Platinum Business Magazine - issue 88

platinum ISSUE 88 AUGUST 2021

THE LARGEST CIRCULATION REGIONAL BUSINESS PUBLICATION IN THE UK

The History of the EU Divorce MOTORING All-Electric

MDHUB Leaders Awards The Acumen Convention is back ENTER NOW Sussex Business Awards DATA PROTECTION 5 key changes

THE BIG STORY

SIR ELTON JOHN BATTLING BORIS

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64

A U G U S T 2021

CONT ENT S LEGAL

14 Data protection five key changes you need to be aware of 42 Hoteliers’ responsibility for guests – A postlockdown reminder

ECONOMY

BUSINESS PROFILE

40 Energys Group

EVENTS

32 MDHUB respect 2020/21 Leaders awards 38 The most spectacular business event in the calendar is back!

BIG STORY

20 Sir Elton John – Battling Boris 16 Turkish delight 26 Parenting just got harder 59 A history of divorce

FINANCE

28 Supply chain challenges 31 How to structure your family company

20 FEATURE

18 Robust expansion in private sector activity maintained in June

TECHNOLOGY

56 Taking control of supply chain security – four stages to fortifying your evolving supply chain

BUSINESS

47 Is the future eco-homes and carbon-zero offices?

49 NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator Loop Loop 51 A history of divorce

INNOVATION

54 New faces at Sussex Innovation

PEST CONTROL

60 TRAVEL

60 The joy of giving back

PLATINUM MEDIA GROUP

59 Cleankill pest control launches new, highly effective fly killing unit

MOTORING

64 Jaguar I-Pace 66 Seat Mii Electric 69 Honda e. The ugly duckling

All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions relating to advertising or editorial.

The publisher reserves the right to change or amend any competitions or prizes offered.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent from the publisher.

No responsibility is taken for unsolicited materials or the return of these materials whilst in transit.

Platinum Business Magazine is owned and published by Platinum Media Group.

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3

Gatwick Diamond Business Awards: Diamond Alumni DIAMOND ALUMNI is a prestigious new members club, exclusive to Gatwick Diamond Business Awards winners, sponsors and partners; the very best of Gatwick Diamond businesses as recognised by the region’s premier business awards.

In partnership with Creative Pod, DIAMOND ALUMNI launches on 1st October 2021 with a lunch at The Grand, Brighton. The Alumni lunch will be an annual event offering high-level networking opportunities and adding value for sponsors and winners of our Awards. But the lunch is just the start - we plan to develop DIAMOND ALUMNI to provide other exclusive opportunities for members.

Members of DIAMOND ALUMNI have responded very positively to this new opportunity and are already inviting guests and booking their places at the lunch. If you are interested in sponsoring this prestigious new annual event please contact James at Creative Pod (see below).

For more information, please contact sally@gatwickdiamondbusiness.com For opportunities to sponsor this new prestigious event contact james@creativepod.uk.com

WELCOME These are exciting times. Having hauled ourselves out of the pandemic, we now get to witness the resurgence of business and the incredible resilience of business leaders and company owners, and the speed with which they are coming back to life.

Platinum celebrates this resilience across the South East in every issue and the August issue is no exception. We have the launch of the Sussex and Surrey Business Awards, already smashing entry records, DMH Stallard discuss the changes to the data protection rules, NatWest present encouraging PMI data, Sir Elton John is taking on Boris in the battle for the arts, and MDHUB present their Leaders Awards with words that echo ours above.

David takes a really interesting look at Tudor England and the striking similarities between that period and the current, Maarten has gone all eco with three electric cars and Tess has been looking at taking a vacation and giving back at the same time. And there is so much more.

We hope you enjoy the largest circulation business magazine in the UK and we are now all off to the beach...

The Platinum Team

CONTACTS PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Maarten Hoffmann maarten@platinummediagroup.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Lesley Alcock lesley@platinummediagroup.co.uk EVENTS DIRECTOR: Fiona Graves fiona@platinummediagroup.co.uk TR AVEL EDITOR: Tess de Klerk tess@platinummediagroup.co.uk STAFF JOURNALIST: David Bagnall david@platinummediagroup.co.uk STAFF JOURNALIST: Roxy Costello-Ross roxy@platinummediagroup.co.uk HEAD OF DESIGN: Michelle Shakesby design@platinummediagroup.co.uk SOCIAL MEDIA: Faye Greenwood faye@platinummediagroup.co.uk PROOFING: Alan Wares alan@platinummediagroup.co.uk

W W W.PL ATINUMME DIAGROUP.CO.UK

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WOZNIAK ON THE ATTACK Despite the company’s fierce resistance, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has issued a strong endorsement of the right-to-repair movement. The movement looks to have laws passed to guarantee users access to essential information and parts to repair their own devices. Wozniak stated, “we wouldn’t have had Apple had I not grown up in a very open technology world”, this is in stark contrast to the current view of Apple as one of the most vocal opponents to expanding legislation around right-to-repair.

Currently, right-to-repair rules in Europe and the US are restricted to appliances and vehicles alone, leaving consumer electronics, which Apple deals in, and medical equipment without the right to repair.

NEWS BULLETIN ❛❛ Happiness is like good health. You only miss it when it disappears ❜❜ Tariq Ali, political activist and author

AYE AYE AI For the first time in history, South African intellectual property officials have awarded a patent that names an artificial intelligence as the inventor of a product.

The inventor, Dabius, now holds the patent for interlocking food containers that are easy for robots to grasp and stack.

Under laws in most jurisdictions, only humans can be listed as inventors on patents, the reason being that things cannot create other things.

Even companies cannot be listed as inventors.

A fact that Ryan Abbot, a professor at the University of Surrey, has campaigned against for years, arguing that patent offices around the world should recognise AIs as inventors.

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HARRODS JUMPS ON THE BANDWAGON Following Carrie Johnson’s rented wedding dress, when she married the Prime Minister, there has been a rented fashion boom, prompting Harrods to launch its first fashion rental service. In partnership with My Wardrobe HQ, which supplied Johnson’s wedding dress, it will offer showstoppers by the Italian couture designer Giambattista Valli and more everyday brands to rent from its Knightsbridge store.

With fashion rental growth over the past couple of years, the question; “is renting more environmentally friendly?” becomes more and more prominent. A recent study published in a scientific journal, Environmental Research Letters, found that renting clothes actually had the highest climate impact of all. The hidden environmental costs of renting, such as transportation and dry cleaning, amount to more environmental damage than a one time purchase.

NEWS

❛❛ In Britain, any degree of success is met with envy and resentment ❜❜ Christopher Lee, actor and singer

TRANSPORT SECRETARY SCORNED WETHERSPOON DODGES DEBT? After predicting a loss this year, JD Wetherspoon is seeking debt waivers from its lenders for the year ahead, with food and drink sales in its pub chain still below pre-pandemic levels, even with recent lockdown lifts and the Euro 2021 tournament. The prediction comes despite 850 of its 860 stores being open across the UK and will be the company’s second annual loss in its history, after losing £105m last year.

At the end of this financial year, the company is expected to be £833m in debt. Having already negotiated debt covenant waivers related to profits measures linked to the amount of cash and assets in the business, the company said it expected to enter talks over more waivers for the coming financial year.

Due to a marked shortage in lorry drivers, the move from the government to allow HGV drivers to increase their daily driving limits from 9 to 10 hours or change weekly rest patterns has been met with backlash from the industry.

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) calls the new measures from Transport Secretary Grant Shapps a “sticking plaster” when faced with a shortage of approximately 60,000 drivers throughout the country.

One reason that the shortage is so steep is due to the 30,000 HGV driving tests that did not take place last year because of Covid restrictions.

The RHA’s chief executive, Richard Burnett, said that with the shortage, drivers were receiving a marked increase in pay, and that “suppliers and retailers should be prepared that these additional costs will be passed on.”

ASSURANCE FROM INSURANCE GROUP The largest travel insurance provider in Britain has stopped offering customers policies just as the school summer holidays begin and tourism starts up again.

Travel Insurance Facilities (TIF), which controls dozens of travel insurance brands, said the move to stop offering customers new policies was necessary due to its German insurer pausing new sales to consumers in Britain.

Union Reiseversicherung (URV), TIFgroup’s insurer, temporarily stopped businesses activities in the UK while it conducted a review of regulatory requirements, though TIFgroup has assured that customers can still make claims and apply for help with medical emergencies.

❛❛ If you take care of your character, your reputation will take care of itself ❜❜

Alan Sugar, business magnate and media personality

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SUSSEX

BUSINESS AWARDS

2021

FREE TO ENTER WIN THE RECOGNITION YOUR BUSINESS DESERVES

GO TO WWW.SBAWARDS.ORG.UK DOWNLOAD YOUR ENTRY FORM DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES SEPTEMBER 15TH 2021 AWARD CEREMONY DECEMBER 2ND 2021 THE GRAND BRIGHTON

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

EMAIL MAARTEN@PLATINUMMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

SPONSORED BY

CATEGORIES Company of the Year Large Business of the Year SME Business of the Year Micro Business of the Year Business Innovation of the Year Business Growth Award International Business of the Year Start-up of the Year Best Customer Service Business Pivot Award Businessperson of the Year Community Hero Award Employer of the Year Professional Services Award Creative Industries Award

Winning this award was a huge achievement for us as a company and for all our fabulous employees, past and present, who have worked hard for the past 14 years to make the company what it is today Rockett St George E-Commerce Business of the Year 2019

❛❛

❜❜

❛❛ Winning a Sussex Business Award was wonderful

recognition of our hard-working team for their passion in going above and beyond in every aspect of our exciting business... ❜❜ Tamara Roberts, CEO Ridgeview Wine Estate Businessperson of the Year 2019

SOUTHERN WATER UP THE CREEK

After 18 months of waiting, Southern Water has finally been fined £90m for 6,971 un-permitted sewage discharges between 2010 and 2015.

In March 2020, Southern Water pled guilty to 51 environmental offences from 16 wastewater treatment works across the South Coast and one sewer overflow.

The case is the largest criminal investigation in the Environment Agency’s 25-year history, leading Environment Minister Rebecca Pow to comment; “The findings, in this case, were shocking and wholly unacceptable... this fine, the largest ever imposed on a water company, is absolutely appropriate and welcomed.”

LOCAL NEWS ❛❛ Reality is not neat, not obvious, not what you expect ❜❜ C. S. Lewis, author and theologian IKEA PACKS UP After initial plans to build a store in Lancing, West Sussex, IKEA will instead sell the land, it has announced. Five years ago, the furniture company selected the site at New Monks Farm for development, though it has now decided that the trend towards making online purchases leaves the development of a new store unnecessary.

Despite the sudden change of plans, an IKEA spokesperson stated that “We remain committed to serving customers in the Sussex area in the best possible way... customers can still take full advantage of our strong online offer and home delivery service.”

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ETON MESS All five party group leaders on Lewes District Council oppose the controversial intentions of Eton College to build a 3,000 house new town near South Downs National Park. The party leaders have deemed the 500-acre site at East Chiltington, East Sussex, on the edge of the park, to be inappropriate for a new town.

According to the group Don’t Urbanise the Downs, East Chiltington would grow to have 16 times its current number of homes if Eton was successful, with more than 3,000 additional buildings being crammed into just 20% of the parish. The plans would also disrupt Bevern Stream, a nationally important spawning ground for sea trout.

NEWS REGENCY RADIO

❛❛ You cannot change what you are, only what you do. ❜❜ Philip Pullman, author STACKED IN THEIR FAVOUR A farm in Arundel, West Sussex, is pioneering a vertical method of strawberry growth that uses 50% less water and has a 90% lower carbon footprint, whilst also having yields five times higher than normal production methods. What’s more, the new method should save a considerable amount of space, allowing growers to see a greater return from the land they are working with.

The method should also guarantee supplies independent of the British summer weather, allowing for more stable yields.

The strawberries are produced in vertically stacked beds under fully controlled conditions, with plants watered using a hydroponic feed instead of in the soil, which Direct Produce Supplies says helps improve the nutritional value of the fruit.

Regency Radio station has started up in Brighton, playing non-stop with no ad breaks to allow for easy and continuous listening through the day. The station also broadcasts 15 distinct shows, spanning topics from roller discos to morning breakfast matters, all hosted by a team with decades worth of combined radio and entertainment experience.

To find out more about Regency Radio and ways to listen, visit their website www.regencyradio.co.uk/progs/

❛❛ What you have in your

head, put down on paper. The head is a fragile vessel ❜❜ Dimitri Shostakovich, composer and pianist

A VEGAN VICTORY? A Hove-based vegan beauty company has reached the finals of a national business award. Greener Beauty is an online shop for vegan, cruelty-free beauty and health products from ethical brands with no animal testing parent companies. The company has made the final stages of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year category.

Victoria Wood, the company’s founder, said: “After the last year with the challenges of the pandemic and lockdowns, it has come as such a welcome surprise to be shortlisted as a finalist. I am over the moon and so grateful to be recognised as a Sustainability Entrepreneur.”

RUNNING AT SNAIL’S PACE Huge upgrades to the transport system such as HS2 are being threatened by delays and rising costs, according to a government audit. An Infrastructure and Projects Authority report warned that plans for some key rail improvements may require significant changes.

Social distancing measures have been causing access delays and reduced productivity for HS2 staff. This was especially the case last year when temporary suspensions to construction occurred during the first lockdown, all mounting up to a further £1.7 billion of the projects contingency fund being eaten away on top of the already stretched funds.

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SURREY

BUSINESS AWARDS

2021

FREE TO ENTER

CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COUNTY’S BUSINESSES VIEW CATEGORIES AND ENTER ONLINE

WWW.SURREYBUSINESSAWARDS.COM DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES SEPTEMBER 1ST 2021 AWARD CEREMONY NOVEMBER 18TH 2021

SPONSORED BY

SURREY SURREY

I am absolutely delighted and incredibly proud to have won Businessperson of the Year. There are so many fantastic businesses in Surrey and I was very honoured to be a part of it...

Giles Thomas of the Manor Collection, Businessperson of the Year 2019

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❜❜

CATEGORIES BUSINESS BUSINESS AWARDS AWARDS

2021 2021

Chamber Member of the Year Employer of the Year Business Growth Award Most Sustainable Business Professional Services Award Best Customer Service Business Innovation of the Year CELEBRATING CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Business Pivot THE AwardTHE OFBusinessperson THE OF THE COUNTY’S COUNTY’S BUSINESSES of the Year BUSINESSES Community Hero Award International Business of the Year VIEW VIEW CATEGORIES CATEGORIES ANDAND ENTER ENTER ONLINE ONLINE Start-up of the Year It really is a testament WWW.SURREYBUSINESSAWARDS.COM WWW.SURREYBUSINESSAWARDS.COM ❛❛ to the fantastic team we Micro Business of the Year have and our wonderful customers, four legged and DEADLINE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES FOR ENTRIES SEPTEMBER 1ST 2021 1ST 2021 SME Business of the YearSEPTEMBER two who make it all Large Business of the Year ❜❜ AWARD AWARD CEREMONY CEREMONY NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 18TH 2021 18TH 2021Bruce’spossible…

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FREE FREE TO TO ENTER ENTER

To receive this external ❛❛recognition is a great achievement and reward for our staff who put so much time and energy into making our business what it is…

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AWARD CEREMONY NOVEMBER 18TH 2021 PRESENTED BY NATASHA KAPLINSKY

LEGAL

DATA PROTECTION

5 key changes you need to be aware of Commercial law specialist Liz Gillingham provides a snapshot summary of developments in data protection law you should be aware of

Data protection remains a major compliance issue in terms of both risk and everyday practicalities. Get it wrong, and it’s not just your reputation that will take a hit: if you need an incentive to get it right, consider the potential to incur fines of up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover as a powerful motivator.

We regularly find that data protection is a key issue in buyer due diligence and can provide a major stumbling block, particularly with many businesses not having reviewed their compliance since 2018 when the GDPR came into force. Data protection does not, however, stand still and the regulatory landscape has changed significantly in that time. Have your policies kept pace?

Here are the key developments you should be aware of:

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ADEQUACY 1UK/EU DECISION

The European Commission adopted an “adequacy decision” at the end of June confirming that personal data can continue to flow freely between the UK and the EU after Brexit. Good news – and a great relief – for companies whose operations span the UK and the EU; the alternative would have required extensive changes to privacy documentation.

EW RULES ON 2 NINTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

The EU-US Privacy Shield was deemed invalid by the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU) last year and can no longer be relied on to validate transfers of personal data from the EU to the US.

The CJEU also ruled that the EU’s standard contractual clauses (SCCs) would not always be sufficient to lawfully transfer personal data from the EU to other countries and that supplementary measures might be required. The European Data Protection Board subsequently published draft recommendations on the measures needed to ensure compliance with the EU level of protection of personal data.

The bottom line is that organisations which transfer personal data out of the UK or the EU to a country not covered by an adequacy decision must carry out a transfer impact assessment to assess the circumstances of the transfer, and whether any additional measures are necessary.

LEGAL

EU STANDARD 4 NEW CONTRACTUAL CLAUSES

In June 2021, the European Commission published new SCCs (the New Clauses).

Businesses which operate in the EU and rely on the old SCCs to transfer personal data out of the EU will need to update their data transfer agreements to include the New Clauses by December 27th 2022. The old SCCs will cease to be valid for new transfers of personal data under the EU GDPR from September 27th 2021.

The New Clauses are not currently valid under UK law and cannot be used to legitimise the transfer of personal data out of the UK, but UK businesses dealing with EU customers and suppliers may be asked to enter into them and so need to be aware of the change.

You can find more detail on this particular area on our website by clicking this link – New rules for international data transfers.

EU PROCESSOR 5 NEW CLAUSES

3 REQUIREMENT TO APPOINT AN EU REPRESENTATIVE

The GDPR applies to organisations outside the EU where they carry out business in the EU and requires those businesses (with a few exceptions) to appoint a representative in one of the EU member states to act as a point of contact for European supervisory authorities and data subjects.

Post-Brexit, UK businesses carrying on business in the EU have to appoint a representative in the EU for data protection purposes, and EU businesses carrying on business in the UK have to appoint a representative in the UK. That requirement works both ways: any company not established in but offering goods or services to the UK must appoint a representative in the UK.

Here, you need to remember that what seems like an administrative nicety can come with a hefty price: just a few months ago, the Dutch Data Protection Authority fined a non-EU website provider €525,000 for failing to appoint an EU representative. To reinforce the point, the authority also set a 12-week deadline for the business to remedy the situation – imposing continuing fines of €20,000 for every two weeks that it remained in breach (up to €120,000).

Finally, the EU Commission has published a new set of processor clauses for use when engaging a data processor under Article 28 of the GDPR. These are not mandatory, but you may find them useful when engaging a processor.

The world is increasingly interconnected and reliant on the transfer of data, particularly cross-border. As a result, data protection law is continually changing and the penalties for non-compliance remain high. We recommend that you carry out regular checks every couple of years to ensure that your compliance measures are up to date and have kept pace with the changing regulatory environment.

Liz Gillingham is a Senior Associate in DMH Stallard’s Corporate and Commercial team and can be contacted on 01483 467430 or by email at liz.gillingham@dmhstallard.com dmhstallard.com

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FEATURE

TURKISH DELIGHT

By David Bagnall

Nazim Salur, a Turkish businessman, has pioneered the world of instant grocery deliveries with his business Getir, raising $500 million in June of this year at a valuation of $7.5 billion, enough to buy Marks & Spencer twice over. Though it’s not just Getir that is getting the attention, Salur estimates that venture funds have invested $2 billion into on-demand grocery companies, which he argues is modest given the potential rewards.

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FEATURE

Getir acts much like other courier services, such as Deliveroo, using scooters to carry grocery items to the buyer’s house, providing pure convenience for anybody who wants just a couple quick items from their local corner store at a 5-6% price increase.

The service that Getir provides is currently used by millions of people in Turkey and is already expanding at lightning speed across Europe, with Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris all being added to the company’s area of operations - an impressive feat for only having taken its first order in 2015.

Despite the increase in price compared to just making the trip to the shops, the company has spread from serving mainly high income people to all brackets, demonstrating that people are willing to pay the extra money if they have immediate craving for something.

After managing to raise $1billion, Salur now has the capital to finally be able to push for what his investors must hope for. Among its investors are the likes of Sir Michael Moritz, the Welsh-born technology investor, and the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, both of which will be hoping that the company can upturn the entire grocery industry by turning convenience store staples into goods that can be ordered through an app on your phone. If Getir is successful it will change the way we shop for years to come although a scooter will unlikely be able to deliver your weekly shop.

❛❛ The service that Getir provides is currently used by millions of people in Turkey and is already expanding at lightning speed across Europe ❜❜ claiming that he expects to surpass the likes of Ocado with his faster and more convenient 10 minute delivery times, a clear improvement when compared with delivery slots that have to be booked days in advance. Though, his claims are a tall order to fill, particularly with the growth that Ocado also faced over the pandemic period, with a 20% rise in revenue during the first half of its financial year to May 30th.

In Turkey, Getir operates in approximately 500 dark stores - stores which have been closed to public entry, but still allow orders from them - though mainly use franchise holders, predominately in urban areas, offering 1,500 items to choose from. Despite the lower variety when compared to your local corner shop, Salur is confident that the selection will get the job done for 95% of customers.

Salur proposes that initially Getir will operate on a hybrid basis in the UK, utilising both franchise-holders and dark stores, and whilst he hasn’t commented on how revenues are shared with the franchisees, Salur claims that most will get back their initial investment within 30-36 months.

Perhaps most strikingly about Getir is that it breaks the employment trend in the courier industry, all UK staff shall be employees, heavily contrasting with Deliveroo, which classifies its couriers as contractors. The reason behind this, in Salur’s eyes is “pushing couriers to become contract workers is not fair to this industry and to the riders. Just like with cab or truck drivers... being a courier should be seen as a career.”

Though, Salur also claimed that flexible conditions will be offered to riders who want it.

Salur hopes to ride out this trend,

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ECONOMY

Robust expansion in private sector activity maintained in June SOUTH E AST BUSINES S ACTIVIT Y INDE X

sa, >50=growth since previous month

› K E Y F I N DI NG S

70

n Marked rise in new order volumes

60

n Backlogs rise at the quickest pace in the series history

50

n Input costs and selling prices rise at survey record rates

40 30 20 10 2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

Sources: Natwest, IHS Markit

The headline NatWest South East PMI® Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month - on - month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – fell to 61.8 in June, from 64.9 in May, but still indicated a robust expansion in private sector activity.

Private sector firms in the South East recorded a rise in order book volumes for the fourth successive month in

June. According to panel members, the easing of lockdown measures led to greater client demand. Although the rate of growth softened from May’s recent peak, it was amongst the quickest in the near 25-year history of the survey.

ahead remained in positive territory.

Moreover, the degree of optimism was the fifth-strongest in the series, although was the softest since January.

Vaccination efforts and the anticipated easing of pandemic restrictions underpinned hopes in June.

New order growth across the UK as a whole outpaced that seen in the region.

As has been the case since the start of the Future Activity Index in July 2012, sentiment regarding output in the year

Sentiment at manufacturers was slightly stronger than that of service providers.

TOP E XPORT M A RK E TS, SOU TH E AST RANK

MARKET

WEIGHT

OUTPUT INDEX JUNE 2021

1

USA

16.4%

63.7

2

Germany

12.0%

3

Netherlands 6.3%

64.4

4

France

6.1%

57.4

5

Ireland

6.0%

63.4

60.1

Sources: Natwest, IHS Markit

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June data revealed another sharp rise in workforce numbers at private sector firms in the South East, with the pace of expansion in line with that seen in May. Job creation has now been seen in each month since March, with the latest growth the joint-fastest since February 2015. Firms added to their headcounts in anticipation of greater demand and the further relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions.

ECONOMY The rate of job creation was quicker at the UK level than that seen in the region.

Outstanding business at private sector firms in the South East rose for the fourth month running. Moreover, the rate of growth strengthened for the second month in a row. In fact, the pace of expansion quickened to a new series high in June. Delays in the receipt of inputs, material shor tages and sustained increases in new orders drove the uptick, according to panellists.

Both service providers and manufacturers saw sharp increases in backlogs, although the latter saw the quicker rise.

Average cost burdens faced by private sector firms in the South East rose for the 13th consecutive month in June.

Furthermore, the rate of inflation was robust and quickened to a new series high. Rising transportation, fuel and staff costs, as well as material shortages were cited by respondents as the main drivers of inflation.

Input prices rose at a quicker pace in the South East than across the UK as a whole.

In line with a record increase in cost burdens, private sector firms in the South East raised their selling prices at the quickest pace since that series

NEW BUSINESS INDE X

began in November 1999. Charges have now risen in nine months in a row, with panel members attributing the latest increase to the passing on of higher input costs to customers.

Manufacturers noted a quicker uptick in selling prices than service providers.

EMPLOY MENT INDE X

January 2021 – June 2021

sa, >50=growth since previous month West Midlands

70

London East of England

60

North West Yorkshire & Humber

50

◆ = UK 40

South West South East East Midlands

Sources: Natwest, IHS Markit

Wales Scotland

❛❛ Private sector firms in the South East recorded a rise in order book volumes for the fourth successive month in June ❜❜

Northern Ireland North East UK 50 55 60 65 Sources: Natwest, IHS Markit

› COM M E N T STUART JOHNSTONE

Managing Director, London & South East, Corporate & Commercial Banking

“The South East’s private sector was rewarded with strong demand conditions in June, following the continued easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the reopening of businesses.

Although business activity growth eased from May’s recent peak, it was amongst the strongest in the near 25-year history of the survey. Strong upticks in new orders supported another rise in staffing levels, while a quicker increase in backlogs could see hiring efforts persist in the months ahead.

“An area of growing concern, however, is the sharp inflationary pressures which have built especially over the course of this year. In fact, input and output price inflation rose to fresh record highs amid supplier shortages and delays. Furthermore, the intensifying price pressures were not limited to just one sector as both manufacturers and service providers faced steep increases. Firms will hope that global vaccination efforts will eventually tame rising costs as workers return to their posts and supply-chain disruption is minimised.”

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BIG STORY

SIR ELTON JOHN

BATTLING BORIS

By David Bagnall In a recent statement, Sir Elton John hit hard against the government for its lack of provisions for the entertainment industry with regards to travel restrictions surrounding Brexit, stating: “I’m livid about what the government did when Brexit happened. They made no provision for the entertainment business, and not just for musicians, actors and film directors, but for the crews, the dancers, the people who earn a living by going to Europe.”

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BIG STORY

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BUSINESS

Sir Elton hammered home the idea that the government had thrown away the entertainment industry, instead choosing to focus on areas like fishing: “The fishing industry – which they still f... up – brings in £1.4 billion. And I am all for the fishermen, but we’re talking about more than £100 billion of difference here, and we weren’t even thought about! ‘Oh well, the arts: they don’t matter.’” His attack comes amidst the context of the government’s proposal to cut Arts funding in universities by 50%, a decision that will risk the loss of the UK’s position as a cultural leader within Europe, Contemporary Visual Arts Network claimed.

Though his frustration also comes from a personal perspective of not being able to tour abroad as easily, his main concern is for the smaller artists who don’t have the same level of wealth or time to fill out the necessary forms to travel as a business to Europe: “To young people just starting a career, it’s crucifying.” The sentiment is particularly stated by voices

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outside of Britain, who say that it is likely that the British pop industry will fade amidst rising pressures from emerging German and French pop scenes.

It isn’t just Sir Elton that has hit back at the government for its lack of care for the entertainment industry, with Cameron Mackintosh, whose career achievements include being the producer of the two longest-running musicals in West End history, also expressing anger and concern at the survivability of the arts as a whole.

Last December, Mackintosh commented that “The sudden volte-face by the Government in deciding to immediately put London into Tier 3 is devastating for both the theatre and the economy.” At the same time, Bernard Donoghue, the director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, stated that it was “Utter madness that... saunas and steam rooms can remain open but the National Gallery can’t”, demonstrating a clear sentiment throughout the industry of unfair treatment.

Above: Sir Cameron Mackintosh Left: Andrew Lloyd Webber

BIG STORY Whilst it may not be everybody’s first industry to save, the noticeable lack of consideration to an economy that is worth over £111 billion is striking, particularly as the UK is one of the largest exporters of entertainment in Europe, when it comes to music, with approximately 20 times the number of British artists touring in France than there are French artists touring in Britain.

However, for the same reasons that British artists are finding it difficult to travel abroad, Europeans are also finding it just as difficult to get into the UK with the new restrictions on travel being implemented. One of France’s largest

❛❛ I am all for the

fishing industry brings in £1.4 billion.

And I am all for the fishermen, but we’re talking about more than £100 billion of difference here ❜❜

More recently, Andrew Lloyd Webber hit out against the restrictions that the industry was facing, claiming in June that “We are going to open, come hell or high water,” for the June 25th previews of his latest musical ‘Cinderella’. Adding “If the government ignore their own science, we have the mother of all legal cases against them. If Cinderella couldn’t open, we’d go, ‘Look, either we go to law about it or you’ll have to compensate us”’ after claiming that there is clear science that shows theatres are entirely safe and do not promote the transmission of the virus. Though Lloyd Webber didn’t end up opening on June 25th, and nor did he open for his premiere on July 19th after members of the cast were forced to self isolate. He claimed that it was due to “the impossible conditions created by the blunt instrument that is the government’s isolation guidance”.

independent music managing companies claimed that the new travel obstacles have caused an administrative headache for many in the industry, and “in some cases, it could even lead to waiving dates in the UK”, simply because of the lack of economic feasibility when paperwork costs are considered.

accountancy firm KPMG, the number of available workers in the UK dropped the sharpest it has since 1997, with recruitment firms finding shortfalls in areas such as transport and logistics, hospitality, manufacturing and construction.

Whilst there is a broad range of skills that are currently lacking in the workforce, the labour shortages are also spreading to typically higher-paying sectors such as finance, IT, accounting and engineering as well, leaving many businesses scrambling for these specialised roles.

The Jobs website, which is tracked by government officials for warning signs from the labour market, found that the number of job searches from Western Europe and Northern America halved - a drop in roughly 250,000 searches - since February 2020, just before the pandemic spread to the UK. The decline was being led by lack of overseas interest in what are typically lower-paid service-led sectors, despite some towns and cities having certain job seekers looking to fill 20 positions each, indicating that there is no distinct shortage of jobs that cause the lower search numbers.

Alongside the lack of overseas interest in British jobs, businesses have been attempting to hire at one of the highest rates in recent years, according to a poll from British Chambers of Commerce of 5,700 companies, 52% said they tried to hire staff over the three months leading up to June. The study also showed that 70% of businesses that had tried to hire staff in that period had struggled to do

That said, to claim that this is an issue felt by the entertainment industry alone would be a gross understatement and too narrow in focus. According to the

Lloyd Webber also stated that they had been “forced into a devastating decision which will affect the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of people and disappoint the thousands who have booked to see the show”, a decision that so many have been forced into taking.

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BIG STORY

inevitable, but can anything be done about it? so, and the sectors with the biggest problems recruiting workers were construction, hotels and catering, and manufacturing.

Though it might not all be because of Brexit alone; the rush to re-open after pandemic restrictions has led to clear bottlenecks for employment. Employers are also finding added complications on top of this bottleneck, as fewer EU workers have been travelling to Britain because of the pandemic border controls alongside the government’s post-Brexit immigration rules. Up to 1.3 million non-UK workers are believed to have left the country during the pandemic, with few having returned to date. With the opening up of the UK’s economy and a large drive from employers to fill their gaps, whilst not having an equivalent return of labour forces, the shortage was

Whilst it is true that the pandemic has heightened the issues surrounding Brexit and labour movement, it might be unfair to suggest that the current issues are solely a short-term problem that will smooth out when the pandemic is over, whatever that may be. There is still the clear potential that we will be unable to recover similar numbers of foreign workers which we saw before the pandemic. This is due to the fundamental issues that have led to this labour shortage for employers: skills shortages, both high and low-paid, that have existed in Britain long before the pandemic or Brexit.

In an attempt to meet the needs of businesses across the country, business leaders have said easing post-Brexit immigration rules could help address shortages in the short term, but also called for further investment in skills and training from the government to increase the numbers of domestic candidates.

“We need action from businesses and government to re-skill and up-skill furloughed and prospective workers now more than ever, as the increasing skills gap in the workforce has the potential to slow the UK’s economic recovery,” said Claire Warnes, head of education, skills and productivity at KPMG UK. However, even in sectors that have seen extensions and the easing of restrictions to working visas have found a sharp decrease in international interest. One example is the horticulture sector, specifically when focussing on seasonal fruit pickings, a role that was traditionally undertaken by international seasonal workers. Here, despite the government’s decision to extend the Seasonal Workers Pilot (SWP) scheme to allow a further 30,000 visas for temporary farmworkers to enter the UK for up to six months, there’s still not enough workers to fill the 70,000-80,000 picking and packing roles that exist this year in the horticultural sector.

❛❛ Even in sectors that have seen

extensions and the easing of restrictions to working visas have found a sharp decrease in international interest ❜❜ Stephen Taylor of Winterwood Farms Ltd claimed that “95% of all fruit and produce picked and packaged in this country is done by eastern Europeans.

From the end of June, people who have not got pre-settled status, at least, can’t work.” The shortages are leading seasonal growers to be at risk of having their crops rot due to the inability to pick them all.

The problem circles back to the same issues that are being faced by the entertainment industry; cost. Even with the temporary visa, unless the worker already has settled or pre-settled status and are living in the UK, they would need to pay £244 and demonstrate they have savings of at least £1,270 before even taking into account travel costs to work.

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BIG STORY

their current positions, whereas they could find employment elsewhere if they didn’t lose current furlough benefits.

On top of this, there are hidden costs for seasonal labourers, such as not being able to access public funds, all of which contributes to making the UK unattractive as a foreign workplace.

we have ever seen, but it is still an unpredictable time. We can’t yet tell how much the ending of furlough and greater candidate confidence will help to meet this rising demand for staff.”

Why don’t British workers look to fill the gaps? Employment experts believe that the reputation of certain sectors for having traditionally low paying positions and poor working conditions surrounding Covid-19 is also having a marked impact in low employment rates. After a year of furlough and people spending more of their daily lives at home with their loved ones and away from the past normality of high-stress environments, fewer workers are returning to their old employers in hopes of finding a new, more agreeable place to work. If this trend is sustained, and with the UK’s traditional base of foreign workers for these sectors, the country could see a push for employers to increase wages, which could potentially lead to a rise in inflation from companies who are looking to accommodate the higher wage bills with a rise in prices.

Carberry’s comment about the uncertainty of furlough statistics and how this is set to affect the country’s labour statistics has heavyweight behind it. Currently, over 1.5 million workers throughout the country are furloughed, a significant drop from the initial 9 million at the start of the scheme, with the pandemic restrictions still limiting a full return to work. However, the scheme is set to be ended in September, a fact that will see many out of a job as unemployment figures are set to rise to 5.5% from the current the 1.6 million people (4.7%). Though this prediction may not consider the fact that large portions of furloughed staff are currently unable to work another job under the threat of their current position no longer providing furlough for them, leading to the potential that there is a large portion of the workforce who are ‘locked up’ in

However, there is debate about whether bottleneck pressures as the economy reopens from lockdown will translate into a permanently tighter jobs market.

Neil Carberry, the chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), said: “The jobs market is improving at the fastest pace

If there is any take-home message from the UK’s labour shortage, it is that for years we have had a shortage of skills within our population along with a clear lack of willingness of many to work in certain sectors, making it impossible to be self-sufficient when it comes to filling jobs. One cause for Britons’ cultural unwillingness to work in low paid sectors, particularly manual labour sectors like seasonal fruit picking, is due to our over appreciation for intellectual labour at the expense of other areas. Over the past 20 years, successive British governments have focussed on the primacy of a university degree compared to apprenticeships or other similar forms of education. Following from this, a culture has emerged which often rejects the merits of manual labour, causing us to heavily rely on international workers under the presumption that sudden unavailability of that international workforce simply wouldn’t happen.

There is a chance now, however, to change this for years to come with a revitalised investment in up-skilling our labour force, both high and low-paid, due to the increased demand with European workers gone, and improving working conditions and pay for those in lower sector jobs. Without this investment, it is a likely possibility that the employment bottleneck will remain a long-standing condition of British business character, with companies being starved of the skills and labour force that they need to operate and survive.

Sir Elton, and husband David Furnish

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FEATURE

Parenting Just Got Harder

By Roxy Costello-Ross As if working a full-time job and looking after children wasn’t stressful enough already, many working parents had to take on new roles during then pandemic; dealing with financial uncertainty, becoming full-time teachers to their children with new online classes and homework and, in the process, re-educating themselves on algebra that they haven’t seen or used in years, learning how to use Zoom, as well as dealing with the general stress that comes with a worldwide pandemic.

For a lot of employees, the line between home and work were blurred. This quick merging of worlds caused a lot of parents to feel the pressure of perfectly juggling all of these new responsibilities, and it was these unrealistic expectations that lead to an inevitable increase in parental burnout and mental health issues.

Often, we ask too much of working parents without providing them access to better mental health support in the workplace. Many parents would benefit greatly from the knowledge that they are supported by their bosses and having the reassurance that it would be okay to take time off if they needed to.

The first lockdown may have been a relief for some as they got the chance to slow down and spend some time with family but as restrictions lifted and they had to go back to work while their kids were still off school, the feeling that they were letting their children down by not being there to help with schoolwork may have become overwhelming. As well as

❛❛ The importance of looking

after the working parents in this country has never been more important, with more parents reporting harmful exhaustion during the pandemic ❜❜

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this, not being able to return to normal work hours with the kids still at home caused uncertainty in a lot of working parents, causing severe apprehension that their job wasn’t as secure as it once was and that they could be replaced by someone more available.

A report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) confirms this, after taking a survey of over 50,000 working mothers they found that 25% were afraid to lose their job and 48% felt they would be treated negatively as a result of childcare difficulties. Nine out of ten also said that their mental health had been negatively impacted as a result of the disruption due to school closures.

Statistics like these demonstrate how important it is for employers to check in on their staff and create open lines of communication surrounding mental health and parenting in the workplace so that employees feel comfortable asking for support if they are struggling.

❛❛ After taking a survey of over 50,000 working

Line managers should check in on employees who have children to find out if they can do anything to help their working day run more smoothly. This is especially important for working parents who feel that they cannot keep up with their co-workers that do not have children, as their struggles can make them feel divided from their colleagues in the

workplace. Employers who can openly discuss expectations, challenges and solutions to help their employees, are invariably rewarded with a more motivated and loyal workforce.

mothers, the TUC found that 25% were afraid to lose their job and 48% felt they would be treated negatively as a result of childcare difficulties ❜❜

In June 2021, research from specialist coaching consultants Talking Talent discovered a distinct increase in the demand for coaching that focuses on support for working parents. From responses by UK workers, including parents, carers and line managers, the most popular areas of desired improvement were wellbeing in working parents (24.8%) including resilience and anxiety coaching (19%).

The importance of looking after the working parents in this country has never been more important, with more parents reporting harmful exhaustion during the pandemic, leaving them physically unwell which can damage their relationships with friends, family and colleagues at work. The pandemic also made going to the doctors for support more difficult, and so for many working parents, their mental health went unchecked, which could cause them to feel more alone and isolated, especially if they had not had previous struggles with anxiety and depression. This obvious high demand

for better mental health support needs to be acted upon before businesses lose talented working parents from their workforce for not providing adequate support for the unique challenges that they face.

Sharing fact sheets and resources about mental health is a beneficial way to start opening conversations in the workplace and helps to remind working parents that their employers take the mental health of their staff seriously. Working parents are well versed in the world of meltdowns, feelings of frustration, and the sense everything is working against them, and it is due time that we open up their eyes to the world of confidence, happiness and hopefully, a little less stress.

Building skills such as managing anxiety and resilience can help protect employees from mental health struggles, providing them with a good sense of their well-being to better assess their own needs. Whether it’s specifically curated coaching programmes for working parents to help them through the different stages of family life, or simply more support from the workplace and checking in from the boss, something needs to give… and it’s not the parents!

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FINANCE Businesses are reporting serious challenges to supply chains, with stock lead times hitting 56 weeks for even the most basic items, says Andrew Tate, Partner and Head of Restructuring and Transformation at Kreston Reeves.

SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES unable to ship to the UK. Problems are expected to continue into the summer of 2022.

The pandemic has also meant that businesses cannot send staff overseas to sort out problems on the ground, and when they can the transportation is simply not there. As infection rates once again increase, that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Increased costs to UK manufacturers caused by supply chain delays are currently being absorbed by CBILS and Recovery Loan funding that has yet to be spent, but funding challenges loom large.

In June, Kreston Reeves’ survey of 100 businesses in London and the South East found that 41% are currently experiencing significant supply chain challenges, with a fur ther 17% expecting problems in the very near future.

The issue is particularly acute for UK manufacturers, with one manufacturer reporting stock lead times of up to 56 weeks for even the most basic of items.

Manufacturing businesses are facing a perfect storm of delays caused by COVID, Brexit and the temporary closure of the Suez Canal, with stock lead times typically between 24 and 56 weeks.

The demand for high quality and high value UK manufactured products is high, but the ability to stockpile for even

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just a few weeks is not possible for most businesses. Businesses are unable to fulfil orders and are taking a hit on margins.

The problems appear to rest in transpor tation rather than overseas manufacturing, with businesses simply

Businesses need to ask what will happen when that funding is exhausted?

Will banks respond if more funding is needed?

Businesses experiencing supply chain challenges should scenario plan, forecast pinch points and open dialogues with funders and banks now.

If your business is currently experiencing supply chain issues, then get in touch with us.

Andrew Tate, Partner and Head of Restructuring and Transformation E: andrew.tate@krestonreeves.com T: 0330 124 1399

Celebrating 200 years of history This year we are celebrating 200 years of our history. We’re using this as an opportunity to celebrate what all our people collectively do for our clients, colleagues and communities.

Our people make Kreston Reeves, they are our greatest asset.

Visit our website to find out more www.krestonreeves.com/200

Our focus is you Outstanding legal advice for individuals, families and businesses.

For business We make it our business to know your business, working with you to add value and to deliver tailored legal services with energy and creativity whether you’re an established market leader or an ambitious start-up.

For you Your family’s security and wellbeing are your priority.

And we have the legal skills and knowledge to support your plans and the challenges life brings.

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Our success depends on understanding your needs Please call or email to discuss how we can help you: 03333 231580 enquiries@dmhstallard.com

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FINANCE

By Dan Morgan, Managing Partner, Haines Watts Esher

How to structure your family company Once your business gets to a certain level of success and stability, it’s always a good idea to think about the future – the future of the company, but also the future of your family and how this will link in with the course of the business.

Setting up a family company structure is one way to protect your personal and family interests, while planning for the wealth and tax implications.

THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE OF YOUR BUSINESS AND FAMILY The initial start-up phase is the point at which you want to start thinking about the future and getting your goals pinned down early. Do you want your children involved in the business at a later date?

Do you need flexibility built into the structure for future generations?

Further down the line, once there’s value in the company shares, putting this kind of family company structure in place becomes a lot more difficult. Start thinking about your intended goals alongside your structuring and planning, so you’re starting to set the right foundations.

THE BENEFITS OF CREATING A NEW ENTITY WITHIN THE BUSINESS One option is to set up a trading company that’s owned by yourself and your partner, then have a new company over this in the business structure that has some shares in it.

Having a company that sits above the main trading entity means you can create a family investment company, if you want to. When you want to take cash out of the business for a specific purpose,

you can do this. Any dividends you take out of the main business can then be paid into this separate company, giving you more options for how you then utilise this capital.

If you’re thinking about property or shares, you absolutely need this structure in place to keep things flexible and tax efficient. There’s a minimal admin fee to keep the second company running, but it delivers a real benefit in the longer term.

PLANNING AHEAD AND FLEXING FOR THE FUTURE Younger people are likely to go for a simple set-up. Wealthier, older people, with more family interests, will go for a more complex set-up. Over time, things will inevitably get more complicated as your family grows and more interests have to be accounted for.

Shareholder agreements, gifting money and writing a will all serve to add to the

complexity. And the needs of the business and family can change a lot over time. Because of this, your family company structure needs to be reviewed at least every five years. But as you get older, or your kids get closer to 18, you need to review things more frequently.

Intentions change, families change, relationships change. Your aim is to make the structure fit your current reality and to plan ahead with as much foresight as possible.

If you’d like to review your family company options, please do get in touch with us.

www.hwca.com/accountants-esher T: 020 8549 5137 E: esher@hwca.com

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EVENTS What do we really mean by the word Respect in 2021 ?

MDHUB RESPECT 2020/21

LEADERS AWARDS As a Noun, respect is to honour ... and that is what the MDHUB instinctively felt was the very best description to acknowledge the incredible response that our members had to the pandemic.

The MDHUB were delighted to be able to finally hold their long overdue Leaders Awards in the glorious setting of Ridgeview Wine Estate on Ditchling Common in July.

Under huge safari canvas tents in the wine garden, beneath long overdue sunny skies and with a field kitchen set up for the occasion with English lavender table decorations accompanying the ice buckets of Ridgeview Cavendish, Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia, it really was the most perfect setting.

❛❛ The MDHUB Awards are

designed by the MDHUB Team to reflect the current business landscape ❜❜ The RESPECT 2020/21 Awards provided MDHUB members a very welcome opportunity to gather not just as fellow business leaders but as friends. To reflect upon and respect the unprecedented events of the past 15 months and to acknowledge the contributions and achievements that our members have made to their businesses, and the support that they have given to their fellow peers. The warmth of the atmosphere and the non-stop smiling showed how much our members have missed seeing each other. The commitment to each other could not be clearer, whether their company had the best year ever or barely traded in Covid times they willingly set aside 2,400 hours to support each other, which is a huge and very important

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commitment from a business owner, not just to their own business but to support others as well.

We proudly say that “we help leaders develop and we support them as they lead” and, like many of the entrepreneurs that we work with, as an organisation we were put to the test to deliver on our promise to our members.

Our belief in the depth, emotional engagement, understanding and carefully handled challenge provided by our facilitated peer learning and business support has proved its worth throughout this turbulent period as the running of over 300 workgroups demonstrates.

It has also been the most transformational time for our members, as both entrepreneurs and leaders, as they have done what they all so brilliantly do – innovating around the most challenging of situations, energising and collaborating in order to survive and in quite a few cases experienced stunning growth.

Fiona Shafer, Managing Director of MDHUB commented at the event, “As members you have all demonstrated leadership at its very best and at a time when, let’s be very honest, leadership has been woefully lacking not a million miles from us at a higher level ... or was it that that higher level of leadership is right here, right now?”

We would like to thank all of the amazing people who helped create this event together: the Hospitality Team at Ridgeview, Simon of Simon W Desmond Catering and Poppy of Poppy Berry Photography. Our generous and fantastic Award sponsors, TEK Express and PVL (UK) Ltd for the Ridgeview and EllieEllie for the Award engraving – without whom this event would not have happened.

EVENTS

The MDHUB Awards are designed by the MDHUB Team to reflect the current business landscape and the recipients of the awards are chosen by the MDHUB Team* based on their confidential observations in their peer sessions normally throughout a 12 month period but in this case, the 15 months since we went into Lockdown. * With one exception this year.

The MDHUB RESPECT 2020/21 Leaders awards have been specifically named to represent the extraordinary achievements of our members over this period.

The Lumos Award 2020/21

The Alchemist Award 2020/21

The Resilience Award 2020/21

The Future Proof Award 2020/21

For casting light in the darkness throughout 2020/21 WINNERS: Catherine Parsons and Liz Kimberley of 360 HR in Brighton Sponsored by The French Bedroom Company For the Leader who demonstrated the most extraordinary resilience during 2020/21 WINNERS: Lloyd Kane – MD of Rickshaw Travel in Brighton Sponsored by The Kitchen Store

For the leader who has transformed their business for the better in 2020/21 WINNERS: Ryan Page – MD of Espresso Solutions in Crawley Sponsored by DMH Stallard

For the leader best committed to their future business sustainability in 2020/21 WINNERS: Tamara Roberts – CEO of Ridgeview Wine Estate on Ditchling Common Sponsored by Extech Cloud

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EVENTS The Driest Sense of Humour Outside of the Atacama Desert Award 2020/21

WINNER: Simon Brookes – MD of BOXHARRY in Brighton Sponsored by Alistair Fleming Design Sponsor Dougal Fleming of Alistair Fleming Design and Clint Eastwood...

The winner of this award Simon Brookes - MD of BOXHARRY was unable to attend due to holidays , so he was happily represented by Clint Eastwood – aka MDHUB Facilitator Kerry Kyriacou.

PA of The Year Award 2020/21

WINNER: Sarah Dennis – Group Executive PA of Temple Group in Haywards Heath Sponsored by E & S Heating and Ventilation

Sponsor Anna Shephard - MD of E & S Heating and Ventilation and Sarah Dennis – Group Executive PA for Temple Group

Sponsor Steve Hayman – Joint MD of Cheesmur Building Contractors , Paul Mason MD of Nordell, Terry Nitman – Joint MD of Cheesmur Building Contractors

MD of The Year Award 2020/21

Paul Mason – MD of Nordell in Littlehampton Sponsored by Cheesmur Building Contractors

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Above : Danielle Reynolds and Rachel Watkyn Top Right : Helen Bailey Right: Joe Mattelaer Far Right : Tamara Roberts collecting her award [Covid-style] with Andrew Hookway

❛❛ The warmth of the atmosphere and the non-stop smiling showed how much our members have missed seeing each other ❜❜

Above : Justin Sayers and Matt Turner Above Right : The MDHUB Team Right : Roisin Meredith Far Right : John Thacker and Penny Bailey

EVENTS The Best Supporting Act Award 2020/21

For being the exceptional colleague behind the scenes who kept it all together thus allowing their MD to lead effectively during the pandemic. *Nominated by the MDs themselves OUR 4 FINALISTS WERE : Emily Darnell of PVL ( UK ) Ltd Matt Gayler of Ridgeview Wine Estate Chris Pegrum of LMS Group Holly Yates of The French Bedroom Company AND OUR WINNER IS : Chris Pegrum of LMS Group in Chichester

ALL AWARD TITLES – COPYRIGHT@MDHUB 2021

Sponsor Phil Green – Director of MDHUB and Chris Pegrum of LMS Group

If you are interested in finding out more about the MDHUB, please visit www.mdhub.co.uk Email MDHUB Directors: Fiona Shafer: fiona@mdhub.co.uk or Phil Green: phil.green@mdhub.co.uk

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Diversified Portfolios

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That Are Just Right

EVENTS

Approximately 300 business leaders, The Grand Brighton

The most spectacular business event in the calendar is back!

It’s time to put the last 18 months behind us! And what a better way to do it in the business world, than to get together with 300 business friends that we meet on an annual basis (apart from the year that shall not be mentioned!)...?

helped develop new professional relationships for over a thousand decision makers over the years.

This can only be the ACUMEN BUSINESS CONVENTION! Normally held in the spring, this year it will be held on November 9th 2021 as they refuse to go two years without it!

The ACUMEN BUSINESS CONVENTION is an annual event, held at the luxurious Grand Brighton, and the 2021 event will be the 11th year that the event has been held.

As one of the largest business events outside of London, the convention has successfully inspired, educated and

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Zebra dancers performing live

“The last 18 months have been challenging to all us of us, both personally as well as within our businesses and we really want to make it an event of celebration!” says Penina Shepherd, Founder and CEO of Acumen. “We want to see people laughing, being inspired and making meaningful FACE TO FACE connections and have all this sprinkled with some Acumen magic”.

Being all about celebrating the local community, the event not only supports a charity every year but also brings local heroes to the arena stage. Our local heroes share with our attendees how their businesses can thrive in the local community so, as a guest, be prepared to learn a lesson (or two…). Overall, the speakers year on year have left guests moved, educated and wowed.

EVENTS

THE 2021 LINE-UP They’ve set the bar even higher this year by having four remarkable speakers on the Main Stage. This year includes the brilliant English cricketing legend, David Gower. In his talk, David will share highlights of his astonishing career including the triumphs and set-backs as well as the humorous anecdotes that keep it all in perspective. The journey of a successful career in sport and media resembles that of running any business and David’s story will no doubt shine a light on those traits that can make all the difference to reaching personal growth and business success.

The Main Stage will also see Justine Roberts, Founder of Mumsnet, who will share ‘The Mumsnet Story’. The idea for Mumsnet came from Justine’s first family holiday as a parent. Everything about the trip was disastrous and all the parents at the resort bemoaned their choice; ‘If only we’d known before we left’. It turned out to be a lightbulb moment, as she realised that the web would be a great place to tap into the wisdom of others who’d been there and done that. Twenty years later, Mumsnet is one of UK’s biggest online communities with over 8 million users a month – a community committed to making parents’ lives easier and campaigning on issues such as miscarriage, support for families with children with special needs and post-natal care.

Justine Roberts, Founder of Mumsnet

David Gower, cricket legend and broadcaster

Penina Shepherd, Founder Acumen Business Law

Aside from these incredible two speakers, the event also features an additional line-up of eight(!) stellar speakers such as Peter Turley of Sell Squared; Charita “Momma Cherri” Jones, a Brighton icon; Stephen Boobyer Deputy Chairman of World of Books; Matt Hunt Founder of Protein Balls; Camille Pierson Managing Director of The Float Spa and more, all who will be sharing their inspiring journeys and imparting their invaluable knowledge.

ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW is excited to present their 11th annual convention to friends, clients and individuals from all different types of industries alike, both new and old. The 2021 ACUMEN BUSINESS CONVENTION will not only leave guests moved, educated and wowed but will also be a door for you to open meaningful, lasting connections too.

There are more surprises being finalised as this article goes to print, so watch this space.

To reserve your space at the 2021 Acumen Business Convention, please visit acumenbusinessconvention.co.uk

WHAT TO DO NEXT Go to www.acumenbusiness convention.co.uk to book your ticket

SAVE THE DATE: DATE: November 9th 2021 TIME: 11.30 -18.30 + networking VENUE: The Grand Brighton WHAT’S ON: inspiring speakers, live entertainment, lunch, hundreds of business leaders and surprises- all sparkled with Acumen magic…

The event sells out every year Visit the website now to see if there are still early bird tickets available

Drummers performing live

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ENERGYS GROUP The energy landscape has shifted beyond all recognition. This change isn’t just impacting the habits of domestic consumers, it’s catalysing a complete reimagining of how we decarbonise businesses and public sector organisations. Kevin Cox CEO of energy solutions firm Energys Group says his team is geared-up to making ‘Net Zero’ happen.

UK plc is in the midst of complete realignment of its relationship with energy. The focus is no longer directed at how much energy we use, it’s about where we source our energy from; when we use it; and how we keep all of these elements in balance.

Driving this is the UK Government’s ambitious Net Zero goal. Despite the goodwill and sterling efforts of so many individuals and companies, the truth is, if we are to stand any chance of reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050, a great push is needed. And, businesses must take the lion’s share of responsibility to make this happen.

SEA-CHANGE IN ATTITUDE For those of us operating within the built environment – the scale of the challenge ahead may seem overwhelming. Buildings account for almost 40% of global carbon emissions – and 27% of this total figure is associated with the operational phase of a building’s life-cycle. The built environment is ripe, therefore, for a ‘retrofit revolution’.

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❛❛ To stand any

chance of reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050, a great ‘push’ is needed ❜❜

However, the reality is whilst many companies have already made sizeable investments in greening their estates, there is more to be done. Contrary to perceived opinion, it has not always been easy to convince customers of the need to act ‘NOW’ on low carbon, ‘green technologies’. Cost, hassle and inertia are to blame perhaps.

However, the good news is, over the last couple of years, we have witnessed a real sea-change in attitude from across our customer base. Action is swifter: the cost of ‘doing nothing’ is both financial and reputational. Perhaps spurred on by the ‘Greta’ generation, there is a shift in attitude towards decarbonisation. It’s a move that we welcome with open arms.

‘JOINED-UP THINKING’ This change in outlook keeps us optimistic at Energys Group. Companies like our own are a crucial piece in the ‘Net Zero’ jigsaw; we exist to make positive outcomes happen. Since our formation in 2005 as an energy consultancy, we have evolved into one of the UK’s most experienced energy efficiency delivery partners for major retrofit projects. We offer ‘end to end’ support to public and private sector organisations to help them achieve their carbon reduction goals: from energy consultancy and advice, through to product supply and installation, project funding, and pre-/ post-project measurement and verification of energy usage.

ENERGYS GROUP Since 2005, Energys Group has upgraded over 2 million light fittings and other energy efficient building technologies.

At last count, the company estimated it has saved customers 672,395,084 kgs of CO2.

BUSINESS PROFILE

‘BEST TRADING YEAR’ If you are wondering how the pandemic impacted on our business, we’re delighted to report that 2020 was our best trading year ever – both in terms of sales and projects completed.

Part of this is because of the UK Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) which entailed a £1bn fund being made available for public sector energy reduction projects. An unprecedented initiative in recent UK history, the scheme also heralded some huge challenges for those hoping to secure grants, who had less than four months to submit their applications from the date of the announcement.

Our delivery team worked tirelessly (and to strict Covid-secure guidelines) throughout the lockdown periods to ensure these decarbonisation projects met the strict timelines. Ultimately, we were involved in at least 70 projects under PSDS. This equated to a total value of around £6m. Across the board we

SUPPORTING CARBONCONSCIOUS BRANDS Over the years Energys Group has helped some of Britain’s biggest and best-known organisations – including BT plc, Unilever, CBRE, BBC and NatWest - and scores of cost-conscious government organisations to reduce their CO2 emissions. Its completed projects portfolio includes 1000s of schools, academies and colleges all over the UK, hundreds of Government-owned sites including over 100 of the MoD’s sites and multiple NHS trusts.

supplied a range of the latest LED light fittings and sensor controls, which were delivered by our highly experienced technical installation personnel.

WELL SUPPORTED We are also very aware of the impact that the support and stimulus afforded by the Government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan – which was so swiftly administered by our very helpful team at NatWest. At a time when so many things seemed to be uncertain, this enabled us to continue innovating and growing our business – even during the toughest times.

NET ZERO IN THE SOUTH EAST Anyone reading this, who is struggling to see how their organisation might take the first – or next step – of its decarbonisation or sustainability journey, is welcome to drop us a line. Our team will be pleased to help.

T: +44 (0)1403 786212 E: info@energysgroup.com www.energysgroup.com

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LEGAL

By Lee Hills, Partner, Mayo Wynne Baxter LLP

HOTELIERS’ RESPONSIBILITY FOR GUESTS A Post Lockdown Reminder The hospitality sector has been badly hit during the pandemic with many businesses, if not all, unable to open for extended periods of time and forced to mothball entire operations.

As society reopens and hotels begin to welcome the return of guests, it is important to ensure that during these extended periods of closure, the fabric and infrastructure of premises has not deteriorated and robust systems for inspecting health and safety have been maintained.

A reminder of this comes in the form of a decision by the Court of Appeal in January 2021 and the case of White Lion Hotel v James.

This involved a claim brought by the widow of Mr James who suffered fatal injuries falling from a window at

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the White Lion Hotel, Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire.

The hotel in question originated from the 16th Century, was Grade 2 listed, and as a result, the window in question which was sash in design (although

defective) and of a lower height from the floor of most modern buildings, could not be altered.

Whilst sitting on the sill and holding the window open to smoke Mr James fell two floors suffering fatal injuries.

Although the hotel and its insurers asserted what they believed to be the legal principle, that an individual who chooses to take an obvious risk cannot then claim that another had permitted them to run that risk or failed to prevent them from doing so, this defence failed, both in the first instance and in the Court of Appeal.

Of importance was the fact that Mr James was a guest at the hotel rather than a visitor to, for example, open-air premises, and as such, a hotelier should assume greater responsibility for his safety than other types of occupier.

❛❛ Whilst sitting on the sill and holding

the window open to smoke Mr James fell two floors suffering fatal injuries ❜❜

The Court decided it was foreseeable that hotel guests may drink a little too much, be tired, relaxed and off guard. And even be tempted to smoke from windows despite warnings to the contrary.

In their assessment of the safety of premises, hoteliers should take this into account particularly when, in this instance, the sash of the window was faulty, there was no opening restrictor in place (costing £7.00 per window). And no risk assessment of the structure of

the building which might have highlighted the risk of someone falling.

The assumption of risk by Mr James did not negate the duty of the hotel to guard him against that risk but was one of a number of factors which may or may not outweigh others, including the state of the premises concerned.

Of relevance to hotels, guesthouses and alike which are reopening after lockdown, this recent case highlights the greater duty of care owed to

guests where responsibility for them has been assumed and that might otherwise be owed to visitors of other types of premises.

Despite having suffered financial hardship and operating with limited resource, this is a reminder of the need to ensure that robust health and safety systems continue to be maintained, risk assessments completed afresh and acted upon as guests return and society reopens.

Lee Hills Partner, Mayo Wynne Baxter LLP T: 01273 223232 E: lhills@mayowynnebaxter.co.uk

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Staycation ESSENTIALS

office to River Island has perfected the shorts red beach vibe perfectly with tailo e. shin sun add and smart blazers. Just From a selection at River Islan

d

M M SU E R B

With hugging back on is a must! Vegan, cruelty formulas and packaging

IKON The Fragrance Sh

Make sure you have a beach to bar, feature and is big enough to

Straw bag, New Loo

COOL With many of us taking a staycation rather than a vacation this summer, Churchill Square’s stores have everything you need to make sure your summer runs smoothly. From a UK break to relaxing in your garden or making the most of what Brighton has to offer. Here are our favourite picks;

Remember you’re in for the weather to ch has the right balance Denim Jacket River

R E M E Z E E

P U S F R SU

CHIN CHIN

the cards, a summer scent ty-free, and with responsible g, IKON smells pretty good too.

H&M has launched a surf inspired kids range in sustainable fabrics like recycled and organic cotton and recycled polyester. The BLOOM™ material used in the soles of the sandals utilises algae biomass that helps clean our air and waterways of harmful pollution. Clever huh?

Long summer evenings in the garden calls for special wine glasses to make you feel a bit boujee.

hop, £60

From a selection at H&M Kids

Wine Glasses, Next, £28

SUNE SAF

a bag that will take you from es this season’s natural fabrics o carry your suncream.

Get yourself a hard-working moisturiser with spf like Kiko’s Bright Day Lift. It’s a brightening and lifting day cream with marine collagen which tones, reduces fine lines and wrinkles as well as protecting your skin from the sun.

The best adventures on Brighton Beach are possible in these Under the Sea shoes from Clarks. The collection draws on the fins and fishtails of sharks and mermaids whilst pearls and shells make an appearance too.

ok, £19.99

Bright Lift Day, Kiko, £16.09

From a selection at Clarks

C I S S A CL

n the UK and be prepared hange. This men’s denim shirt e of cool and practicality Island Studio, River Island, £40

COOL & COMFY If lockdown life has got you used to living life in the comfy-lane, then these soft shorts are summer loungewear at their finest.

From a selection at Victoria’s Secret.

If you opted for a garden make-over recently, then the kids are going to need some nifty outdoor games to keep them entertained over the school break. You can’t beat a water fight, especially when armed with a Bunch O Balloons Stealth Soaker.

Bunch O Balloons Ultimate Stealth Soaker, The Entertainer, £18.75

Celebrating our clients for 200 years

Caxtons is the largest independent firm of chartered surveyors in the South East of England. The firm’s 100-strong team operates from offices in Gravesend, Gillingham, Maidstone and Canterbury and manages over 10,000 properties for a wide range of clients.

Graham Mitchell, Financial Director, Caxtons

The firm, like Kreston Reeves, can trace its roots back 200 years with the businesses in its current form established in June 1990.

“Caxtons does almost everything apart from sell houses,” says Graham.

The business was born out of a recession, grew through the 2008 financial crash, and will emerge stronger from the COVID pandemic, says Caxtons’ Financial Director Graham Mitchell.

Caxtons enjoys a strong and productive relationship with Kreston Reeves that extends beyond the traditional accountancy client experience, with regular referrals of new clients between the two firms.

Property management sits at the heart of Caxtons.

Its respected property management team focuses on three large parts of the property market in the South East – commercial real estate, residential and student accommodation, and apartment blocks and housing estates.

Kreston Reeves was first appointed to undertake a detailed review of the firm’s director remuneration packages resulting in each director benefitting from a substantial saving in tax each year. The firm was then appointed to provide full accountancy and audit support.

“We are recognised in the market for our specialist commercial team that manages large business parks and industrial units, shops, offices, and restaurants, clubs and bars,” explains Graham.

“We provide Jennifer Williamson and the Kreston Reeves team with a lot of management information each month,” explains Graham, “and regularly meet with them to share our thoughts and plans for months ahead.

“Our dedicated block management team looks after the common areas of apartment buildings and amenity space for property owners and housing associations, whilst our residential team in Gillingham and Canterbury focuses on residential and student lettings. This is at the core of what we do and do so well.”

“Jennifer and the Kreston Reeves team are proactive, keeping us up to date with financial changes that we need to understand with newsletters and training, adding value at every step of the way.

But there is more to the firm than property management.

Caxtons has a dedicated team providing professional services including valuations and rent reviews, a commercial agency practice selling and letting office space across the South East, an industrial and residential development team, all working alongside an insurance department providing the insurance products property owners need.

Our people make Kreston Reeves, they are our greatest asset.

“Kreston Reeves projects a modern, forward-thinking firm, that is professional, and that reflects our own position. I expect performance from our advisers and Kreston Reeves delivers that.”

This year Kreston Reeves is celebrating 200 years of history. We are using the significant milestone as an opportunity to celebrate our clients, our colleagues, and our communities!

Visit our website to find out more www.krestonreeves.com/200

BUSINESS

Is the future eco-homes and carbon-zero offices?

We speak to Blakeney Leigh for their insight.

Climate change is a hot topic, every industry is constantly looking for new ways to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Our homes and offices are major contributors, and in the battle to find a solution has come the emergence of eco-homes and carbon-zero offices.

Blakeney Leigh’s senior building surveyor, Stuart Smith, shares insight into what this really means for you. With the Government outlining rigorous new standards in the Future Home Standard, it’s essential you have a full grasp of this scheme.

IS ZERO-CARBON HOUSING THE ANSWER?

The construction industry certainly is a large contributor to global emissions.

Fortunately, however, in the UK we have some of the most innovative property developers.

With such technological advancements in recent years, it’s now become possible to build sustainable homes without sacrificing aesthetics, safety and comfort. As more of us work from home in the ‘new normal’ it’s important we prioritise our home’s carbon footprint. However, with the UK’s challenging weather extremes it remains difficult to create carbon-zero homes. Yet, it’s certainly a step in the right direction and will force the industry to carefully consider construction projects.

HOW MUCH MORE EFFICIENT WILL HOMES BE UNDER THE NEW SCHEME?

Homes are set to be up to 80% more efficient under the scheme by the middle of the decade, and 31% more by the end of 2021. But this doesn’t just stop at new projects, home improvements will also have significantly stricter restrictions.

Low-carbon heating options will need to be installed in new homes, and upgrades to existing properties will be expected, utilising technologies such as heat pumps, cooling systems and fixed lighting. These measures will look to tackle overheating, driving down costly bills and helping the government meet its climate change goals.

As they say, waste is a design flaw. At Blakeney Leigh, our designs always balance sustainability with practicality and cost constraints.

WILL YOUR BUSINESS BE AFFECTED?

Businesses have been forced to re-evaluate their office requirements and take a look at their sustainability promises.

Many are guilty of poorly utilising resources and as a result, have huge carbon footprints. But this is avoidable, and not only can it aid the environment, but it can also improve business image and employee wellbeing. The next decade will be the biggest investment opportunity our generation will face, so it’s clear to say that carbon-zero offices and eco-homes are certainly here to stay.

If you are considering a new project, ensure you take sustainability into account. At Blakeney Leigh, we’ve been committed to high standards since our inception in 1986. We’re always looking for the next innovation in design and how we can aid you with your vision – and help the environment too.

Contact us at: T: 020 8777 7700 E: info@blakeneyleigh.co.uk Stuart joined Blakeney Leigh in 2014, already with an additional ten years behind him in the industry. He and the team are dedicated to their clients, able to offer the full range of property construction services.

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It’s finally time to bring that idea to life.

Join NatWest’s free online Business Builder course today to start turning your idea into a business tomorrow.

Search NatWest Business Builder to sign up

BUSINESS

LOOP LOOP Although at times this hinders some of her business growth, Sophie remains strong to her morals and wants to do right by the world “it’s always a really tricky thing, and you can chase the money, but I think the core values will need to be there”. She has started to diversify into other sustainable products such as eco-friendly art prints and recycled saris and rag notebooks.

Loop Loop started from a simple idea, creating sustainable cards, with a twist these cards can be planted to give the gift of flowers without having to spend big at the florist! Sophie, the founder of Loop Loop makes wildflower seed cards from recycled materials and zero plastic.

Like many, Sophie wanted a job that she felt passionate and invigorated by.

Having not found this in England, in 2017, she uphauled everything, quit her 9-5 and moved to Portugal. She started a new life stripped back to basics living in a caravan and practising sustainable permaculture. During this time Sophie took on a period of self-reflection to discover what she wanted in life and what impact she wanted to have on the world. She noted her passions centred around her creativity and sustainability.

She moved back to Brighton after a year, rejuvenated and ready to search for a job that would allow her to fulfil these passions.

Sophie started experimenting with her creativity working through trial and error to see what she enjoyed. She had always made cards for her friends and families birthdays and a friend of her family offered to stock more of these in her flower shop. This sparked Sophie’s artistry and she began designing using watercolours and teaching herself photoshop. Sophie knew if she wanted to sell more of these cards, she wanted to use only recycled and the most sustainable products.

Using this ideology Loop Loop was born, with the ethos of wanting to loop life back into old materials. Once opened the cards can be soaked in water and planted in composted soil, if kept moist beautiful wildflowers will blossom from your loved one’s message.

As her business continues to grow, she has made some tricky decisions in keeping her supply chain sustainable.

Sophie has now sold over 60,000 cards over the course of three years. If looked at collectively, you could fill 230 football fields with all the cards planted! The wildflowers that bloom from these cards also help the declining bee population in ensuring these pollinators can continue to survive on our planet. On average we buy 33 cards each year in the UK, but most end up in the trash. Loop Loop provides a sustainable solution for card giving and a small piece of hope for a brighter future.

Buy her cards online at www.looploop.co.uk For every order received one tree gets planted by Tree Nation to contribute to reforestation projects.

Follow Loop Loop on Instagram @think_looploop

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Thinkers Challengers Innovators Leaders DISCOVER THE SUS SE X MBA

FIND OUT MORE

www.sussexmba.com

Whilst our leaving the EU is a momentous and historically significant moment, what if I told you that we had done it all before, just 500 years ago?

A HISTORY OF DIVORCE By the time Charles V became the Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, England, under the rule of King Henry VIII, had established commercial relationships with two of the empire’s domains; The Hanseatic League and the Netherlands.

Charles V was the most powerful man in Christian Europe, holding an empire which was the largest western Europe had seen since Emperor Charlemagne 700 years earlier. His holdings spanned modern day Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium, northern Italy and large parts of east France; Charles was also the King of Spain, which at the time included southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia (a huge portion of the EU).

Already, with England holding favourable trade negotiations with the leader of most of western Europe, the similarities between Tudor England and our very recent past are striking, particularly when considering the broader administrative similarities between the two.

Charles V acted as head of an empire that had elected him Emperor, managing feudal lords’ wants, whilst Ursula von der Leyen heads the European commission, a body which balances the wants of 27 member states.

English trade within the Holy Roman Empire was a serious tie between the two powers, warranting discourse and agreements at the highest level, Charles even travelled to England in 1520 to settle an extension of the EnglishNetherlands trade relations by five years.

Much like when Britain was still within the EU, English merchants, particularly The Merchant Adventurers company, enjoyed almost no tariffs on exports of wool to the Netherlands and very low duties on imports of textiles from the region. Though, much like all good things, the positive relations between Charles and Henry came to a bitter end not long later.

❛❛ The similarities between

Tudor England and our very recent past are striking ❜❜ www.platinummediagroup.co.uk

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FEATURE

EUROPE UNDER CHARLES V SCOTLAND

DENMARK IRELAND SWEDEN ENGLAND

POLAND

BRANDENBURG

N

ER E TH

n Lands inherited by Charles V n Lands gained by Charles V 1519-1556 n States favourable to Charles V n Enemies of Charles V – Boundary of the Holy Roman Empire

L AN

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BOHEMIA PLATINATE

WURTTEMBERG LORRAINE SALZBERG

BURGUNDY

SAVOY MILAN

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AUSTRIA

SWISS CONFED FRANCE

N HU

OTTOMAN EMPIRE

VENICE

GENOA NAVARRE

CROATIA

STATES

RT

UG

AL

ARAGON

PO

CORSICA

NAPLES

CASTILE SARDINIA

BAL EAR IC ISL AND S GRANADA SICILY OTTOMAN EMPIRE NORTH AFRICA

We all know of Henry VIII’s audacious separation from the Catholic Church, and his divorce from Catherine of Aragon.

However, in popular history few talk about the wider implications of England’s departure from the Roman Catholic Church, and the arguments for it are all too similar with what we hear today.

In 1533 the divorce had happened, and one year later the Act of Supremacy was passed, dictating the formal separation of the English Church from the Catholic Church. Outside of wanting a simple divorce from his wife, the reasons Henry VIII put forward for the Church of England’s split resonated in almost perfect fashion with those campaigned in 2016 for our separation with the EU. The clearest example of this is how

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❛❛ Moving forwards 478 years, the Trade Bill that was included in the 2017 Queen’s speech was heavily reliant on these clauses ❜❜

Henry claimed that prior to the supremacy of the Catholic Church, there was a wholly independent and ‘sovereign’ English Church, implying that a foreign body had supplanted the independence of English religion in favour of a centralised non-English leadership; sound familiar?

What did any of this have to do with trade and the Holy Roman Empire though?

Well, to give some context, Catherine of Aragon was Charles V’s aunt meaning

that he had a vested interest with the happenings of Henry’s divorce on a personal level. Secondly, his role as Holy Roman Emperor was one that also held the responsibility of protecting the Roman Catholic Church, so to endorse distinctly positive relations with a ‘breakaway’ kingdom would be wholly unacceptable, especially with the rising protestant sentiment within his own borders. Such a dilemma is similar to that which many members of the EU commission can resonate with today.

FEATURE reminder that history certainly does repeat itself, and a potentially worrying comment about the threat of wider European backlash in the years to come.

which allowed decrees given by the king to hold the same weight as primary legislation. This is why when governments provide for primary legislation to be repealed or amended without Parliamentary scrutiny they are known as “Henry VIII clauses”.

By the middle of the century, Hanseatic privileges in York and throughout England were halted, and whilst trade with the Netherlands timidly continued, a clear message had to be sent, and England knew this very well.

Despite it never coming to war with Europe under Henry VIII, the threat was ever imminent. Susan Brigden, a reformation historian, claims that ‘England stood alone in Europe, and never in greater danger’, forcing the Statute of Proclamations to be passed in 1539,

It doesn’t matter if the context is Lords, Ladies and Lovers or sovereignty, scepticism and security, Britain’s divorce from homogenous European bodies throughout history has seen direct ramifications to trade along with sudden attempted increases in governmental powers.

Moving forwards 478 years, the Trade Bill that was included in the 2017 Queen’s speech was heavily reliant on these clauses. To find ourselves in an extraordinarily similar legislative position almost 500 years later is a stark

EUROPE UNDER THE EU

ICELAND

FINLAND

NORWAY

RUSSIA

SWEDEN

ESTONIA

LATVIA LITHUANIA

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NORTHERN IRELAND

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RUSSIA

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IRELAND UNITED KINGDOM

NE T

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GERMANY

LUXEMBOURG

UKRAINE CZECH REPUBLIC S LO T AU S

FRANCE

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SWITZERLAND SLOVENIA

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VA K

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AL UG RT

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ROMANIA

SERBIA BULGARIA KOSOVO

MO NTE NEG RO

CORSICA

M AC E D

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TURKEY

A

PO

OV

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ALB

SPAIN

LD

CROATIA BOSNIA & HERZE GOVINA

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GREECE

BAL EAR IC ISL AND S

SARDINIA

SICILY

MALTA MOROCCO

ALGERIA

TUNISIA

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INNOVATION

NEW FACES AT SUSSEX INNOVATION Things are moving onwards and upwards at Sussex Innovation, as the business incubation network announces the recruitment of several new team members. Chief Executive Nigel Lambe introduces the new team, and explains how they could help your business to thrive...

There’s no denying that the past 18 months have brought extraordinary circumstances for business, especially the ambitious start-ups and SMEs we work with at Sussex Innovation.

Throughout the pandemic we’ve consulted with both our members and the wider community to understand their challenges and what support they need most.

While we’re lucky to have a team of

experts who specialise in delivering insight, strategy and marketing expertise for innovative businesses, we’ve heard from lots of companies who have been forced to radically rethink their business model, products and market. We know that we can offer a lot of value by helping established business owners encourage more of an innovation mindset and manage change effectively within an already successful company.

We know that we ❛❛ can offer a lot of value

by helping established business owners encourage more of an innovation mindset and manage change effectively within an already successful company ❜❜ The other message we’ve heard loud and clear is that funding and investment are going to be more critical and more competitive than ever before in the months and years to come. Founders who are planning to scale rapidly aren’t just seeking connections to those funding sources, they want to be able to confidently defend their financial models and projections in the face of scrutiny from the investment community.

We’re pleased to announce three new recruits to our consultancy team who will help to address some of the biggest concerns for businesses as they grow post-Covid.

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INNOVATION

NEEMA AMIN – INVESTMENT READINESS CONSULTANT

Neema joins Sussex Innovation to deliver a crucial advisory role for many of the growing businesses in its community; positioning themselves to raise finance.

As an independent business coach, she specialised in change and project management, strategies for revenue growth and data-driven decision making.

Working closely alongside the organisation’s investor matching service Suss Ventures, Neema will focus on interrogating clients’ financial models and forecasts and helping them to develop coherent presentation materials ahead of their pitches to an investment panel. violence. She has carried out research on methodologies and techniques for innovating in international development for Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency, and formed strategic partnerships with organisations including the BBC, Amnesty International and Procter & Gamble whilst working at Royal Holloway University of London.

TANYA POPEAU – HEAD OF INNOVATION PROGRAMMES

Tanya is perfectly placed to help bring together two objectives that are central to Sussex Innovation’s plans; launching a series of new consultancy and support programmes that will help the region’s growing businesses to develop innovative products, and delivering tailored support for purpose-led businesses that want to have greater social, environmental and economic impact.

As a consultant and advisor to the UN, Tanya was at the forefront of their shift to a strategic focus on innovation, overseeing the development of the first ever Innovation Fund in the Asia-Pacific region and addressing challenges from climate change to gender-based

“I’m looking forward to joining Sussex Innovation at a very exciting time,” says Tanya. “There is a very clear direction and desire throughout the company to make a positive change in the world, while continuing to focus on the team’s skills and expertise to help businesses throughout the region develop pioneering ideas into commercial successes. It’s going to be exciting to play a part in driving that agenda.”

CHARLOTTE RYDER – MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT

Charlotte is the newest addition to the in-house finance department who support Sussex Innovation’s members with the in-house finance department who support Sussex Innovation’s members with everything from payroll to R&D tax credit applications. As a senior accountant, she relishes turning financial information into practical, useful data that can inform business decisions.

Whilst living in France for eight years, Charlotte was the co-owner of a successful e-commerce retail and wholesale company, making her uniquely equipped to empathise with the challenges of running a business and providing her with insight into the value of clear management information.

Whether your business could benefit from developing a fresh innovation strategy, or you’re gearing up for an investment raise, get in touch with the expert consultancy team at Sussex Innovation to find out more about the tailored support packages on offer.

Visit www.sinc.co.uk/contact-us

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TECHNOLOGY

By Scott Nursten, CEO, ITHQ

TAKING CONTROL OF SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY

4 stages to fortifying your evolving supply chain When SolarWinds network management system was attacked in December 2020, it compromised the supply chain of over 18,000 organisations, including the Pentagon. The more recent Kaseya attack infected over 1,500 small to medium-sized companies with ransomware, demonstrating that these attacks can impact any type of business – even technology specialists.

Avoiding a similar nightmare means zero trust and zero assumption. If suppliers have access to your data, you need assurances that they operate to the same security standards as you do.

By going up the supply chain, attackers can significantly magnify both damage and revenue. Instead of disrupting one business and collecting one ransom, they could – as in the case of SolarWinds – potentially multiply results 18,000 times.

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SECURING YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN MEANS WORKING TOGETHER

In 2018, GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) published its principles of supply chain security, in partnership with the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI). The CPNI’s purpose is to safeguard UK national security, taking action to reduce our vulnerability to terrorism, espionage and sabotage, among other threats.

There are 12 principles which can be grouped into four clear stages, each building on the last to help you achieve cyber, physical and personnel security with your suppliers. Insurers won’t pay out on consequential losses without evidence, making it your responsibility as a business owner to ensure a provable audit trail of security measures.

TECHNOLOGY

UNDERSTAND THE 1PROTECTING RISKS, WHAT NEEDS AND WHY

First, you need to gather information to create a clear picture of your entire supply chain. This might take signifi cant time and effort but it’s essential.

Start with your own business. How sensitive are your contracts and who has access to your information? Who are your suppliers and what does their security look like?

You need to feel confident that your suppliers have security measures in place that align with your own.

Document everything you need to know - and don’t forget subcontractors. Once you have this comprehensive view, you can create appropriate risk profiles and levels of data protection you expect suppliers to provide.

Risk profiling can be tricky, however.

The office cleaner, for instance, will carry a lower risk profile than your IT service provider. This means that a bad actor could take advantage of any position deemed low-risk status, using simple overalls as an entry card to plant, say, a USB key into a machine. Nobody would question the guy in the overalls.

Access makes this persona potentially very dangerous, so how will you manage that risk?

❛❛ When SolarWinds network management

system was attacked in December 2020, it compromised the supply chain of over 18,000 organisations, including the Pentagon ❜❜

ESTABLISH CONTROL, 2 COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT

Once you have a clear view of your supply chain you can take strategic action to mitigate risk. Do specific suppliers continually pose a greater risk than others, for example? Is there evidence of over-reliance on single suppliers, creating areas of greater vulnerability?

Communicate your security standards to your suppliers and set expected minimum justified and achievable security requirements. Also make clear the implications of their failure to meet them.

Set the example you want to see in your suppliers by meeting your own responsibilities as a supplier and consumer.

Raise awareness of the importance of security within your supply chain and establish a support process for handling security incidents.

3

CHECK ARRANGEMENTS

You should feel confident in your approach to establishing supply chain control. You also need proof of wraparound security controls in the event of a breach. This means receiving evidence that activities are being carried out to a satisfactory level.

Contracts should have security provisions built in. Also make sure your contracts are not allowed to run on too far. We dealt recently with a client working to an agreement that had been running unchecked for 11 years. Security has moved on so far since that contract was drafted that much of it is now meaningless.

It certainly would not have helped in the event of a breach.

Including assurance requirements such as Cyber Essentials Plus or ISO 27001 will ensure your suppliers’ security requirements align with your own and should automatically ensure contractual oversights don’t happen. These also provide provable protocols that can help in the event of an insurance claim.

Including a ‘right to audit’ clause helps you stay in control of your contracts: encourage your suppliers to do the same.

4 IMPROVE CONTINUOUSLY

Supply chain evolution is inevitable, so your security must continuously improve. Encourage suppliers to continuously improve in line with your own strategic plan; in order to remain competitive and win future contracts with you. Advise and support your suppliers and avoid creating unnecessary barriers to improvements, while also allowing them time to achieve acceptable security levels.

Ultimately, supply chain security is a shared issue. Aim to build strategic partnerships with your suppliers from aligned best practice. Check each other’s homework, keep communication open and frank to strengthen your weakest links, and create a body of procedural evidence to support any potential future claim.

}}NEXT MONTH’S TOPIC

IT CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT

For more information, feel free to get in touch with me at transform@ithq.pro www.ithq.pro

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CALLING ALL SURREY BUSINESSES!

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Supporting charity:

PEST CONTROL

By Paul Bates, Managing Director, Cleankill

Cleankill Pest Control launches new, highly effective fly killing unit One of the downsides of the warm weather is the flies that suddenly appear.

There are more than 110,000 species of flies – each one having its own distinct life cycle. Some are more bothersome than others and some species carry more germs than others.

and wash-down areas and in public areas.

“If you followed a fly for a day you wouldn’t eat for a week” is a favourite saying of pest controllers. A single housefly can pick up and transport disease-carrying bacteria from and to every surface, including food preparation areas.

Regular maintenance is vital and electric fly units must be emptied and cleaned regularly – preferably by contractors.

This task is important so that the fly killers are always working effectively and efficiently.

Cleankill Managing Director Paul Bates says: “Controlling flies is vital for any premises. Houseflies, one of the most common species, are a health hazard and a nuisance and can be a huge threat to businesses, especially those in the food industry. In fact, compared to other pests such as rodents and cockroaches, flies are responsible for causing the highest number of illnesses. They carry at least 65 diseases including conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, tuberculosis, typhoid fever and salmonellosis.”

❛❛ “If you followed

a fly for a day you wouldn’t eat for a week” is a favourite saying of pest controllers ❜❜

Each Electrifly unit comes with a maintenance contract which includes any repair services, as well as replacement tubes and parts.

But flies can be controlled effectively with the right strategy, including rigorous hygiene and cleanliness and identifying, with the help of a pest control professional, where the flies are entering the premises. Along with blocking entrances and installing fly screens, electric fly killers are extremely effective.

Gone are the days when fly killers were noisy and unattractive. Cleankill Pest Control has just launched a smart, new LED fly killer which is highly effective at killing flies quickly and reducing the risk of flies spreading pathogens. Compared to other machines it offers a 69 percent reduction in carbon emissions and electric running costs. It is even effective against smaller, hard to catch species like Fruit Flies.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the new Electrifly range from Cleankill is designed for use in commercial kitchens, food factories, restaurants and supermarkets as well as back-of-house and front-of-house areas. Electrifly has a quick release front cover for fast and easy servicing and can be used in wet

Cleankill Pest Control Managing Director Paul Bates said: “We’re anticipating our new units to be very popular and are confident that they are the best on the market. Fly control is incredibly important particularly in places where food is manufactured, stored or served to safeguard consumers and workers.”

Award-winning Cleankill Pest Control recommends an integrated pest prevention contract with an agreed schedule of visits during the year. This gives you peace of mind and is more cost effective than emergency call outs.

To book a free survey or price comparison go to www.cleankill.co.uk

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TRAVEL

THE JOY OF GIVING BACK

By Tess de Klerk Over the last months, we’ve seen and experienced many acts of altruism from across the globe. Some of us had our own opportunities to open our hearts and be selfless, while some of us may be left with a feeling of slight inadequacy, feeling as if we could have done more, should have done more... but wondering exactly what it is we can do? Often the biggest barrier has been the lack of time for things such as volunteering but we all have to take breaks, why not volunteer while getting away?

A multitude of volunteering options available offer reset for body and soul. Individuals, families and teenagers can sign up, and after seeing the photos of my friend’s teenage daughter, beaming with happiness while volunteering with children in Ghana, it struck me that volunteering can be a panacea for the mass social anxiety our children seem to be suffering from. One thing is certain - another luxury holiday would not have taught Holly the soft skills she’s learning while volunteering, and neither would it have had her smiling with such confidence.

Many countries allowed volunteers throughout the last 18 months, even when tourism was halted. Countless organisations are dependent on help and would have had to close their doors permanently if it wasn’t for their brave volunteers.

And they still need help, especially now. Here is just a small sample of fantastic feel-good breaks offered by reputable companies.

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TRAVEL

TRAVEL

GREEN LIST (at least for now)

VOLUNTEERING HOLIDAYS CROATIA WorkingAbroad was established in 1997 by two ex-volunteers. They are one of the pioneers in worldwide volunteering abroad and are greatly respected in their field. With a strong ethical stance, they focus on wildlife conservation and community development projects in over 30 countries worldwide.

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN VOLUNTEER RESEARCH PROJECT

This project is the longest ongoing study of a resident population of bottlenose dolphins in the Mediterranean sea, focusing on dolphin population dynamics, photo-identification, behavioural sampling and acoustic monitoring. Work alongside marine biologists in the beautiful coastal area of Veli Losinj. Volunteers aged 17 +

International Volunteer HQ has an excellent reputation and offers well-organised, fully-hosted travel experiences. Fully hosted volunteer programme fees include airport pickup, orientation, accommodation, meals and 24/7 support in Croatia. Their Croatia volunteering projects are all based around picturesque Split and accommodation is offered in modern, comfortable hostels. Programmes are affordable and offered year-round.

AMBER LIST

(as is at this day of writing!)

MARINE CONSERVATION IN BELIZE

This one is also offered by IVHQ and is definitely on my bucket list! The project is set on a tiny private island in the Caribbean where volunteers have the opportunity to help conserve and preserve the stunning marine environment. Volunteers scuba dive at least twice a day in various locations to assist local marine biologists to gather data, conduct surveys and remove invasive species. Cabana accommodation is right on the beach, and there is plenty of time for relaxation too.

Volunteers aged 16+, or 12+ accompanied

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TRAVEL MARINE CONSERVATION

Increase your knowledge of environmental efforts, contribute to research projects and get practical, handson conservation experience. This programme allows volunteers to gain scuba diving experience and certifications while protecting underwater sea life on the sparkling Croatian coast.

Volunteers are placed with local dive schools that undertake a range of conservation activities to help keep the ocean environment clean and reduce marine pollution. Volunteers 18 aged+

❛❛ We make a living by

what we get. We make a life by what we give ❜❜ Winston Churchill

❛❛ I believe that we all

HELPING OUT AT DOG SHELTERS

Volunteer in shelters for abandoned dogs, helping to play with, feed and clean the animals to give them the best chance of being re-homed.

Volunteers aged 16+ and families

TEACHING ENGLISH

Support local NGOs who make language lessons accessible for all people in Croatia. Focus on leading classroom teaching in English.

Volunteers aged 18+ and families

have a responsibility to give back. No one becomes successful without lots of hard work, support from others, and a little luck.

Giving back creates a virtuous cycle that makes everyone more successful ❜❜ Ron Conway

ICELAND

REFORESTATION VOLUNTEER PROJECT

WorkingAbroad has a very special project in Iceland. Volunteers help with ecological restoration and reforestation in an area that has been heavily eroded or degraded. Volunteers assist with the reforesting in the area, by planting seedlings and by fertilising young trees. The area lies south of the beautiful, Þingvellir national park and in the area of the so-called “Golden circle” with geysers and waterfalls.

Responsible Travel, based in Brighton, is a truly considerate agency that works hard at making the travel industry more caring. They offer a vast array of holiday types, not only volunteering, and you can rest assured that every single holiday has been screened to ensure that you and your money positively impact both the environment and people of your destination. I especially like the Trip for a Trip scheme where 1% of their sales revenue is donated to send a disadvantaged child or young person on an unforgettable day trip.

SPORTS COACHING IN GHANA

Passion for sports? Use your passion and skill to coach Ghanaian children in sports ranging from football to martial arts. Ghana is a sports-mad nation but many kids don’t get the opportunity to learn it at school. Your volunteering can give local children a chance to learn new skills, gain confidence and make friends.

For volunteers aged 18+

WORLD WIDE OPPORTUNITIES ON ORGANIC FARMS – WWOOFING

WWOOF is synonymous with organic agriculture and was one of the first organisations related to volunteering and ecotourism in the world. WWOOF exists today in 132 countries, as a non-profit organisation that promotes awareness of ecological farming practices by providing visitors with the opportunity to live and learn on organic properties. Arrangements are based on trust and non-monetary exchange thereby helping to build a sustainable global community.

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MOTORING

PLATIN UM

JAGUAR I-PACE

By Maarten Hoffmann, Senior Motoring Editor

This model is Jaguar’s first move into the electric vehicle (EV) market and a bold one at that; the first mainstream manufacturer to produce a competent full EV, launched in 2018.

Before that date, only the Silicon Valley Tesla and German BMW were really bothered about it, but with increasing government legislation coming forward, along with the consumers’ rising awareness of climate change, they are now all very expensive – and the less expensive, have a range to the corner shop and back.

After incremental updates over the years, the I-Pace uses two concentric

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electric motors, one on each axle for permanent four-wheel drive, producing 395bhp and 513lb ft of torque, delivered through a single-speed gearbox. The lithium-ion battery, placed under the floor is sized at 90kWh, good for a claimed 286-mile range on the WLTP cycle. Give it the beans and 0–60mph in 4.5 seconds and a 124mph top speed is rapid by any measure.

Charging and range anxiety persist – with a standard 100kW public charger, you can pump 78 miles in 15 minutes.

Use a home charger and you will get 33 miles per hour. The anxiety can raise its ugly head when you consider that the range quoted is about as accurate as the fuel consumption figures of old – they lie. Give it to your granny and send her on a smooth B-road with no traffic and Burt Bacharach playing and you might get somewhere close, but in the real world, you will never get the quoted range. The I-Pace offered me 224 miles which is not half bad, but not what is quoted. That is really 112 mls if you actually want to get home again of course and outside of that you will need a public charger.

But remember, this is just a car that has to be comfortable, go fast, stop fast, get

MOTORING

TECH STUFF MODEL TESTED: I-Pace 400PS SE BATTERY: 90kWh POWER: 400bhp SPEED: 0-60 - 4.5 secs TOP: 124 mph RANGE QUOTED: 286 mls (actual 224 mls) PRICE FROM: £69,796 AS TESTED: £76,045

your passenger and luggage in and have wheels.

I think this is a very good looking car.

Although it doesn’t slap you in the face with its looks they do grow on you. The short nose brings the front wheels forward and the high rear end actually works and the spoiler, flush door handles and vented bonnet offer that all-important detail.

The drive is fabulous. Smooth, silent of course, and well planted to the tarmac.

The kicker with any EV is the linear acceleration – doing 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds is the reserve of many

sub-super cars – but it’s the silence that astonishes all the way to 124mph. Whilst doing that you will notice it is comfortable, spacious and well-built with acceleration on tap in an instant – it gets quite addictive. And there’s the kicker – it is the lack of having anything to do in EVs – when you want to pass that tractor – no gear selection, never off turbo boost, just floor it and whoosh, you are gone. It really is the generation of plug and play.

You get 4x4, although this isn’t really an off-road vehicle but it makes a decent fist of it and will get you out of most rough conditions. Pop it into Dynamic

❛❛ The kicker with any EV is the linear acceleration – doing 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds is the reserve of many sub-super cars - but it the silence that astonishes all the way to 124mph ❜❜

mode and it’s like your pants are on fire with additional weight to the steering and throttle response ensuring it’s fun to drive.

The interior does not disappoint. Several screens adorn the dash with Jaguar’s always alert Pivi Pro system across the three displays screens, gear selection is via buttons, temperature on rotary dials and everything else can be found on the screens. The Recaro seats are superb, well bolstered and hold you in place.

Boot space with 1452 litres with all the seats down and, as it missing an engine, you get an extra 27 litres under the bonnet.

As with all top end EVs, the price is high.

At nearly £70,000, this is far from a cheap car, but then you get what you pay for – and do not forget that you have zero fuel bills, greatly reduced servicing bills and a large dollop of smugness for helping to save the polar bears. Oh, and you’ll fly past almost every fossil fuelled car on the road.

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MOTORING

SEAT MII ELECTRIC

By Maarten Hoffmann, Senior Motoring Editor

Electric vehicles (EVs) are all over the place in a rush to beat the government’s deadline of 2030 for the end of all new pure fossil fuel car sales.

As l have started with an EV, l will dedicate this issue to such vehicles.

City cars are the easiest and cheapest way into an EV, and the latest offering from SE AT can only be applauded. Since 2019, you have been able to buy the Mii with a petrol engine and here we have the switch out for the sparky unit which will go up against the Skoda Citigo-E and the VW e-Up – which sounds a little like a northern chap in a cloth cap saying hello.

In the days gone by, all manufacturers would create and design their cars in secret but not any more as all the above models are the same car with a different frock on. Change the dress, tights and knickers and hey presto, you have a different car.

the front-axle. The range of 161 miles is more than you get from the Mini Electric and Honda E, but then the Mii Electric’s top speed is only 81mph and it doesn’t get there especially quickly. Charging with an average unit will take an hour for 80% and 4 hours on a home charger.

The Mii has 36.8kWh battery, cleverly packaged under the floor so it doesn’t impinge on boot or passenger space, and 82bhp from a little e-motor powering

Like all the new sparky city cars, it is press and go. That’s it, there is little more to say. It will fly round town and park on a postage stamp and is good fun to drive. You can take it on the motorway but the top speed is only 81mph and, if we discount the fibs about range, you could expect 120 miles or so on a charge, therefore 60 miles if you then want to get home. There are modes too – if you’re caught short. Eco mode restricts power and torque to 67bhp and 123lb ft, so what little range you have left should last a bit longer. If you’re desperate, Eco+ limits you to just 53bhp and 98lb ft, cuts your top speed to 59mph and entirely disables the air conditioning.

It will take rear passengers on short journeys and the 250 litre boot is pretty good for this size of car. The interior is well sorted with a funky silver pattern across the dash and a phone cradle fitted as standard.

The best aspect is that it flies around town at a decent lick and is good fun to drive – in town. But for long motorway drives, you’ll need a second car. This is the future, so get involved, as soon you will have no choice.

PLATIN UM

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TECH STUFF MODEL TESTED: SEAT Mii Electric BATTERY: 36.8kWh POWER: 82bhp SPEED: 0-60 - 12.2 secs TOP: 81mph RANGE:QUOTED: 161 miles PRICE FROM: £19,800 with PiCG

WE’RE BACK

at Woking Leisure Centre

13 October 9.30 - 4.00 Woking Means Business is back and has moved to Woking Leisure Centre with the usual wide range of exhibitors, seminars and the Woking Borough Council pre show breakfast.

Thanks to the generous support of the Council, stands are free to Woking companies and companies with a strong connection to Woking business. Stands are offered subject to availability and relevant terms and conditions.

Please visit the show website or contact the organiser, Paul Webster at paul@websterconsultancy.co.uk

Presented by

www.wokingmeansbusiness.com

Does your business need a helping hand?

During these unprecedented times, many businesses are struggling so we would like to help. We are offering free general guidance on: • Unpaid invoices & contract disputes • Commercial landlord & tenant issues • Professional Negligence • Commercial insurance claims

• Trading Standards & consumer complaints • Shareholder & Partnership disputes • Employment claims & settlement agreements • Franchise disputes

Call us on 01273 223290

or visit www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk/here-to-help

Offices across Sussex

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MOTORING

TECH STUFF MODEL TESTED: Honda e BATTERY: 35.5kWh POWER: 134 bhp SPEED: 0-60 - 8.5 secs TOP: 90 mph RANGE QUOTED: 137 miles PRICE FROM: £26,160 inc. PiCG

Honda are relying on the tech and the very odd look of the car to achieve sales.

PLATINUM

HONDA e.

THE UGLY DUCKLING

By Maarten Hoffmann, Senior Motoring Editor Honda’s first electric car is crammed with tech, including the funky TV screens inside the car for the wing mirrors. This is a first, although l am starting to receive cars with a TV screen within the rear view mirror, but still a first for wing mirrors. For me this creates a problem. I am short sighted and therefore had problems with my glasses on as l cannot focus well on the screens that are just at the wrong distance. If l remove my glasses, all is well except for the fact that we will all die as l cannot see what’s coming. Myopia, as it is called, affects 1.4 billion people around the world so this is a problem they will need to fix.

The e is the size of a Fiat 500 and is certainly a town car with the range of

137 miles and, like all sparky cars, goes to 30mph in an instant. They have certainly tried to justify the stiff price with what they have stuffed into it making it look like a multiplex cinema.

Oddly, they have then surrounded all that with some very old fashioned wood veneer which looks awful.

This is up against the likes of the electric Mini, Fiat 500 and Renault Zoe, all of which are substantially cheaper so

There are two battery options giving you 134bhp and 152 bhp and both will get you to 60mph in about 8.5 seconds and both with the same quite limited range of 137 miles (100 in the real world).

Acceleration is rapid as always and as this is shamelessly designed as a city runaround, the lock is impressive at 3.1 turns to full lock with an 8.6m turning circle that would give a London cab a run for its money. With a standard charger you will get 80% battery in 30 minutes.

Honda knew the world was watching so they over-engineered every aspect of this car. Approach the car and it senses the key, pops the door handles out and the headlights put on a little dance display. But that’s just the beginning… Honda calls it a lounge-style interior, if your lounge had naff furniture and six TVs. Then there’s the screens two six-inch angled displays for the wing mirrors, an 8.8-inch instrument cluster behind the wheel, the rear-view display and then two, side-by-side 12.3-inch screens as the centrepiece – one for the driver, one for the passenger. Each features six shortcuts on the outer edge that can run separate apps at the same time. Once parked and if you really are that bored, you can turn the screens into an aquarium and even tap the screen to feed the fish! More money into range and less into daft gimmicks me thinks.

The one aspect l could never get over is that it’s the ugliest car l have ever had the misfortune to drive. Some will love it and find it cute (there is treatment available!) l found it endlessly embarrassing and my kids flatly refused to get into it.

One, who has NEVER taken the bus in her life, did. Enough said.

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Welcome back to Mercedes-Benz of Guildford At Sandown, we pride ourselves on excellent customer service. Our dedication to customer care and quality stretches beyond the forecourt, with specialists always on-hand to help you at Mercedes-Benz of Guildford.

Now that we have fully reopened please know that our safety processes and measures including our staff wearing face coverings, timed appointments, contactless handovers, vehicle sanitisation, signage and social distancing remain in place.

We kindly ask that when visiting our showroom to please wear a face covering and respect social distancing.

To book an appointment with our sales, service or parts teams please contact us on 01483 916291.

Mercedes-Benz of Guildford Moorfield Road, Slyfield Industrial Estate, Guildford, Surrey GU1 1RU sandown-group.co.uk