Niche Magazine Issue 36

#FindYourNiche

January/February 2020

GLYNIS WRIGHT & CO WHY JANUARY 2ND IS DIVORCE DAY

Traction Matters The Entrepreneurial Operating Systems

Growth Hub Leicester’s best business secret

#NicheBizAwards Raise your business profile, nominate now

NICHE M A

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The sixth ceremony of the annual Niche Business Awards will take place Friday, September 4 The event will treat guests to live acts, a famed three course meal, themed entertainment, and a chance to socialise at one of the largest scale events of the year.

It’s set to be another year of scrupulous judges studying hundreds of nominations, another mystery theme, another great night out for the sixth year celebrating the success of local companies.

The Niche Business Awards 2020 will be held in the wonderful Art Deco building of Athena in the city’s cultural quarter.

Originally built in 1936 by Arthur Bulivant as an Odeon cinema that accommodated over 3000 guests, Athena’s architecture is awe-inspiring and perfectly fitting to this year’s theme.

Last year’s 400 seats were a complete sell-out months before the event so book your seats and tables now to avoid disappointment. Bookings can be made by phone or email.

THE CATEGORIES Best New Business Best Family Business Best Small Business Digital Business of the Year Innovation in Business Business Growth Rising Star Employer of the Year

Best Customer Service Leicestershire Charity of the Year Achievement in Sport Educational Excellence Professional Services Businesswoman of the Year Businessman of the Year Community Champion

NOMINATE NOW

Nominations opened on December 1, 2019.

So, get nominating for your favourite professionals and businesses on nichemagazine.co.uk Psst… you can also vote for yourself.

Good luck!

0116 271 2573 nichemagazine.co.uk

LEANNE BAKER

JENNY CROSS

SALLY SMITH

MANAGING DIRECTOR 07815 899 574

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

SALES DIRECTOR 07931 220 116

jenny@crossproductions.co.uk

leanne@crossproductions.co.uk

sally@crossproductions.co.uk

LIAM DEACY

TRACEY HUNTER

NIGEL HEWITT

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

liam@crossproductions.co.uk

tracey@crossproductions.co.uk

nigel@crossproductions.co.uk

SUSAN HOLMES

BECCI HOULSTON

HANNAH DOHERTY

DESIGN EDITOR

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE

susan.holmes@crossproductions.co.uk

becci@crossproductions.co.uk

hannah@crossproductions.co.uk

LAUREN RAYBOULD

EMILY KIRTON

JOURNALIST

JOURNALIST

Lauren@crossproductions.co.uk

emily.kirton@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

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 THE EDITOR

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Happy New Year to all our readers and partners!

You may remember me as a past member of the Niche team. I first worked with the magazine for work experience when studying film and journalism at De Montfort University, and was hired full time after graduating. After four years with Niche I left to explore the world of PR and marketing and have enjoyed writing for Leicester Mercury. There are still lots of areas I want to progress in, which is important in a company that is so growth orientated. Now I’m back and ready to take on some exciting challenges as Editor.

It’s always a fun few months in the run up to the holiday festivities, particularly with a team as sociable as ours. We love a good party and looked forward to attending the Network LE Christmas do. Our CEO Jenny Cross attended the East Midland’s Chamber Christmas lunch representing Federation of Small Businesses as one of its area leads. We congratulated Mark Jenkins from Jenkins and Jenkins on his 30th business birthday celebrating three decades in the industry.

It can often be difficult to get us all together in one

nichemagazineuk

@magazineniche

place these days with so many of us off at events and meetings, so it was lovely for all of us to be together at Athena this year for our Christmas party. We hold the annual #NicheBizAwards at Athena – it’s a venue we’re very fond of that we always seem to gravitate to.

Speaking of the awards, we’ve worked hard on collating a prestigious panel of judges, each one with a distinguished skillset. We’ll be announcing the judges early on in the year so keep a look out if they’ve not already been spotted.

Exciting meetings that have taken place for us have included meeting the Growth Hub team and learning more about how much support is available to business new and established. We’ve also found out more about Growth Partners and their exciting long-term plans for growth.

We’re very sad to have to say goodbye to our Business Development Manager Liam Deacy as he goes off to his new role as Fundraising and Marketing Manager for Menphys. But it won’t be the last we see of him – we’ll continue to mingle at networking events, and no doubt spot him out supporting Leicester City at any opportunity.

#FindYourNiche

Thank you to 360 Autoleasing for keeping us driving business forward

CONTENTS

NEWS 08 Business News 10 Sarah Harrison 12 Growth Hub

BUSINESS FOCUS 14 JSP Virtual 17 The Turnaround CEO 20 DMU 22 Traction Matters 24 Ask the experts 26 2XL Commercial Finance 27 Finance Lab 28 My Continuum 28 The Miller Partnership 29 Leicestershire Law Society 30 Glynis Wright & Co Family Solicitors 32 Legal columns

Featuring Paradigm Wills and Legal Services, Hollingsworths Solicitors

28 Paradigm Wills and Legal Services 34 Marketing Columns

Featuring IvyJack Communications, Soar Valley Press and Freeline Creative

37 38 40 64

IvyJack Communations Freeline Creative Creative62 Property columns

Featuring Oadby House

47

Oadby House

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2020

49 54 56 57 60 60 62

Sarson Electrical PRP Hickman & Smith Architects Growth Partners Nuffield Health HotPod Yoga Health Columns

Featuring Priti Coles, Somerby Pharmacy and Function Jigsaw

63 Stoneygate Eye Hospital 65 Rossell Fitness 66 Whittlebury Park 68 Bev Sankey & Arbonne 69 SanaMente Hypnotherapy 71 Leicester Racecourse 72 Foodcourt 74 Food Columns

Featuring Greens Catering

75 Greens Catering 77 St Martins House 82 360 AutoLeasing Leicester

SOCIAL 85 86 88 90 91 94 94

Tracey Miller Culture Corporate Social Responsibility Hope Against Cancer Twenty Twenty Focus The Childrens Family Trust Zinthiyas Trust

Cover: Glynis Wright & Co

photographed by Katie Neeves Martin Neeves Photography & Film 01455 271 849 martinneeves.com

Photography & Video courtesy of: Alex Benyon Photography alexbenyonphotography.co.uk Adam King hello@incitevideo.co.uk

30 COVER STORY

Glynis Wright & Co Family Solicitors

12 The Growth Hub

22 Traction Matters

54 PRP

77 St Martins House

BUSINESS NEWS LEICESTERSHIRE

Completion date announced for new Great Central Square offices opposite Highcross The completion date for Leicester’s latest grade A office scheme has been revealed.

The new building off Vaughan Way in the city is part of a £50 million mixed use development that has already helped changed the city skyline.

Developers are now talking to potential tenants for the 33,000 sq. ft office block which will be completed by December 19, 2020.

The Great Central Square complex – just across the inner ring road from Highcross shopping centre – also includes a 10-storey Novotel and sixstorey Adagio aparthotel, with 250 rooms between them and a 120-seat, independently run restaurant. They will open in the new year.

A Lane7 bowling alley in the Victorian former Central Railway Station, at the back end of the scheme, will also

open in the new year. The new hotel will create around 70 jobs, with more at peak times.

Joseph Murphy, a director of Leicester-based Charles Street Buildings, the property investment company behind the multi-millionpound project, said it had been designed to suit either a single occupier or as many as eight different businesses. He suggested interest in the Grade A office building was already healthy and said finding the right occupier or occupiers was key to ensuring the scheme helped benefit to the wider city.

He said: “They can provide the sustained footfall which surrounding retail and leisure operators depend on.

“Leicester has been in need of this kind of high-specification office space for some time.

“This project has been around five years in the planning and started when the council produced their draft plans for Leicester’s Waterside area.”

Mr Murphy said the family business was set up in the 1940s by his grandfather, and today had a portfolio covering three million sq. ft, with 80 per cent of that in Leicestershire.

Next on the drawing board are plans to develop an eight-acre site at the back of the scheme taking in the old Great Central Railway viaducts, which was being called Project Charlotte. That would include more offices, leisure space and public realm.

East Midlands Chamber President and Vice-President announced The East Midlands Chamber has announced Dawn Edwards as its President for 2019/20.

She received the chains of office from outgoing President Kevin Harris at the Chamber’s Annual General Meeting in November 2019.

Dawn is founder and Managing Director of Challenge Training and Consultancy, an award-winning provider of bespoke and accredited leadership, management and business skills training.

In 2007 Dawn bought a failing Children’s Day Nursery in Nottinghamshire, which was turned around to create a thriving business with an excellent reputation. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and a Member of the 08 | NICHE

Chartered Management Institute.

Addressing delegates, Dawn said: “My first duty as President is to thank Kevin for the amazing work he has done over the past year. He will be a hard act to follow since he has a natural ability to engage and enthuse others.

“I’ve been involved with the Chamber for many years and am truly honoured and feel privileged to have been asked to be your President for 2020.”

Her key areas of focus for the year ahead will include continuing to drive the skills agenda – an area of significant activity for the Chamber – helping to create an even more inclusive Chamber as well as focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility as the Chamber continues to deliver on its

University students fuel solutions to combat logistics skills shortage Pall-Ex has teamed up with De Montfort University (DMU) to help tackle the logistics industry’s nationwide skills shortage.

The palletised freight network has tasked second year marketing students with developing creative ideas to promote careers in the logistics sector to young people aged 16 to 24.

The Ellistown firm has provided a live brief for an integrated marketing campaign, using market research, social media, influencer marketing and PR. Campaigns will promote HGV driving roles and other careers, encouraging applicants from underrepresented groups, such as women and BAME communities.

The industry is facing a growing shortage of drivers due to an ageing workforce; research from workers’ union Unite shows that just 1 per cent of HGV drivers in the UK are aged under 25, while the average age of drivers was recorded at 48 in 2016 – up from 45.3 in 2001 – with 13 per cent aged over 60.

Despite being the UK’s fifth largest employer, responsible for moving 1.41 billion tonnes of goods in 2018 according to figures from the Department for Transport, the logistics industry continues to face recruitment issues.

Rachael Mabe, who runs the Advertising & Promotion module at DMU, said: “It’s fantastic that one of

Leicestershire’s largest companies wants to work with our students on this important marketing campaign.

We’re so proud of the talent and work ethic our students show, and working on live projects like this gives our students invaluable first-hand, practical experiences which enable them to develop the skills and qualities required in the workplace.”

Abby Langley, Marketing Manager at Pall-Ex and DMU Alumni spoke to the students about the project: “It’s great to be back at DMU, I loved my time here.

Pall-Ex are passionate about promoting the logistics industry to the younger generation and I cannot wait to hear the ideas the students come up with.”

Kevin Buchanan, Group CEO at Pall-Ex, commented: “Attracting the younger generation has become more challenging as they are unaware of the scope of jobs available and the opportunities for progression.

“We see this as a learning opportunity for ourselves, as well as the students, as it will enable us to get a fresh perspective from young people themselves and better understand how to inform them on the great opportunities within the logistics sector.

“We want logistics to be a talking point in schools, so we can educate young people on the positives of not only driving, but other roles in the industry and the important role logistics plays in all of our lives.”

vision of enhancing not just businesses but the communities they serve.

Eileen Richards MBE, founder and Managing Director of Leicester-based Eileen Richards Recruitment, was named Vice-President for 2019/20.

With over 25 years’ experience in the recruitment industry, Eileen is also Co-Chair of Enterprising Women, Trustee for Hope Against Cancer and Committee Member for Wooden Spoon Children’s Charity.

She was named 2018 Leicester Mercury Businesswoman of the Year and in the same year was awarded an MBE by the Queen in recognition of her dedication to empowering and supporting local businesses.

NICHE | 09

BUSINESS NEWS

Leicester’s Booming

Tourism Market A £100m investment programme will attract more first-time visitors, and increase repeat visits and overnight stays. Sarah Harrison, City Centre Director, tells us about the ambitious plans for the future of the city’s tourism sector

I ALICE HAWKINS, A LEADING SUFFRAGETTE FROM LEICESTER

BRING THE PAINT INTERNATIONAL STREET ART FESTIVAL, ORGANISED BY GRAFFWERK

SCOOTERAMA IN NEW MARKET SQUARE, PART OF MODS: SHAPING A GENERATION 10 | NICHE

In 2018 Leicester welcomed 11.5 million visitors and over the last ten years the value of tourism has grown by 48 per cent to £650 million. Our confidence in future growth is shared by the private sector and evidenced by the huge investment in new city hotels and tourism attractions.

There have been many highlights over the past five years which have contributed to this growth: 1.3 million visitors to the King Richard III Visitor Centre and Leicester Cathedral have engaged in the story since the reinterment in March 2015.

The story of Alice Hawkins, a leading suffragette from Leicester, was brought to life with an incredible video mapping shown on the back of the historic Corn Exchange at Leicester Market. Leicester was one of only seven cities in the Centenary Cities project marking 100 year of Votes for Women funded by the Government Equalities Office. The 7ft bronze statue of Alice Hawkins was unveiled at an event attended by Peter Barratt, Alice’s great grandson and his daughter, Kate.

Bring The Paint International Street Art Festival, organised by Graffwerk, engaged 250 artists from 22 different countries creating 300 artworks.

MODS: Shaping a Generation exhibition at New Walk Museum told the story of the 1960s Mod scene in Leicester and Nottingham connected through themes of social, financial and creative freedom. 35,000 people attended the exhibition and the associated ReVive Festival spanning 40 venues across the city centre including Scooterama in new Market Square.

A Tourism Growth Plan for Leicester and Leicestershire and a refreshed Leicester Tourism Action Plan 2020-2025 were launched at the Leicester Business Festival in October.

The Leicester Tourism Action Plan complements the regional plan and will help to deliver priorities for the wider

NOVOTEL AND ADAGIO APARTHOTEL COMPLEX DEVELOPED BY CHARLES STREET BUILDINGS

area, for example, product investment, improved productivity and creating a strong, distinctive, visible destination through a campaign entitled Uncover the Story.

Projected growth by 2025 will increase the value of tourism to Leicester to £792 million with a projected 2.5 million increase in visitors and 1,260 more jobs created and safeguarded.

The ambition for the city is to attract more leisure and business tourism first-time visitors, increase repeat visits and overnight stays. A £100 million investment programme in new and existing tourism offers to improve the quality, diversification, productivity and profitability, and will help position Leicester as a soughtafter tourism destination.

Hotel development plans in the city will deliver an additional 850 bedrooms over the next few years.

The 250-room Novotel and Adagio aparthotel complex developed by Charles Street Buildings on the edge of Leicester’s Waterside regeneration area, will open early in the New Year.

Already in the pipeline for a summer 2020 opening is a new 67-bed Travelodge in the heart of the city at the Haymarket. Leicester Tigers plan to be on site in 2020 with a 180-bed hotel and conference centre, while the planned expansion of the King Power stadium also includes a plan for a new hotel. There are also plans to transform the old Fenwick department store building into a premium 110-bed aparthotel.

A business tourism delegate typically spends four times that of a leisure visitor, and business tourism

A business tourism delegate typically spends four times that of a leisure visitor and business tourism events happen all year round events happen all year round and are not dependent on seasonal trends.

Currently, there is relatively low awareness of the city and the wider region as a destination for conferences and events. Leicester is ideally located in the centre of country with easy access to two international airports and good road links – and by train, it’s just over an hour from London St Pancras and European markets.

We don’t have large-scale bespoke conference centres, but Leicester does possess an excellent range of venues and can offer good value for money.

Our new hotels will make the city more competitive and create further capacity. A co-ordinated approach between Leicester and Leicestershire when it comes to bidding for, and marketing, events will be cost-efficient.

The development of a bespoke

business tourism strategy provides a framework to collaborate with tourism partners through a membership model, providing a supported community of suppliers, a compelling new online offer, attendance at trade shows and support from a business tourism manager to handle enquiries.

This plan will realise a stronger relationship between tourism and culture, emphasising our local distinctiveness and heritage, to attract more visitors to stay for longer. The plan will also prioritise visiting friends and family including students and their families. It will celebrate the many different faiths and cultures that shape our city as an exemplar in modern Britain.

0116 299 4444 visitleicester.info NICHE | 11

Leicester’s best

business secret

The Business Gateway Growth Hub, a unique one-stop-shop business support portal, can help you get there – wherever ‘there’ may be. Jenny Cross and Emily Kirton popped into the headquarters at Friars Mill to find out how

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With a team of 12 highly motivated and knowledgeable business support advisers offering expert one-to-one and peer-to-peer business support, events, specialist programmes, funding and much more, the Business Gateway Growth Hub has been Leicester and Leicestershire’s best kept secret – until now. “We want the business community of Leicester and Leicestershire to utilise the fullyfunded services that we have here.

For any business looking to grow we have a wealth of information and support ready and waiting for them.

Whether that’s help in applying for grants, impartial business advice or workshops and networking events, we form lasting and effective, ongoing relationships with business owners whenever they need it,” Jon Egley, Growth Hub Manager, tells us.

Growing your business, no matter its current size, is the goal for most businesses – who doesn’t want increased success for their business in the future? Beginning with a diagnostic approach, a Growth Hub business adviser will assess your existing business with you to find out where and how you can develop and grow.

Business Adviser Aruna Bhagwan explains: “It’s hard for a business owner to see where they could grow 12 | NICHE

We want the business community of Leicester and Leicestershire to utilise the fully-funded services that we have here

their business. It can be difficult to assess their own finances, team and business in general; they are simply too close to it all to see it clearly. As impartial advisers, we are able to assess your business from an outside perspective and this alone can be hugely beneficial.”

Of course, no two businesses are the same and at any given time they will need very different approaches; this is where the right ‘fit’ will be established. “We each have different experiences and areas of expertise to bring to each business owner. We work with them to establish their needs, their goals, and help them work towards them, whether that be through marketing advice, team management or financial assistance,” Senior Business Advice Manager, Russell Pacey comments.

Jon points out that where some business owners and managers may feel like they don’t need advice on the running of their company, every business can benefit in some form from the services available at the Growth Hub. “Smaller businesses may feel that they aren’t ready for ‘growth’ and larger businesses may feel that they have everything established enough and don’t require outside perspectives; however, with the range

NICHE FEATURE of services we have to offer, from our advisers to workshops and networking events, invaluable peer relationships are formed. This helps larger businesses access grants for capital equipment, advanced technology systems and even reducing their carbon footprint with grants to support the installation of energy efficient measures. We can introduce businesses to support that can help them reduce their bottom line.”

Being connected with the Growth Hub means you are also connected to the local business community. “With owners busy running their businesses daily, time can be a real limitation.

When changes happen such as GDPR, which had the potential to have a huge impact on businesses if they couldn’t fully understand its implications, they need to know where to find accurate and up-to-date advice. We can help businesses keep on top of changes and events which might affect them – we help prepare and put them in a stronger position,” Jon explains.

He continues: “We source the most effective support for the business. As part of a national network of growth hubs, the Business Gateway can draw on expertise, best practice and connections from across the Growth Hub Network, central Government, national and local partners such as Department for International Trade, Innovate UK and British Business Bank

It’s incredibly rewarding to watch the businesses grow with the right navigation from ourselves. It really is down to asking the right questions and helping to find the right solutions in addition to local support providers, universities and local authorities.

Advisers at the Business Gateway Growth Hub are passionate about what they do, driven to give business owners the ‘tool kit’ to grow and reach the successes they set out to achieve.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to watch the businesses grow with the right navigation from ourselves. It really is down to asking the right questions and helping to find the right solutions for owners and their team,” Russ concludes.

The Business Gateway is partfunded by the European Regional Development Fund and delivered in partnership by Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).

0116 366 8487 (quote Niche20) bizgateway.org.uk

Our free services The Growth Hub provides fully-funded and impartial support and advice and can help with: ◆ Business start-up training and mentoring ◆ Business growth and expansion plans, recruitment and investing ◆ Access to finance, including local, regional and national grants and loans programmes ◆ Premises and search for new commercial property ◆ Recruitment and workforce skills/training ◆ Regulation and compliance

JENNY CROSS, ARUNA BHAGWAN, RUSSELL PACEY, JON EGLEY AND EMILY KIRTON AT GROWTH HUB HEADQUARTERS NICHE | 67

NICHE FEATURE

Innovative administration Leicestershire-based virtual administrative support service director Joanne Peters adds reception services

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to her company’s repertoire

As an innovative administrative hub service, JSP Virtual have started 2020 with a brand-new state of the art telephonic system allowing the already expansive remote admin company to extend their services to provide ongoing or temporary receptionist services. “We were finding there was a need for further receptionist services for our existing clients and now with our new state of the art system we are able to provide a highly efficient reception facility for a variety of businesses,” Joanne tells us.

The new system is a welcome

addition to the company’s range of supportive admin services which provide businesses with the expertise of the team without experiencing the high costs which would be associated with recruiting these services internally.

“Our growing team of experts are all highly skilled in the various aspects of PA, administrative and reception work so by utilising our services clients get the very latest knowledge in each area,” Joanne continued. With over 20 years of experience in a highpressured administrative role, her professional yet friendly approach,

combined with her experience and ability to meet deadlines accurately is shared with the rest of her team.

Since its inception in 2019, JSP Virtual has grown hugely and Jo tells us she is excited about what 2020 will bring: “Our team will need to grow further in 2020 in order to meet the growing demand for our services; it’s an exciting time for us all and I am thrilled at how far we have come already.”

0116 366 2040 jspvirtual.co.uk

The ups and downs

of outsourcing Will it give you an easier life?

Or will you feel like you don’t have total control?

Contracting out parts of your business to other businesses is a strategy that has can have a big effect on company culture. It isn’t something to enter into without thought out decision making.

With companies suggesting you should do what ‘you do best’ and leave the ‘behind the scenes’ work to departmental experts, it can be tempting to quickly hand over the bits of the business that you don’t like doing.

It’s time to have a real think about whether outsourcing is for you.

Forbes explains the pros and cons of outsourcing as follows.

The pros

1. You don’t have to hire You avoid employing someone which is then saving you expenditure on everything from benefits to training.

2. Access to a larger talent pool You can access talent in other parts of the world. If you need specialised help, you can expand your search.

3. Lower labour cost By searching a global talent pool, it’s easier to find the right talent at the right price.

14 | NICHE

The cons

1. Lack of control Since the person is not working onsite, it can be difficult to maintain the level of control you desire.

2. Communication issues It’s important to consider what time zone the person lives in, your preferred communication methods, and the quality of their facilities.

3. Problems with quality Before you begin your search, have an idea of the of quality you expect and be upfront about this.

Hit your 2020 team goals!

Each new year brings new opportunities! For business leaders, these opportunities are endless. Whether it be taking on a new project, landing a big contract or forming strong partnerships – it can only be done with a solid team behind you.

Take a glance around your office, have your employee’s returned from the Christmas period feeling reenergised and ready to hit the ground running? As a manager, it is vital to be surrounded by employees who genuinely care about the organisation and its goals set for the year ahead in order for the business to strive forward and achieve.

Statistics show that 83% of employees state that January is the toughest month of the year with many struggling to get back into routine, feeling under pressure for the year ahead and facing the battle to get over the financial pinch of Christmas – it's no wonder it's a month renowned for bringing the blues, but it doesn’t have to be all gloom and doom!

As an employer of choice who is passionate about their people, all it takes is a few simple steps from leadership to banish the January blues and reignite your thriving workforce!

3 ways to increase employee engagement this January: Call a meeting to discuss employees' personal and professional goals to inject the motivation and share support!

Recognise every mini win! Positive encouragement can help to spur on, drive and encourage teams to perform.

Do something fun! Look at booking a team building activity to boost morale or introduce a healthy competitionPEOPLE between members – do not underestimate how much incentives can impact enthusiasm!

OPPORTUNITIES With ‘Employee Engagement’ set to be a top trend for 2020, does your business have the right processes and leadership in place to ensure your team are engaged, productive and ultimately successful?

For a free consultation on how we can support you in recruiting the right people, or to find out about our leadership training which will enhance and upskill your management – get in touch with one of our experienced specialists.

0116 254 9710

www.eileenrichards.co.uk

@ERRECRUITMENT1

Prince 2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) Monday 10th February – Friday 14th February

SHORT COURSES Social Media Workshop Monday 4th May 2020 We have joined forces with Cross Productions Ltd to bring you a social media workshop that will give you the knowledge you need to use Social Media to your advantage, increasing your brand awareness effectively.

In a world of Social Media overload you can make yourself very busy on social media never achieving what you really need to, our Social Media Workshop aims to cut through that giving you the knowledge to focus and achieve your goals.

We will cover the main social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linked-In to give you a great social media strategy to help grow your business.

The workshop will be led by Jenny Cross CEO of Cross Productions with 19 years’ experience in media and marketing including the successful Niche Magazine, Leicester’s leading B2B publication, in the historic setting of Leicester Castle Business School’s Great Hall.

Following the workshop you will be invited to attend a networking buffet to celebrate the launch of Cross Productions first book on Social Media.

Prince 2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is the world’s most widely adopted, government recognised and industry standard project management professional qualification.

The Course 5 intensive days, classroom-based Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm Foundation and Practitioner levels are taken together. The Prince 2 Foundation covers the principles and terminology and the practitioner course builds upon this knowledge enabling you to use the principles in practice. The course will provide you with all of the skills and knowledge to be a practitioner and successful completion of the course will give you registered Prince 2 practitioner status.

All delegates are required to do pre-course reading of around 10 hours and between 2-3 hours after sessions.

Expert tutor with industry experience Manual, exams,course materials and text books included PRINCE 2 is commonly used as a short-listing tool for Project Manager positions across all industries Qualification Achieved Prince 2 Foundation following pass of Foundation Exam on day 3 Prince 2 Practitioner following pass of Practitioner Exam on day 5 There are no formal entry requirements for this course.

Fee: £1,250 (VAT not applicable) De Montfort University Campus, Leicester LE2 7BU Onsite courses for corporate clients available For more information please contact: Fay Kelman E: faymkelham@dmu.ac.uk T: 0116 250 6026

Workshop Fee £250 For more information please contact: Fay Kelham E: faymkelham@dmu.ac.uk T: 0116 250 6026

THINK. CREATE. INSPIRE. GO BEYOND BUSINESS AS USUAL

NICHE FEATURE

Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.

- Robin Sharma

2020 is your year If you are a business owner, any new year goals will often revolve around re-assessing your approach to your business and your work/life balance. At your business start-up you probably wanted to pursue your passion, enable yourself to have more of a personal life, more time and money, and less stress. However, for business owners these initial goals all too often get lost along the way in the noise of everyday living

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Amanda Daly CEO of The Turnaround, is a coach who knows only too well what it’s like to lose your way with your business work/life balance and how hard it is to make the changes needed to turn your life around. “Making big changes to your life and career is never easy. In fact, to start with, business owners tell me they just don’t have the time to change anything at all. This usually indicates that they need to make big changes!”

Business owners tend to pour more of themselves into their business the more stressful things get, which in turn leads to feeling like there’s no time for anything else in their lives.

Having been through the experiences needed to be able to NICHE | 17

offer real, honest and authentic advice, Amanda’s journey hasn’t been easy.

“Some people would consider my life the dream, running a successful business, financially stable and having the ability to do the majority of what I wanted materially. However, there was a massive part of me that was feeling empty. I was left feeling unfulfilled at work and in many other areas of my life. I had lost my drive, enthusiasm and my sense of identity and I was often left thinking that there must be more to life than this. So, I did the bold thing and made the decision to implement big life changes and follow my dream, taking a big leap of faith by changing my direction.”

Her epiphany for what direction this would be came on a retreat which was to change the course of her career and personal life forever.

The retreat was a hugely inspirational one and in a completely different way to how she had imagined. It led her to set up The Turnaround, a company with an aim to help others do the same – to push their boundaries in order to create a more successful business and therefore personal life. Working towards identifying and tackling the obstacles that are getting in the way of a person’s success, implementing change and then watching the results unfold.”

As busy professionals running a full-time business, the goals we set can get lost in the noise of everyday working and everyday life. Our 18 | NICHE

The leap of faith into the unknown takes a great deal of courage, I know that. But it’s fear that holds us back

obligations to others and the success of the business means we often plough more and more of our energies into creating ‘success’ at the cost of our own personal life.

Amanda explains that this all too common issue can create a resistance to change and owners can place obstacles in the way to avoid taking the leap.

She continues: “The leap of faith into the unknown takes a great deal of courage, I know that. But it’s fear that holds us back and the only way the really good things will happen is if you push through the other side of that fear. Things can get messy in the middle, people often feel like they can’t do it, that they wish they hadn’t started, but with my support they start to see the positive effect of the changes – then they can run with it and see nothing but the positive results. Suddenly it’s not just their business that improves – it’s everything!”

Seeing goals through alone can

mean that they can be put to one side and neglected. With help and guidance from Amanda, owners get that continued support and help with making sure they remain focused and on track.

Encouraging readers to ask themselves some serious questions, Amanda invites you to write an imagined epitaph for your life: “I was asked to create an imagined epitaph for myself and wrote ‘Amanda Daly: the woman who knew how to work hard but not how to live life’ I just knew there was more to life and for so many of you there is so much to be gained from making change happen.”

2020 might be full of promises and plans for you and your business, but what are you doing to make it happen?

Do you want the ‘gorgeous’ part of what happens at the end of change for 2020?

01509 274 119 theturnaroundceo.co.uk

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Cross Productions

Gets a Grip

The new year is a time of change and new beginnings, so Cross Productions, parent company of Niche Magazine, decided to undergo some change in preparation for 2020

THE EOS MODELTM VISION DATA

PEOPLE YOUR BUSINESS

PROCESS

ISSUES TRACTION

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Cross Productions has partnered up with Martin Andrew, a Professional EOS Implementer™ to help them embed the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)™ throughout the organisation.

EOS® equips leadership teams and managers with a holistic system and a set of easy, practical tools for getting the most out of their businesses more effortlessly. It was created by Gino Wickman, a lifelong entrepreneur, and made popular in his best-selling books Traction® and Get a Grip®.

His discovery, Martin tells us, is that to the degree you can focus on and strengthen just six key components in your business, the hundreds of issues that you wrestle with every day simply fall into place. These six key components make up the EOS Model™.

We asked Martin what it’s all about.

What the heck is EOS®?

EOS® helps leadership teams get stronger at three things we call Vision, Traction and Healthy.

Vision means getting everyone 100% clear on where the business is going and how it plans to get there.

Traction means instilling discipline and accountability throughout the organisation.

Healthy means becoming a functional, cohesive team who love spending time together.

The system has been tried, tested and perfected over many years, this is no new flavour-of-the-month fad. There are almost 8,000 companies across the globe running on EOS® today including many here in the UK. The way it works is known as the EOS Process™ and it’s proven to be the most effective way to get the

NICHE FEATURE COURSE OVERVIEW Qtr

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About Us About You ● The Tools ● The Process

Hitting the Ceiling Accountability Chart ● Rocks ● Meeting Place ● Scorecard

Core Values Core Focus ● 10 Year Target ● Marketing Strategy ● Three Year Picture ● One Year Plan ● Quarterly Rocks ● Issue List

Focus & Traction Team Health ● Quarterly Rocks ● Issue Solving ● Toolbox Tools ● Accountability

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business where it wants to get to in the simplest and most efficient way. It involves following a process of full day sessions with the leadership team who work ‘on’ the business instead of ‘in’ the business.

The first step is an initial ‘90 Minute Meeting’ to assess if there is ‘fit’ together. By fit we mean that everyone must be fully committed to the process – EOS® must be right for them. We tend to find EOS® works best in privately owned, entrepreneurial businesses, 10250 employees, open minded, honest, vulnerable, growth oriented and more afraid of the status quo than of change.

Where do we go from here?

Once the team are onboard, we move on to Focus Day™. The agenda covers five key items which are known as the Foundational Tools™. Imbedding these five tools and disciplines deep into the organisation over time gets most businesses 80 per cent of the way there.

The first of these introduces the team to the five Leadership Abilities™ that when mastered help businesses break through the ceiling whenever they are getting frustrated – stuck, so to speak.

There is a phrase we use: ‘When everyone is accountable, no one is’. What’s different here to most businesses is that we start with a blank sheet of paper and work on ‘structure first, people second’. It’s called an Accountability Chart™ because we work out what we want the functions (seats) to be responsible for and this is where the accountability comes in. This exercise usually takes a few drafts to get

right. It’s a bit like trying on new clothes in a shop, before you finally decide to head out in public with them on!

What’s the priority?

Next up we tackle the business priorities for the next 90 days, or Rocks™ as we call them. Rocks™ is just another term for priorities. It came from the discovery that human beings tend to fray every 90 days and therefore need to come up for air, refocus and get going again.

Organisations running their business on EOS® live in a 90-day world; it just helps them focus and avoid getting distracted by the ‘shiny’ stuff.

We then introduce the Scorecard™ tool. This is a simple dashboard of the five-15 activity-based numbers that give the team a pulse on the business every week.

It’s a concept that’s been around for years, some call it KPIs, we call it a Scorecard. The team simply agree on what the most important numbers they need to see every week are to know how well they are doing. Each of these are known as Measurables. And what gets measured, gets done.

This helps get everyone on the same page with how the business is performing and makes it easier to make decisions on good, solid data rather than on the personalities, opinions and egos that most entrepreneurial companies use.

And the moment of truth?

With EOS®, teams can run a worldclass meeting. I know this sounds a touch arrogant, but it’s true. It’s

The ‘Rocks™’ priority list for Cross Productions, decided at their EOS® course

called a Level 10 Meeting® and that’s because at the end of every meeting the team rate the meeting as to how effective it was; 10 being best.

The agenda follows a flow that enables the business to efficiently review the Rocks™ and the Scorecard™ and only discuss and solve those that are off track. This is the glue that holds the business together – it’s the moment of truth.

We want teams to immediately start using the tools and disciplines we teach when they walk out the room; you can’t beat just getting stuff done, and that’s what makes for real, simple results. We look forward to seeing the effects it has on Cross Productions.

07793 696 809 tractionmatters.co.uk NICHE | 23

BUSINESS FOCUS

Investing in 2020 Leadership development boosts employee engagement and sends the message that you care about your employees and want to inspire them to exceed performance expectations. With leadership development being one of the most pressing issues that businesses face, why should you invest in yourself, your members of staff and your leadership team?

MARTIN ANDREW Professional EOS Implementer and owner of Traction Matters Ltd

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In my 30 years working in businesses of all shapes and sizes, I can honestly say the difference between those organisations that are ‘good’ and those that are ‘great’ is the leadership team. Or more specifically, their ability to actually become a leadership team.

So when a business owner/leader asks me ‘should I invest in my team?’ my answer is always a resounding yes – but not by sending them off on personal development programmes or the latest flavour-of-the-month fad. It’s by getting them together and answering this question: are you willing to become your best together?

Before they answer they should understand what this means, and it’s just three simple steps: 1 Become both healthy and smart Healthy is about being open, honest and vulnerable, no egos or politics, challenging each other, but sharing a united front. The strongest teams do not always agree. In fact, they frequently disagree but always make decisions for the greater good of the company, and once the decision is made the team support it.

Smart is simply how you execute your business plan. It’s how you do what you do, your products and services, your ‘uniques’ and ultimately, how you attract and retain your customers.

From my experience, leadership teams tend to focus on becoming smarter and not enough on becoming healthier.

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2 Become a leadership team Many of the best and most successful individuals often don’t work together well as a team, and it’s this that holds the business back from achieving its true potential. Put another way, they are succeeding in spite of themselves.

In his book Parent Effectiveness Training (PET), Dr Thomas Gordon refers to ‘becoming great parents’. And that’s exactly what you need to be as leaders, you must: Have a handful of rules - just a few, less is more so to speak Repeat yourself often - it’s said we need to hear things seven times before we hear it for the first time Be consistent - walk the walk, talk the talk Above all, you must ‘take responsibility’. The good news here is that you created all the great stuff in your business, but you also created all the issues, so you have to own and solve them.

3 Run on one operating system You can’t run your business on multiple operating systems.

You need to choose the right one. You all need to agree on the ‘ABC Company Way’ of operating (the right and best way), and make sure everyone follows it every time. This creates consistency and scalability.

This includes using the ‘same language’ when you communicate with each other. For example, if someone in the team refers to ‘prospects’ and another ‘warm leads’ and they mean the same thing, confusion reigns. Some of my clients have their own glossary of terms in order to clearly define what each means and thus, everyone across the organisation has the same understanding.

You might be surprised how valuable this is for employees and how even the most experienced teams have different definitions.

Now I said it was three ‘simple’ steps, but it’s not easy.

That’s why so few make it to being truly great. However, if you and your team commit to becoming your best, you will ultimately get the biggest return on investment your business will ever make.

Assesments

AMANDA RIDDLE Outlook Partnerships

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Did you know that 30 per cent of the reasons as to why employees leave a business are directly related to the work they do, whereas 70 per cent of these reasons are directly related to how they feel about their managers.

Motivation and employee engagement are difficult issues to address and if they aren’t tackled correctly, they can have a detrimental effect on your business. Amanda Riddle from Outlook Partnerships is an expert on motivating and engaging relationships to improve individual and business performance.

Leadership and teamwork are at the heart of every business. Building a team that is happy and enthusiastic at work encourages growth and success. Happy employees who feel valued are a real asset to any organisation.

For any team to succeed, everyone needs to know the team vision and goals and have a role to play. Feeling involved and included can enhance morale and bring

LOUISE JONES Relationship Manager at Action Coach

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Multiple in-depth independent studies have consistently reached the same conclusion.

Organisations which invest in leadership development perform better than those that don’t.

Studies like Bersin & Associates, McBassi among others point to the fact that leadership development represents a great chance for you to seize competitive advantage in your industries.

The investments in leadership development allow companies to do four things that drive sustained organisational success:

new ideas. It’s all about bringing everyone together, opening lines of communication, recognising and praising contributions, sharing ideas, becoming creative, passing on knowledge, and motivating your team.

By developing your leadership teams and increasing emotional intelligence (EI) in your managers, you increase self-awareness as well as awareness of others. Research has shown that when you invest in EI you increase employee engagement and business performance by: 36% increase in effective leadership 29% reduction in absenteeism 24% increase in job satisfaction and commitment 19% reduction in work stress 12% increase in motivation Leadership development is one of our core products. To find out more about our leadership programmes, what our leadership programmes and what our customers have said, visit outlookpartnerships.co.uk.

Final Thoughts By tackling the knowledge, attitudes, skills and habits of your leaders you will increase engagement and motivation, maximise the benefit of your team’s skills and abilities, create a productive working environment and impact on your bottom-line results.

Improve bottom-line financial performance Organisations that invest in their leadership team deliver returns five times higher than those of companies with less emphasis on training. Leadership development builds capacity to reduce costs, drive new lines of revenue, and improve customer satisfaction.

Attract and retain talent Leadership development boosts employee engagement, increases the organisation’s ability to deal with gaps in the talent pipeline, and reduces the headaches and costs associated with turnover.

“Great leaders attract, hire, and inspire great people,” the Bersin report says. “A mediocre manager will never attract or retain high-performing employees.

Developing, coaching, and promoting people internally is significantly less expensive than the costs typically required to recruit someone externally.”

Drive strategy execution Effective leadership development isn’t development for its own sake.

Organisations need a leadership strategy that closely connects with the business strategy and enables employees with the leadership skills needed to implement it.

Leadership development allows organisations to shape the culture and strategy of business.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ALLOWS ORGANISATIONS TO SHAPE THE CULTURE AND STRATEGY OF BUSINESS

Increase success in adapting to change Leadership development increases people’s ability to respond rapidly in unpredictable business environments. When organisations look beyond developing senior executives and high potentials to unlock the full potential of their talent pools, agility is magnified.

Effective leadership development programmes develop a deeper, richer pipeline of talent, which is why organisations today are seeking to unlock the full potential of their talent at all levels.

NICHE | 25

2020 vision

What’s in store for you and your business next year 2XL Commercial Finance’s Managing Director, Darren Willoughby, explains what this may look like and how it could be financed

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At 2XL Commercial Finance, we work with a multitude of business and property owners in providing funding solutions in many shapes and forms, but whilst the focus is on providing the solution, what does this mean for the businesses we support and for their plans for the future of the business. The new year is often the time that people consider their next steps. So here are a number of considerations that centre around finance.

Retiring or selling the business The new year can be as a time when business owners consider whether to cease trading or sell the business. In this case, they often will look to place the business on the open market or look to the management team to buy them out (MBO)In the latter case the management team will need finance to pay out the owner and take control of the business. This can be done via a business loan or by raising capital against assets within the business by lending against the debtor book via invoice discounting or

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factoring or using asset finance against stock or equipment.

Moving premises This is done for several reasons: the business is expanding and needs more space, their lease is ending, or the landlord is selling the building. The client may feel the time is right to actually invest in property themselves – this can be done via a commercial mortgage either through the company itself or the clients will buy the building personally and then look to rent the building back to the business Expansion Expansion inevitably means more staff, which will mean an upfront cost to the business before an income is received, so a business loan or overdraft might be required to bridge that gap. It might mean new vehicles or machinery, which would be a big capital outlay from the start, so some people look at asset finance or a business loan to plug this gap and make the payments more manageable than just depleting cash flow.

EXPANSION INEVITABLY MEANS MORE STAFF, WHICH WILL MEAN AN UPFRONT COST TO THE BUSINESS BEFORE AN INCOME IS RECEIVED

Restructure This could mean a number of things for the business, but essentially from a finance point of view, it may well be time to take a look at your existing agreements to see if they are still competitive.

We regularly see clients who maybe have a finance agreement, mortgage or business loan and never think to review the terms, often thinking they will get the best deal from their own bank which often isn’t the case. If you are a business or property owner and have a mortgage of say £500k at base +5% over 25 years, if this was reduced to base +3% the repayments would drop from £3,145 a month to £2,571 a month, saving £574 a month, which equates to £6,888pa, and a whopping £172,000 over the term.

01625 421 976 / 07736 359 413 darren@2xlcommercial.com 2xlcommercial.com

NICHE FEATURE

Money Talks The relationship we have with money is a complex one. Here in a new residency, we begin a series of intimate chats with leading businesswomen and Rajesh Modha of female focussed holistic financial planning firm Finance Lab, where we explore the stories and perceptions of money for successful women

In conversation with: SANDRA POLLOCK

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In the first of our series, Rajesh speaks with Sandra Pollock, a multi award-winning strategic and business coach and speaker with Open Mind Coaching and founder of The East Midlands Women’s Awards.

A Leicestershire resident for over 30 years, Sandra was born in London and has lived in Barbados as a child and later America before settling in Leicester.

Can you think of a time when you have been vulnerable regarding money?

I have recently moved accountants; I had the same one for 12 years. I knew that it wasn’t working because I was spending too much time working on things myself. I had to be open and honest with myself and found someone I could be vulnerable with and for someone to do more to help with this aspect of my life.

It wasn’t easy, it’s the nakedness of it essentially – a fear over what somebody else thinks about me and my money

What is your first money story?

As a child, my mum had about three different jobs, I became aware of earning money from a very young age when we would help her with piece work, which she did at home. She would pay us per item and we soon translated the money that we earnt to how we could buy things we wanted! The main thing my parents argued about was money though, so money was something that I have always feared in lots of ways too.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you first started?

How hard it is for women to get funding for projects or their business. I think if I had known just how hard it is, I would have been dissuaded from starting my own business in the first place!

In our house, as a black person, the message I received from those around me was that I would need to try at anything I did in life 100 times harder and as a black woman, I would have to try 200 times harder.

From that, how do you think it’s related to adulthood?

I simply didn’t want to live that way; I didn’t want my daughter to have the fear of where it was coming from either. I have learnt that money flows like any other energy, it’s not static. I find when I relax about where my money will come from it all just flows better.

How did you develop that realisation?

Everybody has a choice about how they view their life. I remember when I made mine, I actually remember thinking these words in my head: ‘if nobody loves me, I am going to have to find that love and belief in myself.’ I think that

DEVELOPING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY FOR WOMEN IS A PROCESS AND ONE WHICH I AM ALWAYS LEARNING ABOUT

everybody wants three things in life, to be seen, heard and to feel that they make a difference somehow. My mother wasn’t very good at demonstrating her love for us. Her life was quite stressful, and my upbringing was quite turbulent, but you can’t get beaten down. You have to look within yourself to find that validation. If my mother said I was no good at something I would look at that and make a judgement for myself as to whether I agreed with her. In reality, despite what she would often have me believe, I was achieving a great deal and doing very well academically year after year, what she was saying wasn’t factual! I now try to carry out an honest assessment to myself about what that would mean in any given scenario.

What are women ‘up against’ when it comes to money?

Developing our relationship with money for women is a process and one which I am always learning about. As young girls, we simply aren’t ‘taught’ about money. We don’t hold the purse strings so when and if we have it, we have a lot of limiting beliefs that need changing. I am always working on it myself, and it’s something I try and lead by example with, especially with my daughter.

0116 262 1414 financelab.co.uk NICHE | 27

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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

Patent Box:

Are you missing out?

Latest figures from HMRC show that 1,170 UK companies claimed tax relief totalling £1,035 million through Patent Box in 2016-2017.

It’s good to see innovators taking advantage of this relief, but we believe many more entrepreneurial businesses could also benefit from it.

Introduced by the UK government in April 2013, Patent Box was designed to encourage UK technology innovation and entrepreneurship by providing a 10% reduction in corporation tax on income received from patents.

New rules, which made the calculations more complex, came into force on July 1 2016, but the old regime remains in place until 2021 for those companies who joined Patent Box before then.

Patent Box profits under the original regime are usually computed on the basis of proportionality. This means we apportion the turnover by reference to sales of the patented item, then apportion the profits accordingly.

However, in some cases we can use an alternative method, known as ‘streaming’, where you specifically allocate the costs against the income from the patented items. We did this for a client operating in the global transport market and got a much better outcome – effectively wiping out the company’s corporation tax liabilities for three years.

Our client invented a patented product, but someone else is using it and paying a licence fee so there are virtually no expenses associated with it. By streaming the minimal costs against the income, we end up with a much larger figure for the relevant profits from the patent, which can then be the subject of the relief.

As you can see, the Patent Box rules are complex but don’t let that put you off making a claim.

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

NICHE FEATURE

200 Lawyers and Judges come together for huge celebration in a glittering evening co-hosted by LLS and MALA

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Leicestershire Law Society and Midlands Asian Lawyers Association were delighted that over 200 guests attended a fabulous dinner at the Empire Banqueting Hall in Leicester on Friday 1st November, to celebrate the first 100 Years of Women in Law following the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919.

Many esteemed court judges and lawyers attended the evening, with the honour of hearing from keynote speakers: Supreme Court Judges Lady Justice Macur DBE and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb DBE. Both gave inspirational speeches reflecting on the achievements of women in law over the last century. This was further showcased by LLS President, Glynis Wright, who gave recognition to the fantastic efforts from many of our local female lawyers.

The evening was accompanied by the University of Leicester String Quartet who

MRS JUSTICE CHEEMA GRUBB

GLYNIS WRIGHT AND DISTRICT JUDGE AFZAL OBE, PRESIDENT OF MALA

provided an ambient atmosphere to the beautiful venue whilst guests enjoyed a delicious three course dinner. LLS President, Glynis Wright, and MALA President, DJ Fayyaz Azfal DBE, brought the evening to a close by thanking all guests for joining together to recognise the brilliant work done by women within the legal sector, both locally and nationally. It is clear that women from Leicester have excelled in the legal profession, with many pushing boundaries, breaking records and setting the standards for future generations of women. “The evening was hugely enjoyable. To see so many prolific women in law in one room for such an important landmark such as this was wonderful, and the speeches were highly inspirational.� Glynis Wright, LLS President comments.

TO SEE SO MANY PROLIFIC WOMEN IN LAW IN ONE ROOM FOR SUCH AN IMPORTANT LANDMARK SUCH AS THIS WAS WONDERFUL

LADY JUSTICE MACUR

Glynis Wright leicestershirelawsociety.org.uk NICHE | 29

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NICHE FEATURE

Divorce Day Applications for divorce or separation enquiries always spike in January.

Glynis Wright head of Glynis Wright & Co Family Solicitors and President of the Leicestershire Law Society, told us that 2020 will be no different

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“The first working day back after the festive season is the single most popular day for enquiries into divorce or separation proceedings. We brace ourselves for what is essentially our busiest time in family law,” Glynis Wright explains.

“But why so many at this point in time?” I ask. She answers: “For a number of reasons. So much stress is placed on families at Christmas. Then there is the added financial pressure as well as the increased time spent together as a family, which can cause cracks in the relationship to widen.

The perfect family on Christmas day is an image fixed into our minds, particularly when we are bombarded with Christmas advertising. All of these pressures can cause marriages to buckle under the strain. If you add to this the impact that wider family members can have, you have a melting pot of potential dispute.

“The New Year and the concept of ‘starting afresh’ can also be a deciding factor. Where separation and divorce are never easy decisions to make, many couples will have been contemplating a split for some time. The festive season becomes the proverbial ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’.

“Very often, parents choose to stay together for the sake of

the children, but this rarely ends happily. Children can pick up on their parents’ unhappiness and the strain on the family dynamic can be more damaging than separation. It is worth stressing that if handled properly, life continues after separation and divorce – it doesn’t need to be a hostile or

The festive season becomes the proverbial ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ unhappy process as most people assume.

“Children do adapt. The key thing is for the children not to witness any acrimony between their parents and to be kept fully informed of what the new care arrangements will be. The worst possible outcome for children is where they become pawns in their parents’ dispute and become pulled both ways, forced to choose between their parents and being made to feel guilty if they miss the other parent.”

Family mediation should be considered by all separating couples.

Glynis explains: “Mediation can be such an effective way to create an amicable way to separate. We have two mediators at Glynis Wright & Co who are able to help clients reach agreements about financial and child settlements outside of court. This is so much better than having a Judge decide what happens with your money or the arrangements for your children where neither party gets a final say.”

So, I ask: “What would be the first thing a parting couple should do?”

Glynis responds: “Call my team. All of us are expert family solicitors. We have a trained collaborative lawyer as well as two mediators. It is so important to get expert advice at the outset, whether you are a cohabiting couple that wishes to part ways, or a divorcing couple.

“Financial settlements and working out the best arrangements for children are extremely complex areas, which is why my team of eight lawyers specialise only in this area of law.

Understanding the options that you have and where you stand financially at a highly emotional and stressful time can bring a huge amount of comfort.”

0116 238 5680 glyniswright.co.uk NICHE | 31

NICHE BUSINESS MAJORITY GOVERNMENT BRINGS HOPE OF STABILITY TO SMALL FIRMS The Conservative Party has won a majority of seats in the House of Commons. During its election campaign, it committed to helping small firms by: ◆ Ending the late payment crisis by introducing a reform package put on pause by the election ◆ Helping with spiralling labour costs and expected Living Wage rises by increasing the Employment Allowance ◆ Extending and expanding existing business rates discounts, while launching a full review of the hugely burdensome business rates system ◆ Launching a self-employment review to help those struggling to access pensions and mortgages ◆ Delivering full-fibre, gigabit broadband ◆ Putting £2billion towards fixing potholes Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) National Chairman Mike Cherry said: “Small business owners will be hoping that today’s result helps to bring stability back to the economy.

“After more than three years of Brexit absorbing government bandwidth, the Conservative Party has pledged to tackle the many domestic challenges that have been neglected during that time.

“Small businesses the length and breadth of the UK will be looking to the new government to achieve positive change for small firms in its first 100 days, not least with publication of a pro-business Budget in early February.

“Delivery of the Conservative Party’s campaign pledges must become an urgent government priority. It’s now time to turn kind words into tangible action.

“This government needs to deliver a business-friendly Brexit, one that protects the three t’s: trade, talent and a proper transition. We have to avoid a scenario where we suddenly crash out of the EU with no time for small firms to prepare for what’s coming next.”

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BOUNDARY DISPUTES GREG HOLLINGSWORTH Director at Hollingsworths Solicitors Disputes often arise around boundaries.

A boundary is a line that divides two contiguous pieces of land. It may be a physical line, such a fence or a wall.

The title documents for the land will usually identify the boundary but rarely precisely. Some of the problems can be: ◆ The boundary does not follow exactly the same line as the legal boundary ◆ The boundary issues relate to both the horizontal and the vertical boundary ◆ The boundary is seldom a straight line The title deeds will generally be the first port of call for establishing the boundary line, to see if the description is sufficiently clear to enable the extent of the property to be determined.

If a boundary is interfered with or crossed, this can lead to trespass claims. Boundary disputes are often complex and uncertain. The parties are

frequently emotionally involved, making settlement of the dispute more difficult, especially where the dispute involves residential homes.

In one case, a judge said that: “a party can litigate over a tiny strip of land, although I would certainly agree that it is usually economic madness to do so, but a person remains entitled in law to protect and preserve that which is his or hers”.

It is well worth taking advice when boundary issues arise to try to avoid the “madness”.

Greg Hollingsworth is a director of Hollingsworths and regularly advises on boundary disputes.

0116 204 7260 hlegal.co.uk

SEPARATION AND WILLS BHAVIN GANDHI Director at Paradigm Wills and Legal Services The breakdown of any partnership can be a stressful time, so it’s easy to overlook updating your Will to accommodate the changes in your life. However, if you fail to update your Will after a divorce, this could result in serious consequences.

It is important to be aware that even if you have separated, but not divorced, your spouse or civil partner is still entitled to your Estate. The event of a divorce doesn’t revoke the Will you have in place, because from a legal point of view, you are still married and so the rules on the inheritance do not change – no matter how long you have been separated.

If you do not have a Will, your spouse will still inherit from you. For example, if you are married but don’t have children, your entire estate will pass to your spouse, though if you have children, the first £250,000 of your estate will pass to your spouse immediately. The rest of your estate will be divided into two equal parts – one half will go to your spouse, and the other will be held for your children in equal shares until they turn 18.

If you don’t update your Will, and the spouse you are separating from inherits your estate, remember if something then happens to them, it could go to their new spouse, cutting out your children completely.

For advice on updating your Will during or after separation, contact the team at Paradigm Wills and Legal Services for friendly, caring advice.

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‘divorce day’

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The New Year is the time for new beginnings and New Year’s resolutions and is one of the biggest prompts for people to start legal proceedings to dissolve marriages. With January 8th dubbed ‘divorce day’, it is imperative that those considering divorce should take action to protect their estate.

Paradigm Wills and Legal Services offer friendly, impartial advice to help you make a will or update your existing will.

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NICHE BUSINESS

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5 WAYS BUSINESS CARDS ADD VALUE AMIT CHANDRASINGH Managing Director at Freeline Creative

MARKETING ACCOUNTABILITY Recently, there has been a demand for higher accountability from marketing teams, but not everyone is sure what that entails. Marketing accountability is the monitoring of a group, organisation or person and how they deliver specific, defined results. Accountability is about high performance and holding you and your business to that high standard; I believe that this is imperative within marketing. You may generate many fantastic leads, but it’s that accountability that will help you develop those leads and convert them into sales.

Marketing departments are increasingly under pressure from leaders to make the most of its investments and brands, so in turn, they need to respond to this pressure by planning strategies, measuring, evaluating and improving their marketing strategies themselves.

Maximising your systems and putting processes in place will help this in the long term, which is something which companies ultimately value. This accountability allows marketing to take that responsibility for the profit or loss from marketing activity investment as well as understand the financial objectives of the company.

Marketing should be two things: both efficient and effective.

Investing in the right tools and content as well as optimising the ratio of output and investment is recommended to calculate how efficient and effective your marketing strategies are.

0116 216 6920 freelinecreative.co.uk 34 | NICHE

Business cards are the perfect way to create a lasting impression. Here are our reasons why they’re invaluable for your business: 1. It adds a personal touch Networking is about making genuine connections and engaging in conversation. Exchanging business cards is a fantastic way to do this. It creates a significant memory of your encounter and an opportunity to develop a great relationship with your potential clients.

2. They make networking simple At networking events or conferences, with lots of people in attendance, there isn’t enough time for you to talk to everybody! Creative business cards capitalise on this fact and allow you to share your business information quickly. They’re the fastest and easiest way to exchange contact details.

3. They’re always working Once you have handed out your business card, you have established a

CHRIS GOODMAN Managing Director at Soar Valley Press connection. Company business cards are often reshared if your clients think that somebody else may be interested in your services.

4. Business cards show you are prepared Has anybody ever passed their contact details onto you by writing their details on a piece of paper? It isn’t the most professional approach. Always having a business card to hand is a great indicator that you are professional.

Are you ready to impress your potential clients with well-designed business cards? We’re always ready to get the conversation started.

0116 259 9955 soarvalleypress.co.uk

NEW YEAR, NEW MARKETING GOALS DAVID FORMBY Director at IvyJack It’s a new year. You’ve had a great Christmas, celebrated the New Year in style and made some resolutions.

You’ve probably also been thinking about your business performance last year, what worked, what didn’t and how to take a different approach this year.

If you’re anything like me, you will have been reading about these great new innovative marketing ideas; VR, AR, programmatic, AI, micro-influencers, remarketing… the list goes on.

Exciting times! You’re ready to get going. But before you do, now’s the time to consider the basics and get the foundations right. Marketing innovation in your business is only going to work

if your customers understand the message that you are delivering and see value in your business. It’s time to get it right. The first step is to talk to your trusted clients and find out how they perceive your business, what you can improve, what you do well. You can then craft your message and build marketing activities around the great feedback you’ve just received. You’ll learn more in 30 minutes by talking to your customers than you would in three months of desk research.

At IvyJack, we strive to talk to our client’s customers whenever we help a business reposition or implement a new and innovative marketing strategy.

It’s part of how we engage target audiences. So, go on, pick up the phone – what have you got to lose?

0116 218 2750 ivyjack.co.uk

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Challenge.

We challenged Waters Homes to think differently about their brand and position in the marketplace.

To read more about their story, visit ivyjack.co.uk/waters

ivyjack.co.uk 0116 218 2750

STRATEGY

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BRANDING

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ADVERTISING

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DESIGN

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CONTENT

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DIGITAL

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PR

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SOCIAL MEDIA

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Challenging a brand identity IvyJack sat down with us to discuss the unique processes behind their recent successful project with Waters Homes – and reveal how they took a holistic approach in challenging the house builder to review the position of their brand

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Having had a long-standing relationship with IvyJack Director David Formby, Waters Homes initially approached the leading integrated marketing communications agency for the redesign of their website.

However, after meeting with IvyJack’s talented team, they were left intrigued by their distinctive approach, and subsequently agreed with IvyJack’s recommendations to completely review their brand, website and every aspect of their customer-focused branding.

David said: “We felt that their current logo and brand overall didn’t reflect who they were today, and this led to us rebranding Waters Homes, and repositioning them as a premium master builder.”

The development of new branding was created to capture Waters’ brand identity of being exemplary in designing homes.

David goes on to describe the processes around how the team came up with their innovative concept and put it into action.

“Looking back to the beginning, we discovered the heritage of the brand and their story, looking at the core of why the builders do what they do. We wanted to re-tell the brand story and show what sets them apart from other house builders.

“The logo itself captures the narrative of the Waters brand; the two lines embody the structure of a building as well as representing the two brothers who created the business. We then incorporated their story into the typography, with the use of two fonts to represent traditional and modern.

We felt that this subtle approach adds character and provides a unique identity.

“Colour also plays a very important role in creating a recognisable corporate identity.

WE WANTED TO RE-TELL THE BRAND STORY AND SHOW WHAT SETS THEM APART FROM OTHER HOUSE BUILDERS

The use of gold is both striking and creates a luxurious quality.

Black is used to create balance against the solid gold, again adding subtle nuances of luxury to the branding.”

The team delivered a fresh, new brand identity, as well as a contemporary website which incorporated a new approach to photography and animated CGIs, reflecting Waters’ passion and integrity as a business. Once approved, it was used across all print collateral, business cards, corporate stationery, van livery and bespoke signage for development sites. The brand is now positioned correctly in the market and IvyJack continues their strong relationship with Waters Homes, supporting them with new developments. ivyjack.co.uk 0116 218 2750 NICHE | 37

Growth

for Freeline From playing the piano on tours around Europe to now owning a business that is making a name for itself in the local business community, Managing Director Amit Chandrasingh looks back to where it all began and his exciting plans for Freeline Creative

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Amit took the leap to start Freeline Creative in 2015 and now, the company is celebrating five years in business this year.

Looking back at his humble beginnings, Amit said: “I developed and built a few websites on a freelance basis, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process, so it makes sense for me to carry on building these websites for people and businesses.

“It was then that I decided to set up Freeline; I wanted to be more creative and grow more as a person. It was something I really wanted to do, and with encouragement from my accountant, I was able to make this a reality.”

Building his loyal client base from the ground up, Freeline Creative aim to create longterm partnerships, working with medium-sized businesses and corporate companies using effective digital marketing strategies to achieve their goals.

38 | NICHE

Working on a retainer basis, Freeline provide a full-service process – from SEO and social media to digital marketing, brand identity and website development, the experienced team act as a business’ marketing department to ensure that their goals are achieved.

Amit said: “We look at the long-term in everything we do, so we plan two-three months in advance for our clients and their marketing strategies. We also look at how leads are being managed within the company, that have been as a result of our marketing strategies.

“We like to visit the offices of our clients to get a good understanding of the inside of their business and how they work; we get to know their values and accountability within and evaluate the internal processes in order to improve them.”

Looking to the future, Amit and the team at Freeline Creative have huge plans for growth and

WE LOOK AT THE LONGTERM IN EVERYTHING WE DO, SO WE PLAN TWO-THREE MONTHS IN ADVANCE FOR OUR CLIENTS AND THEIR MARKETING STRATEGIES

developing skills.

Amit said: “At the moment we have nine expert team members, as well as freelancers, that we outsource and work with occasionally, but we do aim to add two more to the team this year. I have also had a great deal of support and encouragement from my accountant Sandesh Jesrani from Sharman Fielding.

“We believe in keeping up-to-date with training for all staff members, to ensure that we are staying abreast of the rapid changes within the marketing industry. Currently, we are a Google Cloud Partner, for which we have to meet certain parameters each year, and undergo exams and training to maintain this status. Everything we do is to learn and grow so that we can provide the best service for our clients.”

0116 216 6920 freelinecreative.co.uk

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Is it time for a On a chilly winter’s day Niche journalist Emily Kirton sits down with Mark Robinson of Creative62 in the cosy Belmont Hotel in Leicester to talk all things brand identity

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According to Mark Robinson, Creative Director of Creative62, change is good, especially when it comes to your branding. Your brand is one of your greatest assets, and should be reviewed regularly, rather than being an afterthought.

Mark adds: “If your brand was represented in the boardroom, what would you ask it? What would it say?” It’s a fitting place to start our discussion today as we contemplate what it means to ensure your brand remains fresh, vibrant and continues to behave as intended.

“Making sure your brand identity and brand stay relevant takes work.

Having just a logo, letterhead and banner design won’t cut it. Brand is something which evolves and needs continual support; as the business grows, so will your brand,” Mark says.

This means your brand needs to be developed, looked after and measured. For many micro-SMEs and SMEs this activity falls to the owner or directors. The issue businesses face here is there will always be something

40 | NICHE

more important to do than look after the brand. “There will be far louder voices in the business crying for their attention and usually they win. The result is that the brand is neglected.

I often refer to the phrase ‘Brand Glue’ which is a concept I use to help businesses see and join the dots; it helps create activities and things that link together a creative brand environment.”

With this in mind, it’s important to address whether a business can actually service its own branding needs. Would you service your own car and confidently drive it? The answer is probably no. So, why do so many business owners invest so little in logo and brand development, which is something that represents their business in public? Why do they try and look after the ongoing brand environment themselves? There might be some that can; however, there are many that can’t. Enlisting a creative brand agency to assist you from the start is a good move.

Mark adds: “It’s interesting at the

NICHE FEATURE

brand update? start of a journey working on a brand identity where the owners are close to the brand; they have an idea of what they want, which is quite often far removed from what they opt for in the end. For example, we design three logos for a business: one which the client specifies they would like, one that we interpret from the brief and one that we believe will be best for them based on our research. Ninety per cent of the time they go for the one we believe will work for them,” Mark comments.

The idea that a business will always be looking to work on their brand and its awareness amongst its customers and clients isn’t something new, but it can be sidelined as the business grows, which can prompt a business to lose touch with who they actually appear to be as a business. “Brand is what your customers say about you when you aren’t in the room. Directors should review this on a regular basis because how their business is viewed is a vital indication of the message that is being sent out and received.”

We move on to asking when, and if, a company should rebrand; Mark tells me that whilst a continuous review of how effective a brand is to a business, there are times when a brand revamp is essential. “Brand awareness is changing rapidly, and if a business has changed a great deal too, a revamp can create a hugely positive effect on the business. What might have been relevant 20 years ago is highly unlikely to be now, and investing what is

A business needs to keep up, to keep ahead, to learn from what they were, what they are and focus their thoughts on what they want to be essentially a small amount will pay off very quickly indeed.”

Much more than a logo, your brand needs to be a concept that evolves all the time. “A business needs to keep up, to keep ahead, to learn from what they were, what they are and focus their thoughts on where they want to be in the future. They simply cannot afford to stand still.”

And, not one to sit still for long,

Mark tells me he’s off to present a rebrand for a company who have just entered their 30th year of trading. He knows what they think they want and what he wants for them and judging

by Creative62’s track record they won’t need too much convincing.

0116 275 2831 Creative62.com NICHE | 41

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PYELLIE HARRISON Manager/Instore Designer at Maison Interiors

2020 INTERIOR TRENDS A new year brings with it new interior design trends! For 2020, we are looking at a more cosy, comfortable feel with elements of nature incorporated into rooms – bringing warmth and softness through textures and layering to bring that cosy feel. The colour of the year is set to take us back to nature with a versatile hue of green from cool, morning sky tones to rich emeralds and forest greens.

Here are Oadby House’s top 2020 interior design trends: Geometric patterns - Whilst geometric patterns have been trending for a while now – you can find the patterns on virtually everything nowadays: notebooks, cups, wallpapers etc. Now, 2020 is all about balance with geometric patterns.

Velvet - Velvet is the perfect mix of comfort and luxury: think vibrant blues and burnt oranges as interior designers are looking at bringing warmth and softness back into your room.

Biophilia - Biophilia has become an emerging trend and is set to be a huge part of 2020. Biophilia incorporates human design with natural elements in a unique way.

Earthy elements such as metals and recycled wood are popular, as well as using many plants to give homes an organic aesthetic.

Maximalism - Minimalism has been a key trend over the last few years – but that changes as of this year. Instead of simple and straightforward design, trends are leaning in the complete opposite direction! Maximalism is all about embracing the grandeur.

oadbyhouse.com info@oadbyhouse.com 44 | NICHE

Peek into the future

Pinterest’s top home trends

The trends set to be big in interior design for 2020 have been shared by social network Pinterest Based on last year’s top searches, Pinterest has revealed its predictions of the biggest home trends soon to become popular.

The website says: “Sure, home is where the heart is. But now it’s also where your office is… and your gym… and maybe even your waterfall.

“Thanks to new technology and flexible office policies, it’s never been easier to never leave home, which means big growth for industries like home decor, athleisure and delivery services.”

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NICHE FEATURE

An asset to Oadby Oadby House look forward to their second year in business on the Oadby Parade and reflect back on 2019

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An alliance of three businesses: Maison Interiors, Sherwin Hall Kitchens and Michael John Flooring, Oadby House is an emporium of flooring, kitchens and interiors that is well and truly at the heart of the community.

Whilst the three businesses have always had close ties and great synergy, they wanted to create a unique shopping experience, featuring all three independent interior brands within the same building.

Welcomed into the local community with open arms, Oadby House have seen themselves grow exponentially over the past year, and truly become an asset to the community.

From the location of the store itself, the easy access from the high street and nearby car parks, you can tell that customer service is Oadby House’s top priority.

Mark Lucas, Director of

Michael John Flooring, said: “For us, delivering a personal, independent service that places our customers at the heart of everything we do — it is part of our ethos and vision for Oadby House.”

With brands such as Quooker, Little Greene Paint and Paper and Bora, Oadby House work with bespoke brands bringing their customers the very best quality products from leading manufacturers.

Daniella Smith, the Showroom Manager at Sherwin Hall Kitchens said: “Whether a customer is looking for curtains, wallpaper, a bespoke made sofa or flooring, it’s important to have experts on hand within the showroom to share their knowledge of all three aspects of Oadby House and make our customers feel right at home.”

Manager and in-store designer of Maison Interiors, Pyellie-Summer, said: “Each

WE HAVE MANY EXCITING PLANS AHEAD FOR 2020 AND WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR SUPPORT IN 2019

project is designed with close attention to create beautifully finished projects; as well as a unique and personal experience for all customers, with schemes that range from small intimate spaces to large renovations and refurbishment projects.

“As a showroom, we have created values such as trust, integrity, and teamwork – making it the perfect atmosphere to work within.

“We have many exciting plans ahead for 2020 and want to thank everyone for their support in 2019!”

In total, the expert team at Oadby House has over 100 years of experience serving in the Leicestershire community, and they are on hand to help their customers turn their house into a home. oadbyhouse.com NICHE | 47

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NICHE FEATURE

New Year new home?

If you are buying a new home that is more than 25 years old this year, it’s vitally important to check

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that the wiring is up to date before you buy

Ideally, before buying a house you should get an idea of what work is required and an estimate of the likely cost so that you can take this into account when considering whether to buy and how much to offer.

At worst, faulty electrics can be a serious fire hazard and can lead to injury or electrocution. This is why electrics were brought into the building regulations under Part P. They are most definitely not something a home DIYer should attempt. Existing wiring installations are not covered, but if you make significant alterations or new additions to the wiring in your home, the regulations come into force.

“A good indication of whether the house has recently been rewired is the height of sockets and switches and the style of consumer unit installed. You

can ask to see the consumer unit when being shown around a property you are thinking of buying. Ideally though, give us a call so we can come and assess the situation for you – we can give you an estimation of how much it would cost,” Adam Sarson of Sarson Electrical comments.

It’s not only when buying a property that you need to assess the state of a house’s wiring, though. “If you are extending your home, or converting an attic or garage, this will constitute new work and therefore all of the new wiring will have to conform to Part P: Electrical Safety, and all existing earth bonding must be satisfactory.”

0116 304 3509 sarsonelectrical.co.uk

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NICHE FEATURE

PRP CONSULTING ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS

celebrate 35 years with two new directors After thirty-five years in business, what better way to show the world you have no plan to slow down than to appoint two new directors

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The Leicestershire and Northamptonshire based firm PRP Consulting Engineers and Surveyors, celebrates 35 years in business by announcing the appointment of two new directors to their current management board of six, showing that the company has no plans to slow down.

PRP undertake design, planning and management of all types of residential and commercial construction projects.

The company was established in 1985 from a home office and has since had an impressive journey.

Like most businesses who have witnessed several decades, it has

not been without its challenges, particularly when the construction industry was hit by the recession in the late 2000s. Despite those challenges, the board’s ambition and motivation has never faltered. With a head count of 34 employees, PRP is stronger than ever and looking forward to a bright future.

The appointment of PRP’s two new directors forms part of a strategic plan to achieve their long term goals for the business. The newly appointed directors, James Martin and Himenshu Patel, have both been promoted from within the company to join Samantha

Maunder, Matthew Sharlott, Barry Smith, Jack Norris, Colin Lambert and Dan Edwards on the board.

Himenshu Patel joined the business in 2011 as a graduate and worked his way up to the role of senior engineer.

Himenshu is not the first graduate to be promoted through the ranks to become a director. He joins directors Barry Smith who progressed from a graduate role in 1991 and Matthew Sharlott who originally joined PRP as a trainee surveyor back in 2005.

Promoting from within the business where possible is an important PRP company value as they strongly

1985 The company’s

THE PRP JOURNEY

origins began as Paul Reading and Partners in the Shearsby Bath pub which led to the opening of the Northampton and Leicester offices

1992

The company grew and had 12 employees until the recession of 1992

1989

An office in Huntingdon was set up

54 | NICHE

believe in forming guided career paths and supporting growth within the company. James Martin has been with PRP for two years, bringing with him a wealth of experience working for consulting engineers in London and the West Midlands.

PRP has continued to actively encourage graduate schemes and regularly sponsors students from Loughborough University, with whom they have a long standing relationship.

Samantha Maunder, director of business and finance, speaks modestly about why employee retention within the business is so high, “We are a

family; we are a very sociable company both in and out of work and believe it is important for morale. Everyone is friendly and supportive of each other which is a positive environment for our team. Our employees enjoy coming to work which is a great achievement and something we are proud of.”.

The company’s recruitment plans will be ongoing well into 2020 as they continue to add to the PRP family.

Everyone is friendly and supportive of each other which is a positive environment for our team

0116 275 1710 (Leicester) 01604 889 870 (Northampton) prp.uk.com

1997

2020

Projects began increasing in value to £3m+

1995

Expansion began again

35th year celebrations

2003

Offices relocated to Brixworth, Northampton and Enderby, Leicester NICHE | 55

Hickman & Smith Architects

Architecture in the Community RIBA-chartered practice Hickman & Smith Architects discuss their latest charity project with Niche and their aim to raise the profile of architecture in the local community

T

The Hickman & Smith team work closely with clients to create bespoke proposals that fit their needs. They have a passion for creating beautiful spaces, and have a strong design focus, with emphasis on creating open spaces and using natural light to enhance their clients’ enjoyment of their living or working space.

The Leicester-based practice work across all sectors, with a portfolio covering residential, domestic, commercial and public work. One recent project includes the new pedestrian walkway on Horsefair Street, which transforms a dark, neglected alleyway into a beautiful open space that connects Market Square to Town Hall Square.

Supporting the local community is a top priority for Hickman & Smith Architects. Adam Smith, Company Director and President of the Leicestershire & Rutland Society of Architects, said: “We like to play an active role in promoting architecture in the local community. This year we have

56 | NICHE

helped to organise the annual Love Architecture Festival, supported students at De Montfort University as RIBA student mentors and delivered an architecture workshop at Rushey Mead Academy as part of the RIBA Architecture Ambassador Scheme.

Their latest project was centred on making adjustments to a house for a young boy with cerebral vasculitis – a rare, but serious condition which affects the arteries of the brain.

The project saw the house become a more comfortable, practical and adaptable living space.

Adam said: “We are very proud to be involved with a project that will have a considerable impact on improving quality of life for Micky and his family.”

0116 253 3423 hickmanandsmith.co.uk

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Spinal and back pain.

At Nuffield Health Leicester hospital.

By reducing the stresses and strains on the spine during our daily activities, the risk of developing back pain can be lessened.

Constantly be aware of good posture both at home and at work.

Every day back check list:

Symptoms:

• Keep an eye on your posture and ensure your spine is straight

• Neck pain

• Take time to improve your muscle tone. Set aside a few minutes each day for deliberately tensing your stomach muscles • Maintain your correct weight to avoid unnecessary strain on your joints • Remember to use correct lifting techniques and distribute the weight equally while carrying • Don’t bend when you could kneel or squat and never stoop or bend over for prolonged periods • If you have been bending over or sitting for a long time, gently stretch backwards when you stand up • Good exercises for back and stomach muscles include swimming, walking, cycling and gentle keep fit • Always warm up and stretch before sport, and cool down and stretch afterwards • Remember many spinal problems can be prevented, some can be self-treated but others do need professional help and advice

• Lower back pain • Pain travelling into buttocks • Shoulder pain • Pins & needles down arms • Pins & needles and numbness • Pain in the muscle of backs of thighs • Pain that radiates into the thigh and back 90% of back pain can be treated through physical activity and an umbrella of painkillers.

If you are worried or concerned, always seek medical advice.

Treatments available at Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital • Physiotherapy

• Laminectomy

• Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion

• Lumbar discectomy

• Cervical disc replacement

• Minimally invasive spinal surgery

• Correction of scoliosis

• Sacroiliac joint injections

• Dorsal root ganglion block

• Vertebroplasty

• Kyphoplasty

• X-ray guided facet joint injection

Back pain in its many forms can strike anyone at any time of life. It could be the result of a slipped disc, muscle strain, repeated minor stresses, bone deterioration or an injury. Whatever the reason, it can bring both discomfort and misery to sufferers, seriously affecting their quality of life.

Meet our Experts At Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital, we are delighted to introduce four of these dedicated spinal surgeons; Mr Omar Gabbar, Mr Phillip Sell, Mr Jason Braybrooke and Mr Yoon. Together, they offer world renowned spinal care expertise including a comprehensive, efficient service for patients with many different spinal problems.

Mr Omar Gabbar Consultant Orthopaedic surgeon Specialities Spinal Disorders, Spinal Surgery, Spinal and Neck Surgery, Orthopaedics

Mr Phillip Sell Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Specialities Spinal Disorders, Spinal Surgery, Spinal and Neck Surgery

Mr Jason Braybrooke Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Specialities Orthopaedics, Spinal Surgery, Spinal Disorders, Spinal and Neck Surgery

Mr Wai Weng Yoon Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Specialities Orthopaedics, Paediatric Orthopaedics, Spinal Surgery, Spinal Disorders, Spinal and Neck Surgery

Ask your GP today for a private referral to the Spine Care Specialists at Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital.

If you require further information please call 0116 298 2612 Email Leicester.enquiry@nuffieldhealth.com Or visit nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/leicester/spine-care

Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital Scraptoft Lane, Leicester LE5 1HY

5 musculoskeletal

myths busted

By Consultant Professional, Head of Physiotherapy, John Doyle

M

JENNY LIU Founder of Hot Pod Yoga Leicester

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are conditions affecting the joints, nerves, tendons and muscles and affect millions of people every single day. They’re very common in the workplace and according to the Health and Safety Executive the average person suffering from MSDs takes over 17 days off work sick. There is also so much misinformation about this condition out there which can hinder recovery. Here are five of the biggest myths busted.

BENEFITS OF CONSISTENT HOT YOGA

1: I need a new desk

There are many misconceptions about physiotherapy but it’s so much more than ‘just a massage’ and it can help anyone in pain. Physiotherapists are experts in MSDs and are able to get to the root cause of the problem.

They work with individual patients to improve their pain and get them back to their normal activities. They look holistically at your symptoms and devise rehabilitation plans. Treatments range from joint mobilisation and manipulation to soft tissue techniques and your plan may include adapting lifestyle factors such as your diet, sleep patterns and emotional wellbeing to help you avoid, manage and recover quickly.

Many people want to try hot yoga, but are sometimes at a loss as to where they should start and how often they should practice.

The best thing to do first is to just get to one class and see how you feel.

The key is not to just practice regularly, but to practice consistently – even if it is just one day a week at first. Go every single week – that dedication and commitment will give you so many more benefits than practicing irregularly. But even going regularly just once a week can provide more benefits to your physical health, as well as your mental health. These benefits include: Reducing stress - the concentration during hot yoga can melt away the daily stresses. It emphasises being present in the moment and can stop you from dwelling on issues.

Improves flexibility - over time, the moving and stretching brings a greater range of motion to areas such as your back, hamstrings, shoulders and hips.

Builds strength - holding yoga poses that require you to bear your body weight in new ways builds muscular strength.

Fosters mental calmness concentrating on what your body is doing can bring a calmness to your mind, and yoga introduces you to breathing techniques, which can help in intense situations.

Increases self-confidence - yoga improves your mind-body connection, which can lead to feeling more comfortable in your own body.

Calm environment - with no bright lights or mirrors, the teaching style encourages a much more inwardlybased practice. The focus is on your body, breathing and how you are feeling rather what you or others are doing.

0116 274 3730

hotpodyoga.com

Most people spend their time at work sitting down. While poor workstation ergonomics like an unsupportive chair or sitting at an angle to your monitor can contribute to an MSD, desks often unfairly take the blame, it’s important to be aware of the wider picture.

Sitting while we commute, when we take breaks from work and when we get home, all play their part in damaging musculoskeletal health.

Reducing our sedentary behaviour can have a number of health benefits; regular exercise is a key way to prevent MSDs from occurring, so get up from your desk regularly, take a walk when you can and do what you can to fit exercise into your lifestyle.

Sleep quality can also have an effect on MSDs. A lack of good quality sleep increases cortisol levels which can exacerbate the pain people feel. Getting at least eight hours of good quality sleep per night can reduce aches and pains and can also improve concentration, focus, memory and overall performance.

2: Exercise will make it worse

People with MSDs often avoid exercise and strenuous activity in fear of aggravating their condition. But exercise is one of the best ways to prevent and recover from an MSD, as it can strengthen muscles and joints, improving flexibility and reducing the body’s sensitivity to pain. It also helps weight management, which can lessen the risk of developing an MSD. It’s important to carry out the right exercise plan for your individual needs, so you should consult a physiotherapist before going to the gym if you suffer from an MSD.

3: The pain is all in your head

All pain is real and based upon physiological responses. However, the pain felt isn’t always related to the 60 | NICHE

level of damage to tissues of the body, which is where things get complicated.

For example, paper cuts cause sharp pain, but virtually no damage.

Pain can be quite complex and involves multiple systems of the body.

It is also impacted by a number of factors including overall health and fitness, levels of stress and anxiety, quality of sleep, as well as the nature of the injury. For example, if you have a sore neck and you are suffering from stress at work, the experience of pain can be worse because the hormones and chemicals in your body associated with stress can also increase pain.

4: Smoking only affects your lungs

Smoking has been linked to loss of muscle mass, increased muscle pain and tendon degeneration. Weaker muscles and reduced physical fitness leave you much more susceptible to musculoskeletal injury and make it harder to recover from it.

5: Physiotherapy won’t help

Bringing the

sweat to yoga The benefits of yoga are no longer a well guarded secret

W

With more of us than ever before reaching for the yoga mat, a good yoga studio is inclusive and welcomes all abilities, genders and shapes and sizes. Hotpod Yoga in Leicester, located in a beautiful building on Pocklingtons Walk, invited us along to try out their unique yoga style for ourselves.

Having experienced a range of yoga practices over the years I was more than intrigued to try out hot yoga.

Armed with a towel and large bottle of water, I was excited to experience the heat on a chilly November day. The immersive experience as our instructor zipped us in the dimly lit, essential oil-scented, relaxing pod allowed for

total escapism from our day. Heated to 37 degrees, the 20-person pod’s heat allows for stretching further, breathing deeper and sweating harder, calming both the body and mind. The class, which took us through a series of active and passive vinyasa flow yoga movements, pushed us to the limits in a good way, leaving us suitably sweaty and smiling as the pod was unzipped and we stepped back out into the studio.

The studio itself creates a community atmosphere in which beginner and intermediate yogis can attend regular classes at various times of the day in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Owner Jenny,

who discovered her love for yoga to help bring balance into her formerly busy HR lifestyle, has created a studio which is refreshingly open to all.

With a team of teachers cultivated to treat each other and members as friends, the happy studio, complete with showers, changing facilities and the world’s cutest cockapoo, Cooper, invites yogis looking to bring a regular and highly beneficial yoga practice into their lives in 2020.

Hotpod Yoga have an indroductory offer of three classes in 10 days for £15.

hotpodyoga.com /studios/leicester

THE COMPLETE WORK BASED LIFESTYLE PROGRAM Helping companies’ employees achieve a healthier approach to work both mentally and physically

24 Long Street, Wigston, Leicester LE18 2AH I 0116 340 0255 I functionjigsaw.co.uk NICHE | 61

HEALTH FOCUS

SAHNIEYA TAYUB Pharmacist at Somerby Paharmacy

ORGANISING YOUR MEDICAL ROUTINE We understand the pressures of daily lives for patients who are not well enough to get out, people who work full-time or shift work, and busy parents or carers. But, keeping track of your medical routine is imperative.

Your doctor or pharmacist has prescribed your medicine to be taken at a certain time for a reason.

It’s so important to stick to this schedule because, if not adhered to, it could lead to your illness becoming worse.

We feel strongly about counselling of medication such as being able to simply explain how they work to how long certain medications need to be used to have a therapeutic response.

If a loved one of yours has a complex list of drugs and they’re finding it difficult to keep track of, a dosette box might help a great deal. It’s a plastic box with small compartments showing which pills are to be taken at certain times of the day. The NHS website endorses them for carers and families looking after loved ones.

Since a lot of pharmacies have started asking patients to pay for deliveries and doesttes, we want to provide patients with an alternative pharmacy service that will deliver to you for free.

Our key objective is to deliver safe, effective healthcare service that goes beyond patients’ expectations. We strive to put our customers at the forefront of our care. This allows a more personal relationship between our patients and pharmacists.

0116 271 1188 somerbypharmacy.co.uk 62 | NICHE

Forum

SUPPORTING NEW YEAR GOALS With each new year comes promises of a healthier way of living in both mind and body. For your team it is vital that you support them in this endeavour – a happy team is a more productive one, after all. But what can you do as an employer to support your team in their new year promises?

Goals: Encourage your team to detail their goals for the year, ask them to outline their work and personal aspirations either in a visual format or written out. Then see if there is any way that you can help them reach these goals.

Health: Creating a ‘healthy’ working environment is essential, so things such as water coolers, healthy snack vending machines or shared lunches are a good way to create healthy eating.

Exercise: For larger scale businesses

JULIE HAYTON Managing Director at Function Jigsaw having showering and locker facilities can be a great way to encourage your team to run or cycle to and from work.

If you have the budget it can go a long way in promoting this lifestyle.

Connection: Ensuring your team feel connected can go a long way to support your employees’ mental health. Encouraging team events and the opportunities for them to meet and discuss their lives can really help them feel supported in improving their mental health.

0116 340 0255 functionjigsaw.co.uk

SETTING GOALS, INTENTION PRITI COLES RCST/Bodyworker It’s that time of year again when media and family tell us that this is your year; this year you are going to win at life and smash all your goals.

So, the first thing you do is to make all those new year resolutions, don’t you? Eat better, join the gym, meditate, be mindful, do an evening class, learn a new language. However, three or four weeks into the new year and the urgency to change has waned. It’s cold and so the diet that consisted of salads has become full of comforting carbohydrates. Work and home stresses start to take up more of your time and your intentions are slowly being replaced by old habits.

So, now you start beating yourself up for having no enthusiasm or staying power. The self-esteem comes crashing down.

STOP! PAUSE! BREATHE! Who set your goals, was it you or did you follow the crowd? Did you listen to others’ opinions about you? Or are you unhappy with yourself?

I would suggest that you followed the crowd.

My tips to you are: ◆ Don’t follow the crowd, lead it. ◆ Soften your gaze as you look at yourself in the mirror, learn to love your contours. ◆ Show yourself some kindness and compassion. ◆ Don’t compete with others. ◆ Learn to laugh at yourself. ◆ Set small, achievable goals, consider one change at a time.

You are one individual ingredient in the magical dish known as the human race. If we were all the same, it would be a very bland recipe.

07795 361 288 priticoles.co.uk

NICHE FEATURE

Restoring your vision

with lens implants

The short and long-sighted among us know all too well the gift of normal vision is not to be taken for granted.

And for some, special treatments are neceessary to rectify their sight problems

L

Lens implants are a solution growing in popularity – and one that The Stoneygate Eye Hospital uses as a solution for those with poor eyesight.

Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE), or lens replacement therapy, has been used for decades to treat cataracts in older people. But now, clinics have been increasingly offering the surgery to people whose eye problems are too severe to be treated with basic laser treatment, seeking to correct their vision.

There’s also the added benefit that cataracts are altogether avoided in older age.

Ophthalmologist and surgeon Mr Aashish Mokashi from The Stoneygate Eye Hospital gave a rundown of all you need to know about the surgery.

What is lens replacement surgery?

Lens replacement surgery is a vision correction technique for patients who are frustrated with deteriorating vision. The surgery comprises of the removal

of the natural lens in your eye and the implementation of an Implantable Contact Lens (ICL).

ICLs are a permanent correction to your vision, in the same way that external contact lenses are, except that the lens is placed inside your eye. A key benefit of RLE is that patients won’t suffer from cataracts in the future as the ICL lasts an entire lifetime.

How long does it take to recover?

Most people return to work around three days after having lens replacement surgery. Your vision will gradually improve over the first couple of weeks following our treatment, although, this will depend on the nature of your profession. More time off whilst healing would be required for those who work in environments that are industrial, outdoors, dusty or dirty.

What’s involved in the procedure?

The surgery itself takes no more than 10 minutes, but

CLINICS HAVE BEEN INCREASINGLY OFFERING THE SURGERY TO PEOPLE WHOSE EYE PROBLEMS ARE TOO SEVERE TO BE TREATED WITH BASIC LASER TREATMENT, SEEKING TO CORRECT THEIR VISION

you’ll have to rest for about 30 minutes to an hour immediately after the procedure. Your eye will be anaesthetised with numbing drops, so you will feel no pain.

The discomfort and grogginess will gradually disappear while the anaesthesia is wearing off.

What are the risks?

The success rate is very high.

Lens replacement surgery is safe, and life-changing for millions of patients who have this procedure every year. All surgeries have some degree of risk, which is why you should discuss your procedure in detail with your eye surgeon. Serious loss of vision is significantly more common after lens replacement surgery than it is after laser eye surgery. But this affects approximately 1 in 500 patients in the world. Risks and complications can be reduced by choosing a high-quality lens replacement provider.

0116 270 8033 thestoneygateeyehospital.co.uk NICHE | 63

that

Slimming World Leicester West & South

feeling!

AISHA 07450 677 129

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KATIE 07774 835 342

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TRACEY 07710 956 987

AMY 07842 830 894

EMMA 07594 462 020

KIRSTY 07814 165 355

MAUREEN

VICKI 07368 214 524

NEW VENUE Shane Varneys, Saffron Road, South Wigston MONDAY 3:30, 5:30 & 7:30 TUESDAY: 5:00 & 7:00

Enderby Civic Centre, Townsend Road (Parking overflow Dog & Gun pub) THURSDAY 5:30 & 7:30 FRIDAY 9:30am

Blaby Methodist Church, Winchester Road, Blaby THURSDAY 5:30 & 7:30

Huncote Community Centre, Denman Lane WEDNESDAY 5:30 & 7:30

Eyres Monsell Club for Young People, Whiteney Drive WEDNESDAY 9:30am WEDNESDAY 5:30 & 7:30pm

Blaby & Whetstone Youth Club, Warwick Road, Whetstone MONDAY 6:30 TUESDAY 3:30 & 5:30

Please get in touch with any of us to help you find your most suitable group, we can’t wait to meet you!

Freer Community Centre, Wigston TUESDAY 7:30 & 9:30am Age UK, Paddock Street, Wigston TUESDAY 3:30, 5:30 & 7:30

01455 209 998 The Bunning Memorial Hall, Cosby THURSDAY 9:30am Blaby Bowling Club (Rear of Blaby Social Centre) FRIDAY 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30am

The Bunning Memorial Hall, Cosby WEDNESDAY 5:00 & 7:00 Brockington College, Enderby SATURDAY 8:30am

St Pius R C Church, Narborough MONDAY 9:30am, 5:30 & 7:30pm

Healthy mind, healthy body Nicola Rossell of Rossell Fitness discusses how to make those important lifestyle changes in the new year with Niche

T

The beginning of the year is typically when people resolve to change old habits when it comes to losing weight and getting fit. Personal trainer Nicola advises on how to make changes and kick undesirable health habits: “New year goals tend to be weight-focused rather than health-focused.

A big mistake I often see is attempting to ‘fix’ everything at once – be it the exercise routine, self-esteem, or eating.

Most times, this change is too quick and can be overwhelming, leading to a regression back to old habits and a reduction in self-confidence after another ‘failure’.

“If you want to make a true lifestyle change, I recommend that you take it slowly so that it can become ingrained

into your mindset. New habits need to be built up, which takes some hard work and time, so please be patient with yourself and with the process.

The first step towards achieving your long-term goals is to recognise that you need to work on your inner self. When your inner self is stronger and more confident, it makes working on your outer self easier. Results ultimately come from consistently applying this over time.”

Nicola runs her own personal training programme called Recharge.

Recharge is an exclusive womenonly monthly programme that helps women to ‘recharge’ their motivation, confidence, energy and weight loss results through a variety of physical work and mindset techniques.

“My programme can help women

who really want to make those longterm lifestyle changes. The programme is quite flexible and fits around most schedules; there are six different training times available, of which I recommend that they attend twice a week, just to build a consistent routine,” Nicola says.

For weight loss results in 2020, the main thing is making that move toward positive change. She advises anyone wishing to make a lifestyle change in the new year, to start off with a small step such as downloading a meditation app or a step tracker, to help with the accountability and building some consistency with better new habits. rossellfitness.co.uk

A STRONG MINDSET IS WHAT GUIDES ALL OF YOUR CHOICES Do you struggle with self-destructive behaviours such as overeating, binge eating, procrastination and denial?

If you have a lot of negative thoughts and opinions of yourself, then it’s time to address your mindset More headspace means more self-compassion, self-confidence and self-esteem.

When we build these elements we can operate from a place of clarity, we lean less towards self-destructive choices When you are consistently making better choices for your health and wellbeing, you will get consistently better results!

WWW.ROSSELLFITNESS.CO.UK NICHE | 65

Winter retreat With an aim to take you on a journey that will rejuvenate, relax and refresh both mind and body, a stay at Whittlebury Hall spa is the ideal way to start your 2020 as you mean to carry on

P

Part of a luxury hotel and restaurant in Northamptonshire, Whittlebury Hall spa is the perfect place to unwind and take some time out for yourself.

The spa features a variety of stimulating heat and ice experiences, soothing therapies and ancient bathing rituals, 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, finishing with an awakening, ice-cave experience.

Eliminating toxins and exfoliating your skin, the rejuvenating finish is wonderfully unique to the spa.

66 | NICHE

To compliment the fire 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 or The Terrace Café in The Leisure Club, which provides an informal dining affair with meals and snacks. Whatever food

fare takes your fancy there will be something to suit.

Guests who want to take their relaxation time to a much deserved next level could even stay overnight in one of the stunning accommodations, 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 FEATURE

SPA ROOMS The hypnotherapy pool is surrounded by experience rooms derived from ancient Roman, Greek, Turkish and Finnish rituals CALDARIUM A Roman hot bath. The intensive warmth penetrates the body stimulating the circulation and regenerating the body’s natural energies.

STEAM BATH Works wonderfully for the respiratory system, rheumatic complaints, and cleansing and toning the skin.

SANARIUM Followed by a stimulating shower, your natural defences are boosted shifting your entire metabolism up a gear and toning body tissue.

ICE CAVE Grab a few handfuls of ice to rub over your body after the sauna or samarium to contract blood vessels stimulating circulation and oxygen intake.

NICHE | 67

INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT

30 Days to Healthy Living

Bev Sankey talks to Niche about how to access a wealth of information and support for your health in 2020 with a 30-day reset

“Y

“You can transform your health in 30 days with the incredible wealth of knowledge and products from Arbonne.

The transformative 30 Days to Healthy Living plan produces real long-term results and a change in lifestyle which enables clients to revolutionise their health for good.” Arbonne Independent Consultant, Bev Sankey says.

The 30-day programme provides guidelines and support for those looking to change their health, mindset and wellbeing for life.

Bev, who was drawn to Arbonne products in 2012, believes passionately about spreading the word, after they helped with her own health struggles over the years.

“The 30-day healthy living plan

encompasses everything that Arbonne believes in. The clients can see a vast improvement in their health and wellbeing with the support of the scientifically researched nutritional products and the private Facebook Group. Fellow 30-day HLB participants can help motivate each other with weekly meal plans both vegan and otherwise, recipes, tips, shopping lists, cheat sheets and shared knowledge of the nutritional supplements. Support is key, so to jump into the plan with accountability buddies makes sense.”

As well as nutritional supplements and advice, the Arbonne range also includes ground-breaking skincare and cosmetic products plus everyday products such as shampoos and body

washes, which are also vegan and without nasty chemicals.

The 30-day HLB plan is all about reducing the toxins IN and increasing toxins OUT whilst balancing hormones.

“What I find most rewarding is helping other people take responsibility for their health and inspiring them to make the transition to a clean eating regime, leading to a better health and a happier life. The 30-day plan is the perfect reset for your body.”

If anyone would like a free copy of the HLB Booklet pdf please contact me. bevsankey@gmail.com facebook.com/BevSankey beverleysankey.arbonne.com

Mother’s Day

Gifts

50% off

your first visit for terms and conditions see merakihairsalon.co.uk/

0116 270 2888

69 Queens Rd, Leicester LE2 1TT info@merakihairsalon.co.uk 68 | NICHE

Glass mum wax warmer £20 comes with five heart wax melts (scent of your choice) Available from louiserosearomas.co.uk

The Dry Body Oil £36 Ultra-light, super fine, and breathable to preserve skin’s elasticity. Available from olverum.com

JOIN USSC FOR ONLY

2020 ARE YOU READY? • 60 station Fitness Studio • 6 lane 25m Swimming Pool

£20 Offer ends 13th January 2020

Ask at reception for details.

• Sports Hall & Gymnasium • 3 Squash Courts

• 60 classes a week

01572 820830 ussc@uppingham.co.uk www.sportscentre.uppingham.co.uk Uppingham School Sports Centre, Leicester Road, Uppingham, Rutland, LE15 9SE

How to follow through your New Year’s Resolution Turning excuses into action statements with this simple trick could help you achieve your goals

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We can all be the type of person who struggles to stick to a resolution. We can also struggle to even make one in the first place.

If you want to set goals for the coming year, if you want to work on your confidence or motivation, or if you want to put a bad year behind you, SanaMente Hypnotherapy says a simple trick will help.

When you find yourself saying ‘I want to lose weight’, ‘that shouldn’t be allowed to happen’, or ‘I wish I could do that’, simply add the word ‘so’ to the end. This stops the sentence in its tracks from becoming an excuse and turns it into an action statement.

Adding the word ‘so’ makes inaction all but impossible. This will also help define what matters most to you and distinguish resolutions that will be most meaningful to you.

Linda Neville, Lead Clinical Hypnotherapist at SanaMente Hypnotherapy says: “You can stop being your own worst enemy and start to become the best version of yourself.

“If there’s something you want to cut back on, do better, or perhaps start, stop or change, then try adding ‘so’ to the ends of the sentences you form when you think about these goals.”

If you still find yourself struggling,

na a S

t `™ @_ussc

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2020 KEY DATES SATURDAY 25 TH APRIL Gentlemen’s Day

SATURDAY 13 TH JUNE Gin, Prosecco, Cider & Ale Evening

SATURDAY 4 TH JULY The Ladies Day Festival

MONDAY 25 TH MAY Bank Holiday Family Fun Day

SUNDAY 9 TH AUGUST Family Fun Day

MONDAY 28 TH DECEMBER Festive Race Day

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NICHE FEATURE

2020 There’s already plenty in the diary planned for 2020 at Leicester Racecourse.

Take a more detailed look at what’s on the track this year...

Gentlemen’s Day Saturday, April 25

A fantastic day is already lined up consisting of top class racing, followed by the best Coldplay tribute in Leicester… Ultimate Coldplay. The event will be holding the best dressed man competition again, with great prizes up for grabs, so make sure you dress to impress. £20 per person when booked online Tickets purchased on the day will be priced at £25 per person

Family Fun Day Monday May 25

Join the course for some Bank Holiday Family Fun this May. Not only will there be a fantastic day of racing, but there is also a day of activities and games all free of charge, followed by a live music act.

Tickets £15 per person when booked online, under 18s go FREE!

Gin, Prosecco, Cider and Ale Evening Saturday June 13

A chance to join in with some fun in the sun. There will be plenty going on at this summer’s evening race meet with horseracing, lots of food and bar outlets, as well as live music from an amazing act. Be sure to look smart in your best outfit and don’t miss out on this great summer race meeting.

Tickets £15 per person when booking online!

The Ladies Day Festival Saturday July 4

Come along to what promises to be the biggest and best Ladies Day yet with more entertainment than ever before. Hosted by Ian Stringer, they have a fantastic DJ set by Dave Pearce and a huge variety of amazing tribute acts performing after racing. Of course, once again there will be a best dressed lady competition so make sure you get your best dress on.

Tickets £30 per person when booked online Tickets purchased on the day will be priced at £45 per person.

Family Fun Day Sunday August 9

Enjoy a day of flat racing along with lots of games and activities for all the family. After racing there will be a live performance.

Tickets £15 per person when booked online, under 18s go FREE!

Festive Race Day Monday December 28

There is plenty to look forward to with this years’ Festive Race Day. Enjoy a day of horseracing, followed by live entertainment by THREE fantastic tribute acts!

Tickets £15 per person when booked online, and don’t forget, under 18s go FREE!

0116 271 6515 leicester-racecourse.co.uk NICHE | 71

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

The best eating establishments in Leicestershire GLEB SMATKO

SAPORI RESTAURANT & BAR

Group Marketing Manager, Consultus Group

If you love authentic Italian food, great atmosphere and impeccable customer service, check out Sapori Restaurant & Bar based in Anstey. It’s the perfect place for a romantic dinner, a birthday celebration or a corporate event.

I’ve been fortunate to dine there on several occasions in a professional and personal capacity, and every single time I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food and service. This truly is a ‘quality over quantity’ establishment, so if you like to dress up and enjoy culinary masterpieces, you are in the right place.

But if you like to dress up and enjoy culinary masterpieces, you are in the right place. The atmosphere is always vibrant and lively but sophisticated too.

PAUL BRESNIHAN

CHUTNEY IVY

Growth Partners PLC

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sapori-restaurant.co.uk 0116 236 8900 40 STADON RD, ANSTEY, LEICESTER LE7 7AY My favourite dish was the pan-fried duck complemented with a glass of red wine, followed by a delicious tiramisu with a double espresso.

Having been working for over a decade in marketing and sales I am a huge proponent of good customer service, and getting the best value for your money.

Thus if you are doing it right I will tell the whole world about it. My views are mine only, everyone has different taste and likes but we can all agree on items of timeless beauty, class, symmetry and in this case, remarkable Italian food.

So what are you waiting for – Google the place, read more reviews if you have to and book a date!

chutneyivy.com 0116 251 1889 41 HALFORD STREET, LEICESTER, LE1 1TR Chutney Ivy offers a plethora of traditional dishes from all corners of the India subcontinent.

Rich in deep flavours and driven by the right spices, the dishes offer the perfect balance between flavour and heat. As unique starters like the Connoisseur (mouth-watering selection of chicken Tikka, Sheekh Kebabs, Salome Tikka and lamb chops) land on the table, one re-thinks before sharing.

Chutney Ivy succeeds in its contemporary takes on traditional dishes, a space few have the audacity to even explore. And it does so while maintaining quality of food, paying attention to detail, redefining modern takes on old classics and setting the

highest of standards.

Chutney Ivy is open for dinner and fortunately doesn’t open at lunch as I would otherwise be there every day on my break too! It is hands down the best place to eat for anyone with an adventurous palate in the city centre.

The contemporary surroundings and the restaurant’s location make it a really relaxed yet refined dining experience and it’s always bustling with diners.

If you need more convincing, head over to the website which explains that the food is freshly prepared each day by experienced chefs who aren’t shy to experiment with a wide range of flavours and cooking techniques from around the world.

HITZ RAO Hitz Rao Photography

JAZ KAUR Director at The Lettings Business

JAYNE TAYLOR Gavin Taylor Hair

CARAVELLI caravelli.co.uk 01509 211 228 11 SPARROW HILL, LOUGHBOROUGH, LE11 1BT I have recently started to visit Loughborough more often to visit the wonderful Caravelli Italian restaurant.

From the first time I visited there for a business meeting, and more recently to celebrate my son’s 20th birthday, I have been wowed with both the food and service that it offers each time.

The food is freshly prepared, looks great, and is equally as tasty. My family and I being mostly vegetarian, particularly my wife, had plenty to choose from including the Parmigiana di Melanzane, which she chose. This aubergine lasagna was full of flavour and one that has now become one of her favourites. We also ordered a mix of vegetarian starters and mains so that

we could enjoy a real variety, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.

Knowing that it was my son’s birthday, the staff made the whole occasion even more special for us. It was also a pleasure to meet the owner, Massimo Torre, and hear about the recent renovations that they have been carrying out, including the new À La Carte menu, which is due to launch soon. I lam already looking forward to my next visit!

The family run restaurant has the perfect combination of a warm, friendly atmosphere and good, traditional Italian food and wine, which will certainly keep us coming back for more.

LILU lilurestaurant.co.uk 0116 262 3119 76 HIGHCROSS ST, LEICESTER LE1 4NN Lilu is one of my hot spots in Leicester for eating out. It is a fine dining Indian restaurant but you walk through the doors and instantly feel relaxed and ready to enjoy the evening.

They offer an Indian fusion set menu that will transport you around the globe. Lilu’s owners say their restaurant is shaped and inspired by Leicester as well as the rich diversity of Indian regional cooking.

Being a frequent visitor I have tried a number of dishes but my stand out favourite has to be the Hiriyali Salmon; Tandoor baked salmon marinated in coriander and mint accompanied with a crispy salmon fritter.

The service has always been

outstanding and nothing is ever too much trouble for the friendly staff. I have visited with just my partner as well as with groups of friends and each and every time they are friendly and personable.

The owner, Pratik, really does go above and beyond expectations, no wonder they are Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence 2015-2019 winners. I’m already looking forward to my next visit!

The restaurant is closed Monday to Thursday and Sundays and you need to call ahead to book for Fridays and Saturdays, opening hours are 6pm to 11pm. You can also email for group bookings to try their Indo-French afternoon tea.

JOHN’S HOUSE johnshouse.co.uk 01509 413 216 STONEHURST FARM, MOUNTSORREL, LOUGHBOROUGH, LE12 7AA We arrived into the farmyard car park on a dark and wet winter’s night to enter via an old wooden door of John’s House.

Gavin opted for the a la carte menu and I was handed a pescatarian menu (requested when booking online).

The staff answered questions I had regarding some of the ingredients I had not heard of before and explained them remarkably. Once ordered, we were presented with a series of ‘snacks’ which were a lovely surprise. We then went upstairs to the restaurant. The atmosphere was relaxed and informal with only three other tables of two sat in our small cosy area and another small room almost full.

We enjoyed starters of risotto of

toasted grains, oxtail and Stichelton (mine without oxtail), and mains of roast fallow deer, cauliflower, red cabbage ketchup and coffee, and for me lightly salted fillet of cod, aubergine, passion fruit and curry spices. The flavours of the curry drizzled around the plate and passion fruit (which almost looked like a perfect egg yolk) were divine.

So much so, I asked if I could have an extra drizzle of the curry sauce!

We both had Caramelised quince (a ‘posh pear’), which was encased in a meringue with a dollop of cardamom ice cream on top and surrounded by coffee. We are so lucky to have John’s House, a Michelin star restaurant in Leicestershire.

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NICHE FOOD

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TOP FIVE 2020 CATERING TRENDS PREDICTED DANIELLE FRASER Partner at Green’s Catering Services Fine dining The return of fine dining means that 2020 will see more formal eating habits at events. Seated three-course meals with a sense of occasion and grandeur are predicted to be big news this year. The larger sharer and comfort food style of meal which has been big news for the last couple of years is now being replaced by a more refined eating style.

The Roaring 2020 One hundred years on from the roaring 1920s, 2020 is likely to see

events and weddings featuring the 1920s theme. Think glamourous cocktails, elegance and decadence.

Canapes are a great opportunity to ‘design’ beautiful food in keeping with the theme.

of spices and unique flavours, to create a full menu at an event with a particular country as its focus can help to build a strong and lasting impression of an event.

Japanese Cuisine Summer 2020 will see Tokyo host the Olympics and perhaps see a rise in demand for Japanese cuisine, a unique and thrilling way to add something different to any event, Japanese food will create a wow factor.

Plot to plate With the rise in ‘grow your own’ culture combined with the growing trend for plant-based diets here in the UK, the humble vegetable is seeing a surge in popularity. Once a side to meat or fish dishes the vegetable is now being given centre stage.

Worldly Travel across the world through dining.

Focusing on a particular country or simply incorporating a heady mix

07712 157 296 greens-catering.co.uk

The Circle, 5 New Walk Place, Leicester, LE1 6RU | 0116 296 9009 #esquirescoffeeleicester 74 | NICHE

NICHE FEATURE

Catering your 2020

in style Green’s Catering Services of Loughborough are the chosen caterers for a number of prestigious venues within Leicestershire

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Since establishing family run business Green’s Catering in 2012, Danielle Fraser and business partner Ashley Harrison have built a strong reputation for providing high quality, homemade cuisine for weddings, corporate occasions and events.

As the chosen caterers to a number of prestigious venues within Leicestershire, as well as blue chip companies they have catered for Red Bull, Thomas Cook, Virgin Formula E and the Lawrence Dallaglio Foundation to name but a few.

“Our mission is to provide completely homemade, delicious catering options, using local suppliers and ingredients. Made from our five-star premises and brought to your venue, or cooked in front of your guests, we offer a wide range of options for those who want to create the wow factor at their event,” Danielle told us.

Working with you to create an event which is entirely bespoke for your occasion, the experienced and skilled team is passionate about delivering excellence. From canapés on arrival to a three course sit down meal, everything is tailor-made to suit your budget and your palate.

Nothing about the dishes that Green’s create is bland, with each element of their menus carefully and thoughtfully integrating local ingredients whilst also tapping into trends in the foodie world.

Green’s also strive to stand out amongst the crowd with their professional approach to corporate catering, being the chosen caterers to Mattioli Woods, Shakespeare Martineau and Nelsons Solicitors, these companies have chosen Green’s to cater for their events and excel in the excellence they wish to portray to their customers.

“Our vision for Green’s has always been to be more involved with the clients that we service than other caterers. We try and meet with them to discuss in detail the event, their guests and their thoughts on the event and what they want to achieve. For weddings we provide taste tests for the happy couple too, so that they can ensure that their event’s food is exactly as they want it,” Danielle continued.

Green’s has also made working with the best of Loughborough’s venues a prime goal and has contracts with venues such as Nanpantan Hall and The Loughborough Town

OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE COMPLETELY HOMEMADE, DELICIOUS CATERING OPTIONS, USING LOCAL SUPPLIERS AND INGREDIENTS

Hall, all of which chose Green’s because of their family ethics and willingness to be able to work with any budget.

Head Chef and business partner Ashley Harrison, who trained at College Court, specialises in fine dining classic menus with a modern twist – his flair for creating something different has further enhanced the company’s offerings. Ashley hopes to bring new aspects to the business for the coming future including festival catering and bespoke fine dining events at Green’s Premises.

Handling every aspect of the catering for events, Green’s also provides an array of traditional and vintage crockery options, linen, uniformed staffing and event planning services, taking all the stress out of catering for your event for you.

07712 157 296 greens-catering.co.uk

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NICHE FEATURE

Events

for all

For unique and exclusive events, St Martins House is one of our city’s most sought after locations

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The stunning building that is St Martin’s House is located in the beautifully renovated historic quarter. It hosts a wide variety of events throughout the year and is the perfect venue for those looking to celebrate an event in style. From wedding parties to large anniversary and birthday celebrations to hosting Comedy Festival events, the venue is hugely flexible with the packages that they offer.

“We strive to create a unique event for each and every client.

Whether it’s a smaller, intimate wedding party celebration or a larger scale Leicester Comedy Festival event, clients are able to use our venue as a blank canvas for their ideas, décor and catering choices,” James Hayter, St Martins House Manager comments.

“St Martins House ia a unique building and we are keen to invite as many people as possible to enjoy it. With a mix of both contemporary and character features, the building needs to be enjoyed and events are a great

way to make this happen.”

The building’s beautiful historical features include stained glass windows, tall ceilings and original, large light-filling windows. As impressive on the inside as it is on the outside, St Martins is a special and truly unique space which will create a memorable event and lasting impression for all who attend.

The Grand Hall is the venue’s most notable feature room and can accommodate up to 200 guests comfortably. Its tall ceilings and top floor location create stunning views and a real city feel at night, with beautiful natural lighting in the day. With its own bar and allocated dance floor area, the room is perfect to host a range of events from birthday gatherings to weddings and laid back corporate gatherings too.

A blank canvas from which organisers can create their own stylish décor, the venue’s white walls and lighting are the perfect backdrop. Experienced waiting and bar staff work each event with professionalism and

CLIENTS ARE ABLE TO USE OUR VENUE AS A BLANK CANVAS FOR THEIR IDEAS, DÉCOR AND CATERING CHOICES

charisma, and the dedicated inhouse bar is always well stocked and staffed with efficient tenders.

With the addition of the hugely talented Sam Dimblebee, who joined the team last year, the food for your event is something very special indeed. Whether it’s comforting bowl food, classic fish ‘n’ chips or flatbreads and kebabs — the possibilities are endless.

“We can arrange for near enough any food to be enjoyed at an event. Working with clients to come up with a menu that will be loved is a real passion of mine.

I like to create real food — food which is stylish but actually has substance too; food which is both comforting and substantial,” Sam tells us.

For guests looking to stay in nearby accommodation, the recently built St Martins Lodge just across the courtyard from the venue is perfect for key guests to relax after the festivities.

0116 261 5200 Stmartinshouse.com NICHE | 77

NICHE FEATURE

Event accomodation St Martins Lodge offers luxury accommodation to compliment the conferencing facilities at St Martins House located in the Historic Quarter of Leicester

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The elegant £1.8m development, St Martins Lodge, is located on Peacock Lane opposite Leicester Cathedral. Providing luxury accommodation for the tourism and conference market within the city, the Georgian building, formerly used as offices, offers premium overnight accommodation. It has 28 luxuriously appointed bedrooms, including a top floor suite, two accessible rooms, car parking and breakfast provision overlooking the Cathedral Gardens.

The Lodge is the latest development in the exciting regeneration of the area which has already seen the creation of the peaceful and attractive Cathedral Gardens as a public

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with style space for city residents and visitors to enjoy. This part of Leicester is also currently being boosted by City Council investment to develop the surrounding streets and buildings, enhancing the local heritage, and is home to the famous protected car park where the remains of King Richard III were discovered.

St Martins Lodge blends seamlessly with its surroundings in this historic quarter of the city.

Its proximity to St Martins House conference centre also means that it is perfect as an extension of the conferencing facilities at St Martins for people wishing to stay close to their meeting.

Having been empty and unused for some time, the building was acquired by the Diocese of Leicester’s Glebe Committee which generates income from investments in land and property to help pay clergy salaries and pensions in Leicestershire.

St Martins House is a

WE ARE ABLE TO OFFER A 24-HOUR CONFERENCE RATE WHICH INCLUDES AN OVERNIGHT STAY IN THE LODGE ALONGSIDE OUR EXISTING FUNCTION ROOM HIRE AND CATERING FACILITIES

renowned conference and events centre run by the Diocese of Leicester and its staff are very pleased at the opportunity that the Lodge presents to extend their business. James Hayter, Manager at St Martins House comments: “We are able to offer a 24-hour conference rate which includes an overnight stay in the Lodge alongside our existing function room hire and catering facilities. We are thrilled at this new addition to the now thriving, historic sector of the city.”

For St Martins House delegates, the lodge provides conferencing accommodation quite unlike any other, full of stylish rooms each decorated with character and luxurious touches – the boutique style hotel gives the feeling of a relaxing break away than anything that feels close to business.

0116 261 5200 stmartinslodge.co.uk

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DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT \ EVENTS \ CONSULTANCY \ DIGITAL & SOCIAL NICHE | 17

NICHE MOTOR

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2020: THE YEAR COMPANIES GO ELECTRIC IAN HALLAM IMI Regional Sales Manager at 360 Autoleasing The big news for the start of 2020 is that company car drivers choosing a pure electric vehicle (EV) will pay no benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax in 2020/21 following a Government review starting in April 2020 which looks set to boost sales of emissions-free cars… and it’s already working.

The changes mean for a pure electric vehicle with zero tailpipe emissions, company car drivers will be taxed at 0%, paying no BIK tax at all.

This important legislative change has

the potential to save company owners thousands of pounds per annum.

It’s not only great news for company owners and of course the environment, but the change in legislation means that the demand for electric vehicles will boost the economy massively too.

Of course, these savings will be relevant to the sole owner, but particularly so for the company owner with employees who all also need company vehicles; the fleet savings will run into the thousands.

So, what can you do to reap this benefit? Well, it’s simple really – go electric! Not only will it be good for your image as a brand with more eco-friendly vehicles, but you will also be saving on both the company car tax and of course it will reduce your

company fuel bills at the same time.

At 360 Autoleasing Leicester we can help get you and your company the very best in electric vehicles – call me for a chat and save in 2020.

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Engage and entertain clients through our bespoke hospitality service, preferential rates on venue hire, corporate booking service and regular B2B networking events.

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NICHE CULTURE

Cannes Can

TRACEY MILLER Partner of The Miller Partnership

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For the Leicestershire Business Community, Cannes means MIPIM, but the city’s perennial glamour-fest Film Festival is often a prelude to Oscar glory.

Cannes 2019 brought us the high profile launches of Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton whose performance as Elton John took us down the yellow brick road of his descent into addiction, and Quentin Tarantino’s much-lauded Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with Brad Pitt partnering with Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio in a bromance celebrating the art of film making.

These male leads and movies are all nomination-worthy, as is this year’s record-breaking Joker. Todd Phillips’ dark origins story of the grinning villain received an eight-minute-long standing ovation at Cannes, and won the Gold Lion at Venice. Anchored by a transfixing performance from Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, Joker traces how an

aspiring stand-up comedian becomes the psychopathic clown Gotham fears.

Expect to see Pedro Almodovar’s semi-autobiographical Pain & Glory, starring Antonio Banderas as a potential foreign Oscar contender, alongside South-Korean director and writer Bong Joon-ho, who won the Palme D’Or this year for Parasite, the first to win via a unanimous vote for six years. The film is a timely, dark, social satire about class and materialism. Lulu Wang’s The Farewell won 2019’s Sundance London Audience Award, and this hilarious, deeply moving farce about a family hiding a terminal cancer diagnosis from their beloved grandmother, ‘Nai Nai’, stars Awkwafina.

Jordan Peele’s horror-thriller, Us, his follow up to the smash hit Get Out, weighted with expectation has polarised audiences, but still boasts critical raves and strong Oscar buzz for Lupita Nyong’o’s double lead. Renee

Zellweger’s tour de force performance as Judy should garner a nomination, with possible nods to Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers, and a potential record enhancing 22nd acting nomination for Meryl Streep in Steven Soderbergh’s The Laundromat.

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women is much anticipated by the Academy as is Ang Lee’s Gemini Man. Marielle Heller’s It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which stars a saccharine Tom Hanks, could be this year’s Green Book.

My all-time favourite filmmaker, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, reunites the veteran director with fellow Oscarwinners Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, in a blockbuster gangster drama, backed by streaming giant Netflix.

traceyannmiller@hotmail.com themillerpartnership.com

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BUSINESS FOCUS

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) CSR is fast becoming one of the main focuses within businesses. It goes beyond looking solely at how to make the most money but rather to build a better society. Businesses set their CSR goals like they set their business goals. What goals will you be implementing for the new year?

ACCORDING TO THE CONE COMMUNICATIONS STUDY, 87 PER CENT OF CONSUMERS WOULD PURCHASE A PRODUCT OR USE SERVICES BASED ON A COMPANY’S SUPPORT OF SOCIAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

LIAM DEACY Fundraising and Marketing Manager at Menphys

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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not going to solve all of the world’s problems. There, I said it. However, it is a way for businesses to benefit themselves and the communities around them. When drawing out CSR goals I believe businesses should be looking at these key areas: 1. Employee engagement Employee engagement is the emotional attachment employees feel towards their place of work, their position within the company and its culture, and this has a huge affect on wellbeing and productivity. According to a 2016 study conducted by CONE Communications by 2025, millennials will make up three-quarters of the workforce and 64 per cent of this generation of workers will not take a job role at a company that doesn’t have strong social responsibility practices. So, business leaders should be including employees in their CSR decision making, from choosing which non-profit/charity organisations they support to the writing of CSR policies themselves. Great CSR drives business change and with well-defined and measurable targets that engage staff, it can form the foundations for steps towards running a more sustainable and ethnical business.

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2. Customer engagement A good CSR policy can promote a positive brand association for businesses. According to the CONE communications study, 87 per cent of consumers would purchase a product or use services based on a company’s support of social or environmental issues. Customers are rewarding socially responsible organisations with brand loyalty, purchasing goods and services that provide a social benefit and, in some cases, make donations to charities and non-profits highlighted by an organisation’s CSR work.

3. Cost savings On the face of it, cutting costs in business does not necessarily align with the true values of CSR. In some cases, scrimping on spending can have a detrimental effect on both CSR and employee engagement. However, it is one of the easiest places for a business to start engaging in sustainability whether that is using less packaging or reducing the amount of energy used.

4. Long-term thinking An organisation’s CSR policies and goals should consider the company’s interests and that anything put in place is sustainable long-term. The speed of communications, social media and the growing demand for business transparency means any CSR activities committed to must be maintained for the full length of that commitment. Otherwise, it can have damage reputation and relationships with employees and clients alike.

Charity

IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAMS LEAD ON CSR ACTIVITY AND VIEW IT AS PART OF A PACKAGE CONNECTED TO RAISING BRAND AWARENESS

DR NIK KOTECHA OBE Director at Morningside Pharmeceuticals

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As businesses plan for the New Year it’s vital that all areas of the organisation embrace fresh targets, which reflect their ambitions and financial projections for the forthcoming year. When setting these targets it’s tempting to take the same approach for every aspect of the organisation, but the old adage of ‘one size fits all’ doesn’t always produce the best results.

This is particularly true for implementing a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and setting goals and objectives for measuring its return on investment (ROI).

Many organisations choose to invest in CSR because they believe that it’s the right thing to do and want to make society better, rather than anticipating measurable business benefits.

My company, Morningside Pharmaceuticals, has been investing in CSR for many years and we have found that it’s often challenging to measure the impact, particularly when activity is unconnected to the product or service you are marketing.

For us, CSR is about the ethos and identity of our business,

CHRIS CAIN Director at Kazzoo IT

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It’s not just money raised that we feel is important when talking about charities, it’s the profile and the opportunities it gives to the local community.

We have a few goals in mind for our charity associations in the New Year.

Firstly, we have agreed to help a fellow local business with a zip wire challenge in February. We feel it is important to participate and help others where we can.

This company has supported us this year, and what better way to show our support than joining

which has been built around our mission of making quality healthcare an affordable and accessible reality throughout the world. To this end, we feel it’s important that our CSR activity lives and breathes our corporate values.

It’s also important that senior management teams lead on CSR activity and view it as part of a package connected to raising brand awareness, engagement of people, motivating employees, and recruitment. These activities then feed into raising the whole image of the company and its KPIs will involve stakeholders throughout the organisation.

With this in mind, it’s perhaps best to separate out an organisation’s CSR targets from the overall business targets.

By doing this, companies can set measurable objectives for their teams, which CSR will inevitably feed into and support.

My advice would be: by focusing on making society and communities better, businesses will benefit. This is because giving back has wider business gains, rather than just delivering commercial KPIs.

in with them on this adventure.

We currently have a fundraising project on hold with a client, which would involve myself ‘wing walking’… watch this space.

After our fourth successful curry night in September, we have arranged our fifth for September 17, 2020. Our target is to raise £4000 on the evening for our chosen charity Hope Against Cancer. We have already confirmed sponsorship opportunities for the evening and our working on more.

Last week we ran a hugely successful Christmas Quiz Evening with help from Nicol Nightingale from Fothergill Wyatt. Three local charities will benefit from the funds raised

from this event approximately £2,500.00. Soft Touch Arts, Hope Against Cancer and FOCUS After being asked by several people who attended “Will you run this event again?” With how much we enjoyed the night and the money raised it would be a delight to re-run the event.

One last thing still in its infancy is a project with charity FOCUS. A project meeting is scheduled for January to discuss how we can put on a fabulous event to showcase the young people of Leicester.

Taking part in charity events and supporting local organisations in anyway businesses can, is vital for the local economy to thrive. If Leicestershire thrives, we thrive.

TAKING PART IN CHARITY EVENTS AND SUPPORTING LOCAL ORGANISATIONS IN ANYWAY BUSINESSES CAN, IS VITAL FOR THE LOCAL ECONOMY TO THRIVE

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Beat cancer by supporting

Hope For Life Appeal Hope Against Cancer are doubling the size of their Clinical Trials Facility – and are calling upon the people of Leicestershire and Rutland to help them do it

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Funding research is the only way to beat cancer, and Hope is at the forefront of giving people a better quality of life and a vastly higher chance of surviving the disease. The charity has started the Hope For Life Appeal and is calling on anyone who can start organising events, taking on sponsored challenges and donating money. It’s your chance to be part of a local movement against cancer – if you don’t want to miss out, you need to get involved.

The Hope For Life Appeal is aiming to raise a total of £1.5 million to totally redevelop and extend their Clinical Trials Facility. Every year, around 5,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Leicestershire. Thanks to organisations like Hope, of this 5,000, more people than ever are surviving. Hope For Life is the next step in making sure the number of people surviving cancer continues to rise.

Nigel Rose, Hope’s CEO since 2013, was full of confidence that the people of our counties would be able to raise the £700,000 still needed: “If there’s one community in the UK that can raise the money the Hope For Life Appeal is asking for – it’s the communities in Leicestershire and Rutland. Many

people’s lives are affected by cancer, and it’s a testament to them that Hope is what it is today. The Hope For Life Appeal is the next step in our journey.”

The money raised by Hope’s supporters will not only go towards doubling the capacity of the Clinical Trials Facility, but also towards purchasing new equipment and enabling further cancer research.

0116 270 0101 hopeagainstcancer.org.uk

£250 min ship sponsor al on s and per 150 n tio of £ contribu ent plans (paym ble) availa

24th - 26th June 2020 Take on an amazing challenge for Hope Against Cancer in 2020 as you Survive The Wild in some of the most rugged and remote places in the UK. • • • •

Trek 20km over rugged terrain.

River Crossings Abseil over waterfalls Scramble up gorges and river beds

• • • • •

Climb Crags Swim in the open water Be self sufficient. Cook your own meals in the mountains.

Survival Activities Camp under the stars

For more information or to book your place contact Tracey on 0116 2700 101 tracey@hfcr.org All money raised goes to Hope Against Cancer to fund cancer research in Leicestershire & Rutland. Charity number 1091480.

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Corpora te sponsor ship availabl e

Ever thought about Fostering?

We need people in your area to help us look after vulnerable children and young people.

If youWe consider a warm need yourself people to in be your area and to caring individual with the after dedication that it takes to be help us look vulnerable a Foster Carer, we would love to hear from you. children and young people.

As a CFT Foster Carer you can look forward to: · · · · · ·

If you consider yourself to be a

Full and ongoing warm andtraining caring individual with A highly skilled supervising social worker the dedication that it takes to be a 24/7 support from a qualified social worker Foster Carer, we would Regular meetings and social events love to hear from you.

Access to specialist support and services when needed Highly competitive rates of pay and a range of other benefits

Contact us today for more information

0300 111 1945 www.thecft.org.uk

or text FOSTERING + YOUR TOWN to 80818 Registered Charity no. 208607

FULFILL YOUR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Calling all businesses to join together and help us to house the homeless £100 to join and a monthly Direct Debit of £30 Bi-monthly email/newsletter reporting on the impact your business’s contributions make as a member of the 2020 club Two networking events where you can meet other 2020 members

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT

ARIF 07771 123440 WWW.HTHLEICESTER.CO.UK

OR EMAIL

AV@HTHLEICESTER.CO.UK

Could your business pledge £2020

for disadvantaged youngsters?

If you’re stuck for a New Year’s Resolution to commit to this year, there’s one

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you can join in with that will benefit not only yourself but the community too

TwentyTwenty, a young person’s charity, has started a campaign encouraging businesses and individuals to pledge £2020 towards the cause. #TwentyTwentyin2020 campaign will support 20 initiatives over the coming months that you can get involved in after making your pledge.

It will back a mix of events and awareness dates that tie in with the aims of the charity helping disadvantaged young people get back into education or gain a job.

Aimi McCaffery, Fundraising Director, said: “People or businesses can pledge £2020 this year to support some of the most disadvantaged young people in our communities; many of which have mental health issues and learning

disabilities. This will pay for a young person to complete our 10-week Engage course helping them develop selfconfidence and belief, or it can cover the cost of 100 hours of girls’ groups as part of our Love4Life programme, which provides health and wellbeing advice for girls aged 11-19 years in the most deprived areas of Loughborough, Leicester and Derby.

“We’re an award-winning support and employment charity which breaks cycles of poverty through empowering disadvantaged and disengaged 11-24 year olds who aren’t in education, employment or training.”

Since 2007, TwentyTwenty has worked with over 2000 young people whose poor start in life made surviving in school or college or finding a job impossible. #TwentyTwentyin2020 kicks off on Wednesday, January 22, at Morningside Arena 4pm-6pm. Nineteen other events will follow supporting International Youth Day, National Careers Week, and the Summer Celebration Party. Find the full list on twentytwenty.org.uk.

07957 506 507 twentytwenty.org.uk aimi.mccaffery@twentytwenty.org.uk

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STUDENTS RECEIVE CERTIFICATES AT TWENTYTWENTY’S LEICESTER CELEBRATION EVENT

NICHE FEATURE

Bringing the

community together After a fantastic year in 2019, FOCUS is looking to the future and its mission to bring everyone in the local community together

E

Emily Taylor, Development Manager at FOCUS tells Niche about the exciting events coming up this year.

With raising their profile successfully in the local business community last year, now FOCUS is bringing about a revolution. Aiming to bring businesses together across the city and county to create a connected community and show that Leicestershire is a great place to live, FOCUS supports young people to make positive changes in their lives and in the community.

Emily said: “Through our events and projects, not only do we want to inspire and empower young people, but we want to inspire the community as a whole by working together with businesses, other charities and voluntary sector organisations. We aim to create a better community for the next generation.”

The charity has many events and projects planned for this year.

We’ve put together a run down of what’s to come.

FOCUS On Business Networking events Bringing together city and county businesses in Leicestershire to network, this quarterly event shares with attendees how FOCUS supports young people and the local community.

Inspire Project Started in 2016, Inspire supports a group of young people aged 13-16 and is funded by the Big Lottery; recently the project has been renewed for the next four years, which will have a substantial impact on the young people taking part. The project includes a series of Personal Development Workshops and a week-long residential trip, addressing the issues and needs that are important to young people. They will have the opportunity to undertake exciting outdoor activities like abseiling and caving. There will be a series of Personal Development Workshops addressing the issues and needs that are important to young people. They will plan, organise and run Community projects, where they will get to use their project management and leadership skills, as well as gain budgeting, planning and marketing skills, whilst building their confidence and having a positive impact in the world they live in.

Start Project This exciting, brand new project helps to support young people aged 13-25 who feel isolated and help them to transform within the community to combat extremism and create a safe community.

Embarking on a 12-week programme, the young people

partake in various activities to increase their employability and communication skills, all whilst making new friends and building their confidence.

THROUGH OUR EVENTS AND PROJECTS, NOT ONLY DO WE WANT TO INSPIRE AND EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT WE WANT TO INSPIRE THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE

BY WORKING TOGETHER WITH BUSINESSES

Breathing Space With a grand opening of the site in Spring this year, Breathing Space is for young people aged 11-25 who experience mental health issues that prevent them from moving forward in their lives. Funded by the Wooden Spoon Foundation, the Breathing Space will be a community outdoor learning green space for young people to build on skills, ambition and self-worth, as well as increase their confidence and connect with others.

If you are passionate about supporting the next generation and making positive changes in your local community, contact FOCUS to find out how you and your business can support them.

0116 251 0369 focus-charity.co.uk

Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland

Presents...

! a l a d g y m A y m e l Well... tick

Saturday 15th February 2020 at St Martins House 6pm (10.30)

“A night of uproarious entertainment”

Tickets £40 mpeapl Includes two course £35 pp for groups

of 10+

Supporting Headway

This event will raise vital funds for Headway, Leicester, enabling them to continue providing specialist support and rehabilitation to people suffering with brain injuries.

headwayleicester.org.uk

TICKETS: comedy-festival.co.uk/event/well-tickle-my-amygdala

Wear a Funky Scarf Day – 24th January 2020 Charity Link Sleepover – 24th January 2020 A Bellyful of Laughs – 13th February 2020

ne ryo Eve ves the fe er des ics in li bas US

JOIN

The things you take for granted, someone else desperately needs... #heating JOIN US TODAY AS EVERYONE DESERVES THE BASICS IN LIFE For every £10 raised, you will help access £50 from charitable trusts that are available to help local people in need.

www.charity-link.org/events Leicester Charity Organisation Society is a registered charity no. 1078271 and a company limited by guarantee no. 03761954

Charity Link – finding funding for people in need since 1876

G U Y L E R

&

M O O R E

SUITS & VINYL C H A R I T Y

E V E N I N G

Bring your favourite record and our DJ will play it on the night

THURSDAY 23RD JAN 2020 from 6.00pm til late

Upstairs room at the Queen of Bradgate 93 High Street, Leicester LE1 4JB Organised by :

Matt Moore RSVP suitsandvinyl@gmail.com

leicestersuitsandvinyl

ÂŁ10 donation on the night - supporting

What record will you bring for the DJ to spin?

NICHE FEATURE

Charity seeks foster carers

across the East Midlands

An urgent plea has been made for more foster carers by The Children’s Family Trust

L

Last year, The Children’s Family Trust (CFT) received over 20,000 requests from local authorities for children in need of placements.

The not-for-profit fostering charity was established in 1945 and provides foster placements for children. The CFT is currently looking for people who are kind and resilient to care for children who may have faced great adversity.

Marina Mullholland, CEO of The CFT, said: “Children continue to come into the care of the local authority every day. We continue to seek high quality foster carers to help us meet the needs of these vulnerable children.”

One of The CFT’s carers received the prestigious ‘Presidents Award’ from The Fostering Network in 2016 for their contribution to fostering.

Jessica Harper, Marketing and Media Manager, said: “If you feel you can provide a stable and loving home and have the warmth and dedication that it takes to be a foster carer, we would love to hear from you. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and backgrounds.”

Applicants must be aged over 21 and have a spare bedroom. They will need to be DBS checked, which The CFT will carry out.

Elizabeth, a foster carer with The CFT, said: “Deciding to foster was a big decision but it is most definitely the most rewarding thing I have ever done.”

Celebrating 75 years The CFT turns 75 in September!

Visit the website to find out about the events being held over the year to bring foster carers and children past and present together.

0300 111 1945 thecft.org.uk

Zinthiya Ganeshpanchan receives national recognition A Leicester charity leader and social entrepreneur has been named one of the top 100 most influential women in the UK

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The UK’s most influential 100 women in social enterprise were revealed last November. Among them was the name of one of Leicester’s much-loved charity ambassadors.

Zinthiya Ganeshpanchan, the founder of the The Zinthiya Trust, has been named an Anchor-Woman.

Three-hundred nominations were submitted by members of the public.

The Zinthiya Trust helps women and families to become free from abuse and poverty in Leicestershire and celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. The charity also received the Chamber Charity of the Year award from East Midlands Chamber Enterprising Women, the Leicester Mercury Charity of the Year award.

Zinthiya herself was also awarded the Leicestershire Cares Golden Heart award and the East Midlands Women BAEM Leader of the Year. Zinthiya, is also the founder of the Leicester community Benefit Society, a cooperative aimed at tackling food/child poverty in Leicester.

Produced annually by Pioneers

Post in partnership with NatWest Social & Community Capital, the WISE100 – Women in Social Enterprise 100 – recognises the most inspiring and influential women in social enterprise, impact investment and mission-driven business.

Zinthiya commented: “I’m so proud to be among the WISE100 for 2019. A massive thanks to all who supported me on my journey. Tobias Gould, Dorothy Francis MBE, Ian Wilson, Rajinder Bhuhi, Andrew Bacon OBE FRSA, School of Social Entrepreneurs, Nils Bucknell and my BNI Olympus Team, have all helped me to be what I am today.”

If you, or someone you know is in crisis, The Zinthiya Trust offers confidential, no-judgement services on a wide range of issues including domestic violence, debt advice, and career guidance.

0116 254 5168 zinthiyatrust.org

CHARITY

VARIETY SHOW SUPPORTING HOPE AGAINST CANCER Join us for an evening of fantastic entertainment, supporting Hope Against Cancer with acts including singers, comedians, musicians and more.

Hope Against Cancer supports cutting edge cancer research in Leicestershire and Rutland. Our focus is about beating cancer, not managing the consequences.

We don’t receive any funding from statutory sources and are entirely dependant on voluntary donations to improve the lives of cancer patients in Leicestershire and Rutland. Today’s research is tomorrows treatment.

£35 per person

When: 26th March 2020 Where: Bistro Live, Leicester What’s included: • 3 course meal • Talented local acts • Disco

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW AT WWW.HOPE2020.CO.UK | 0116 2006102 in association with Email: roger@rdc.ltd | Call: 0116 2006102 | 07977271185 Table sponsorship packages are available for £100.00 per table, please ask for details.

NICHE SOCIAL

Oadby House Wellbeing Event The team at Oadby House hosted a Wellbeing Charity Event to support local charity, Hope Against Cancer on Thursday 7 November.

Starting from 6pm in the evening, the event was held at Oadby House’s luxury showroom on the Oadby Parade.

It was a fun and informative evening, which had a fantastic turnout, with talks from Wellbeing4life and Priti Coles, a cranial therapist as well as a range of activities to enjoy.

Local multi-award winning Indian restaurant Chutney Ivy provided nibbles, with drinks provided by Oadby House themselves.

Daniella Smith, Showroom Manager, said: “The evening was a resounding success; there were many guests getting involved and it was fantastic to see many members of the local community celebrating wellbeing and raising money for an amazing cause.

“We believe it’s incredibly important to promote wellbeing in the workplace, as the top causes of longterm absence in the workplace are ill mental health and stress.”

96 | NICHE

NICHE SOCIAL

The Network LE Annual Dinner Each year, the networking group Network LE comes together with other Leicester and Leicestershire companies to celebrate the business community and its achievements.

Gathering at King Power Stadium on November 21 last year, there were over 300 attendees making it the most successful event for the group to date. It’s set to be an exciting new year for Network LE with many more events planned for 2020.

Ginny Gamble, Wealth Management Consultant at Mattioli Woods Plc, among others made a speech commenting on how wonderfully lucky Leicester is to have such a positive and supportive business environment.

The black-tie event attendees offered a three-course dinner with coffee, wine and live entertainment for the 326 guests. Among them were Pete and Tracey Miller from The Miller Partnership, Nicol Nightngale-Spear from Fothergill Wyatt, Tracey Hallam from Hope Against Cancer, and Shaf Islam from Chutney Ivy. A great time was had by all.

NICHE | 97 67

NICHE SOCIAL

East Midlands Chamber Christmas Lunch The great and good of the region’s business community celebrated the start of the festive season in style. The flagship event took place on Friday, December 6 at Athena.

The annual lunch, sponsored by De Montfort University, Creative 62, RSM and Soar Valley Press, saw close to 400 guests enjoy an afternoon of fine food and first-class entertainment. Guests were treated to a rousing performance by the Musical Village Choir and a memorable comedy act by former Britain’s Got Talent finalist Micky P Kerr.

The afternoon saw the 2019 recipients of the Chamber’s Charitable Fund, CHICKS and Twenty Twenty, both receive an equal share of £2,429, raised by guests on the day.

Three new charities for 2020 were also announced. Chesterfield Canal Trust, The Mighty Creatives and the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association are set to benefit from next year’s event.

Chamber Chief Executive Scott Knowles said: “Businesses in this region work incredibly hard throughout the year. To be able to welcome so many guests from the business community to celebrate successes and usher in the festive period is great. And to be able to make a meaningful difference to local charities in the process is the icing on the cake.”

98 | NICHE

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