year; carving up your company’s business into two or more companies so that the shareholders can go their separate ways.

As regular readers of this column will know, breaking up didn’t use to be hard to do, but because of rule changes introduced in 2016, gaining exemption from stamp duty when demerging is now much more complicated.

To assist our clients, we have developed mechanisms that allow them to demerge without triggering the new stamp duty traps. And, as we can still get advance clearance from HMRC for the income tax, capital gains tax and corporation tax elements, our clients have the same degree of certainty about tax treatment as they had before the rule changes came in.

UK tax legislation is the most complex in the world and, when you’re looking at the Taxation of Company Reorganisations, Pete literally wrote the book The Miller Partnership are experts in all aspects of corporation tax.

Our specialities include: Taxation of corporate transactions, mergers, acquisitions, disposals, demergers, reorganisations & reconstructions HMRC clearances Transactions in securities anti-avoidance legislation Taxation of corporate intangible assets & goodwill Disguised remuneration Taxation of partnerships Patent Box

T: 0116 208 1020 M: 07802 197 269 The Miller Partnership New Walk House, 108 New Walk, Leicester LE1 6UF

www.themillerpartnership.com pete.miller@themillerpartnership.com

Time is ticking for VAT registered businesses...

By April 2019, businesses over the VAT threshold will have to keep digital records and submit their VAT returns using Making Tax Digital compatible accounting software.

Our expert accountants can help get your business MTD ready.

0116 255 2422 hello@mneaccounting.co.uk mneaccounting.co.uk

LOCAL PRACTICE IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE A P P O I N T M E N T O F A NE W A D V I S E R

Declan Kiely has recently accepted an invitation to become an Adviser at Claremont Financial Planning Ltd, Associate Partner Practice of the awardwinning St. James’s Place Wealth Management, a FTSE 100 company with over £100 billion client funds under management. Declan firmly believes that joining Claremont Financial Planning provides the opportunity to offer his clients a wide range of financial planning opportunities including: Investment Planning | Retirement planning | Mortgages | Education fees planning | Family protection Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage For further information, or to request your no obligation meeting, please contact:

DECLAN KIELY Financial Adviser

Claremont Financial Planning Ltd Tel: 01455 286 800 Email: Declan.Kiely@sjpp.co.uk Web: www.sjpp.co.uk/cfp/

The Partner Practice is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The title ‘Partner Practice’ is the marketing term used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

The process of probate Whether you leave this world with or without a will, it will be a tough time for your loved ones, but having one may make it just that bit easier for them left behind. Probating your will ensures any debts you have will be paid, and the rightful distribution of your assets.

There are two types of grant that can be permitted for two different situations. ◆ When the deceased has no last will and testament: Letters of administration are granted.

The next of kin will be entrusted with the assets and distributing them.

This person will have no personal interest in the estate until a Grant of Representation has been gained. ◆ When the deceased does have a last will and testament: Probate is granted. When there is a will, the listed executor(s) will distribute assets unless they have decided they no longer wish to act in it.

When a person passes away, their money and possessions – known as their assets or estate – will be distributed. If the person had a will professionally written up by an expert who has every possible situation covered, their wishes of who they want to inherit – and exactly what and when – will be granted. If the person died without a will or without having their will probated, however, the family will go through an often-disrupting process.

Probate is a process in which assets are transferred into the title of the deceased’s heirs. It is a court process that can take up to a year to complete.

Probate is a document that issues and confirms the rights of the appointed executor; the person who will have the authority to deal with the estate.

Simply making a will doesn’t always eliminate the possibility of court proceedings for the loved ones you’ve

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The small law firm

of excellence A review of 12 months in Leicester’s multi award-winning law firm Glynis Wright & Co Family Solicitors and Mediators

WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

L

ast year proved to be an incredible year for Glynis Wright & Co Family Solicitors and Mediators. The firm beat off stiff competition to scoop one of the legal profession’s most prestigious awards, being Law Firm of the Year (Small) at Law Society’s National Excellence Awards are considered the highest accolade for law firms in England and Wales.

Head of Practice Glynis Wright said: “We launched in Leicester seven years ago and are now one of the largest providers of family law services in the Midlands.

“What makes us stand out is that we place a huge emphasis on dispute resolution and conflict management, recognising the need to reduce the impact on children in a family breakup wherever possible. And, we are absolute specialists – unlike most law firms – in that we only deliver services in family law. I am extremely proud of each and every one of my team, without whom this achievement would not have been possible.”

National Law Society president Christina Blacklaws said: “There are more than 9,000 firms and 140,000 solicitors in England and Wales, so to be shortlisted for an excellence award is to be recognised as being among the best of the best.”

The judges were impressed by the community impact being made

by Glynis Wright & Co. One of the law firm’s main community projects is Pulled Both Ways, a project aimed at raising awareness of the need to

NICHE FEATURE

protect children in divorce. Partnering up with the charity Soft Touch Arts and Learning without Limits Academy Trust, the project worked with school children to create ground-breaking short films about the emotional effects of divorce on children, which can be viewed on the websites of Glynis Wright and Soft Touch Arts.

Glynis is an advocate for encouraging amicable divorces that focus on the needs of children. She told us that around 42 per cent of all marriages fail and cohabitation breakups increase this percentage.

So many families experience the devastating impact of breakups and therefore many children are affected.

The lawyer says children can literally be ‘pulled both ways’ in a divorce or separation. The project will be continuing this year by involving local school children in a billboard and strapline competition raising awareness of the need to manage relationship breakup sensitively in order to protect children.

The firm is a member of Resolution, a national organisation representing family lawyers which campaigns for best practice and lobbies Parliament on issues such as the need to introduce a no-fault divorce to avoid the acrimony that can otherwise be caused when a divorce petition has to be based upon blaming the other party – getting the divorce process off to the worst possible start.

Glynis has engaged in lobbying for a change to the rights of cohabiting same sex couples. She says most people think that after a number of years cohabiting, you get the same rights as a husband and wife, but this is not true. She has lobbied for a change of law to give cohabitees more rights than they have now.

The company also celebrated

We place a huge emphasis on dispute resolution and conflict management, recognising the need to reduce the impact on children in a family breakup the expansion of the team this year when senior lawyer Steven Illidge joined the dynamic team. Steven is a highly experienced family lawyer who qualified in 1990 and has worked exclusively in the area of family law across the East and West Midlands.

Steven brings with him a wealth of experience and prides himself on the level of positive post-case feedback he regularly receives from his clients.

He is also the first male lawyer to join Team GW. Steven commented: “I had heard of the excellent reputation of Glynis Wright & Co long before I applied for a position with the company. To work with a team of seven lawyers who specialise only in family law is a real privilege. There is a huge amount of expertise shared between us under one company banner. I am truly excited to be part of Team GW.” As further evidence of her commitment to out of court settlements, Glynis invested in her

team to develop further expertise.

Gayle Rowley has now become a family mediator and Lisa-Marie Leander a collaboratively trained lawyer. Through mediation and collaborative law, Gayle and LisaMarie engage regularly in out of court negotiations designed to encourage agreements to be reached and to save clients money that would otherwise be spent on court proceedings.

And on top of all of this activity, Glynis has provided Niche Magazine with priceless advice for our readers regarding different aspects of family law throughout the year and has served as the Vice President of the Leicestershire Law Society.

We would like to congratulate Glynis Wright and her team of lawyers on a fantastically successful 2018.

Here’s to the same again in 2019!

0116 238 5680 glyniswright.co.uk NICHE | 35

2018 WINNERS SOLICITOR OF THE YEAR Sponsored by The 36 Group Mehmooda Duke Moosa Duke Solicitors JUNIOR SOLICITOR OF THE YEAR Sponsored by University of Leicester Fiona Harrison Freeths LLP

Leicestershire Law Society’s Annual Award Dinner The annual ceremony is back with more categories than ever before to celebrate the best in the business – here’s how to get involved

E

arlier last year Leicestershire Law Society (LLS) celebrated its Annual Awards Dinner at Athena with deserving winners and hundreds of guests.

The Greatest Showman themed event celebrated the six winning Leicestershire individuals and companies that were revealed on the night.

This year, the Annual Awards Dinner will take place on Friday, April 26 and will celebrate the winners of 10 categories! The new categories will showcase a more varied array of talent across the industry.

The Leicestershire Law Society Legal Awards present an opportunity to legal firms across the county to showcase what makes them unique.

Each award highlights the companies and people who stand out as ambassadors for the industry.

LLS President Bushra Ali said: “Each year, our lawyers eagerly look forward to our Annual Award Dinner as it is a night of celebration of all that

36 | NICHE

WORDS BY KERRY SMITH has been achieved within the legal field in Leicestershire.

“This year is intended to be bigger and better than ever as we have 10 categories of awards. The newest additions to the awarding titles include Legal Executive, Support staff and the President’s choice.”

On the choice of venue for 2019, the President commented: “I have been asked why we have chosen Athena as the venue and I have explained that my LLS journey started at Athena, which is where I won my first ever LLS award in 2012. I now have the privilege of serving this prestigious society as President. Come and join us as it truly will be a night of celebration.”

The Awards have become a permanent fixture in the legal and business calendar, with the event attracting a capacity crowd year-onyear to celebrate success over the last 12 months. leicestershirelawsociety.org.uk

CHAMBERS OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Finance Lab The 36 Group TRAINEE/PARALEGAL OF THE YEAR Sponsored by De Montfort University Sharon Percival Emery Johnson Astills LARGE LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR Sponsored by 2 New Street Freeths LLP SMALL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR Sponsored by KCH Garden Square Joint winners are Josiah Hincks Solicitors & Moss Solicitors

NICHE FEATURE

2019 CATEGORIES Solicitor of the year Junior solicitor of the year Trainee/ Paralegal of the year Small firm of the year Large law firm of the year Legal Executive of the year Barrister of the year Chamber of the year Support staff member of the year The President’s choice award

To buy your tickets go to To nominate an individual or a business go to leicestershirelawsociety.org.uk/ awards NICHE | 37

NICHE BUSINESS

Forum

DIVORCE DAY VICKKI RIDGWAY Chartered Legal Executive at Josiah Hincks

ARE YOUR CLAIMS REALLY AGAINST THE NHS? The cervical cancer screening blunder that took place last year where letters were never sent out affected nearly 50,000 women. This included around 4,000 results letters, 180 (approximately) of which contained troubling news informing women that their results were abnormal.

The reminder and results letters service is provided to the NHS by a company called Capita, which has apologised for its mistakes and the senior manager who was in charge of the NHS contract is no longer with the company.

As none of the letters were ever received, many women were at an increased risk of cervical cancer either going undetected or developing into a worse stage than when the test was conducted. It is commonly accepted that, when it comes to cancer, no time must be wasted, and detection and treatment should commence as soon as possible. Captia’s error is a cause for concern for the women excluded from receiving their letters.

NHS Resolution released data that shows that claims that are a result of failures and delays in treatment and diagnosis cost the NHS more than any other. According to studies, there were 2,668 successful claims closed by NHS Resolution, with damages totalling £397.5 million in 2016/17.

Could this be, in part, down to external sources like Capita? Is it time for the NHS to gain back control of its reminder services by returning them to in-house capabilities?

0116 255 1811 josiahhincks.co.uk 38 | NICHE

The first working Monday in January is often referred to in the media as “Divorce Day” – the day when divorce lawyers receive an increased volume of enquiries from new clients. The reason behind this is said to be that the additional time families spend together over the Christmas and New Year festivities highlights problems within a relationship.

As specialist family lawyers we do experience a rise in enquiries at this time of year but sadly very few working days pass without a new enquiry being made. We say sadly because the reality behind the statistics and media talk is that each enquiry is from an individual who is seriously considering ending what is likely to have been a long relationship.

This is not only a difficult and stressful decision for them, it will have a long-term impact on their life and also the lives of their spouse/partner and any children they may have.

GLYNIS WRIGHT Head of Glynis Wright & Co The team at Glynis Wright & Co are all senior specialist family lawyers and members of Resolution and aim to do all that we can to help our clients achieve a fair outcome as amicably as possible taking into account the needs of the whole family, particularly those of any children.

If you are one of those who have found that Christmas and the New Year have magnified the problems within your relationship or marriage, and you need to find out about your legal rights on breakup, please feel free to contact one of our expert team.

0116 238 5680 glyniswright.co.uk

GET YOUR BUSINESS IN SHAPE FOR 2019

GREG HOLLINGSWORTH Director at Hollingsworths Solicitors Whether you’ve been trading for years or you’re about to launch your business, putting in place or reviewing your legal documentation, systems and knowledge to operate and protect your business interests is well worthwhile.

If you’re just starting out then you’ll need the right paperwork to trade, buy and sell your goods and services, take people on, and get paid. The time might not be right to invest in detailed terms and conditions, but it’s worth knowing that quotations are clearly setting out the details of the customer, the scope of works, and the price. All too often these simple details are missed, and it

can make collecting payment difficult if there is ambiguity. Getting the customer’s full name is essential.

An established business will want to check that its paperwork is up to date – things change. Last year saw the change to data protection laws and the introduction of GDPR. Many data protection clauses continue to refer to the Data Protection Act 1998. Terms and conditions often include limitations of liability. These need to be properly drafted to have a prospect of being enforceable if things go wrong.

A review can include a businesses’ credit control processes and its unpaid invoices. On business-to-business debts you can claim up to £100 per invoice in compensation for late payment – even on debts up to six years old.

A Legal Healthcheck is a workout for your business – get it in shape this year.

0116 204 7260 hlegal.co.uk

NICHE FEATURE

Pitfalls

for residential landlords and how to overcome them

The most common type of residential tenancies used between landlords and their residential tenants are Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreements (AST) – we spoke to Asit Jansari of Hollingsworths Solicitors about these matters

T

o qualify as an AST, there are a number of criteria. For instance, the tenancy will not be an AST if the rent is more than £100,000 a year or less than £1,000 per year in London or £250 a year outside of London.

Over the last ten years or so, legislation has been rife in this area. This has seen: ◆ Tenants requiring deposits to be protected through government authorised schemes. This has now developed so that deposits need to be protected within 30 days of receipt. ◆ Landlords are required to provide ‘Prescribed Information’ about where the deposit is protected and how the tenancy deposit protection scheme operates. ◆ The legislation relates to all new tenancy deposits taken on or after April 6, 2007. So, if a tenancy deposit was accepted, and the tenancy has simply renewed at the end of the fixed term (it has become a periodic tenancy), then the deposit must have been registered with the government approved schemes. ◆ From October 1, 2015 all new ASTs required the landlord or letting agent to provide the tenant with the Gas Safety Certificate; Energy Performance

come to an end.

For advice on residential tenancies, from drafting and setting up the AST to dealing with problem tenants, contact Asit.

Certificate (EPC); and the current version of the ‘How to Rent Booklet’. Originally, these three requirements were only required for new tenancies created on or after October 1, 2015 but now the requirements apply to all ASTs, whenever they were granted.

Therefore, even an AST originally granted before the 2015 date must now comply.

And if the landlord gets it wrong?

If the landlord doesn’t get things right, it can mean that a valid Section 21 Notice to seek possession of the property after the end of the fixed-term cannot be validly served and the court won’t give possession.

In the case of an unsecured deposit, the Section 21 Notice will not be allowed to be served and will also give the tenant the right to claim compensation from the landlord of between one and three times the value of the deposit that was taken.

To get around this, a landlord may rely on a different notice: a Section 8 Notice, but there are specific grounds that the landlord will need to satisfy. It can mean that a tenant who pays their rent can avoid having their AST ended even when the initial term has

0116 204 2500 aj@hlegal.co.uk hlegal.co.uk

So how can landlords make sure that they tick all the boxes?

HOLLINGSWORTHS’ TOP TIPS

1

Make sure you have all your certificates in place. Have your Gas Safety Certificate and EPC ready before you let the property and keep evidence of your having provided them to the tenant together with the “How to Rent Booklet”.

Keep your Gas Safety Certificate and EPC up to date and have checks completed every 12 months. Again, make sure the certificates are given to the tenant and keep your evidence of having done so.

Get the securing of the deposit and serving the Prescribed Information right – and keep good records. Remember, if you grant a fresh tenancy and a sum of money is paid as a deposit, make sure the deposit is secured in an approved scheme.

2 3

NICHE | 39

NICHE BUSINESS

BHUMIKA PARMAR Director at BP Legal Solicitors

BUYING YOUR NEW HOME If you’re preparing to move to a new house, you’ll understand how stressful the process can be.

When you move home a conveyancing solicitor will make the legal transfer of a house to the person buying it from the person selling it. There are many things that can complicate the process and create delays. This can all result in disappointment on your buying journey. Our team of dedicated staff is there to ease your concerns and explain matters without the complexity of legal jargon.

We help reduce the stress of your transaction by keeping you informed and working with other professionals such as the estate agents, mortgage broker and other solicitors in the chain.

A solicitor will ensure you know as much about your new property as possible, from planning permissions to land boundaries, so that you know exactly what you’re getting for you money. Your solicitor will take all the steps needed to complete your purchase including stamp duty all the way through to registering your property at Land Registry. They will deal with the legal steps required to complete the transaction and keep you informed by dedicating a Fee earner to deal with your transaction.

Our step by step guidance will help you through each stage of the transaction and our ‘checklist when moving’ will make sure everything is transacted smoothly.

And to ease any tension for first time buyers, at BP Legal Solicitors, we are offering those buying their first house a 10% discount to help with their conveyancing fees.

0116 253 6856 bplegal.co.uk 40 | NICHE

Forum

IMPORTANCE OF ESTATE PLANNING You don’t own a house and you don’t have what you’d consider to be valuable assets, so you don’t need a will. This is a huge and unfortunate misconception.

If you have possessions of any kind whether it be property, money, life insurance policies or valuables such as jewellery that you would rather go to people you care about then you need a will or you risk them going to people you wouldn’t want to inherit your estate or the crown.

Everyone’s requirements are so diverse that they all require different types of planning and that can be for many reasons such as if they have children from different relationships, are not married but are living together and own a property jointly, and others’ estate may attract inheritance tax which is payable upon death. These are just a few examples of many scenarios that we come across.

Our approach is to cover all angles

BHAVIN GANDHI Director at Paradigm Wills and Legal Services with our clients is to ensure they are fully aware of all possible situations that can arise when they pass away as well as solutions on how to mitigate these when discussing their individual requirement.

This enables them to make an informed decision on how they want to their estate to be distributed.

Our clients appreciate how we educate them on the options they have and they find it very easy to make a decision that provides them with peace of mind, which is where we get our satisfaction from.

0800 999 7750 paradigm-wills.com

WHEN YOUR REPUTATION IS UNDER ATTACK CLAIRE HERBERT Legal Director for Gateley Plc Reputation is described as ‘the honour, credit, good name, or fame of a particular person or thing’ in the Oxford English Dictionary. It’s therefore understandable that a business’ reputation is one of its most valuable assets. It’s also one of the most vulnerable. It’s becoming easier for damaging material to be published and it can go viral quickly. Consider these tactics if your reputation is under attack: ​Website take down notice​: If the material is online and you know who posted it, conatact them immediately asking for the material to be taken down. However, often individuals who post on websites are only known by a username. It’s therefore worth contacting the operator of the website hosting the offending material, requesting they take it down. ​Website terms and conditions​: Seek

to invoke the website’s terms and conditions. The particular behaviour of the user may fall foul of what the operator expects of its user. ​Injunctions​: Consider applying for an injunction, which requires a party to take positive action or prohibit particular action. ​Although expensive, and only granted in certain circumstances, they are a very swift remedy. ​ ​Damages​: Seek the removal of the material, an apology and, in some cases, damages. If a satisfactory response is not received, this may mean pursuing the offender through the courts or finding a resolution at mediation. ​Softer tactics​: Consider employing a PR firm to spin a positive story or use your own press release to promote your message. Whatever you do, act quickly and take advice quickly.

0116 285 9000 gateleyplc.com

NICHE FEATURE

IS

Against the odds At a time when statistics are presenting high percentages of failed SMEs within their first five years, a small independent law firm has sailed the stormy seas of success into its 10th year – its director tells us how

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elebration is in the air at BP Legal’s office as the firm approaches its 10th anniversary of being in business.

After five years just four in ten small businesses will still be trading, Ormsby Street research suggests. Bhumika Parmar, director of BP Legal, has persevered through tough times and made it out the other side of the dreaded five-year stretch.

“Every morning I come into work and still pinch myself that I launched the business,” she told us. “Even after 10 years I still cannot believe I took the plunge to open BP Legal.”

The legal practice was set up when Bhumika took voluntary redundancy from her previous employment after starting a family. She had a particular vision in mind.

“I wanted a modern approach to legal work and I wanted to instil the principal of doing right by what the client wants. It came to mind that if I was a client then I would want flexibility, so I opened my practice with the intention of

WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

avoiding 9-5 hours.

“I took away the whole ‘closed one hour for lunch’ thing as this is the prime-time clients wish to speak to us, and I adopted home visits after 5pm as well as opening on the weekends by appointment.”

In 2009 the 32-year-old started with very little. Just Bhumika and her computer in a small office was the opening chapter to her 10-year story. She now employs three solicitors, one trainee, two paralegals, and one receptionist.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary, the office will be treated to a special gathering inviting all staff and clients, along with those who have supported the firm along the way. The team will also be jetting off for a weekend stay abroad in a surprise location.

On the reasons behind the success of BP Legal, Bhumika commented: “I have never told myself that I can’t do something. I instead ask myself ‘how can I do this?’ Where there is a will there

IT’S IMPORTANT THAT ALL BUSINESSES SUPPORT EACH OTHER. WORKING TOGETHER IS THE WAY FORWARD

is a way. I never give up and most importantly, the backbone of my success – my husband and children – have never given up on me either.

“My parents are my biggest inspiration to this day. My father always says to me ‘you can, you will, and you have.’ You need to believe in yourself. Be prepared for sleepless nights and hard work but it is so rewarding.

“It’s important that all businesses support each other.

Working together is the way forward. This is how we grow our strength and community. I often have companies calling me for advice and I’m always happy to assist.”

In between anniversary festivities, Bhumika is producing plans to generate more jobs and become affiliated with more businesses taking BP Legal far beyond its 10-year mark.

0116 253 6856 bplegal.co.uk NICHE | 41

BUSINESS FOCUS

Are you still relevant?

Staying relevant often unearths a few keywords: campaign, engage, market, evolve, grow. It’s these aspects of business that Mark Robinson and Jenny Cross imply builds long-term success. The two marketing expert regulars discuss two topics that will keep you in the forefront of your customers’ minds

Is it time to rebrand your business?

MARK ROBINSON Creative62

ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN IS THE POSITIVE EFFECT ON YOUR COMPANY INTERNALLY

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ould a rebrand help to take your business from good to GREAT? Leicester based agency Creative62, walk us through the benefits.

WHAT IS A REBRAND? Quite simply, a rebrand is to change the way your business, company or organisation is seen by the public. A daunting prospect for some, but the rewards can be huge…

CONNECT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS A rebrand is a great way to connect with prospects and also re-engage current customers.

Rebranding gives you a chance to state you’re changing, you’re older and wiser, better, or just growing and evolving. With a clear plan and a launch campaign you’ll grab the attention of prospects not on your radar.

STAND OUT FROM THE COMPETITION Your business will now be older, you are indeed wiser. So, a rebrand has one primary benefit; it immediately allows you to review and present a better image for your business.

This, in turn, tells your potential customers you’re different or better than the competition.

Your marketplace, prospects and clients will all see you differently and for the better.

42 | NICHE

STAY RELEVANT It’s a guarantee that as your business grows and you get busier, other business actions take priority.

There are more important things to think about than your brand, right?

When this happens, there’s a good chance your marketplace will start to see you as less relevant.

Just imagine what this can do to your profile, image and access to a market.

We’ve all seen and worked with businesses whose brands appear a little tired, out of date or not quite right for what they stand for or, sell. So a vital benefit of a rebrand at the right time is to push the business forward visually making the brand more relevant.

MORE SALES AND PROFIT A refresh, a tweak, call it what you like, a rebrand will have direct benefits for your business.

One of the great things that can happen is the positive effect on your company internally.

Your associates and suppliers will be interested.

You’ll also find your employees become more engaged and confident. Most importantly you’ll see a better you!

SO, THE BIG QUESTION IS, SHOULD YOUR COMPANY REBRAND? A better market presence, more engaged customer base and increased sales and profit - are you ready to take the first step? If the answer is yes call Creative62 on 0116 275 2831 to get started.

Marketing

MULTICHANNEL ANALYTICS

MARKETING CAMPAGNE

UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER MINDSET CONTENT MARKETING

STAYING RELEVANT

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

JENNY CROSS

SEO ORGANIC SEARCH

PAID MEDIA

GOOGLE ADS PROGRAMMATIC DISPLAY

Are you looking to grow your business in 2019?

Director at Cross Productions

A

term that has been trending for a while now is “Growth Hacking” but what does it mean?

Growth hacking is a process of rapid experimentation across marketing funnel, product development, sales segments, and other areas of the business to identify the most efficient ways to grow a business.

In this day in age it is more important than ever that your sales and marketing work hand in hand. These are 2 very different roles but roles that must complement one another.

With so much competition and the internet at our fingers Growth Hacking has become vital when bringing products and services to consumers and marketing will always be an essential element when Growth Hacking.

The internet has created so many opportunities for businesses but as it evolves we need to ensure we align all our avenues to market.

One of the first steps would be to create a portfolio. Make

sure this features your best and most relevant work. When you are preparing this ensure you are not selling yourself short. To create a reportable portfolio you need to ensure you have a specific pull.

Look at what is relevant and of interest to your target consumer.

Be specific. We would also advise to look at where there is already interest and develop this.

Research other companies in your field of expertise and create a list of Key words that you can use across your marketing.

Once you have these basics in place you might want to consider these 4 methods of success.

1 Establish relationships with potential customers in order to create lasting wealth 2 Direct response and copywriting 3 Content Marketing 4 Have a valuable product worth sharing and that other people want to share.

From understanding the mindset of your consumer you

will grow faster as you are able to tailor your sales process to suit the end users needs.

You then must filter these individuals until you find those who are likely to make a purchase. Ensures all your efforts are directed at these key consumers – this is where you want to focus your time on. From initial contact to point of sale you need make sure nothing is left of the table or you could be losing out on another customer.

Potential consumers are pulled in from different avenues – social media marketing, print advertising, word of mouth, free giveaways – these visitors do not come to you by accident they are there for a reason. Now you have them on your site how will you convert them into a paying customer?

Intice, incentivise and make a sale.

If you would like to talk to us about growing your business please drop us an email at info@ crossproductions.co.uk

IN THIS DAY IN AGE IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER THAT YOUR SALES AND MARKETING WORK HAND IN HAND

NICHE | 43

DESIGN + PRINT

Soar Valley Press

DESIGN AND PRINT MADE SIMPLE » LET’S START A NEW PROJECT TOGETHER « Contact us today 0116 259 9955 orders@soarvalleypress.co.uk soarvalleypress.co.uk

NICHE FEATURE

Business start-ups

Gaining an Incite A new video production business has popped up in Leicester – we sat down for a Q&A with its owner Adam King about his company Incite Video How did you get started in video production?

As a kid I was always obsessed with filming things on the home video camera, whether family events or shooting short films with my mates. I ended up getting a bit of a reputation for being the ‘video guy’. As I got better at it, I began to get more and more people asking me to shoot their kid’s birthday, their band’s gig etc. That was the first time I started to see the possibility of making this hobby that I loved into a real business.

What steps did you take before setting up Incite?

After a few years working in a marketing department for a big company, I got my first chance to make a film professionally; an

instructional video for a client. It felt so great, shooting and editing that video, that it convinced me I wanted to do this fulltime. I’d always continued to make videos in my spare time and these got me a job with a local production company. I worked there for five years with some amazing clients in some amazing places – becoming Creative Director in the process –before finally leaving to start Incite in July 2018.

What have your first few months as a new business been like?

It’s been fantastic. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I loved my job before but working for myself and running my own business has been a dream come true. Building the brand and

I LOVED MY JOB BEFORE BUT WORKING FOR MYSELF AND RUNNING MY OWN BUSINESS HAS BEEN A DREAM COME TRUE

gaining so many clients so quickly has filled me with confidence and reassured me that I made the right choice.

Where do you see your business going in the next few years?

Incite’s already started to grow and take on new staff and we hope to continue this trend.

We’re making great connections in a lot of industries and I think we’ll have a lot of interesting and fun projects to be working on over the coming years. I’m really excited about the opportunities that open up with having a bigger team and more production capability! hello@incitevideo.co.uk NICHE | 45

NICHE FEATURE

Photo opportunity for business owners Professional photographer Alex Benyon is an educator and speaker working with the likes of Miss Leicestershire, Sony and Pixapro – here he explains the importance of headshots

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hether you’re representing yourself, your business or a brand; first impressions count. And, with so many businesses now having an online presence, with websites and social media platforms, the headshot has become a digital business card which helps connect the face to the name and company.

As a society embracing the digital age, we end up consuming content like fast food; scrolling with little time spent digesting information. And on social platforms like LinkedIn, it’s the headshot with impact that will stand out from the crowd.

Basically, that holiday selfie just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Every year, businesses invest thousands of pounds in beautiful, responsive, professional websites and engaging social media accounts, and then fill them with less than professional images.

This can massively undermine the initial perception of the business and potentially impact on future sales and relationships. On brand, consistent shots and team profiles will ensure this is avoided.

The type of headshot you should have will really depend 46 | NICHE

on the individual or the business and its brand guidelines. For me though, the perfect headshot is clean, simple, and portrays the right balance of professionalism and approachability whilst also capturing the client’s genuine personality. Unfortunately, it’s the latter that I feel is the most often overlooked element of the headshot.

This is why I spend time during every headshot session working with the client to help them overcome any initial concerns by explaining the psychology of being in front of the camera and demonstrating how this can affect the end result. And, by giving posing guidance, expression coaching and reviewing the images as we go, help to alleviate any initial concerns and fears the client may have had. This approach helps settle them into the session and makes them more relaxed in front of the camera which in turn produces much more natural and genuine images. At the end of the day, I don’t just want the client to come away from the session loving their headshot, I want them to have actually

THAT HOLIDAY SELFIE JUST ISN’T GOING TO CUT IT ANYMORE

enjoyed the whole experience of having their headshot taken too.

For my studio headshots, I use the latest constant LED studio lighting technology and high-end Sony camera systems.

The LED studio lighting produces beautifully soft, flattering light that wraps around the client and creates stunning unique catchlights that really brings out the colour and character of the eyes. And, as these lights are constant as opposed to flash based, it is a much more comfortable experience overall for the client. Whilst this is a more contemporary headshot style, I also use an array of traditional studio lighting equipment and techniques for clients who are looking for a more classic looking headshot or environmental location portrait.

Through January and February, I’m running an #EmbraceTheFace campaign offering the opportunity for 15% discount on studio headshot sessions.

0116 296 6450 alexbenyonphotography.co.uk

NICHE FEATURE

Have you ever used a live chat window on a website?

Kerry Smith chats to Inzar Haq about the secrets behind them

Your window of opportunity T he benefits of having a web chat window on your website are widely known, and businesses big and small have adopted them to maximise their customer service and marketing efforts.

To help keep small businesses up to speed, Inzar Haq launched Chat Ninjas – a company that provides not only the live chat technology for websites, but also the operators to answer the web chat enquiries on your behalf. The Leicester-based businessman also owns Insight Consultancy, the full service digital marketing agency.

Two Christmases ago he came up with the idea for Chat Ninjas. Inzar told us: “Everything was closed and there was no one to talk to. I noticed Sky had a chat window – which was new technology at the time – and I thought this would be amazing for my clients. We were extremely successful in driving traffic to our clients’ websites, but what else could we do to increase conversion? This is where by adding a chat window, we found that we could talk to the visitors whilst they were browsing the website and answer any questions there and then.

“People often ask us if we’re robots,” he laughs. “They ask

what the weather is like to prove we’re human. We engage in conversation with them as it’s that little bit more real. These kinds of conversations are always quite amusing.”

The Ninjas, who Inzar describes as the ‘unseen allies to your business’, can see what a customer is typing even before they press send! This saves valuable seconds, which in internet time we’re sure equals days. These operators can answer any customer question for Chat Ninja’s clients after having built up an extensive knowledge base collated from the company’s website, print material, social media, and meetings with the Ninjas. If there are any questions asked that they can’t answer, they contact the client immediately or let the customer know that somebody will be back in touch within 24 hours. Keywords are tagged for operators to easily access information, meaning the knowledge base is constantly evolving.

Inzar’s Ninjas are tested and trained on typing speed and written English, and answer chat enquiries for clients such as automotive giant Total, all the way through to one-man band

THERE’S A 64 PER CENT INCREASED PROBABILITY OF CONVERTING A VISITOR INTO A PAYING CUSTOMER WITH A CHAT WINDOW

tradesmen. Each client receives a report at the end of the month, and all chat transcripts are instantly delivered to the client with information on the customer, showcasing the trail of web pages they have clicked, their geolocation, and – if signed in with a public Facebook account – their demographics and interests.

Businesses use this information to discover their competitors and tailor their service to live chat customers.

“There’s a statistic that says there’s a 64 per cent increased probability of converting a visitor into a paying customer with a chat window. A large number of enquiries come through post5pm which could lead to a lot of additional business.”

Inzar’s team works 9am-8pm Monday to Friday freeing up time for clients’ employees. Live chat analysis enables clients to improve their customer service process.

And all for as little as £50pm.

Now you know the exclusive, chat to Inzar to open your window of opportunity.

0116 207 8946 chat-ninjas.co.uk NICHE | 47

NICHE BUSINESS

Forum

Wiser processes CHRIS GOODMAN Managing Director at Soar Valley Press

Matt Bull of WiserWays talks us through why honing your business processes equals progress

DESIGN AND PRINT MADE SIMPLE Working with print companies can lead to a world of incomprehensible jargon. Ask a printer how to supply artwork and they may say something like: ‘CMYK, 3mm bleed with crop marks, 300ppi at actual size, fonts outlined, PDF, EPS or AI file’.

Confused? You should be!

I could explain each of those terms; the difference between raster and vectors; different colour spaces; how your item is printed and then finished; what a digital workflow is… but even most print professionals would struggle to understand all of the terms. Meanwhile, your precious print needs to look right, and you need to provide the print-ready artwork.

Finding a printer that doesn’t just spout a spec to you and then reject your uploaded files is the key to a stress-free experience. A printer who wants to help and guide you through the process, working with what you can provide, or creating artwork for you, will ensure you get the very best end result.

That’s why at Soar Valley Press we have launched our campaign called ‘Design and print made simple’.

Ask your supplier if they can keep it simple and offer solutions not problems when it comes to getting your artwork right. Alternatively deal with a helpful provider from the start who has designers in-house to create your artwork cost-effectively and deliver a great printed result.

Let’s start a new project together.

0116 259 9955 soarvalleypress.co.uk 48 | NICHE

W

e are all about identifying wiser ways (badoom badoom) of doing things for companies across the Midlands. The continued longterm success of your business is dependent upon constantly challenging and revolutionising the way you currently do things. Of course, this can be hard to see how when you are in the thick of it.

How much quiet quality time do you really spend standing back from your business thinking about it? ◆ Enough? ◆ Too much? ◆ Not enough? (most common answer by far) We empower clients to create positive changes where they otherwise might not have noticed they were needed – businesses who keep moving and do everything but stand still are the successful ones.

Crucial to this positive change is to continuously review the processes within. Doing so will galvanise you and your team into taking the actions you would all otherwise quite happily put off.

So, what exactly is a process? A process is a collection of linked tasks which find their end in the delivery of

a service or product. Your business processes are a set of activities and tasks that will accomplish your organisation’s goals. If everyone is on the same page with your processes, then everyone then has a true reflection of the inner workings of the business.

Essentially, the message is that your company isn’t worth anything if it can’t run without you. If you train employees to use the processes that make the business run, then your business is worth more. This will also allow you the freedom to leave the business physically for a holiday here and there – remember those?

Then, after much growth and success within the business you may come to a point where you want to sell up. Having seamless organisation and processes in place will make the business far more valuable for your exit strategy.

The important thing to remember here is to seek outside advice. It can be so easy to stay on the same track and therefore stand still.

07843 338 829 actioncoach.co.uk

Changing Industry

NICHE FEATURE

for you

A case that inspired a transformation of industry processes right here in Leicester WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

H

ow often is it that you hear businesses say they ‘go the extra mile’? What others might call ‘going the extra mile’ is simply standard practice for Sempervox.

Investigating into the brand, we dug up a case to represent the company’s ‘extra-mileage’. We’ve been calling it ‘Ben’s Case’.

Director Jordan Smith commented: “‘Going the extra mile’ is such a common statement, but we have many examples and one which stands out in particular.

Ben’s case began with a client having issues installing analogue services into Key UK data Centres, predominantly London based.”

Carrying out his duties as their Industry Engagement officer, Ben

Attenborrow (40) works from the Sempervox office in the city centre where he liaises with UK network operator Openreach to enact the changes their clients need.

Ben was witnessing an increase in customer dissatisfaction because engineers were unable to complete installations first time, due to sites increasing their security clearance measures unaligned with Openreach installation processes. The issue was resulting in many missed appointments and therefore charges to their clients.

Stemming from an individual client, Ben started off on his journey to resolve the matter and improve the Sempervox service to

WHAT OTHERS MIGHT CALL ‘GOING THE EXTRA MILE’ IS SIMPLY STANDARD PRACTICE FOR SEMPERVOX

save clients time and money.

Ben presented his case to Openreach having won the backing of industry peers.

He’d created a service to allow communication providers to gain the names of engineers attending a site 48 hours in advance, and a traceable site-specific RAMs (Risks and Methods) survey. It went live in July 2016. Sempervox still actively reviews and amends the system as and when requirements evolve.

Does your IT company go the extra mile? Were they a catalyst for change because of a client’s dissatisfaction?

0116 252 0500 sempervox.net

Always connected Cloud

I

Internet

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IT

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Mobile

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Telephone

Our communications technology will strengthen your business connections

Improve your IT move forward this year Consort House, 15 De Montfort Place, Leicester LE1 7GZ I 0116 252 0500 I sempervox.net NICHE | 49

BUSINESS FOCUS

Making Tax Digital: a business threat or opportunity?

Making Tax Digital (MTD) is the scheme that the government has created to bring about a transformed tax system by 2020. This is how HMRC plans to make it simpler for individuals and businesses to ensure their tax is correct and maintain informative tax records

BHAVIN GANDHI

SHELLEY HARVEY Director at SFB Group

F

irst of all, we need to understand that although this is called Making Tax Digital (MTD), it is about the administration and filing of tax returns – not a change to the basis of taxation.

In a nutshell, it will change the way in which you have to file information with HMRC. For many people this will mean buying software which is compatible with HMRC’s computer system, and which presents the information to HMRC in the required format. For example, the onscreen VAT returns will no longer be available; the information will have to be fed into a software programme which translates the information into the required format.

The aim is to provide HMRC with your accounts and tax information in one approved format so that the information submitted can be easily and readily interrogated and analysed by HMRC’s bespoke computer system. It is therefore more important than ever to be working closely with your accountant to ensure that the information you are sending is accurate.

Many businesses I work with already use software to keep their records. The benefit being that they receive timely management information to enable them to make business decisions.

Although the thought of having to use software after many years of keeping your records manually can seem daunting, it is also an opportunity to improve your bottom line!

At the time of writing this article it looked like there was a possibility that MTD may be delayed. Even if a postponement is agreed, MTD is not going away and will happen! Make sure your business is prepared in advance.

50 | NICHE

Director at Paradigm Wills and Legal Services

W

e took this new age tax system in our stride and have already implemented it throughout our business. Using the transformation as an opportunity to develop our processes, we have seen the benefits and believe any company big or small is capable of the same.

The earlier you attempt to make the move to digital, the better. This will allow you time to fine-tune any issues you might find yourself facing in preparation for when the new rules come into play on April 1, 2019.

At Paradigm we use Xero; a cloud-based software that allows you to invoice, pay bills, claim expenses, get a realtime view of your cashflow, and much more.

This digital method has saved us precious time, speeding up our processes and enabling us to help our clients in a more efficient manner. Our clients can view their invoices and pay them at the touch of a button, meaning they always know where they stand with us.

Meanwhile, the behind-the-scenes for us is smoother than ever. Data-entry can be automated, paper receipts converted to digital, and all information needed by third parties is readily available. As a small team we have little time to spend on keeping files of everything we do with clients, HMRC, or anything else, so Xero has been priceless for us.

You may have already been using a product like Xero for some time, but it is important that – whilst you’re using this to benefit your bookkeeping – any documents you obtain, create, or use towards tax are filed accordingly online as well as any hard copies you might wish to keep.

There are many other digital service providers.

Companies like SFB Group will help you choose which product is best for you and teach you how to use it.

See page 33 for advice on wills and legal services.

AMY HOOK

I

Tax Advisory Manager at SFB Group

f your VATable turnover is greater than £85,000 you are required to file your VAT returns under the new rules starting with your business’ first VAT quarter beginning or after April 1, 2019.

By then you will need to have your digital interface (see Emma Steptoe’s article below) working, be that as bridging software or a software package which will operate MTD. Businesses below the VAT threshold, or those voluntarily registered, do not have to comply with the new rules yet.

HMRC has stated it will not operate fines for late submission of returns before April 2020 whilst businesses adjust and deal with teething problems. However, fines may be issued to businesses that do not maintain digital records during that time.

When fines do come in it is anticipated that HMRC will use a points accumulator for late submission of returns. Points may be allocated for each late submission: at one point per failure.

Once you have ‘sufficient’ points, a fine will be issued. Points are eradicated with good behaviour and can be appealed. In due course these may be added to income or corporation tax penalty points.

A pilot scheme is currently running for selected businesses.

This is due to be extended in early 2019 for any business keen to be an early adopter of the new system.

Your business may have recently received an ‘encouragement’ letter from HMRC telling you about MTD. These are being issued to businesses eligible to join the pilot scheme. Contact SFB Group or your accountant if you have received one and are unsure about the contents.

A statistic published by the Chartered Institute of Taxation said that 99 per cent of VAT returns are currently filed electronically, but only 12 per cent of those are using software.

The remainder are filed by people using the nine-box VAT return on HMRC website. It is this manual intervention HMRC is seeking to remove, firstly from VAT, but eventually this will be rolled out to income tax and corporation tax filing.

Each business will eventually file quarterly returns for all taxes. This is currently on hold until VAT MTD is working properly. For example, if an individual runs a small business, is VAT registered, and owns property they rent out, they must file quarterly income tax returns and VAT returns for each business.

This individual could have twelve returns to file – eight income tax (the sole trade and rental have to file separately) and four VAT returns. That’s a lot of returns to file each year.

What you’ll need to know:

EMMA STEPTOE Client Manager at SFB Group

YOU NEED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR BOOKKEEPING IS UP TO DATE TO ALLOW THE FILINGS TO HAPPEN – NO MORE CARRIER BAGS FULL OF RECEIPTS!

M

TD will mean that you will need to have digitised records – an excel spreadsheet will not “talk” to HMRC’s software.

You will have to report the business information to HMRC quarterly both for VAT and income tax purposes. If you run multiple businesses, each business will have to file separately.

It will mean that you need to ensure that your bookkeeping is up to date to allow the filings to happen – no more carrier bags full of receipts!

You need to see if you already use compatible software. if not, you need to consider the options available to you.

There are many software providers out there: Xero, Sage and QuickBooks to name a few.

Finding the right one for you and your business is important. Most of the software companies offer a free 30 day trial so you can have a look round the interface and try before you commit to buying.

I would recommend this, or as a minimum, talk to your accountant about the pros and cons of each for your business.

For those already using spreadsheets, bridging software is available and may be a cheaper option for you.

Make the most out of the opportunity to improve the efficiencies within your business.

Most of the larger software

providers have the ability to download transactions straight from your bank account, therefore reducing the time manually entering data.

Whichever provider you decide on, make sure you get some training, some offer online training on how to get the most out of the software and how to set it up.

Alternatively, you can speak to your professional advisors – who I am sure will be more than happy to help – either training you on how to use your new software, or if you don’t want the added burden of this then most will offer a bookkeeping service.

Although MTD is a change for businesses, getting the right help and support will make the transition easier for you – you may even find that it helps your business grow or become more efficient!

Here at SFB Group we can help you with your digital filings, can recommend and assist with your bookkeeping and migrating your software onto one of our recommended bookkeeping products.

NICHE | 51

PROPERTY FOCUS

Forum

WHAT’S TRENDING IN KITCHEN DESIGN NATHAN WARE Managing Director Director at FLR Group

A GROWING NEED FOR BIOPHILIC DESIGN Biophilic design is a trend that is sprouting up all over the country and allowing all who live, work or learn in it to flourish.

The principal focuses on engaging with nature whether that be through direct experiences such as light, air or water, or indirect experiences such as imagery of nature, and the incorporation of natural patterns, materials and colours. Embracing nature-focused design brings benefits across a variety of metrics, including the performance, health, and creativity of a building’s inhabitants.

Studies have found biophilic design to be important for stress reduction as well as general neurological health, quantifiable improvements in recovery rates after illness, and to lead to enhanced alertness and cognitive skills.

Forward-thinking companies have been using biophilia in their working environment design concepts in recent years. The term refers to our human, instinctive magnetism towards nature. In the commercial sector, some business leaders have been clever enough to catch on to the fact that as human beings, we prosper in spaces that make us feel comfortable and inspire creativity within us.

By using natural elements, colours and schemes, we can become happier, more relaxed, more energised, and even more intellectual. We are receptive to the natural world because of evolutionary predisposition to associate pigments, materials and geometry such as greens, woods and spirals with feelings of reassurance and wellbeing.

0121 314 5898 flr.co.uk 52 | NICHE

Many look to redecorate at the beginning of the year and, as we specialise in kitchens, we’re sharing some tips on how to update the heart of your home.

If you’re feeling the struggle after Christmas, or if you’ve had a new kitchen fitted in recent years, you might wish to freshen it up for a new look.

Here’s what we suggest: ◆ Repaint walls, changing them from warm to cool colours for the most up to date look. Matte or satin finish paints are becoming increasingly fashionable. ◆ Add appliances such as a wine fridge or a boiling water tap for a practical, luxury extra. ◆ Change cupboard door handles from wood to pewter for a modern charm.

Or, if you’re in need of a refurbishment, here are some styles and products that are proving popular:

DANIELLA SMITH Showroom Manager at Sherwin Hall Kitchens/Oadby House ◆ Make the most of every inch of space

with handle-less kitchen fittings that also give a stylish, spick and span finish. ◆ White quartz worktops allow the light to bounce, making for a bright, fresh room to cook and socialise in. ◆ Ask your designer if it’s possible for a wall to be partially removed to create an open plan sociable area.

But always remember: choose what you like, not what you think you should like. Living with a trend that’s not you is never a good choice!

0116 254 3924 oadbyhouse.com

PROPERTY SECTOR UNDER ATTACK NICOL NIGHTINGALE-SPEAR MARLA Director at Fothergill Wyatt Many working in property will say it feels like the industry is under attack; the Budget did little to counteract that.

Whilst we’re experiencing a housing crisis in the UK with unmet needs, challenges are coming from all sides.

‘Investor Landlords’ had the introduction of the extra 3% stamp duty on buy-to-lets in April 2016, followed by the attack on landlord profits due to the introduction of Section 24 in April 2017, and the phased reduction on tax relief on mortgaged properties making life increasingly difficult for smaller investor landlords and many are selling up.

The Budget turned its attention to those ‘Accidental Landlords’ who have found themselves renting out a home they previously lived in due to a change in personal circumstances. Currently, an ‘Accidental Landlord’ now looking to sell would pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on any financial gain made on the property

minus Private Residence Relief (PRR), which is applicable for the time the landlord lived in the property and the final eighteen months of ownership, but from April 2020 this is being reduced to just nine months.

In a double whammy, Lettings Relief – currently providing up to £40,000 tax relief (or £80,000 for a couple) to those renting out a home they previously lived in – is being abolished for all landlords, except those sharing occupancy of the property with a tenant.

These changes could see landlords tens of thousands of pounds worse off and will inevitably make people think twice about entering, or staying in the lettings business, at a time when we need more, not less homes available.

0116 270 5900 fothergillwyatt.co.uk

CREATING BEAUTIFUL SPACES

KITCHENS

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FLOORING

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FURNITURE

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info@fothergillwyatt.com www.fothergillwyatt.com

A natural trend is set to evolve our working lives

You’ve won the lottery and your dream home has just been designed and built from scratch in your desired location – when you look out of your new home’s window for the first time, what do you see?

“M

ost people would normally see mountains, a forest, the sea, or a lake.

Most of us have an innate attraction to live amongst nature,” says Andy Raisen, Senior Specification Manager at Interface, a global commercial flooring company that is a partner brand of Birmingham’s FLR Group.

Biophilia literally means a love of nature, and biophilic design is something Nathan Ware – of ethicallyfocused, Midlands flooring suppliers FLR – is keen to promote.

The 2018 GlobeScan/SustainAbility Leaders Survey cites Interface as the only company to place in the survey every year since its inception.

56 | NICHE

WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

Interface ranks third position for yet another year, with IKEA, Marks & Spencer, Tesla, Nestlé, Natura, Danone, Apple and Walmart rounding out the list of highest-ranked companies. The achievement reflects the manufacturer’s dedication to economical and sustainable methods of business.

Andy said: “We focus heavily on sustainability. Our manufacturing plants run on zero waste to landfill, zero water waste, and 100 per cent bioenergy. We make our products in ways that limit damage to the environment as much as possible.”

Interface not only actively seeks

to use its own waste wisely but the waste of other industries too, and the company’s promotion of biophilic design is reflected in its products. The FLR reception features exceptionally eye-catching modular carpet tiles made from waste fishing nets that Interface created an entire range from.

FLR made Interface a brand partner because of its commitment to the environment, its focus on biophilic design, and because of its specialty in modular flooring. Known for its ease of transportation, installation, and design functions, modular flooring is proving popular with many commercial clients of FLR Group this year.

NICHE FEATURE

if you ask people where they feel most happy, they’d never say at my desk at work Nathan commented: “The Interface carpet catalogue is an extensive collection, featuring everything you could need. From its patented Intercell modular flooring system, which hides the electrical wiring for a more efficient workplace, to its beautifully natural net effect range, to stylish skinny planks that give a cosy though sophisticated finish to any room.”

Andy added: “The possibilities are endless. You can mix and match different ranges, textures, and colours.

You can design a floor piece by piece.

“Going back to biophilic design – if you ask people where they feel most happy, they’d never say at my desk at work,” he laughs. “We incorporate natural elements in the design scheme.

We’re just a small building block of creating positive spaces for employees but we take into consideration all the elements that create a positive space for people to live, work, and learn in.”

Andy and Nathan create positive commercial environments together for businesses that include hotels, living accommodation, office spaces, and more. Using biophilic design enables inhabitants to feel more relaxed, recuperate, learn faster, and increase their overall wellbeing.

Biophilic design emphasises the natural world. As biological organisms, we thrive to optimal potential in habitats that imitate our natural, evolutionary connection to nature.

Depending on what the desired overall impact of the interior is, flooring design will depend on aspects such as texture and colour – and it all comes down to psychology.

Mindfulness tips with Andy and Nathan Focus and Observe

If you want somebody to learn and give their all, muted greens work well.

The colour green is especially popular in education spaces. It helps students and employees focus on the matters at hand. Green promotes balance and restoration. At a primal level, we are reassured by green representing nature and prosperity.

Relaxation and recuperation

For spaces which you would like your inhabitants to escape to and feel calm within, smooth geometry and softened edges are best. Misty finishes, tinted pastels and foggy neutrals create mindful spaces. Overstimulation caused by technology can be exhausting and can urge employees to disconnect. The Interface Radial range creates relaxation and harmony.

Energy and alliance

The modern office is less fixed space working areas and more hot desking. Employers are realising that teams work better when given the opportunity to stimulate or relax their minds by removing themselves from or placing themselves in different environments. Red is ideal for collaboration spaces. The colour inspires creativity awakening the brain and demanding attention. It’s not useful to be surrounded by red all the time though, which is why relaxing break out areas are necessary.

With such tips in mind, the biophilic design of your corporate environment should include direct and indirect experiences of nature.

Direct experiences include light, air, water and plants. Indirect experiences include images of nature, and natural materials, colours, shapes and geometries.

Nathan said: “FLR and Interface want to be sure all our customers get exactly what they’re looking for. We’re happy to show people how to bring a touch of nature into any environment and explain why this is beneficial for their business. Our bespoke services are ideal for the companies that want to brand themselves as unique and impart lasting impressions on customers and visitors of their own.”

0121 314 5898 flr.co.uk

www.flr.co.uk

FLR GROUP NICHE | 57

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Could 2019 be the year you give back?

Work, home life, hobbies, exercise, balancing it all can be tricky and when you feel ‘out of sync’ with it all what could the answer be?

D

avid Goadby, a Utility Warehouse distributor, tells us why finding the time above all to give back helps create a more balanced lifestyle and it is important to him. “After working for years, I – like many people – had the occasionally unnerving feeling that things weren’t quite ‘filling me up’ in the way I would have liked them to. I liked my work and my home life was good, but it wasn’t until I started to do more to help others that things ‘clicked’ into place.”

David does a great deal of local charity work and also finds time to work in education too. He told us about the one element to each of these areas which

brings balance and fulfilment to his life: “In my role in education I get to help people, in my work with charities I help people, and in my role at Utility Warehouse I get to help people…you can see the theme here?” he laughs.

“I do these things because I like helping others. And I can recommend two things to help people right now: become a Utility Warehouse distributor and become a blood donor,” he continues.

David has won awards this year as he is being recognised for the work that he does, achieving a BNI Pin for his five years in ‘service’ as well as his 250th

I DO THESE THINGS BECAUSE I LIKE HELPING OTHERS

The Light House Leicester’s Leading Independent Lighting Retailer

Blood Donation certificate. “Of course, I don’t do these things for the rewards, they are nice though! I do them as it provides balance and fulfillment in my life!

Try dedicating some time in your week to helping others and see what happens as a result!”

Can’t argue with that David!

07736 146 400 davidgoadby@uwclub.net dream2earn.club

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PROPERTY FOCUS

Forum

Swim Pond Designs MICHAEL WHEAT Creative Director at Ponds by Michael Wheat

KEEN ON A SWIM IN YOUR GARDEN? SOMETHING TO POND-ER

Have you ever wondered what the big deal is with swim ponds? Well, let me tell you! It’s two pools in one working together to create a beautiful feature in your garden.

You have a planted area, usually around the edge of the pond where the plants feed hydroponically into the water. This will give your swim pond that wildlife look, with lush foliage that surrounds the pond.

At the same time, the plants help keep the pool clean naturally, which means little maintenance.

You then have the swimming area, which you would find in the centre of the pond. This gives you a unique swimming experience without all the pond scum and bacteria you may find in a normal body of water.

For the hot summer days, you can sit next to your pond enjoying the sun and be able to cool off. For cold winter days, you can enjoy the beautiful water that adds character to your garden and attracts wildlife.

Doesn’t that sound great?

A swim pond creates a wonderful eco system for wildlife such as birds and dragonflies. If you do decide to try and attract wildlife visitors, you may need to keep a net handy for those times when you are not swimming.

0116 240 3735 pondsbymichaelwheat.co.uk 62 | NICHE

A swim pond creates a wonderful eco system for wildlife such as birds and dragonflies

Your Everyday Paradise Swim ponds that bring your garden to life!

www.swimponds.co.uk Call 0116 240 3735

HEALTH FOCUS

Forum

SELFREGULATION JULIE HAYTON Managing Director at Function Jigsaw

WORKPLACE WELLBEING Absence from work through sickness costs the economy an estimated £100 billion a year according to a recent government survey.

It’s not rocket science to see that healthy employees make for a more productive workforce. So, what can you do to keep a happier crew?

More than you might think! Let’s start with mental and physical health.

Mental Health Poor mental health is said to cost the business sector over £42 billion per year. Spotting the signs of poor mental wellbeing in your employees and supporting them as much as you can will pay huge dividends to your business. Of course, this will come naturally to you as a human, but seeking out tools to assist you in your support will also help greatly.

Healthy Lifestyle Around a third of adults in England are damaging their health through a lack of physical activity, and equipping yourself and your team with the knowledge of how to change this will go a long way. In addition to the physical activity education, information about a healthy diet and lifestyle choices for your staff makes a big difference.

We provide a wide variety of highly successful programmes in an ever-evolving arena to assist with educating and empowering employers and their team in the work place. Looking at the figures, can you afford not to invest in the toolkit of knowledge and your employees’ wellbeing?

0116 340 0255 functionjigsaw.co.uk 64 | NICHE

With the start of another new year there is so much pressure from the outside world to be fitter, slimmer, youthful, make resolutions, and to fit into society. How many of us though stick to the new plan or fall at the first hurdle? How much pressure do we succumb to by carrying on with something that in reality is not feasible?

If you can learn to self-regulate, a notion of kindness to yourself surfaces. It’s the best gift you can give to yourself. When you are struggling with general life, fitness and work goals, knowing that you have this inner power makes you react in such a way that you are comfortable with your choice in the present moment.

Then if a bit later you find the willpower to carry on, you pick up

PRITI COLES Cranio Sacral Therapist where you left off. The idea that you can step back at any time and not have to be in competition with yourself or others is really hard to accept in this dog eat dog world. At first, it’s hard to admit that enough is enough because of all the heavy pressure to just push through in everything you do.

If you can perfect this, a general feeling of wellness and grounding enters your life. There is then a new sense of belonging and awareness of everything the world has to offer.

07795 361 288 priticoles.co.uk

NEW YEAR, NEW APPROACH NICOLA ROSSELL Personal Trainer at Rossell Fitness Can you imagine a New Year where you aren’t suffering from the restrictions of crash dieting? New Year Resolutions have seemingly become a staple of our culture and yet we never seem to question the inherent failure rate.

Upon making resolutions in the past and inevitably failing to achieve them, I would become racked with self-doubt, full of blame and end up shaming myself every time I tried to get my act together.

It felt like I was going around in circles, gradually becoming more and more frustrated, confused, and losing faith in the idea that things can actually change.

Then something clicked!

Being so focused on the problem (the weight gain, restriction, low energy, bad moods, and guilt) puts you into a very negative mindset where your

choices come from frustration and willpower (which runs out very quickly).

We rarely have the consistency that is needed to get long term results.

When you focus on the solutions and alter your mindset to embrace the idea of protecting the important lifestyle and weight-loss determinants – confidence, energy and health – everything changes!

If you are fed up of making resolutions that you just know you aren’t going to keep, and if you want things to change for good this year, no matter what you’ve done in the past, talk to me. We will implement simple lifestyle strategies to dramatically turn your mindset and weight loss results around. You will embark upon 2019 full of confidence with the consistency needed to earn healthy, sustainable and lifelong weight-loss results.

07983 551 550 rossellfitness.co.uk

NICHE FEATURE

Seeking a solution

to hair loss?

This might be for you BEFORE

AFTER

Embrace being bald, shave off what hair you have left and get on with it – with love from the people who have hair and don’t understand how it feels to lose it

M

ale pattern baldness affects twothirds of all men, which means approximately 7.4 million men are losing their hair at any one time in the UK according to Men’s Health Forum.

Verity Wardle from Leicester Scalp Clinic said: “It’s surprising how young it can start. I have a client currently who’s 24 and he started losing his hair at 20. It can begin with the hair line receding or a thinning of the hair on the crown. Both can make my clients look older than actually are. It can be very sad when a client starts to lose their hair – it can affect their confidence.”

Leicester Scalp Clinic offers scalp micropigmentation (SMP), which requires an advanced level of training to cosmetically tattoo the head replicating hair follicles and giving the appearance of thicker or newly growing hair.

Hair loss also affects women whether it’s a widening parting, balding of the crown or a receding hairline, or alopecia sufferers.

Verity added: “Also, women who have worn clip-in or woven-in

WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

extensions can have damaged the hair so much that it doesn’t grow back.”

The SMP technique gives the illusion that there is more hair, adds density, and takes the eye away from the area, which has worked for the clinic’s male and female clients of all ages.

The three-session process is used to create an ‘undetectable’ 3D look using varying shades to convincingly mimic the appearance of hair follicles giving the illusion of regrowth.

“A lot of clients when they come to me have been curious and/or have tried the hair transplant route and tried the shampoos and vitamins before that; they are ready for something that has immediate results and proven to work long term,” Verity explained.

“Hair transplants sometimes are a good option but may not always work. There have been cases where only some of the hair follicles attach and grow, in which case SMP can also aid as a secondary procedure

IT CAN BE VERY SAD WHEN A CLIENT STARTS TO LOSE THEIR HAIR – IT CAN AFFECT THEIR CONFIDENCE

to hair transplants by giving the appearance of thicker hair, creating a denser look and disguising the scars.”

Verity currently works with barbers, hairdressers, beauticians and other medical practitioners offering SMP. The clinic also offers their clients other procedures such as microblading for eyebrows, and lash lifts and tints for both men and women.

SMP delivers an instant new look resulting in, increased selfesteem for Leicester Scalp Clinic clients.

07528 690 285 leicesterscalpclinic.co.uk

Become an SMP provider

To train in scalp micropigmentation, get in touch with Verity at Leicester Scalp Clinic.

NICHE | 65

Weight loss Surgery.

Obesity rates in the UK are the highest in Europe and have increased dramatically over the past few years to such an extent that in excess of 20% of the population are now obese and the costs to the UK economy exceeds £3 billion per year. Due to the growing demand for Bariatric surgery Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital is launching its own Bariatric treatment pathway linking treatment at the hospital with recovery and wellbeing at Nuffield Health Leicester Fitness and Wellbeing Gym. Poor diet and lifestyle is now translating into our daily lives with obesity being blamed for about 30,000 deaths a year in the UK, 9,000 of those taking place before retirement age, pressurising the NHS and the UK’s healthcare systems. “People are dying needlessly from avoidable diseases,” wrote Prof Stephenson in the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ Measuring Up report.

Further, alongside disease, obesity can also affect peoples’ self-esteem, their wellbeing and their mental health. This impacts people’s ability to get and hold down work and can damage their social and family lives.

A person is considered overweight if they have a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29, and obese with a BMI of 30 and above. Today, in England, 24.8% of adults are estimated to be obese. This is more than three times the levels in 1980, when only 6% of men and 8% of women were suffering with obesity according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Obesity is attributed as a cause of 13 types of cancer, including cancers of the bowel, breast and kidney, and results suggest one in 20 diagnoses could be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight.

Andy Glyde, Cancer Research UK’s public affairs manager in Wales, said: “These research findings are startling in that, for the first time, we can see how many cases of cancer in Wales could be prevented by things like not smoking and keeping a healthy weight.

Obesity, Impacts on Adult Health Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many serious illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, as well as cancer. Further a BMI of 30 to 35 has been found to reduce life expectancy by an average of three years, whilst a BMI of over 40 reduced longevity by eight to ten years. This is comparable to a lifetime of smoking. “As a society, we are gradually realising that obesity poses just as serious a health threat as smoking,” says Chris Sutton, Consultant Bariatric Specialist at Nuffield Health.

Women’s Health Impacts

Men’s Health Impacts

•

13x more likely to develop type 2 diabetes

•

5x more likely to develop type 2 diabetes

•

3x more likely to develop colon cancer

•

4x more likely to develop high blood pressure

•

•

3x more likely to have a heart attack

2½ x more likely to develop high blood pressure – a major risk factor for stroke and heart disease

Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital has developed a comprehensive weight-loss programme which gives you access to the support you need on your road to success. Teamed up with Nuffield Health Leicester Fitness and Wellbeing Gym you will also receive our flagship recovery plus programme. Weight loss procedures are available from body mass index 27 upwards. Producers available include; Gastric Balloon, Gastric Band, Gastric Sleeve, Gastrostomy, Gastric Bypass and Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty.

Tim Shewbridge, Hospital Director, is delighted to introduce the new Bariatric Service at Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital. “We’re not just about the surgery.

It’s about re-education, developing a healthier mind and enjoying the benefits of a healthier you, for the long term we are delighted to work with top consultants to offer a unique service expanding on the range of services we offer”.

Meet the team Mr Sutton is a Consultant General Surgeon at University Hospitals of Leicester. He has a specialist interest in weight loss surgery and surgery to treat acid reflux. He was the first surgeon in the U.K to be awarded a fellowship in Bariatric Surgery from the British college. He offers a full range of primary bariatric procedures including; balloon, band, endoscopic sleeve, laparoscopic sleeve bypass, BPD.

Christopher Sutton David Exon was appointed as Consultant Upper GI & General Surgeon in Leicester in 2010.

Originally from Birmingham, he studied medicine at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, qualifying in 1990. He then trained in all aspects of General, Upper GI & Pancreatobiliary Surgery in London and Hong Kong. After working in NW Thames; at hospitals such as Hammersmith & The Royal Marsden, he took up the post of Clinical Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Oesophagogastric Surgery, Chinese University of Hong Kong (2001), before being appointed Consultant Upper GI & Laparoscopic (keyhole) surgeon in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee (2004-2010).

David Exon Professor David Bowrey is a General surgeon specialising in Oesophagogastric and weight loss surgery. He qualified from Cardiff in 1992, completed surgical training in Cardiff with fellowships in Los Angeles and Newcastle. He started as a consultant in Leicester in 2006. He holds Honorary Professor status and has a number of teaching and research academic interests. His current research interests are early blood sugar changes after weight loss surgery, the effects of fish oil supplementation on patients with cancer of the oesophagus and the effects of jejunostomy tube feeding on quality of life after stomach and oesophageal surgery.

Prof David Bowrey

Like to find out more?

Speak to a Consultant for free.

Make an appointment for a free 10 minute one-to-one with a Bariatric Consultant. This will provide more information and allow you to chat through the options and ask questions you may have, so you can make a more informed decision that suits you.

Spaces are limited to call today to book your place on

0116 2986787 These events are anyone considering weight loss surgery and would like to explore their options for treatment. You will receive a complimentary 10 minute mini chat with an expert consultant on the types of treatments that are available and what to these sessions do not replace a full consultation but are a great way to find out more information in a private surrounding. You are welcome to bring a family member or a friend for support and light refreshments will be served on the evening.

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NICHE FEATURE

Revolutionise

your love life ‘How’s your love life?’ A question that, if it’s not great, will bring a host of conflict up within ourselves – Debbie Moore introduces a workshop to change our relationships for the better

W

hether you are looking for a relationship and just can’t seem to find the right fit, are in the recovery stages of recently being broken hearted or have been hurt and simply are resisting the idea of letting love in, when it comes to matters of the heart the path is never straightforward.

The New Year can also bring up renewed promises to set new intentions on our love lives and the approaches we have to it. Debbie Moore, The High Achievers Coach and our all-round relationship guru, is running a series of workshops, entitled ‘Revolutionise your love life’, this January and February.

Participants learn to identify and transform false beliefs and patterns that have been sabotaging them and their thoughts on relationships. Powerful

WORKSHOPS SWINDON Saturday February 2 The Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre LEICESTER Saturday February 23 St Martins House

WE WILL ONLY CREATE THE RELATIONSHIPS WE DESERVE IF WE Tickets available at START AT A PLACE eventbrite.co.uk WHERE WE ARE HAPPY WITH at. Unearthing the reasons why our OURSELVES relationships haven’t worked or aren’t working is one of the key elements to the workshop. But more than that, truths about their value for receiving we discover how to break old painful love are awakened and new tools patterns which don’t serve us – all vital if are discovered to empower, create a we want to break the chains holding us positive mind-set, and to let the right back from living happily in love.” love in moving forward.

Start 2019 by starting a miracle in love!

Debbie commented: “We will only create the relationships we deserve if we start at a place where we are happy with ourselves – this is just one of the 07808 783 483 explored aspects to love that we look debbiemoorecoaching.com

‘Me time’ v sleep time Self-care is essential for success and personal development and here’s why

O

ur brains are constantly on the go from morning to night and this isn’t helped by mobile phones that are carried with us all the time reminding us of everything we should be leaving behind in the office. A study by Nottingham Trent University revealed that we check our phones on average 85 times per day. If you’re a business owner, that figure may be doubled due to frequent checking of emails and business calls and texts.

It’s important to switch off from business from time to time. Without taking necessary time out to yourself and recuperate can mean you end up feeling: ◆ drained ◆ exhausted ◆ fatigued ◆ anxious ◆ stressed ◆ a rollercoaster of emotions It’s easy to see why these

70 | NICHE

WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

symptoms are not compatible with a business lifestyle. Developing a strong awareness of your emotions is the key to recognising when time to yourself is

long overdue. If you do notice yourself feeling in any of these emotions, there are some ways to overcome them. Some think that the best way to combat them is to get more sleep but stimulating your brain may do the world of good when you do things that you enjoy. You could go for a walk, eat out, meditate, take part in an activity such as a gym class, or make time for a weekend getaway.

Taking the time to unwind can help us to: ◆ Problem solve more effectively ◆ Think more deeply ◆ Allow us to build better relationships ◆ Improve concentration Next time you experience feelings of stress or exhaustion, it may not always be as simple as taking a nap – it might be your body telling you to take time out to enjoy the little things in life.

And, try to do this without your phone by your side!

NICHE FEATURE

Why a smile can change your life BEFORE

AFTER

Treatment: Invisalign clear braces, Enlighten tooth whitening and Composite Bonding.

It’s not an exaggeration that a smile you are unhappy with could negatively affect your mental health – Dr Josh Virdee explains how to achieve a smile makeover

A

WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

smile that makes you truly happy is often only a few steps away according to Dr Josh Virdee, dental surgeon at Oakdale Dental in Fosse Road Central.

He said: “My passion is in minimally invasive dentistry.

This involves creating beautiful natural smiles with preservation of natural tooth structure as the number one goal.

“In my practice this commonly involves some quick teeth straightening using clear braces such as Invisalign, followed by tooth whitening and composite bonding.”

The state of a person’s teeth can impact confidence and self-esteem, and as a result, even affect the ability to make an impression on friends and colleagues, which can have a major impact on life achievements.

One patient of Dr Virdee was 41-year-old Leanne Baker who had grown increasingly conscious of her teeth over the years. Her complaint was the upper right front tooth that protruded further forward than the others.

Her treatment consisted of an invisible, advanced type of brace called Invisalign along with free Enlighten whitening as part of her package.

“In Leanne’s case we aligned her upper and lower teeth using Invisalign and pushed her upper front tooth upwards with Invisalign, which meant we didn’t have to cut it down to match it to the adjacent teeth.

“Following this, Leanne underwent safe, professional tooth whitening using the Enlighten system. Finally, we carried out composite bonding

MY PASSION IS IN MINIMALLY INVASIVE DENTISTRY. THIS INVOLVES CREATING BEAUTIFUL NATURAL SMILES

on the upper left first tooth to replace the old discoloured filling.”

Leanne told us: “It’s made a huge difference to me when I’m out and about with friends and meeting new people – there’s nothing to hold me back anymore!”

You can see for yourself the results of the treatment, but Leanne says she’s never felt more confident now that she’s happy with her smile.

0116 262 7150 oakdaledental.co.uk

Get in touch for an exclusive FREE, no obligation consultation when quoting Niche Magazine.

NICHE | 71

FOOD COURT In this issue, local business people choose their favourite places to eat in Leicestershire

The best eating establishments in Leicestershire AMYE WATT

HAMMER AND PINCERS 01509 880 735 hammerandpincers.co.uk 5 EAST ROAD, WYMESWOLD, LE12 6ST

Founder of Midnightbaker13

With my belated birthday to celebrate and a love of locally sourced, sustainable, seasonal food, Hammer and Pincers is the only place to be.

Time to relax in the bar and study the menu. When day to day life is a heady mix of work, family life, charity work and building a business, I am savouring this time with fabulous company, without distraction.

The restaurant is an intimate arrangement allowing for easy conversation without feeling overheard.

I eagerly chose from the exciting vegan menu and dinner commenced with a quad of chef’s freshly baked bread, followed by a cucumber and elderflower sorbet. The theatre of dishes and

DARREN WILLOUGHBY

CARAVELLI

Managing Director 2XL Commercial

72 | NICHE

attentive, enthusiastic waiting staff certainly adds to the occasion.

Main saw the arrival of a sensational roasted cauliflower with Dahl and Indian spices accompanied by delicious morsels including a perfect poppadum and heavenly pakora. Dinner concluded with a vegan chocolate brownie, vegan peanut butter ice cream and crushed pretzel. It’s not often I’m really impressed, but this was beyond words. I savoured every moment of this warm fondant treat and it truly made my day.

Once again, Hammer and Pincers made for a thoroughly enjoyable experience and very happy belated birthday. Award-winning fine dining, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

01509 211 228 caravelli.co.uk THE OLD MANOR, LOUGHBOROUGH, LE11 1BT My favourite eatery is Caravelli in Loughborough – a popular haunt with locals and the Loughborough Italian community (this speaks volumes in itself).

Overlooking the Baxter Gate Church and set on the outskirts of the old part of the town, this Italian restaurant is a must, and somewhat hidden gem from the commercial venues in the town. The restaurant also benefits from being a stone’s throw away from the best pub in Loughborough: The White Hart.

Order of the day is a couple of predrinks in the much-loved pub followed by a short walk to the restaurant. A small bar greets you for a quick Peroni before entering into the dining room, which is fresh and airy with the humdrum of

Italian music in the air. A nice selection of bread and olives to start followed by the antipasti “Pappardelle Con Salsiccia” does well at satisfying cravings before the meal begins.

A tasty combination of large ribbon pasta, fresh sausage, fennel, chilli, tomato and cream is my favourite starter, followed by “Filletto Casanova” best cut of beef in a splendid sauce of pink peppercorns, French mustard, cream and a splash of brandy.

For dessert – if you can squeeze it all in after the generous portions – a homemade tiramisu or profiteroles will do the trick nicely. All washed down with the finest bottle of Chianti!

Salute!

PETE WILLCOCK Managing Director at Larsen Howie

SHIVALI GOSAI Business Manager at Barclays

SALLY SMITH Sales Director at Cross Productions

BLACK IRON

0116 3665 642 winstanleyhouse.co.uk/restaurant HINCKLEY ROAD, LE3 1HX UK Whilst there’s nothing to knock about great pub food, sometimes occasion (or just fancy) calls for something a little more swanky. Tucked away in leafy parkland at Winstanley House; an impressive Georgian grade II listed building and boasting a charcoal-fired oven, Black Iron offers the perfect balance of elegant interiors, relaxed atmosphere and exceptional food.

Predominantly a steakhouse, the menu is entirely locally sourced and keeps it simple but delicious; cooking over a fire may seem primitive but it allows the incredible ingredients to speak for themselves.

The option I always go back to is the fillet steak. Sourced from

Onley Grounds in Rugby, dry aged to perfection and perfectly cooked to order, it’s the definition of meltin-the-mouth. Triple cooked chips, a crisp chef’s salad and a hearty jug of peppercorn sauce complete the dish – it’s no-frills but exceptional quality.

Black Iron offers literally hundreds of wines to choose from as well as around 20 different beers to sample (including the dangerously moreish locally brewed Black Iron lager), while the staff are attentive, welcoming and knowledgeable.

Whether it’s a special occasion, Sunday lunch or an (admittedly posh) fry-up, Black Iron tops the list for laidback luxury.

SHARMILEE

0116 266 8471 sharmilee.co.uk 71-73 BELGRAVE RD, LEICESTER, LE4 6AS The Golden Mile is instantly recognisable as a landmark for Leicester’s rich cultural heritage. At the heart of that narrative lies Sharmilee, a well-established family run dual curry house and sweet mart.

It’s one of the oldest restaurants and sweetmarts and is still run by the same family, who have continued using the same secret recipes whilst maintaining quality in food and service. It boasts an ongoing list of high-profile customers, from politicians to actors.

Authentic Indian food is served for lunch and dinner and everything is made fresh on the day. For lovers of variety, like myself, I would recommend a Thali; a full traditional three course Indian meal.

This includes, two curries, two pieces

of savoury, chutney, poppadum, lentil soup, Indian slaw, pilau rice, and roti. And – what is best – desert comes for free!

However, if you don’t have enough time or room for such a banquet then go for the Indian street food favourite pani puri.

These crisp fried dough balls are stuffed with a spicy potato mix, chutney, chilli, coriander, and fresh mint sauce, by far the best ones outside of India.

This place is worth a trip whether it be on your own, with family, friends, or meeting. More details are available on the website about the restaurant, personalised catering service and an online shop that offers next day nationwide delivery for the sweets and savouries, all freshly made on site.

MARCOS LEICESTER

0116 257 5533 mpwrestaurants.co.uk 73 GRANBY STREET, LEICESTER, LE1 6ES One of my favorite places to eat is Marcos New York Italian by Marco Pierre White. Its location is somewhat of a well-kept secret so I’m doing you a huge favour explaining that you can find it within Mercure Leicester The Grand Hotel in the city centre. Because not many people know to walk through the hotel doors to the restaurant, you will rarely need to book in advance – which means you benefit from top quality service and attention.

There is plenty of parking and it’s affordable with a wide selection making it an ideal setting for mid-week meetings as well as a cosy meal for two.

When you think celebrity chef you think posh and small portions. This is the opposite. Yes, it is classy, but the

atmosphere is relaxed, and you get a real serving. You will often find yourself defeated with a good-sized amount of left overs! I tend to visit each time their new seasonal menu comes out. They truly bring a taste of New York to Leicester.

On my last visit I had: the New Orleans blackened jumbo shrimps with garlic butter and mustard dressing, for my main I chose The Great American burger with Monterey Jack cheese, pancetta bacon, sweet pickled cucumber, iceberg lettuce, and tomato served in a brioche bun with French fries, and to finish the Classic 1930s New York Knickerbocker Glory.

There’s also a great cocktail menu on offer that finishes off the experience perfectly.

NICHE | 73

Getting to know

the Queen Victoria The restaurant and bar opened in 2018 but its spirit has been with us for years in the making – we reveal the exclusive story behind the Queen Victoria Arts Club

S

tanding proud in the heart of Leicester’s Cultural Quarter with views of the stylish streetscape is Queens Building; the building that is now the home of Queen Victoria Arts Club restaurant. In its lifetime it’s been known as a night club, a snooker bar, and even a swinger’s club, but its history goes even further back.

The area was utilised to house the head offices of many major international businesses after the industrial revolution led to a boom in Leicester’s hosiery, shoe and leather trade. Cassie (nee Soulsby) Davison is the owner of the quarter’s newest addition.

She commented: “Naming the restaurant was really important to me, I wanted it to reflect the history. The building and the adjacent street were named after Queen Victoria to mark her diamond jubilee – so we incorporated the year, 1897, into the logo.”

WORDS BY KERRY SMITH Queens Building was a warehouse during this time and just before Cassie purchased it, it was rather the worse for wear. On taking the building on, she said: “It had been treated really badly but we tried to keep the original features as much as we could. We were able to keep an original pillar, an exposed brick wall, and the frieze around the entrance, which is listed.”

Cassie has added Victorian features back in to the building and then infused Art Deco and industrial vibes throughout the new restaurant, bar, and private members club areas with timeless classic pieces. Black and white period style floor tiles and dark dramatic wall art provide a luxurious feel upon entering.

“We were careful to make sure whatever we put into the space was of classic design. What I like about this place, but what was also difficult, was that it’s all fragmented. Most restaurants

are open plan but here you have five separate areas to explore. Each time you visit you will have an entirely different experience.”

Any spirit you order will be from award winning niche distilleries around the world. Cassie wants to provide premium quality at the same prices as you’d expect from any other bar.

And because the distilleries and Champagne houses she sources from are often family-run using no spend on marketing, the premium quality drinks can be priced the same as other high street brands.

The restaurant and bar also offers private membership and has two select rooms available for bookings that are named after two of Queen Victoria’s nine children. The Beatrice is a cosy, stylish room available for private dining and conferences with its own TV and music system. The Leopold, a larger room with floor to ceiling windows and

NICHE FEATURE

HRH QUEEN VICTORIA

a fantastic view of Curve, is perfect for pre-theatre dining and team building.

The Empress is an exclusive members-only downstairs bar. Before Cassie transformed it, the room was damp and dingy. With no natural daylight, she decided to emphasise it for what is it – a cave. Full of velvet textures and dark colours in keeping with the period style, The Empress exudes opulence at its most luxurious. This bar has wines so rarely available that seven days’ notice is required before purchasing, as well as whiskies that are unavailable to buy to the individual. VIP concierge Julie organises high end events such as

sees to it that The Exchange and Queen Victoria Arts Club work closely with neighbouring businesses.

“We’re one of the only areas in the city to have that close connection.

When we moved here with The Exchange, Curve had only been in the area a couple of years, and Athena hadn’t been here long. No one was really using the area to its full potential.

It was cultural by name only.”

Leicester born and bred and having run her own businesses in Leicester for over 20 years, Cassie has always been keen to promote areas of the city she’s been involved with. She’s a true Leicester advocate having sat

Each time you visit you will have an entirely different experience rare wine tasting.

Cassie also owns The Exchange, a unique café bar just across the way from the Queen Victoria, which opened in 2010. It was then that she fell in love with the Cultural Quarter. The businessowner joined the Cultural Quarter Association (CQA) and, as Chair, played an active role in developing the area into the sophisticated district it is today. Cassie

on forums and boards promoting the city and is involved in Leicester’s BID (Business Improvement District); she was also one of the founders of Bring the Paint, Leicester’s International Street Art Festival.

The successful restauranteur has an MBA from De Montfort University and has been in the private hospitality industry in the city since 2000.

Cassie’s first bar was the multi-award-

Her reign lasted from 1837 until her death in 1901. She was also titled the Empress of India.

Queen Victoria is the secondlongest reigning British monarch after Queen Elizabeth II. Her reign saw advances in industrial practices, railway building, and communications. She was succeeded by her son King Edward VII. winning Entropy in Hinckley Road, which later also opened in Dover Street as a restaurant where it won two AA Rosettes, Which Good Food Guide Midlands Restaurant of the Year 2009 and gained rave reviews from national newspapers. Carrying this awardwinning style of service and quality catering over to her latest endeavour, the Queen Victoria welcomes the public to experience this new magestic approach to dining and socialising. You may want to book ahead though, as the destination has become popular in the evenings with its pre-theatre packages.

What’s more, VIP concierge Julie is taking on new members from January 16 for a limited period only.

Get in touch for exclusive access to the Beatrice, Leopold, and Empress.

0116 251 2291

Make 2019 work for you

Run an independent pub business It’s amazing what you can achieve in a year: you could contact Everards this January and be settled in and running your own pub business by April

Y

ou’d be trading through the glorious summer and enjoying the unique festive feeling of your first Christmas in your own pub come the end of the year. A special Christmas that will be treasured forever, shared with your customers, new friends and local community. It really is possible to make that pub dream come true.

So, pick up the phone and have a chat if you’re even a little bit intrigued, as to how to go about getting into this exciting trade. It doesn’t matter if you

76 | NICHE

have a bucket load of experience or none at all – it’s about being a people person with a good head for business and a passion for making a difference.

All Everards pubs are run as independent businesses and the company will support you as much or as little as you need. This will be your own independent business, so you will need some level of investment to get started, but this varies from pub to pub and Everards will talk you through everything.

Everards has more than 165 years’ experience in the industry with over 175 pubs in the Midlands –they have some great opportunities in the city, the countryside, and everything in between!

Give Everards a call to start your next chapter.

0116 201 4260 everards.co.uk

NICHE FEATURE

Here’s how others have started their next chapter with Everards Michael Cosgrove, The Blue Bell, Desford Michael had no pub management experience – just a passion to do a job he loved.

Michael Cosgrove would not be sitting here today – landlord of The Blue Bell Inn, happy and still planning new ventures for this pub he’s turned around in a year-and-a-half – if it hadn’t been for a fast ball he misread at a cricket match a few years ago. Michael was batting, the ball came through his defence and smashed his foot. He gallantly carried on, made 50, raised his bat, stopped for a drink, and then realised he’d broken his foot.

It didn’t just signal the end of his innings, it also signalled the end of his successful retail management career. Michael was a regional manager at Thorntons, the confectioners. It was a good job, well-paid, interesting, with scope for further advancement.

“But as I recovered at home with my broken foot, I realised I didn’t really enjoy my job,” he said. “I realised I spent most of my working day in pointless meetings.

“I thought I had a job for life there – and then, one day, I woke up and thought: ‘You know what, this is not really me’.”

He sat back and looked at his options. What could he do?

What did he like doing? His mind drifted back to the days when he worked at an Italian restaurant in Hinckley.

“I’d also been staying with my partner and her parents; they ran a pub in Hinckley. I saw what they were doing, and I liked it. ‘I should be doing this,’ I thought to myself. And the more I thought that, the more I envisaged myself doing it.”

He took voluntary redundancy at Thorntons and sold his shares. He used this money to finance his new venture.

Michael did his homework: pubs, brewers, reputations. After a lengthy trawl, he ended up at Everards and, after a few meetings with them, at The Bluebell Inn, in Desford.

“I knew the pub was coming up so before I did anything, I came here, I drank here, I ate here – they didn’t really do food then – and I went to the other pubs in the village and I spoke to the locals.”

Michael Cosgrove took charge of The Bluebell in December 2015.

“It’s going well,” he says. “Better than I thought it would be. It’s just me, my two dogs, my mum – who I brought out of retirement – and a staff of 20, who are all brilliant, too. That broken foot was probably the best thing that happened to me.”

Visit The Bluebell Inn and chat with Michael about your future. thebluebelldesford.co.uk

Jez and Beth, The Unicorn’s Head, Langar Jez and Beth run a successful village pub, whilst also being hands-on parents to their little boy Hugo, with another on the way.

You have to find a practical routine when you become parents for the first time. At The Unicorn’s Head pub in Langar, Nottinghamshire, parents Jez and Beth Levins have carved out a working routine that suits them, their son, and the pub where they live and work.

Jez said: “Running a pub with a new baby is hard work. There’s no pretending it isn’t. But if you’re organised, work out a routine and – at first at least – can get by with very little sleep, then it’s possible.”

Jez was born into the pub game. His dad was a Nottinghamshire landlord and Jez would help out sweeping up and collecting glasses for pocket money while he was at school.

He took his Level 3 Apprenticeship and was qualified at 18, working full time at his father’s pub. By 19 he was running it by himself with his family helping out.

He met Beth at the pub and the couple took on the attractive 300-year-old The Unicorn’s Head in 2012.

The pub had been struggling but the couple quickly turned things around – developing the garden, attracting families in the summer and improving the menu. They do all this whilst raising a growing family and they love it!

“The good thing about it is if I’m working downstairs and it’s quiet, I can just nip upstairs and spend some time with my wife and son. You can’t do that working in an office.” unicornshead.co.uk NICHE | 77

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Designer Set Videobox £200 Luxury 15 pair gift boxes with integrated audio video screen built it. londonstockcompany.com

LOVE Essential Oil Perfume Blend £44.50 A heart-opening blend of natural and sensual oils. liveinthelight.co.uk

Gift Guide Escentual Love Pillar £16.50 With a sensual blend of lavender, rosewood and patchouli, passion sparked and romance inspired. liveinthelight.co.uk

Cotswold Square Planter £19.99 - £23.99 Plant fan palms or low trees to best compliment these planters. stewart-garden.co.uk 78 | NICHE

Love Gin £30 This famous light blush pink gin from Eden Mill brings together an outstanding blend of local botanicals and exotic fruits. A fan favourite whatever the season.

Modius £369 Using neuroscience to make weight loss easier by reducing cravings, decreasing appetite, and making you feel fuller, quicker. modiushealth.com

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JON MUTCH Head Coach at Oadby & Leicester Gymnastics Club

BEAT THE JANUARY BLUES It’s not uncommon to feel the blues in January. After the happy and social festivities in the build up to Christmas and new year, then the stresses of the season on finances, family life on top of this followed by general deflation once the busy season is over, it’s no wonder January is known as one of the toughest months of the year.

Setting goals can really help at this time and discovering a new hobby is a great way to do this. A lifestyle change which helps improve both body and mind in a positive way is proven to keep the blues at bay. According to mentalhealth. org.uk physical activity has been shown to have a ‘hugely positive impact on our mood’ with many studies proving as such.

There are of course a host of benefits to getting the body moving in addition to improved mood whatever your age and exercise in a way that allows you to have fun whilst doing it really is a win-win – a fit body without having to promise hours on the treadmill to achieve it? Perfect.

The benefits of doing a hobby that you love is right up there on the list of reasons to start one, especially ones that involve a new circle of friends and physical movement. Social interaction with others not only boosts your selfesteem, confidence and communication skills, these kinds of benefits aren’t only for the younger ones they are greatly applicable for adults too.

Gymnastics is a great way of combining exercise with fun! With a variety of sessions for various age groups, gymnastics can be started at any stage in life, whether a toddler looking for an activity they love or an adult simply looking to find a new hobby. January is the perfect time to join us, improve your mood and have plenty of fun whilst doing it.

07813 205 852 oadbygymnastics.co.uk

Market Harborough U11 & U13 Girls Rugby Club lead the way Two seasons ago, I found myself at a loose end within the Mini’s and Junior section of Market Harborough Rugby Club and was offered a coaching position to take over the U13 girls rugby team. The club recognised that the U13 girls’ team lacked the focus and support it needed and deserved. The club also acknowledged they were not in the best of shape as a team. It needed someone that had the time and passion to try and resolve some of these issues. ‘Wouldn’t hurt to give it a try,’ I thought. Little did I know that this would turn out to be a life changing decision!

I started the 2017 season with around 11 players and by the end of that season, we had 28 regular players. I use some special ingredients to achieve this. We added structure, routine, inclusion, a sprinkle of fun, a few laughs, and core values of discipline teamwork, sportsmanship and respect to the mix. And hey presto, we baked a team!

Unfortunately, at the end of said season we lost 7 of these girls to the higher age grade and a few were still too young to play in U13 matches but wanted to stay and train! We ran a training and awareness programme over the summer of 2018 so by the start of the 2018/2019 season, we found that more girls wanted to get involved, and at varying ages. This meant we were able to break down the girls to U11s and U13s (13 and 24 in numbers respectively).

None of this could have been achieved without the support of the club, dedicated coaches and

associated parents. The club rents extra pitches now to assist the girls playing on a pitch instead of a piece of spare ground in the corner somewhere. The girls can play during ‘normal’ club times where possible and get great exposure instead of having to wait for the boys to finish, and there are girls changing facilities available.

Additional support also comes from the first team coaching staff running training clinics.

The results? See for yourself.

Our girls are not just any team, but a team of girls that smile and giggle.

A team of girls that understands the core values and the value of every one of their teammates. Look on the pitches on a Sunday and you will see them working hard under their own volition. They self-motivate as a unit and it’s truly remarkable to see them growing as individuals. They grow in confidence, communicate in a positive manner, develop self-belief, and make friends. All of these are what I like to call life skills and it’s very rewarding to be a part of.

We have girls coming from all areas of Leicestershire. Sadly, not because we are the best, but because we are one of the few clubs that support and encourage girls rugby so if you want to be a part of this fastest growing woman’s sport, drop me a line. You won’t know until you try. KEV HOWLEY 07723 958 624 mhu13girls@gmail.com Visit the club on Sunday’s 10am-12pm.

NICHE | 81

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NICHE FEATURE

The stars of

inline roller hockey A whole lot of fun, development and team bonding is predicted by Leicester’s roller hockey team Midland Outlaws coach Neil Jepson as the team enters into the British Inline Puck Hockey Association (BIPHA) WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

L

ast year Outlaws saw five players attain positions in European and world championships (junior and senior men) across three GB national teams. Some of the club’s younger players took a trip across the pond to complete in the US also achieving high standards, and the U14s have recently returned from the Hypercup, held in the BIPHA South region, with gold medals.

The Outlaws compete in the BIPHA central region across five age groups: Under 12, 14, 16, 18 and senior team. The league campaign began in September 2018 and will finish in May 2019.

Neil commented: “We are already seeing the improvement in our players, both on and off the pad. As a club, we are ahead of where we expected to be for this season and will continue to grow with the hard work of our players, coaches and team management.

“With the U12s, 14s and 16s, they are under a different regime, different ideas, and different values to adapt to. More so for the younger players, this is a difficult transition, but one I know they will flourish under and go into next season stronger again.”

All teams under the Outlaws banner are being received well by the competition according to the scoreboard. The U12s, and 16s are currently fourth out of eight teams with 10 games to play. U14s are fourth out of seven teams with nine games to play. The U18s are currently undefeated and so far and have remained that way being first out of five teams with nine games left to play. And the seniors are also currently undefeated but are in second place at the moment out of 12 with 14 games left.

On going on to compete at national level in June, Neil

AS A CLUB, WE ARE AHEAD OF WHERE WE EXPECTED TO BE FOR THIS SEASON AND WILL CONTINUE TO GROW

said: “Qualification for National Championships for all teams is not unachievable and, at the end of the season, is an excellent marker to gauge their progress.”

When asked if there are any players for fans to look out for in the rest of the season he stated: “I’m Biased, so for me any player in an Outlaws shirt. Unselfishly, any player who commits to the sport of inline roller hockey are stars, regardless of jersey colour.

Any fans supporting the talent these kids have and display each game would not go wasted or without enjoyment.”

Follow Midland Outlaws Facebook page for details of their upcoming games or contact Neil for information on how to get involved. neil.jepson.outlaws@fastaz.co.uk Facebook: @MidlandOutlaws18 NICHE | 83

The current longest serving Leicester Riders player began his career early. He threw himself in the deep end at a young age – and now he’s helping other young people do the same WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

H

e was just 15 years old when he moved out to pursue his sporting career and now, aged 26, Harrison Gamble is going into his sixth season with Leicester Riders. The Surrey-born basketball player joined the team in 2013 making him the current longest serving player in the team and has won the most titles in Riders history.

“It’s really nice to be recognised like that; shows they’re keen on having me here for the long run,” he laughs.

Before his time with the Riders began, Harrison won his first pro deal in 2012 and moved to Girona, Spain aged 20.

Thrilled, he signed with the club for two years but, after returning home after his first season, received a call saying the club was no more.

LIFE OUTSIDE OF SPORT

Harrison Gamble the sport professionally. From there he went on to play for the Reading Rockets.

It was in his first year with the Riders that Harrison realised how he was able to give back to others. He decided to help youngsters through basketball. He became a coach at Loughborough College for 16-19 year olds in between his home and away games. He said: “I fell into it, which is kind of the best thing that could have happened to me to be honest. I love to coach that age group of kids because you can really see the benefits of them having a role model.

“The first year in 2013 we started with seven kids. I remember going around the college trying to get

Going on to say that his player sponsor is Ian Hallam from 360 Autoleasing, he gives back to the charity for which Ian’s wife works: “The charity I’ve been working with most recently is Hope Against Cancer. We’ve started off with a Christmas jumper campaign.

“I also tend to go off and do my own little campaigns so this Christmas I raised money to take to Leicester Children’s Hospital. I just started a JustGiving page with a target of £2000 – we raised £400 within the first week. People were sending stories in about their children staying in the hospital, so it was nice to see people who appreciate the hospital.”

Last year he took on his first selfdriven campaign. Whilst coaching at

I also tend to go off and do my own little campaigns so this Christmas I raised money to take to Leicester Children’s Hospital He added: “I was disappointed, I loved it there, but they’d lost their sponsor so had to fold. Funnily enough, that same week I got a call from Drew Sullivan who was playing for the Riders at the time. He called me personally to ask me to come to Leicester.”

Still none the wiser about how the Olympic GB team Captain discovered him, Harrison thinks he may have been spotted while playing for the England U18s and U20s team before his year in Spain. His vibrant career at such an early age was all down to his defiance to go it alone in his mid-teens. Living with another teenager, Harrison moved from Surrey to Reading to attend college and play basketball. Cooking, cleaning, and learning for themselves what adulting was all about, Harrison believes this was the best way to push forward towards his goal of playing 84 | NICHE

anyone in to play. Then in this last year, we had over 70 kids involved.

The college is running three teams this year and is in the second-best league in the UK. The growth has been pretty crazy. There are loads of the kids now who have gone on to uni and they’re still playing basketball, which is good to know.”

Harrison also became involved with Dorothy Goodman School in his first year at the club. Having been involved with the care of disabled children all his life through his mum’s career, the Riders’ forward was eager to continue her work. Approached

by Liam Deacy to help out at events, Harrison attended sports days, awards evenings, and visited the school regularly to give back to the children.

“It’s challenging but rewarding work and satisfying to see the kids enjoying themselves,” he told us.

Loughborough College an 18-yearold student passed away. Harrison set up a memorial game that was attended by over 600 guests and raised £2000. “I still remember his mum breaking down. It was emotional but well worth it,” he said.

Beyond charity work, the 26-year-old often goes to the races around local racecourses including Leicester’s own in Oadby. “My best friend Grant Copson writes about horses for Final Flight Publications so whenever I have a weekend off, I go to the races with him.” And when he’s not with Grant or playing basketball, he spends most of his time with his wife who he has been in a relationship with since they were 14 years old.

We look forward to seeing Harrison play out the rest of his career with the Riders.

NICHE FEATURE

THINK

outside the hotel The trend for unique conferencing was big news in 2018.

Emily Kirton talks prestigious conferencing in a unique setting with Rob Bracken of Leicester Racecourse

I

f there’s something to take from 2018 and the conferencing sector, it might just be ‘think outside the hotel’ or ‘so long stadium box’. Demand for non-traditional meetings and events spaces already shot up by nearly 4% in 2017 and by another 3.8% in 2018 (AMEX Global Meeting Forecast).

More than a humble venue to watch the horses speed by, Leicester Racecourse is home to a host of impressive conferencing facilities for up to 1000 delegates. Located on the city’s periphery, the contemporary and unique venue has excellent road and rail network access for delegates to come from all over the UK and beyond.

Rob told us: “We are able to hold a whole host of meetings, conferences, exhibitions and product launches at

any time of the year and provide a committed team to make ‘it’ happen whatever ‘it’ might be.”

So, what in Rob’s opinion, is the real gem in the Racecourse’s extensive conferencing options? “It has got to be The Kube. With over 700 square metres of space, it really gives businesses the chance to create whatever they would like for any event.” The venue’s further six suites provide a range of options to cater for a wide variety in events from large product launches to small intimate team meetings. Each room offers incredible views of the racecourse, has their own bar, electronic blackout blinds, presentation flip charts, delegate stationery, projectors and screens, and even integrated PA systems.

Rob noted: “Within each of these

We are able to hold a whole host of meetings, conferences, exhibitions and product launches at any time of the year

86 | NICHE

NICHE FEATURE

rooms, we have a great range of different conference and meeting equipment to assist you with your event. Of course, there is free Wi-Fi available throughout. So, essentially, the location has everything a business would need for an event to not only run smoothly but to be a business meeting like no other.”

Not one to take all the glory, Rob makes a nod to the whole events team: “Our team are, in my view, some of the best in the UK. Assisting with any specialist equipment, for any style of event, they want the day to flow effortlessly for all involved. From dietary requirements to pens, everything is carefully considered and executed.”

What can a delegate expect from the kitchens? “World class fine dining!

From breakfast, lunch or nibbles, to evening dinner dances, afternoon teas and champagne three course meals, they are all part of the racecourse’s culinary offerings!” Rob said.

Beat other businesses to the post with this standout conference location and create a conference to remember.

The venue is located a short distance from Leicester City centre and the Midlands railway network, as well as being close to the M1 and M69.

0116 271 6515 leicester-racecourse.co.uk

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NICHE MOTOR

Forum

SUPPORTING LOCAL IAN HALLAM IMI Regional Sales Manager at 360 Autoleasing

As a business it’s profoundly important to us to support our local community and the charities within it, not only in accordance with 360 Autoleasing’s company values, but also to us as individuals. As a regional sales manager I am of course focused on my work, but charity work also plays a leading role in our personal lives.

We strongly believe in ‘putting back’ what our local community does each and every time our customers choose old fashioned service to shop local

and use our services. This year, we decided to show this commitment to not only our own values but also to those of the company by paying £10 to either The Leicester Riders or Hope Against Cancer. With every new order, the customer simply chooses the charity they would like the money to go to, it’s a simple tick of a box and we handle the rest!

Our chosen charities are personally very important to us.

I sponsor Riders player Harrison Gamble, we enjoy watching the games taking our clients and also spending time with our families there.

We see the value and importance of how they involve the community and young people. Cancer affects so many people, Hope’s mission is

a future where more people survive cancer, they have done tremendous work in funding research to ensure Leicester is recognised as a cancer research centre of excellence and we share their vision for the future.

360 Autoleasing is proud to be a part of their business club and feel inspired at every lunch. It’s one thing for businesses to say that charity and community are important to them but another to actually commit to it and we know that actions speak louder than words – particularly where charity work is concerned!

01509 767 025

360autoleasing-leicestershire.co.uk

Discover the best vehicle contract hire and leasing offers ...for businesses and individuals With every vehicle purchased we will donate £10 to either Hope Against Cancer or the Riders Foundation.

01509 767 025 www.360autoleasing-leicestershire.co.uk leicestershire@360autoleasing.co.uk

88 | NICHE

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JULIE JORDAN SPENCE

SNOW STORM READY Make sure your vehicle is ready for the potential snowy days ahead by checking your tyres are in the best possible condition. More than legal protocol, tyres are essential for vehicle safety particularly in the colder months. ◆ Firstly, check for signs of wear and tear, damage or a puncture on a regular basis. ◆ Check the tyre pressure is to the recommended level. The wrong pressure could result in the tyre wearing down more quickly and if too low can cause excessive fuel consumption. ◆ The legal minimum tyre tread is 1.6mm. A quick and easy way to check this is the 20p coin test. Place a 20p coin in the main tread grooves of the tyre. If the outer band of the 20p coin is obscured when inserted, the tread is above the legal limit. If you can see the outer band of the coin, then your tyre tread may be below the legal limit. ◆ Be prepared for a puncture.

Although it’s not a legal requirement to carry a spare tyre, if you do, you must ensure it meets the legal requirements if being used. Be aware, that most new cars don’t have a full-sized spare tyre in the boot.

Always consult the manual and fit the best/newest tyres on the back. Never mix tyres. Always fit the same tyres on the front or rear axis.

0116 289 2308 jordanmotors-leicester.co.uk NICHE | 89

NICHE LIFESTYLE

Forum

EXPERIENCING THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX JENNIFER HANLON Director at Hanlon Hospitality You may get the chance to meet a famous racing hero in Singapore whilst enjoying one of our luxury travel Grand Prix packages this September. This would be the cherry on the cake of an unforgettable, three-day ticket, VIP-trip filled with incredible experiences.

Singapore is a melting pot of cultures, boasting superb tourist attractions, shopping and culinary experiences for every taste.

Restaurants of all standards are plentiful and present an array of cuisines. Browse through designer brands at one of many vast shopping centres dotted across the city.

With a Hanlon Hospitality Singapore Grand Prix package, you’ll experience a spectacular view from the Padang Grandstand situated on the driver’s left. You’ll be treated to canapés, a four-course dinner, and free-flowing Champagne and other alcoholic beverages. You’ll have access to an exclusive private outdoor grandstand and lifestyle area with themed restaurants, bars, concierge

service, entertainment, and spa, as well as all Circuit Park entertainment.

There’ll also be daily pitlane walks for you to get involved in, with unrivalled views of the mechanics in action at the Formula 1® team garages.

And to top it all off, you’ll gain an exclusive invite to the Grand Prix After Party at the Ritz Carlton. Artists who have previously performed for the event include The Black Eyed Peas, Boyzone and Joel Madden!

07568 339 218 hanlonhospitality.co.uk

VIP EVENT SPECIALISTS

The Singapore Grand Prix 20TH 24TH SEPTEMBER 2019 Experience the sights and sounds of this beautiful sovereign-island-city while you enjoy the thrill of the night race on the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

5 Star accomodation I Grand Prix After Party I Executive private transfers hanlonhospitality.co.uk I jennifer@hanlonhospitality.co.uk I 07568 339218 90 | NICHE

NICHE FEATURE

Become a Curve Business Associate and enjoy a range of benefits...

Engage and entertain clients through our bespoke hospitality service, preferential rates on venue hire, corporate booking service and regular B2B networking events.

Our Business Associates also benefit from added marketing value through various branding opportunities year round.

CONTACT Alex Bliss Sponsorship and Projects Manager a.bliss@curvetheatre.co.uk 0116 242 3580

NICHE REVIEW

Contemporary comfort An exciting new hotel in the heart of Leeds boasts 59 unique character filled rooms with the stylish re-build inspired by the city’s tailoring heritage and Yorkshire’s textile industry

C

onveniently located in the heart of Leeds, the Mercure is the perfect base for those looking to explore the city with Leeds Railway Station just a short five-minute walk away. With the thriving city right on its doorstop this contemporary yet comfortable accommodation allows guests to enjoy the excitement of this bustling northern city from within the heart of the action.

Modern design and quirky features merge with Yorkshire textiles and collectibles reminiscent of a traditional tailor shop. Each room has been carefully designed to allow for all

92 | NICHE

the mod cons but with plenty of personality to the design giving the hotel a cool boutique vibe whilst retaining a professional and stylish appeal. Both Standard and Privilege rooms are available with Privilege adding that further touch of luxury to a stay with rooms coming complete with balcony, king size bed, bathrobe, slippers, Nespresso coffee machine, flat screen TV and daily newspaper.

Guests can expect exceptional British cuisine in The Loom restaurant, which further showcases the designer’s flair and eye for detail with a laidback, trendy atmosphere and an

in style

ITS LOCATION IS UNBEATABLE FOR CITY CENTER VISITS – I EVEN MANAGED TO WALK INTO THE CITY CENTRE IN HEELS – IT’S THAT CLOSE!

impressive selection of drinks including wine, unique beers and cocktails.

Jenny Cross, Cross Productions Managing Director says: “I had the pleasure of staying at this gorgeous new hotel just recently and it certainly lives up to the hype. Its location is unbeatable for city center visits – I even managed to walk into the city centre in heels – it’s that close! It has a really comfortable, yet contemporary feel and the breakfast was amazing!” accorhotels.com

NICHE REVIEW

Relax

and recuperate Live out your new year commitment to your self-care promise in the sumptuous surroundings of Whittlebury Hall

W

ith an aim to take you on a journey that will rejuvenate, relax and refresh both mind and body, the spa is located in Northamptonshire as part of the luxury hotel and restaurant at Whittlebury Hall and is the perfect place to unwind and take some time out for yourself.

The spa, which features a variety of stimulating heat and ice experiences, soothing therapies and ancient bathing rituals are all designed to let you unwind and escape in a unique and immersive experience. The range of experiences increase the body’s temperature gradually as you move through the different rooms invigorating the body. Designed to stimulate your circulation and senses, the rooms build your temperature to then finish with an awakening, ice cave experience.

Eliminating toxins and exfoliating

your skin, the rejuvenating finish is wonderfully unique to the spa.

To compliment the heat and ice experience you will find an array of pampering opportunities at the day spa with treatments from the houses of Elemis, ESPA and Jessica. You can indulge in a range of specialist facials, massages and many more of the very latest treatments including targeted toning treatments.

To accompany your stay, why not indulge in a delicious lunch or evening meal? Whittlebury’s food offerings play a very important part with guests having a choice of visiting the Silverstone Bar to enjoy an aperitif or a glass of wine, Astons with its mix of classic and contemporary cuisine and The Terrace Café in The Leisure Club, which provides an informal dining affair with meals

GUESTS THAT WANT TO TAKE THEIR RELAXATION TIME TO A MUCH DESERVED NEXT LEVEL COULD EVEN STAY OVERNIGHT IN ONE OF THE STUNNING ROOMS

and snacks. Whatever food fare takes your fancy there will be something to suit.

Guests that want to take their relaxation time to a much deserved next level could even stay overnight in one of the stunning rooms. Where comfort is king, their double or twin rooms come complete with en suite bathrooms, Wi-Fi and a host of other modern touches as well as being beautifully decorated throughout.

Situated in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside Whittlebury Hall provides that perfect relaxing getaway which you will want to return to time and time again.

01327 850 489 whittlebury.com NICHE | 93

Leicester Comedy Festival celebrates membersclub club celebrates exclusive exclusive members A special comedy night, targeted at businesses, is to take place this February as part of the annual 19-day event WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

A

brand-new show, 25 Comedy Club – Festival Special, will kickstart Leicester Comedy Festival 2019. The members only club is organised by the producers of the annuallyanticipated Leicester Comedy Festival and the hilarious Alternative Business Awards, which is taking a break in 2019 before returning in 2020.

The show will take place on Wednesday, February 6 at the revamped Haymarket Theatre.

The night will showcase a bumper version of the regular 25 Comedy Club, which takes place throughout the year at venues across Leicester and Leicestershire. It’s an exclusive business membersonly club, which enables its associates to enjoy the best stand-up comedians around, whilst entertaining clients and colleagues.

Hosting the February show will be Patrick Monahan who famously hosted previous Alternative Business Awards 94 | NICHE

together with a line-up of fantastic comedians. All proceeds from the show will go to support the charity behind the annual festival, Big Difference Company.

Geoff Rowe, Director of Leicester Comedy Festival, said: “We increasingly rely on support from local businesses for financial support to sustain the annual festival and our year-round charitable work with communities across Leicester and Leicestershire.

“The 25 Comedy Club – Festival Special show will feature some incredible comedians, entertaining you and your colleagues and clients. We know Leicester and Leicestershire business people love a good night out and we look forward to seeing you at the show, which is going to help us launch Leicester Comedy Festival 2019.”

Tickets are now on sale for the February show, and membership of the yearround 25 Comedy Club is also

WE RELY ON SUPPORT FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO SUSTAIN THE ANNUAL FESTIVAL AND OUR YEAR-ROUND CHARITABLE WORK

available. Joining means you will have exclusive access to fantastic comedy shows as well as supporting Big Difference Company at the same time.

Limited to 25 members per year, the organisers ask for the trust of its members as there is a catch – they don’t reveal the venue for each show until you’ve confirmed your tickets! But don’t worry, Geoff and his team know a thing or two about comedy having produced Leicester Comedy Festival for the past 25 years. Each night features the very best comedians from across the UK – plus the odd special guest!

To be in with a chance to join the 25 Comedy Club, or to obtain tickets for the Festival Special show in February, contact Big Difference Company.

0116 261 6812 katherine@ bigdifferencecompany.co.uk Charity no. 1135167

NICHE CULTURE

Play It Again, Sam?

S

ometimes your heart just sinks when you hear the word ‘remake’. “Where’s the originality in that?” is the oft heard and usually anguished cry.

I, on the other hand, had never seen A Star Is Born in its three previous versions: the 1937 original starring Janet Gaynor and Frederic March; the classic 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason as Hollywood ingénue and leading man struggling with alcohol addiction; and the 1976 version that saw Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristoferson in a music based drama with the same title and storyline.

Bradley Cooper has also chosen A Star Is Born to make his 2018 directorial debut, and this remake of the 1976 version has been positively received by critics such as Mark Kermode, Peter Bradshaw of the

TRACEY MILLER

Director at The Miller Partnership Guardian, and by many of us in the Phoenix Talking Pictures group, myself included.

Lady Gaga is a fabulous singer and Ally is a stunning feature film debut role for her. I wasn’t expecting Bradley Cooper, as superstar Jackson Maine, to be as accomplished on stage – the rousing performance filmed at Glastonbury was terrific according to those I know who were actually there.

The remodelling of the young singer-songwriter into an homogenous plastic pop star feels horribly inevitable, and Jack’s disintegration and spiralling disillusionment accompanied by drink, drugs, public humiliation and breakdown had much of the audience in tears.

The surrounding cast including Sam Elliott as Jack’s brother Bobby,

Ally’s dad Lorenzo (Andrew Dice Clay) and his muso cronies, best friend Ramon, and the stunning sequence as Ally meets Jackson singing in drag at a late night bar, added both depth and lightness to a story which has been made and remade again and again.

The 2012 Oscar winning Best Motion Picture The Artist also features the theme of an established star eclipsed by the young ingénue. So, is this a tale of love as old as fame itself?

Can Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born gain Oscar recognition, too?

Oscar Nominations will be announced on Tuesday, January 22 with the 91st Academy Awards taking place on February 24, 2019.

traceyannmiller@hotmail.com

NICHE CARE

MELTON CARE HOME RESIDENTS SCOOP WIN AT TWILIGHT GAMES The Amwell, a residential, nursing, dementia and respite care home in Asfordby Road, took the plaudits in the Twilight Games

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he Twilight Games is a county-wide initiative devised by Leicestershire & Rutland Sport (LRS) with the objective of enhancing the day-to-day life of care home residents through increased mobility and social activity, improving mental health and wellbeing. Ozzy O’Shea, chairman of Leicestershire City council, presented the trophy to the Amwell residents.

Over a two-week period, residents took part in four activities devised for people with a range of abilities, including audio basketball and sitting volleyball. Points were awarded for each game and tallied up so participating care homes could be ranked. The Amwell gained the top spot with a total of 70 points; 20 points more than the care home in second place.

Individual high scorers were acknowledged for personal achievement. The winner of the audio basketball was The Amwell resident, Pat Griffiths (93).

Care home manager of The Amwell, Tracy Heyes, said: “Knowing the emotional and physical health benefits of sports for our residents, we were really keen to get involved. Our residents love activities involving teamwork, learning new skills, and with a gentle competitive element this was the perfect mix.

“The fact that The Amwell came top of the leader board

was the icing on the cake. Everyone is really looking forward to the award ceremony for receiving the trophy, medals and certificates!”

The Twilight Games initiative which has been enjoyed by over 38 care homes in the past two years, is managed by LRS who provided the staff training, resources and equipment to enable The Amwell to take part.

01664 882 525 theamwellcare.com info@theamwellcare.com NICHE | 95

BUSINESS FOCUS

Charity

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) CSR is a broad term used to describe a company’s efforts to improve society in some way, from donating money to nonprofits to implementing environmentally-friendly policies in the workplace

BARRIE STEPHEN Managing Director at Barrie Stephen

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n an industry as competitive as mine, having a point of difference that makes you stand out is imperative. Barrie Stephen Hair is renowned for delivering the very pinnacle of excellence in hair services, but this can only take my business so far. Our clients and potential clients value us for making a significant contribution to our local, and business, community. It shows that the bottom line isn’t the driving force in the business, and this in turn gives an assurance of our commitment to quality.

CSR lies at the heart of my business because I am a local lad and making a difference to Leicester is one of my key drivers.

The actions we take as a company have two points of focus: 1. The heart of the business is our people – our clients and our staff.

Client welfare is paramount to me. I am committed to driving positive social change. This is demonstrated by my Don’t Skip the Skin Test campaign, which calls for salons nationwide to put client wellbeing before profit by skin testing before every colour service.

For my team, along with their regular schedule of 121s and appraisals, we invest time in their wellbeing, with regular workplace sessions and classes such as self-defence, yoga and tai chi, and raising awareness of stress and mental health at work.

2. For the wider community, we spend a significant amount of time and resource fundraising and raising the profile of our chosen charity, Leicester Animal Aid. As an Ambassador to the charity this is very close to my heart, but everyone in the business really gets involved. Just this month we have a sponsored dog walk and are collecting shoeboxes filled with donated gifts of food, toys, collars etc. which we will be delivering to the shelter just before Christmas.

I believe it is important to show that our commitment to supporting people and charitable causes is genuine and embedded in our culture by making all our projects work for the long term – not just token interventions.

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NIGEL ROSE Chief Executive at Hope Against Cancer

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SR has become a business priority for any company that values its reputation and brand. The key players who determine a company’s priorities and deliver business success – including customers and employees – have come to recognise that company behaviours are significant in shaping the kind of society in which they live and work. CSR is one of the fastest growing issues across the business world locally, nationally, and globally as companies recognise that real and sustained value can be generated through well-managed, strategic CSR policies and programmes.

The essence of a strong CSR programme is to recognise the impact of all stakeholders on the success of the business objectives and manage these relationships in a way that delivers enhanced value for the company, whilst also doing right by the myriad of groups involved in and around the business.

This approach can win new customers, save costs and enhance brand reputation. Quite simply, CSR can be good for the bottom-line! But it’s worth remembering that sometimes the best and most useful partnerships are those where no money even changes hands. For example, the Samaritans teamed up with Aviva Trains where the operator paid for advertising on its trains worth £1m aimed at an anti-suicide campaign. The company fulfilled its CSR agenda, focusing on an issue that sadly affected many train drivers and crew, and the charity raised awareness and potentially saved lives.

We’re committed to creating mutually beneficial relationships with our region’s wealth of successful businesses and organisations.

As well as vital funds, companies have donated gifts alongside time and expertise, and have supported their staff’s involvement with us too.

NICHE FEATURE

A place for

Breathing Space Worrying statistics show an increase in mental health issues – we discuss this with Focus Charity Youth Work Project Manager Joe Roughton

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etween 1995 and 2014 the proportion of children and young people aged 4-24 in England reporting a long-standing mental health condition increased sixfold. This meant that by 2014 almost one in twenty children and young people in England reported having a mental health condition, according to a study by academics at University College London, Imperial College London, University of Exeter, and the Nuffield Trust.

There are many reasons why this might be the case, but Leicester based youth charity Focus has some refreshing answers to this growing problem.

The charity’s Breathing Space project engages young people between the ages of 13-24 with mild to moderate mental health concerns with the use of outdoor activities. Participants’ lives are improving dramatically through nurturing outdoor spaces on an allotment and growing produce, making fires, workshops, and connecting to nature.

Youth Worker and Breathing Space Project Manager Joe

Roughton tells us: “Being in the outdoors really seems to help the young people to open up and connect with others. As a result, their self-confidence and self-esteem improves greatly.

The programme on the allotment with the elderly group and young people improved on levels of loneliness and isolation.”

The young people at Breathing Space are involved in creating a supporting community with plans in motion for various sensory enhancements to the allotment site such as transforming a boat into a reading area, and a cabin made into a workshop hub.

Workshops can involve bush craft skills, learning and applying practical skills and developing ways to cope with emotions, approach mental health concerns, and make real connections with people.

“Many young people see great changes in just allowing themselves some ‘time out’ from their everyday lives, whether that’s from home or school or even just giving themselves a

WORDS BY EMILY KIRTON

MANY YOUNG PEOPLE SEE GREAT CHANGES IN JUST ALLOWING THEMSELVES SOME ‘TIME OUT’ FROM THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES

break from the pressures of social media. It’s amazing that you can often visibly see the young people relax after just half an hour in an open space outdoors.

It’s therapeutic for all ages.

“We encourage people from local businesses to come for an afternoon with us on an individual or group basis in what can be a ‘team building’ day getting stuck in with building the Breathing Space vision.”

Many organisations are already signing up to be a part of this hugely positive venture with Midlands children’s charity Wooden Spoon one of the latest.

Businesses and organisations can look to sponsor different aspects of the project.

A truly proactive solution to a growing concern, having groundbreaking access to services like this is very special indeed. Get involved, make a real difference to the stats.

0116 251 0369 0780 812 8803 focus-charity.co.uk NICHE | 97

Another record-breaking year

for Colin’s tin

A local ice cream man has helped to raise over £40,000 in just one year for Wishes 4 Kids WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

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he grand total came in at the end of last year when American company Arconic, based in Wigston, granted £7749.54.

The donation was secured by Gez Varney, an ice cream man who heard of the Wishes 4 Kids charity at his son’s South Wigston martial arts club; Shane Varney Karate School.

“A lad who went to the school had Down’s Syndrome. He was called Jack Adcock, you’ve probably heard of him in the news,” Gez told us. “His parents told me that they had been granted a wish to Disneyland in Paris from Wishes 4 Kids. Jack was poorly some time later and was rushed into hospital and sadly passed away” It was during this time that a trustee of the charity, Janine Bates, approached Gez when seeking an ice cream van to accompany them to a Donington Park event where disabled and terminally ill children got

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to experience vintage and super cars.

Gez was overcome with emotion at the sight of the children’s experience having four energetic young grandchildren himself.

On the Donington event, Gez said: “I know what a handful my own grandkids can be but they’re healthy and I looked at those kids who were absolutely loving it and you just want to make things extra special for them.”

With the gleaming faces of children who have been granted their biggest wish fresh in his mind, Gez jumped at the chance to help Jack’s parents fundraise in his memory. He commented: “They’re the absolute salt of the earth. They’ve gone through so much and you can see the pain.

They were £800 short of their £20,000 target so me and my son got all the kids involved at the karate school and managed to raise £2,000!

“I saw how much fun all the kids had, and I thought ‘I’ve got an ice cream van and loads of people on Facebook, why can’t I raise a few quid?’ I got a Wishes4Kids charity tub and put it in the van. But I needed a gimmick. So, I got a puppet called Colin. He goes everywhere with me and now he’s been on tour with LCFC and even been on Australian TV, live TV in Portugal, and interviewed in Saville.”

Gez says that Colin has become a bit of an icon in Leicester, but we think perhaps it’s Gez himself who is admired by the Leicester public. The cheeky chappy has created an honest brand – with the help of Colin – that the community relates to.

“I get people drive by beeping me and I have no idea who they are! It’s probably because I’m a cheeky sod because I say to my regulars ‘it was only 30p change so I’ve put it in Colin’s

*Gez wasn’t paid for this interview – he would prefer any donations

NICHE FEATURE

You can’t just stay doing the same thing, you’ve got to keep coming up with new ideas

tin for you,’” he laughed.

As a wish can cost anything up to £2500, Gez pledged to raise £500. As word spread, people began donating unwanted Christmas gifts and things lying around their homes, which Gez and Colin auctioned off on Facebook live videos – something the pair have become famous with locals for.

The auctions went beyond expectations, and Gez found himself wanting to raise more. Through various fundraising activities, Gez and Colin raised £12,500 in 2014 for Wishes 4 Kids, and its late founder Russell Brickett, who passed away last year, couldn’t thank him enough. In his second-year fundraising, Gez and Colin raised a whopping £38,000, and £36,000 in the third year. Raising £40,000 last year means he’s smashed the top record for donations four years in a row. The grand total of Gez’s four

years with the charity is over £130,000.

This year, Gez has guaranteed to raise £70,000.

Always thinking of new ways to raise money the ice cream man said: “You can’t just stay doing the same thing, you’ve got to keep coming up with new ideas. I’ve said to the kids on my round before that I’m collecting all pennies and twos and got £800 just from that. It’s also brought awareness to kids as young as seven who now care about all this!”

His hard work was officially commended when Russell asked if he would do him the honour of becoming a trustee. Gez said: “Russell asking me to be trustee was a reward in itself. When he asked, I said, ‘can I have some time to think about it?’ So, I stood up and said, ‘yeah I’ll do it!’ I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it if it wasn’t for my wife Linda who backs

to be made to Colin’s tin! Contact gezvarney@btinternet.com

me 100 per cent, and Tara and Lisa who help fundraise and take a lot of the strain off from running my own business too.”

You can help Gez and Colin reach their £70,000 target by the end of the year by having some fun at the annual bonfire night party – keep an eye out on the Wishes4Kids Facebook page for details. Last year over £17,000 was raised at the event alone and over 2000 guests attended. And this year, there’ll be an extra special guest!

In the meantime, spot Gez’s Ices in areas such as Eyres Monsell, Wigston and Knighton.

Facebook: @Wishes4Kids Facebook auctions: Gez’s Wishes for Kids Auctions

NICHE | 99

Charity adds to its services

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A women’s charity has set up a counselling hub to provide beneficiaries with further support

inthiya Trust; a charity that offers support and guidance for victims of domestic abuse, and those living in poverty – particularly women – has set up the Leicester Therapy Hub (LTH) in the heart of the city centre.

LTH is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and has fully qualified therapists who are

professionally trained and supervised working to high ethical standards. It specialises in addressing root causes of depression and anxiety and in providing emotional support for people affected by cancer.

A one-off fee of £15 for the assessment session is charged and each 50-minute session costs £50 for individuals and children, £60 for

couples, and £70 for families. LTH has no external funding and, operating on a social model, the charity uses part of its full rates to support those who might otherwise not have access to professional therapy.

One beneficiary said: “I was depressed. I’d been taking antidepressants for over three years and was working in an unfulfilling job.

Within six months, with non-judgemental therapeutic support from my highly skilled therapist, I have been empowered to come off my antidepressants and I’ve started a new job within a company that values me and my skills.”

LHT is keen to work with employers and organisations that value professional therapy and will promote counselling to their clients and staff. You can also get in touch with LHT to make donations.

0116 403 1414 Charity no. 1137350 enquiries@leicestertherapyhub.org.uk

COUNCELLING FOR: anxiety, bullying, cancer, carer support, child related issues, depression, disabilities, domestic violence, family issues, grief, PTSD, pregnancy and birth, relationship issues, self-harm, separation and divorce, sexuality, stress and more

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NICHE SOCIAL

Hope through Business Lunch Celebrating a whole year of fantastic successes and 15 years of Hope in total, the bi-annual Hope Through Business Lunch took place on Wednesday, November 21, 2018.

Hope through Business has become the leading Leicester charity-based business club and offers its members a great opportunity to entertain and network with clients, whilst supporting Leicestershire in playing its part in the local and national fight against cancer.

During the event, its organisers promoted the aims and objectives of the club and reported on firms’ individual fundraising progress.

Director of the Hope Against Cancer Clinical Trials Facility at the Leicester Royal Infirmary Professor Anne Thomas explained to the room how Leicester is the centre of research excellence and the breakthroughs being made by the money raised by Hope. More than 100 clinical studies are currently being run in a wide range of cancer types. Guests also heard from cancer patient Mark Mercala, the inspirational and heart-warming story of how he benefited from a Hope clinical trial.

Charity patrons Eileen Richards MBE of Eileen Richards Recruitment and Duncan Green of Pick Everard, delivered touching speeches about why Hope’s work is important to them, Leicester, and the world.

NICHE || 107 101 NICHE

NICHE SOCIAL

Focus Charity Honors Local Personalities During 30th anniversary celebrations for youth charity Focus on Thursday, November 15, business owner Jenny Cross was named Trustee Board Member, and former professional snooker player Willie Thorne was appointed as patron.

The pair, popular within the Leicestershire business networking circles, were among many guests invited to the charity’s anniversary dinner held at the Riders Stadium, Morningside Arena.

Jenny, who owns marketing company Cross Productions, has been known to support many charities over the years often promoting them in her companies bi-monthly publication Niche Magazine. And Willie, having previously been asked to represent the charity as patron, hosted the night as compère, where his new position was publicly announced.

As trustee and patron, the two new associates of Focus will act in the charity’s interest, take legal responsibility of the organisation, delegate tasks and authority, support the head of staff, be up to date with Focus’ finances, and ensure its goals are in line with its vision. Both will see to that these objectives are met whilst continuing with their work outside of Focus.

102 | NICHE

NICHE SOCIAL

Mattioli Woods PROFILE1 netwoking A new networking group got off the ground in Leicester – with its first meeting held high above the city centre rooftops.

The fifth-floor sky lounge of Mattioli Woods’ recently-opened offices in New Walk hosted the inaugural gathering of PROFILE1.

Four hundred staff have moved into the building after switching from the company’s previous base at Grove Park, Enderby.

More than 80 representatives of local business and commerce attended the PROFILE1 get-together.

Future meetings are set to take place every quarter.

Mattioli Woods’ chief executive officer, Ian Mattioli MBE, said he welcomed the setting up of the new networking group.

He said it gave businesses the opportunity to network, create “real friendships” and “enjoy the space” of his firm’s new surroundings.

PROFILE1 next meets at the New Walk offices on February 7, 2019 (5.30pm-8pm)

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