The edge - Issue 4

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the charity issue Hello and welcome to issue four of theedge, the magazine for business in Wirral.

The United Kingdom is the eighth most charitable nation in the world. The World Giving Index - published by the Charities Aid foundation - used Gallup surveys of 195,000 people in 153 nations to ascertain whether they had given money to charity; volunteered their services to a charity or helped a stranger in the last month. The results gave an indication of a "global Big society" where a fifth of the world's population had volunteered; almost a third had given money to charity, and 45% had been "good Samaritans" and helped a stranger. The UK came eighth on the index and finished joint third, alongside Thailand, in terms of giving money, with 73% of the population having donated to charity. The least well-off of Britain’s population typically give almost 4% of their net wealth to charity each year whereas the more affluent give just over 1%. It is estimated that charities receive £9bn per annum on average with businesses contributing £1.5bn of that total.

Those figures are however coming under continued pressure as the recession continues to bite with 35% of individuals admitting to giving less to charity since the downturn began and 4% saying they had stopped giving completely. The same is true of business, with an estimated drop in donations of £500m expected as 60% of businesses say they have or will cut their charity budgets. In addition to cutting the total amount of support, almost half of those questioned expected to cut the number of good causes they support. These statistics are compounded by the fact that the demands placed on charities increase greatly during recession and especially so when we begin to factor in the effects of public spending cuts. Charitable surpluses are falling year on year as a result of this squeeze on their resources, with latest figures suggesting a drop of 50% over the past two years.

Hopefully the cutbacks won’t expose businesses as fair-weather donors but will rather encourage them to apply themselves to develop more innovative ways of supporting their communities. There are many things companies can do to maintain strong partnerships with good causes that can build rather than hit the bottom line. It is hoped that companies whose budgets are squeezed will look for other ways of helping the community, such as helping their staff to volunteer, offering the use of function rooms for fundraising events, or providing ‘gifts in kind’. A computer company that previously gave a £10,000 cheque to its chosen charity might, for example, now opt to donate 10 laptops directly. It is a gift still worth £10,000, but may only cost the company £5,000.

Wirral’s business community is renowned for its charitable involvement and it is important that this commitment continues throughout the recession. While compiling this issue of the Edge we have heard many admirable examples of companies working with charities to great and lasting effect.

Over the coming 12 months The Edge and Let’s Go! will be donating £15,000 of advertising space to help promote local charities and other good causes. If you know of a charity that would benefit from this, please contact editor@letsgopublishing.co.uk. Likewise we are also interested in publishing any unusual, imaginative or unique methods that you or your associates, partners or employees are using to raise funds, awareness or resources in support of local charities throughout the coming year.

Barry Bragg Editor

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A Let’s Go! Publication Issue Four Editor Barry Bragg Design & Production Neil Rees for Sunrise Design for Publishing (info@sunrisedp.co.uk) Advertising Melissa Bragg & Averil Hughes Administration Hannah Butterworth Published by Let’s Go! Publishing Limited.

With kind thanks to our contributors.

To advertise in future issues call Melissa on (0151) 200 7422 or email melissa@theedgewirral.co.uk.

To contribute email editor@theedgewirral.co.uk. © Copyright Let’s Go! Publishing Limited 2011 No part of this publication may be reproduced, either in part or as a whole, including artwork, without prior written consent. All details are correct at time of publication. The editor of The Edge has consulted sources believed to be reliable in their efforts to provide information that is accurate and true at the time of publication. The views expressed in this publication are those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of Let’s Go! Publishing Ltd.

news 6 rampworx skate park 14 local charities 16 easy ways to help charities 20 company fundraising 26 charity tax issues 28 empire supplies 31 the geetas group 32 landlords and tax 33 elaine owen 34 fire security 36 legal matters 37 paul davies 40 wirral business awards 42 invest wirral business support 44 phone phreaking 45 facebook v google 46 health & wellbeing 48 technology 49 occupational driving policy 50 women in business 51 surviving the downturn 52 wirral’s newest businesses 54 making business fun 55 christmas party nights 56 hospitality 57 commercial property 60 coffee break 62 business events diary 64 classifieds 66

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For enquiries and comments email news@theedgewirral.co.uk twitter @theedgewirral website www.theedgewirral.co.uk or find us on facebook

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Council helps businesses get people back to work

FoLLoWInG on the heeLS of the extremely successful Wirral Apprentice programme Wirral Council is launching a new initiative to support businesses so that they can employ more staff and grow their own companies. the Wirral Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) is a flexible programme that supports companies to employ people on an anticipated 52 week contract with the

Council contributing funding for the first 26 weeks of that contract.

Sourcing future employees couldn’t be simpler as the Council’s contracted employment support programme, reachout will provide a full recruitment package including a list of eligible candidates as part of the programme. Cllr phil davies, Cabinet Member for regeneration and planning Strategy said: “this is another great opportunity for Wirral businesses who wish to expand their workforce but are concerned about the finance involved in paying an additional salary. the ILM has been designed to support Wirral businesses as much as the individual as it is the small and medium sized businesses who contribute so much to the Borough’s economy. the ILM will help people who may not have worked for some time because they have been raising young children, suffered from ill health or lack the academic qualifications and confidence needed in today’s job market. the Wirral ILM is another example of the Council using its resources to help the private sector to grow and create further employment opportunities for local people. training and support for both the

Unemployment on the rise puBLIC SeCtor JoB CutS imposed as part of the government's austerity drive have sent unemployment back through the 2.5m barrier, according to official figures released on Wednesday. the office for national Statistics said the number of people out of work rose by 80,000 in the three months to July, reaching 2.51m, mainly due to a sharp rise in youth unemployment. despite ministerial hopes that the private sector will be able to compensate for the squeeze on the public sector, the onS said the May to July period had seen the sharpest rise in unemployment in two years.

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officials said that employment in the public sector had fallen by 111,000 in the second quarter of 2011, the biggest drop since recent records began in 1999. unemployment among 16-24-year-olds, the age group worst affected by the slowdown in the labour market, rose to 972,000 in the three months to July as school leavers and graduates struggled to find work. Among those aged between 18 and 24, the unemployment rate now stands at just under 19%, more than double the jobless rate for the uk as a whole.

company and the individual is also provided and it is hoped that the first ILM candidates will take up their positions in August and September 2011. If your company is interested in the Wirral ILM visit www.wirral.gov.uk to find out more and download and application pack.

Greyhound Chromatography BIrkenheAd BASed Greyhound ChroMAtoGrAphy and Allied Chemicals are pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with Biosolve.

Greyhound Chromatography has, for over 30 years, been supplying high quality products to laboratories around the world and is delighted to add Biosolve’s range to their expanding product portfolio.

Greyhound’s extensive range covers all areas of environmental, petrochemical, Food, Forensics, Chemical and pharmaceutical analysis. Backed by a highly experienced technical services team, Greyhound is the preferred source amongst today’s analysts.

Greyhound Chromatography now holds stock of Biosolve products for prompt delivery via their extensive logistics network. recent improvements in high performance and ultra LC instrumentation, coupled with sensitive MS, pdA, eLSd and CAd among other modes of detection, have led to special high-performance systems. ultra low detection limits and validation analysis of molecular structures of proteins, peptides, oligonucleotides and other compounds has brought these new techniques a growing popularity especially in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Biosolve’s products are also in high demand for System Qualification, trace Analysis and high purity Applications.

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Future looks bright for Birkenhead’s economy Birkenhead has the second highest concentration of fastest-growing companies in the UK according to research published in The Sunday Telegraph.

A report undertaken by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, tracked the number and type of companies that had increased in employment over the past three years. Each company had to achieve 20% employment growth for three consecutive years to qualify.

Second only to Aberdeen, Birkenhead, was found to have a higher concentration of fast growing companies than large cities including London, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

The research showed that 12% of Birkenhead companies had reached the minimum 20% growth in each of the last three years. The Contact Company, founded

by Asif Hamid, was highlighted as one of the most prominent, with its sales forecasts and workforce set to double this year. Also credited was the £4.5 billion Wirral Waters scheme, for which local construction companies are preparing.

Councillor Phil Davies, Wirral Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning Strategy, said: “This research is great news and shows that our efforts to boost the local economy are paying off. It is a challenging time for businesses and people looking for work, but to have such a high concentration of fastgrowing companies in the borough can only be good news. The fact that these companies have seen sustained growth over a three year period is excellent news and testament to the support we offer our businesses through Invest Wirral.

“From day one, we have said that Wirral Waters had the potential to transform Wirral’s economy and it is extremely positive to hear that it is already helping local companies before work at the site has even started. We are determined to create an environment where the private sector can grow and invest in new jobs and we will continue to support business as well as investing in programmes like The Wirral Apprentice and the Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) so that companies can train

new employees to take advantage of the new opportunities that will come as the economy improves.”

Asif Hamid, who owns The Contact Company call centre in Birkenhead, added: “I am delighted to have read such positive research results published in the Sunday Telegraph, especially following what has been a very difficult time for the UK economy generally. It is testament to everyone supporting the Wirral economy that we have so many companies who have generated sustained growth over the last 3 years and longer.

“It is especially satisfying that the hard work, professionalism and dedication of the people working in my organisation is

recognised; everyone who works at The Contact Company and all those in Wirral who have supported the ongoing success of our business should be proud to be involved in the active re-generation of this area of the UK. We look forward to continuing to grow and offer sustainable, long term employment in Wirral while attracting the type of talent that will secure the economic future of the region.”

Grants and Funding Workshop at Liverpool Hope - Fri 23rd September (10am-4pm) Advice and information on finding funding and completing grant applications, for charities with limited knowledge of grant funding or newly registered charities.

The event is to be held at Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool and costs £125 per person including refreshments, lunch and workshop booklet.

To book telephone 07720 844609 or email helenfunding@hotmail.co.uk

H&O Plastics branches out H&O PLASTICS, the specialist plastics manufacturer has branched out into the recycling and environmental sector by producing bespoke battery collection cans for leading battery recycler BatteryBack. The BatteryBack cans are used within leading supermarkets and retailers across the country where customers are encouraged to deposit their unwanted batteries in the cans which BatteryBack then collects and recycles. Over the last 2 years, H&O has manufactured around 12,000 battery cans for the company and this number is expected to continue to grow as Batteryback looks to make battery recycling more accessible for all. Bob Lavender, Managing Director of H&O Plastics said: “It’s been good to see our product being used by the general public for the good of the environment. Recycling is a growth industry which I hope that British manufacturers can get more involved with in the future.”

Robert Simpson, Marketing manager of BatteryBack said: “We have concentrated on getting the battery cans into retailers first but we are looking at other areas to collect batteries from now. We chose H&O Plastics because they were able to produce the designs we needed in a short time span and to budget. They have worked with us along the way suggesting new ideas and have been very helpful and flexible.”

With a typical 200 plus base of national and international customers including Germany and Southern Ireland, and London, H&O Plastics has also looked towards its future by undertaking an expansion project at its plant in Wallasey.

Bob Lavender added, “This is an exciting time for H&O Plastics, our expansion plans is enabling the company to look at growth both for our productivity but also to explore new markets and potential contracts with the UK and overseas.”

Assisted through grant funding by Wirral Council, H&O Plastics has recently invested in new equipment enabling the company to develop a prototype 25 litre plastic container which incorporates a metal fastening band and rubber sealed lid which is not available or manufactured in the UK. "Certainly the positive support we received from Wirral Council’s business support team Invest Wirral has helped us move forward much faster than we first envisaged.”

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Arctic fundraiser for clatterbridge ResTauRaTeuR JuliaN Davies and wife Jackie have put their business on the market after being hit by ill health. The ever popular Julian’s restaurant in Hoylake was opened in 2004 and the sale includes the excellent 4 bedroom owner’s accommodation. The couple made their decision to sell following Jackie’s battle with breast cancer. she was successfully treated for the disease after being diagnosed last March but the long term effects have left her unable to return to her full time role within the business and have forced the couple to rethink their work life balance. Julian is planning to ride his motorbike to the arctic Circle next year to raise money for Clatterbridge hospital in recognition of the treatment given to Jackie and anyone interested in donating should visit www.solobikeride4cancer.com

sue saul Appeal A dedicated group of friends and family are attempting to raise funds to give sue saul the chance of life. sue suffers from Osteo-sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. The cancer which is prevalent in both young and old has spread through her body after being missed on initial examinations. The condition is terminal and sue has been given just 6 months to live unless she can somehow access revolutionary treatments abroad which are not available in the uK and not funded by the NHs. Family and friends are planning a series of fundraising events to raise the money to allow sue to undergo a targeted chemotherapy treatment where the tumour is injected directly and not the whole body.

This allows the immune system to continue to function throughout the treatment, with a greatly improved chance of survival. The treatment is called Chemo-embolisation

and has been developed by Dr vogl in Frankfurt Germany. sue may require 10 courses of treatment at a total cost of £45,000 but courses can be paid for on an ongoing basis which will allow the money to be raised in manageable stages rather than one large chunk. You can view Dr vogl’s facebook appreciation page here http://on.fb.me/n12Vh9 Daughters seren 8 (pictured above with her mum) and estelle 3 are hoping and praying for a miracle to save their mum. sue’s husband Marcus describes her as inspirational, saying ‘she has an aura. it doesn’t matter what is going on in her life, she maintains a positive outlook and is always dressed with a radiant smile. she lights up the room even though she is terminally ill.’ if you would like to get involved and help sue and her family to start this treatment contact campaign organiser Pete Greer on 07748 185085.

New Minimum wage rates From 1 October 2011 the National Minimum Wage rate will be increasing. Workers aged: • 16 – 17 - £3.64 increases to £3.68 • Age 18 – 20 – £4.92 increases to £4.98 • Age 21+ - £5.93 increases to £6.08 The apprentice rate for under 19’s, or 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship, has also increased from £2.50 to £2.60 per hour.

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Defra disbands scheme DefrA hAs ANNouNceD in its waste review that it will disband the Landfill Allowance Trading scheme and allow local authorities to open up household Waste and recycling centres to small businesses.

This is great news for small businesses who often have had to pay for the removal of small amounts of waste. fsB Development Manager Neil Dutton said, “This is a very positive step forward and we welcome Defra recognizing that one size does not fit all. small businesses, many of whom generate no more waste than the average family home, have been penalised for many years by the previous legislation.

Defra’s review of waste policy announced today will help small businesses to recycle more. A recent fsB survey showed that 95 per cent of small firms would recycle more if they had better access to facilities so the announcement that local authorities will be encouraged to open up household Waste and recycling centres to small and medium sized businesses will be a great help. The fsB is urging all local authorities across Merseyside and cheshire to ensure that they offer these facilities to local businesses.

“We are also pleased that Defra is going to disband the Landfill Allowance Trading scheme as this is an area that the fsB has called to be reformed for some time. The scheme distorted the market for waste and recycling services acting as a disincentive for local authorities to offer commercial waste collection services to the smallest firms and allowing private companies to charge an inflated price.”

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Minister for Employment opens new HQ CEO Asif Hamid, Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, and Wirral Council Leader Steve Foulkes.

The Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP Minister for Employment officially opened The Contact Company’s new headquarters in July as the company announced the creation of 500 new jobs.

CEO of The Contact Company, Asif Hamid said: “I would like to thank the Minister for officially opening our fantastic new offices at the mouth of the Queensway Tunnel which will help take us onto a new level as a company. We have already won significant new contracts because of our investment in these new facilities and I’m delighted to be able to announce that we will be creating 500 new jobs in Birkenhead over the coming months. The Contact Company has come a long way in a relatively short space of time and our new offices and this

considerable investment in jobs is a statement of our intent to continue growing by employing excellent people and providing the quality of service to our clients that we’ve become known for in the industry.”

The Contact Company was established by Asif Hamid and Juliet Rhodes in the summer of 2006 and has rapidly grown to become one of the UK’s premier contact centres.

They are purposely not a massive 5000 seat call centre and are about adding value to their clients’ customer service operations and using their experience to improve the customer’s experience.

The company plan to take on 100 new staff immediately and will then recruit the remaining 400 positions in phases throughout 2011 and 2012.

The Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP Minister for

Recession hits charity investments The recession has caused a substantial dip in charity investment that is affecting a number of the UK’s largest charitable bodies.

New research by Cass Business School shows charities have lost £23 million in assets during the downturn.

The UK’s biggest 500 fundraising charities saw their collective investment fund value drop by 21.4 per cent, while there was an 8.4 per cent decline in income received from charity investments.

Cancer Research UK saw the value of its assets decline from 10 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

Employment said: “It’s great to come to Wirral and celebrate a local business success story. We want to see our entrepreneurs succeed in business and in doing so create opportunities for jobs in areas that badly need them. I am looking forward to marking The Contact Company’s success with them.”

The Minister, whose Parliamentary Private Secretary is Wirral West MP Esther McVey, previously served as Shadow Minister for Merseyside.

The Contact Company’s new office is located in the heart of the business district close to the Birkenhead Queensway Tunnel and has six floors covering 29,500 sq ft. It is the company’s second location in the town with their original offices located at Europa Boulevard.

The Contact Company has been assisted throughout their lifetime by Wirral Council’s business support team, Invest Wirral and was awarded a Wirral Council Think Big grant of £250,000 to help them with the ‘fit out’ of the building.

Wirral Council Leader, Cllr Steve Foulkes said: “The announcement of 500 new jobs in Birkenhead is very welcome news at a time when many people are facing the very real prospect of life without work. I am proud that Wirral Council has been able to assist Asif and his team since their inception in 2006 and I congratulate them on their success in these difficult economic conditions. The Contact Company prides itself on investing in its people and I am pleased that through this expansion so many more people will get the chance to work for this thriving Wirral business.”

The Contact Company clients include; Superdrug, The Jewellery Channel, Carillion, Liverpool FC, The Great Little Trading Company, and Lighter Life.

£230 million to £154 million during the 2008-09 financial year and the NSPCC’s total dipped from £281 million to £221 million. ’Many of the major service-providing charities rely on investment income to provide a cushion, or an independent source of income, against fluctuations in their income,’ explained Cathy Pharoah of Cass Business School.

Last month, the Charities Aid Foundation advised high earners to consider tax-effective charity investing following the introduction of new levies against those who are paid more than £150,000 a year.

She added a fall in charity investments makes its harder for them to plan for the future.

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Firm finds new space to grow A family firm in Wirral says its new home will give it space to keep growing for years to come. Regal Wholesale will leave its cramped base in Wallasey in January for a purpose-built home in Bromborough – and says it hopes the move will allow it to grow and create jobs.

Regal supplies paper products and toilet rolls to retail, wholesale and industrial clients in the UK and abroad. the company was founded in 1984 by Billy hughes, who sold toilet and kitchen rolls to stores in and around liverpool. his son, Chris, today Regal’s managing director, joined in 1990. half of Regal’s £15m turnover comes from selling paper products such as tissues and toilet and kitchen rolls.

It sells well-known brands and has created its own brand, Designer, which is sold in chains including Wilkinsons and Cooltrader.

As well as paper, Regal sells a range of other discounted toiletries and household goods. Regal began by selling products to independent shops and market stores, but over the years many of those stores have shut thanks to competition from supermarket giants. that meant Regal had to diversify its customer base. today a quarter of its clients are big retailers, while a third are wholesalers.

Another third are independent stores, while Regal also sells toilet rolls directly to some industrial clients. Regal’s new 45,500 sq ft warehouse is being developed by Redsun Developments as part of its Riverview Business Park scheme at Wirral International Business Park.

Chris hughes says the company’s new home will have 75% more space than its current base and has better access to the motorway network. he said: “Over the years Wirral has certainly been affected by supermarket growth and more and more local discount stores have shut up shop as tesco et al have moved into the area. We realised early on that we needed to change our customer base and start looking further afield for growth. “the development represents a substantial investment to Regal, especially in these tough times but confidence is high. this will put us in an excellent position 12 | w w w. t h ee dg ew i r r a l . co. u k

once these tough trading times are over.

“One example of the benefits this move can bring to Regal is that current warehouse constraints only allow unloading of 60 pallets of goods in an hour. the increased capacity at the new site will give Regal the capability to unload 600 pallets in an hour.

“We are glad to say the new warehouse distribution centre will remain in Wirral, as a key objective with the relocation was to support the Wirral area. We are confident

that future growth will allow us to tap into the strong skilled workforce Wirral has to offer.”

Regal began exporting in 2007 and today sells £3m of products a year to Malta, Ireland, Italy and Cyprus through its website.

Regal have been supported in their move by Wirral Council’s business support team Invest Wirral and Developer Redsun received funding from the Northwest Regional Development Agency to help finance the development at Ferryview Road, Wirral International Business Park.

Innes Reid celebrate Chartered Financial Planners’ status Financial planning firm, Innes Reid, are celebrating after they were awarded the prestigious ‘Chartered Financial Planners’ status by The Chartered Insurance Institute. the award signifies the company’s adherence to a demanding code of ethical best practice and is seen as the ‘gold standard’ of what is generally accepted as an emerging new profession. the Financial services Authority currently regulates over 29,000 firms in the UK with less than 2% having been awarded the Chartered financial planners status, which clearly demonstrates the value of the award.

Mark Reidford, Managing Director of Innes Reid, who holds the individual Chartered Financial Planner title, commented on the

award saying “securing Chartered Financial Planner status is a landmark for the firm. We have always prided ourselves on our thoroughly professional approach, so to have received such prestigious external recognition in this way is very gratifying.”

The Geetas Group supports Clatterbridge Cancer Research ClAtteRBRIDge CANCeR ReseARCh is grateful to have received the generous support of graham smith and the geetas group of management consultants. In the coming months CCR hopes to work very closely with geetas as the charity grows and develops. having the guidance and support of such an organisation means they have the tools needed to make informed decisions to guide the organisation forward.

the geetas Organisation has traded in the U.K. and abroad since 1995. the company is small, flexible and dynamic and draws upon a pool of professionally qualified graduates, each of whom possess significant industrial, teaching and training experience within industrial settings. the company has extensive experience of consultancy and logistical analysis which makes them the perfect partner for any expanding organisation.

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AEV secures long term future ADVAnCED ELECtRICAL VARnIShES (AEV), Europe’s largest independent manufacturer of electrical varnishes and resins is staying ahead of the game at its manufacturing plant in Birkenhead with the help of Wirral Council. the company, which is family owned and was established in Wirral in 1982, has recently purchased and installed a new twin process mixing plant to improve production efficiency at its Birkenhead facility and enable it to expand into new markets. the investment secures the long term future of the site in Birkenhead which employs 26 full time employees and occupies 68,000 sq ft of industrial space in the heart of the town. the Council’s business support team, Invest Wirral, worked closely in providing key support services to help the company secure the investment in Wirral. Key to the expansion project was Wirral Council’s think Big Investment Fund which provided 16% of the total project costs and helped in funding new equipment and securing the long-term future of its workforce.

As AEV has grown it has needed to invest in new equipment at the Birkenhead site to ensure the plant has a much larger mixing capacity which will increase AEV’s competitive edge both in the UK and overseas. AEV has a proven track record exporting 80% of its products globally to 78 countries and also has established operations in Spain and Malaysia.

Managing Director of AEV Jonathan Kemp said: “this installation will allow AEV to further compete on the world stage as the leading independent producer of resins and varnishes for the electrical industry.

Efficiencies of production for our bigger customers will enable flexibility to return for some of our smaller customers, giving AEV the ability to penetrate new markets.

Overall capacity will increase by a further 2,400 tons giving us massive room for growth in the future.

“With a plant in Malaysia, AEV was in a dilemma as to whether to invest further in the Birkenhead site, however, with commitment to training, the development of new products, and the key support from

Wirral Council the final decision to invest was a sound business proposition.Our thanks go to Wirral Council, especially the Invest Wirral team, who worked tirelessly assisting us to achieve our goals, we are very proud to have a Council that is so business support orientated.”

“...with commitment to training, the development of new products, and the key support from Wirral Council the final decision to invest was a sound business proposition” Cllr Phil Davies, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning Strategy said: “Wirral Council is determined to provide support where our businesses need it most and by supporting AEV through an investment grant we are using our resources to help a Wirral business to develop and grow. One of AEV’s largest customers is based in Sri Lanka and India and this investment will enable AEV to meet its customer demand quicker, be more efficient and increase capacity massively.

Remaining competitive in overseas markets is vital to a company like AEV. Jonathan has told me that a lot of his foreign customers see a ‘Made in Britain’ stamp as a sign of quality and the Council, through our business support team Invest Wirral will continue to support companies like AEV to deliver that quality at home and abroad.”

Lunchtime Chapter of BNI launched BnI CELEBRAtED thE LAUnCh of its latest chapter recently with a landmark event at Leasowe Castle hotel in September. the Mercury BnI Chapter is scheduled to break with tradition and meet every thursday lunchtime between 12noon – 2pm and is aimed to appeal to business people unable to make the usual breakfast slots.

Lisa Collins wins Woman of the Year award OWnER OF DAISy AnD JAKE’S nURSERIES, Lisa Collins has been named the Liverpool Daily Post’s Merseyside Woman of the year 2011. the event, organised by the directors of Women in Business, took place in July at Liverpool’s Crown Plaza hotel where Lisa was presented with her award.

Speaking of her achievement, Lisa said: ‘this is fantastic recognition for all I have achieved and the sacrifices made along the way. I am delighted to win such an accolade, especially against tough competition.’ Daisy and Jake nursery in Irby is also celebrating receipt of the prestigious green flag award, making it the first Wirral nursery with Eco-School status. Lisa passionately believes that with dedication, women in business can maintain a quality work/life balance and achieve whatever goals they set and hopes that her success inspires future generations of entrepreneurs.

Kirwans Launches Specialist Motoring Law Brand OnE OF thE nORth WESt’S leading law firms has launched a standalone brand dedicated to helping defend motorists’ right to drive. Kirwans has launched Just Motor Law – www.justmotorlaw.co.uk – providing specialist legal advice on all motoring offences with a 24-hour hotline and online live chat facility. In addition to speeding and drink driving representation, Just Motor Law specialises in providing clients with technical defences, challenging equipment used by police officers and highlighting any failure to conform to rules of evidence.

From initial free telephone advice and representation at police station through to any appearance in court, the firm will be there every step of the way for our clients.”

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rampworx

Corporate funding opportunities for iconic sports development

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stablished in Liverpool in1997, Rampworx is the largest indoor skate park in the UK with 1000+ young people visiting each week to participate in BMX, skateboarding, skating and a wide range of other activities including video arts, photography, dance, design, music and events.

Rampworx is also a children’s charity and works in partnership with the NHS, Police and other local agencies to tackle obesity, crime, antisocial behaviour and drug abuse, with wide ranging social benefits being gained from their unique facilities. Recent instances of civil unrest across the UK have emphasised the importance of having inclusive activities available to engage with children and young people, especially those who might typically be difficult to reach.

Rampworx have been working closely with Wirral Borough Council (WBC) and the Special Initiatives Team since 2007 to mirror their success in Liverpool by developing a purpose built Rampworx facility in Bidston, Wirral. To orchestrate and fund the project they are working in partnership with a number of agencies including unlimited, Wirral youth service and Pulse Regeneration who specialise in social enterprise development and community based regeneration.

The project has attracted funding from the National lottery and Europe among others with a total of £2.5m being secured to date.

With total project costs estimated at £8m, Rampworx are inviting the local business community to get involved in what promises to be a landmark development with huge benefits for Wirral. As a registered charity the project is already benefiting from corporate donations but there are other opportunities for businesses to get involved. A pledge scheme will operate, whereby members can donate funds to the project in return for a 1.5 x value of credit which can be redeemed against any of the services at the completed centre. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are available at what will be a high profile development both locally and nationally and opportunities for commercial partnerships within this diverse development can also be explored. Rampworx are inviting local entrepreneurs to get creative about how they might get involved in facilitating the venture and to contact the charity to discuss their ideas and proposals.

The Wirral project will duplicate Sefton’s core activities with a number of additional facilities, features and activities to compliment

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existing sporting and educational provisions in the area. It is estimated the centre will attract 1800 users per week (aged 5 and up) with activities ranging from gymnastics, parkour, trampolining, street dance, gaming, Apple Mac suite and workshops, business hub/pods for young entrepreneurs, climbing wall and more! There will also be additional provision for IT, Multi-media, workshop rooms, music recording and production facilities, in house radio station and performance area.

The Proposed 70,000 sq ft purpose built facility, could house a combination of the following: • A 55,000 sq ft Skate park ( World class facility for international events and grass roots participation) • Climbing Wall and Bouldering facilities.

• Parkour Facilities ( to practice and develop free running skills) • Handball and Fustal Court- to meet local demand (subject to feasibility study and consultation with Wirral sports Development.

• Gymnastics, Trampoline and Dance Studio • Mac Suite (Housing 20 Apple Macs for multimedia, design, art, in house newsletter.

• Workshop/training/classroom space- for structured learning and guest speakers.

• Structured Courses for young people (Particularly those at risk with clear exit strategies for FE/HE, training, employment and voluntary work.

• Office space and units for partners- allowing several relevant agencies, such as PCT,

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• • • •

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•

•

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sports development and aiming high to locate under one roof.

Café and healthy eating area Underground Training Station (alternative circuit training using simple apparatus for adults, young people and children.

In house radio station- run by young people for young people.

Changing and showering facilities.

Gaming room- for PS3’s, Xbox 360’s and Nintendo Wii’s Music production/ Band recording- allowing young people to practice their musical talents Business and Enterprise hubs- for young people wanting to start up their own business.

On site Extreme sports shop- a social enterprise to reinvest profits back into the organisation.

Hire centre- allowing total accessibility for all young people regardless of income or experience.

Calm/Chill out room- for young people to meet and hang out.

Car Parking- for up to 70 cars/vehicles/minibuses/coaches

At present this remains a wish list with the final facilities being dependant upon the results of a feasibility study (Sept 2011). But it goes some way to outlining the scale and scope of the scheme and the potential for involvement for a range of diverse businesses. e

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thecharityissue

Your guide to helping

local charities During a time of recession when public sector spending cuts, rising unemployment and long term economic uncertainty are placing untold pressures on families and communities the role of charities within society is becoming increasingly important.

The value of the work undertaken by charities is often underplayed and to some extent their presence is taken for granted but the fact of the matter is that without them and the tireless and seless efforts many vulnerable elements of our society would be suffering great hardship. Article by Chelsea McCulloch

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harities are not recession proof however and it is something of a paradox that at a time when more is being asked of charities their revenues are falling alarmingly.

More than a third of people in the UK are giving less to charity than they did before the recession started, according to research. More then 1,500 UK respondents were asked about their giving habits. Thirty-five per cent said they were giving less because of the economic downturn and 4 per cent said they had stopped giving completely.

The report did have some brighter news as eight per cent said they were now giving more.

Now is a time when our local charities need our help more than ever. Now is the time when our donations will have the maximum impact and make the most difference to struggling communities, families and individuals. Wirral benefits from a great many dedicated charities and they all need our help. Below, we have profiled a selection of local charities working in Wirral. There are many more. As business owners and individuals we owe it to our communities to look at our contributions and see if we can do a little more to help.

Age Concern & Help the Aged Age Concern Wirral 0151 666 2220, 42-44 Market Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41 5BT Help the Aged Shop 0151 353 1517, 1, The Cross, Neston, Wirral, CH64 9UB We believe that age needs respect kindness and sometimes help. Age Concern and Help the Aged have joined forces to become Age UK – so that we can be here for everyone in later life.

Age UK has a vision of a world in which older people flourish and aim to improve later life for everyone through information and advice, campaigns, products, training and research.

Age UK is the only UK charity to focus research funds exclusively on later life. That’s because we believe that we should all be able to enjoy good health in later life, free from the diseases and disabilities associated with growing older and the consequences that they can bring about, such as social isolation, anxiety, frailty and loss of independence. The research we fund is providing answers and we've already seen significant breakthroughs in dementia, falls prevention, stroke and incontinence, to name a few.

There are 470 Age UK charity shops throughout the UK, offering a wide and everchanging range of reasonably priced goods.

The shops provide a gateway to the whole charity and they are recycling centres too. Most of us have items at work or at home that we don't use or need. Donate them to Age UK and we’ll turn them into money to help make life better for older people here and abroad.

Barnardo's Shops

British Red Cross Shop

Barnardo's Shops 0151 645 1226 4c, Church Rd, Bebington, Wirral, CH63 7PH

British Red Cross Shop 0151 343 0056, 7, Allport Lane, Bromborough, Wirral, CH62 7HH

Bernardo’s transforms the lives of vulnerable children across the UK through the work of our projects, campaigning and research. We believe we can bring out the best in every child whether the issue is child poverty, sexual exploitation, disability or domestic violence. As one of the UK's leading children's charities Barnardo's work directly with over 100,000 children, young people and their families every year.

Every Barnardo's project is different but each believes in the potential in every child and young person, no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Your time is one of the most valuable gifts you can give. There are lots of different ways to get involved including fundraising, volunteering and campaigning. Your support will transform the lives of the most disadvantaged children. There is likely to be a Barnardo's charity shop in your community selling donated goods and profits go towards helping to transform the lives of vulnerable children across the UK. 163.

We are a volunteer-led humanitarian organisation that helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We enable vulnerable people at home and overseas to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their own communities and when the crisis is over, we help people recover and move on with their lives.

We offer a range of services including; First Aid Training, Emergency Response all over the UK and internationally, Health and social care helping the most vulnerable of people in the UK and overseas, Preparation for disasters, Refugee Service and also a Missing Family Service to help families find loved ones in disasters.

The British Red Cross have a variety of charity shops in the Uk Selling donated goods including Independent living products, and first aid products to help those living in poverty in the UK while also raising funds for the charity.

Barnstondale Centre Barnstondale Centre 0151 648 1412 Storeton Lane, Barnston, Wirral, CH61 1BU Barnstondale Centre provides affordable residential and non-residential breaks to groups of young people from the wider Merseyside area that are considered disadvantaged in any way i.e. financially, socially, physically or emotionally. We provide an environment which is far removed from everyday inner-city life. We offer facilities, routine and an activity base to assist group leaders in facilitating their own self-devised programmes in order to work on improving self-esteem, widening horizons and increasing the motivation of our young community.

You can make a difference by volunteering, sponsoring & donating to help us help young people! Let’s work together as a community for the benefit of future generations! As a non profit making independent charity Barnstondale Centre relies heavily on the public’s generosity and contributions from outside organizations and local business.

Without you we cannot support the young people of our community. Your help is crucial to our work! As little as £1 given or saved will help us provide facilities and activities to assist our young community grow as individuals. So, please contribute whatever you can Volunteer your skills, knowledge, expertise. Give us your ideas send us your donations.

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK 0151 625 3126, 1, Dee Lane, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 0QH We work in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer. Spreading your donation across the year in small monthly donations enables us to plan our research better. This means our regular supporters are vital to making advances in cancer research. We carry out world-class research to improve our understanding of cancer and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat different forms of the disease. We ensure that our findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients helping to understand cancer, the progress we are making and the choices each person can make. We have saved millions of lives with our groundbreaking work into preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer. People’s chances of surviving cancer have doubled in the last 40 years, and we’ve been at the heart of that progress. But more than one in three of us will still get cancer at some point. Our vital work, funded entirely by the public, will help ensure that cancer survival rates continue to rise.

Claire House Children's Hospice Claire House Children's Hospice 0151 334 4626, Clatterbridge Rd, Bebington, Wirral, CH63 4JD Claire House is a bright, vibrant place of hope.

In addition to caring for our children and young adults with life shortening conditions,

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thecharityissue we also focus on the needs of the whole family, providing bereavement and other support for as long as it is required. With no guaranteed government funding we need to raise in excess of £2.5 million each year to maintain our present levels of service.

Whilst Claire House is a positive place, focussed on helping the children and young adults to get the most out of every day regardless of their ability, our highly specialist nursing team work in the community through our ‘Hospice to Home’ programme which offers paediatric palliative care in the family home.

With a hospice to home service also operating from our Liverpool office we are now reaching more families than in previous years and hope to see this grow in other areas too. Claire House is almost completely reliant on voluntary donations to fund its running costs and needs the support of business and individuals to maintain its services.

Clatterbridge Cancer Research Trust J.K Douglas Laboratories Clatterbridge Cancer Research Trust J.K Douglas Laboratories 0151 343 4300 Clatterbridge Hospital, Bebington, Wirral, CH63 4JY Since 1980 Clatterbridge Cancer Research has funded world-class genetic research into understanding the causes and most effective treatments for cancer patients. Our team of leading laboratory scientists - The Applied Cancer Biology Research Group – are based at the within a cancer research centre of excellence, the Liverpool Cancer Centre. Our team investigate cancers including brain, breast and head and neck. They research the genetic aspects behind the causes of cancer with a view to developing more effective, personalised treatments for each patient. As a local charity, Clatterbridge Cancer Research is dedicated to reducing the disproportionately high cancer incidence and mortality rates in the region by giving the people of Merseyside and Cheshire the best possible chance of fighting cancer. We need in excess of £2 million each year as a grant making body to continue our vital work to support our team of scientists.

We are an independent charity that receives no government funding and solely rely on the generosity of the public and local business to advance our cancer research.

Clatterbridge Cancer Research has been very lucky to have had the generous support of Graham Smith and Geetas over many years. In the coming months CCR hopes to work very closely with Geetas as our charity grows and develops. Having the guidance and support of such an organisation means that we have the tools we need to make informed decisions to guide the organisation forward.

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Crossroads Caring for Carers

Helplink Community Support

Crossroads Caring for Carers 0151 482 3148, Unit 10, Grisedale Rd, Bromborough, Wirral, CH62 3QA

Helplink Community Support 0151 648 3322, 7a, Thingwall Rd, Irby, Wirral, CH61 3UA

Crossroads Care is Britain's leading provider of support for carers and the people they care for.

We work with over 41,000 individuals and their families, helping carers make a life of their own outside caring. We employ over 6,000 trained professionals, providing flexible services to people of all ages and with a range of disabilities and health conditions.

As a charity, we care for people not for profit.

Our carer support staff love their work. They understand what carers, and those they care for, need. They know the simple things that really matter, they do the hard jobs with a smile and they take pleasure in fitting into family life.

It's no surprise then, that Crossroads Care staff build long and trusted relationships and that more people turn to us for support than to any other social care provider. Every penny of profit raised by shopping with crossroads enterprises ltd is gifted back to the national charity and is used to fund crossroads care’s vital work to improve the quality of life for carers.

Helplink is a Community Support scheme, operating to Wirral Community Care Charter standards & offers practical help & support by providing assistance which will help maintain or improve the ever important quality of life for it's clients. The Staff & Trustees work hard to ensure that the charity continues to meet the increasing demand for community support in the Wirral area. We have also built up a network of contacts so even if we can't help, we may know someone who can.

We currently have around 800 clients for whom we provide help and support. Our volunteers are kind, compassionate people who really care about the clients they help & befriend, often going way beyond what is expected of a volunteer to ensure that our clients aren't left alone & isolated. We really appreciate their time & efforts & we know our clients and their families are extremely grateful for their dedication. Our volunteers provide friendship & support to anyone who is finding life a little difficult. That could be due to illness, a disability or as a result of reduced mobility. We provide transport to: daycentres, luncheon clubs, appointments, shopping, and leisure activities.

Family Friends Family Friends 0151 641 0361 within Willow Tree Resource Centre, Stavourdale Rd, Moreton, Wirral, CH46 9PS Family Friends is a charity established in 1993 to support disadvantaged families. Through a network of trained volunteers we provide befriending and mentoring services to families living in deprived areas. Family Friends' volunteers offer a listening ear and time to learn about the problems and experiences of a family. Through respect, encouragement and support, they aim to help families discover their strengths, build confidence and resolve difficulties. As well as providing much needed emotional support, they help out families on a practical level too. A volunteer may introduce a parent to community resources, find out about relevant social benefits, visit the local park with them or give support around parenting.

Family Friends carefully recruits, trains and matches volunteers with parents, children or adolescents. Volunteers meet the family in their home, once a week for two hours. They offer long-term practical and emotional help based on each family's unique needs and potential.

Volunteers pledge a year's commitment and Family Friends' staff back up their work with on-going supervision and family feedback interviews.

For 6 reasons why you should support a charity see page 26

Hoylake and District Council for Voluntary Services Hoylake and District Council for Voluntary Services 0151 625 6078, 1, Westbourne Rd, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 4DG Hoylake & District Council for Voluntary Service is located in shop front premises in the centre of West Kirby. Established in 1967, we offer advice, guidance and support to voluntary and community groups in our area as well as providing direct services to local residents. Our main services include a "Carelink" Good Neighbour Scheme, volunteer bureau, weekly luncheon clubs for the elderly, a library service for the housebound and a club for the hearing impaired.

Hoylake Cottage Hospital Trust Hoylake Cottage Hospital Trust 0151 632 4238, 8, The Row, Market St, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 2AE Hoylake Cottage is a centre of excellence at the heart of the community, offering a high standard of care for older people, in the best possible surroundings.

Our long term vision is to provide a complete centre for the care of older people, with a planned new day care centre, to support

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thecharityissue carers looking after loved ones in their own homes. This will complement the 24 hour nursing and respite care provided in our beautiful new nursing home which opened in 2008.Our staff provides a service which values the individual and promotes independence, choice, dignity and autonomy. We ensure the residents and clients receive the right care from the right people at the time of their choice.

Hoylake Cottage is fortunate in its close affinity with the community which provides over 150 volunteers who give a large proportion of their time supporting the service provision of older people’s care. Our Social Activities Programme includes poetry and reading groups, crafts, entertainment and films and we have day trips and some evening trips to the local pub, theatre and an annual boat trip.

Hoylake Lifeboats The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea.

Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and

Ireland and has more than 150 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 139,000 lives. The RNLI has 235 lifeboat stations, covering the coasts of UK and RoI, and selected inland waterways, RNLI lifeguards patrol more than 140 beaches in England and Wales, helping hundreds of thousands of people each year. We need reserves to guarantee the future of our service - this requires long-term investment in new lifeboat stations with an estimated lifespan of 50 years and lifeboats with planned operational lives of up to 30 years.

Thanks to our successful fundraising, our prudent investment policy, and public generosity we have been able to plan and complete major capital projects - even in difficult economic conditions. But our free reserves are at their lowest level in real terms since 1996.

See page 26 for fundraising ideas

K.I.N.D K.I.N.D 0151 678 6322 248, Hoylake Rd, Moreton, Wirral, CH46 6AD KIND is a children’s charity that believes in the importance of investing in the future of our children. Every year, we work with thousands of children, young people and their families across greater Merseyside, pioneering new and imaginative ways to help them cope with many forms of disadvantage.

Education is key to helping children, young people and their families overcome disadvantage and realise their potential. By offering them access to a range of education, we aim to develop their knowledge and practical skills for a brighter, better future. No matter their background, or what their needs may be, we aim to show them that they and life do have more to offer.

We recognise that every child has something important to offer, provided they have the appropriate framework within which to express themselves in a positive and responsible way.

Every donation or means of support we receive is vital in helping us to Be KIND to thousands of children, young people and their families every year.

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thecharityissue

Easy ways to help local charities

By Phil Davies Phil Davies Business Services

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orking with both charities and businesses, I often see charities frustrated because they can’t seem to get the attention of the business community, but just as often I hear from businesses who want to embrace their Corporate Social Responsibility but get frustrated by the time and effort it seems to need. The voluntary and private sectors sometimes seem worlds apart, so here are a couple of simple things that any business can do to help bridge the gap.

Encourage Payroll Giving Payroll giving is one of the easiest ways for companies to engage with and support local charities. Sometimes called workplace giving, it’s a simple scheme where employees donate directly to a charity of their choice direct from their pay.

Employees can choose how much they want to donate each month, and which charity they want to give it to. It is the most tax effective way to give to charity because the donation is taken from their gross pay, before the tax man touches it! So for a £5 donation to charity the actual cost to the employee is £4 (for a 20% tax payer) and just £3 for a higher rate tax payer.

It’s an easy, flexible and tax efficient way for employees to show their support for local charities, and a great opportunity for employers to demonstrate their commitment to the community. As well as much needed financial support, charities get additional benefit because receiving regular donations allows them to plan their long term future, and helps them to build long-term relationships with supporters.

Because it happens automatically each month it also helps cut down their admin costs.

The worry for many businesses is that implementing workplace giving will cause extra work and hassle, but actually it couldn’t be much simpler. A company has to 20 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

register with a Payroll Giving Agent (just a couple of forms) and then the payroll department has to set up a deduction for any employees who want to take part. After that, Workplace Giving UK estimate that it takes only 10 minutes per month to administer the scheme.

I’ve spent a couple of hours this week working with Wirral Donate. They are a charity whose purpose is raising money through workplace giving for the six Wirral charities that they support. They are always on the lookout for companies who are willing to promote them by encouraging workplace giving. It’s an important source of income for six local charities that between them provide a range of services for people from premature babies to pensioners. The people these charities support includes those with care needs, autism, sight problems and multiple sclerosis. Payroll giving to Wirral Donate is a quick, easy way for employees to show their support for local causes, and a great illustration of how by setting up a workplace giving scheme a company can easily make a major contribution to their community.

As an employer, all you need to do is a little bit of admin to join the scheme - then tell your employees about it!

Find out more: www.wirraldonate.co.uk www.workplacegiving.co.uk www.hmrc.gov.uk/businesses/giving/payrollgiving.htm

Provide some business expertise The organisation that put me in contact with Wirral Donate is a great example of another way for businesses to help out their local charities. Wirral ProHelp is a group of professional organisations that provides

free professional advice and support to local community groups and voluntary organisations. They aim to ensure that local community groups can access free professional help and advice with issues that might otherwise hinder their work and projects.

Wirral ProHelp offers access to a range of professional expertise. Members include solicitors, accountants, surveyors, architects, public relations, marketing and management consultants who undertake one-off projects. Community organisations receive the same level of service as a feepaying client - the only difference is that the community client is not charged for the work undertaken.

Community groups requesting support have to satisfy certain eligibility criteria, which restricts the service to those who have a track record of working with the local community, are locally constituted and are unable to pay for professional services.

For businesses, organisations like ProHelp are a great opportunity. Not only do they offer the chance to work on some great projects that you normally wouldn’t see, they also help professional firms give something back to their local community.

The commitment that ProHelp asks for is just 30 hours a year, so only a couple of hours each month, but those hours can really make a difference to a struggling local charity or voluntary group.

I became a member of ProHelp at the start of this year, and the couple of projects I’ve been asked to help out on so far have been both rewarding and enjoyable – I can highly recommend it to other businesses.

From a purely commercial perspective, pro bono work for good causes is also great PR and offers really good networking and referral opportunities. So in many ways, it’s a win-win for businesses and the community.

It doesn’t have to be hard!

I haven’t talked about why a company should get involved in their local community, that’s elsewhere in this issue. But hopefully you can see that should you choose to, it really can be pretty simple for your business to make a difference. These are just two easy ways to give something back, and there are dozens and dozens of other ways. Many firms provide dedicated support (financial or otherwise) to a specific community group such as a school, allow their staff to take time off to volunteer, or raise funds for local charities. And in my experience, most of them find that it strengthens their business. e

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thecharityissue Leasowe Trust Ltd Leasowe Trust Ltd 0151 638 9599, Leasowe Millenium Centre, Twickenham Drive, Leasowe, Wirral, CH46 1PQ Leasowe Development Trust is dedicated to the improvement of Leasowe and its surrounding areas. We continue to strive for collaborative working supporting community groups, organisations and institutions, pushing aside personal issues that often destroy community spirit and hinder development. Our work has helped deliver cross Wirral programmes working with and bringing together like minded organisations dedicated to supporting their communities in a way that focuses on those in need and require opportunities to achieve their potential.

As paid workers, in the main through public funding, we have a duty to give of our best and work in the interest of those we serve, often a sentiment lost as people become complacent in their reasonably well paid jobs. As individuals, volunteers and organisations become more territorial in their work and thinking due to the limited amounts of funding available the less impact their work will have on those communities they serve.

It is with these sentiments that Leasowe Development Trust takes up such challenges, cutting through the tribalism and small mindedness we will make every effort to work in collaboration using skills and experience to benefit others and more importantly residents of Leasowe and neighbouring communities.

Macmillan Cancer Relief

cancer can bring, so we give benefits advice and grants for anything from heating bills to travel costs.

We believe we can all help. We can raise money through marathons, coffee mornings or sponsored events. We can give time at cancer care centers, events and fundraising groups.

National Library for The Blind National Library For The Blind 0151 606 1818, 10, Blakenhall Way, Upton, Wirral, CH49 4RD Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is the UK's leading charity offering information, support and advice to almost two million people with sight loss. Our pioneering work helps anyone with a sight problem - not just with braille and Talking Books, but with imaginative and practical solutions to everyday challenges. We need you to get involved to support our vital work. As a charity we rely on your generosity. People are still losing their sight unnecessarily. We campaign to eliminate avoidable sight loss and support research into sight loss and eye health issues.

RNIB is a membership organisation which radically affects how we govern ourselves.

Being a member is all about being closer: to information that can help you, to a community of other members and to RNIB itself, where you can make your voice heard and influence what we do. Action for Blind People is an Associate charity of RNIB, and we work together to deliver services across England.

National Youth Advocacy Service,

Macmillan Cancer Relief 0151 482 7919, Elm House, Clatterbridge Hospital, Clatterbridge Rd, Bebington, Wirral, CH63 4JY

NYAS, Egerton House, Tower Road, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH41. Head Office Telephone: 0151 649 8700

Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer. One in three of us will get cancer. We are all affected by cancer.

We can all help. Together we listen, we learn, we act to help people live with cancer.

We are a source of support, helping all those affected by cancer. It's not only patients who live with cancer, so we also help carers, families and communities . We guide people through the system, supporting them every step of the way. We fund nurses and other specialist health care professionals and build cancer care centers. But we give so much more than medical help.

People need practical support at home, so we provide anything from precious time off for carers or transportation to the hospital. People need emotional support, so we listen, advise and share information through our cancer support specialists and website. People need financial help to cope with the extra costs

Email: main@nyas.net 1FN NYAS is a national charity which provides rights based services across England and Wales. Our mission is to promote the rights and voice of children, young people and vulnerable adults through the provision of social and legal services. We are a unique socio legal charity. We currently provide a range of advocacy services for children who are looked after and children who are subject to child protection plans. We provide independent mental health advocates (IMHA’s) and advocacy for adult carers, supporting some of the most vulnerable adults in society.

Independent Visitors for children and young people who are looked after help them to benefit from a positive role model and promoting positive outcomes. Independent Persons for the purposes of secure reviews and local authority complaints and also Investigating Officers for local authority complaint investigations. We also provide

signposting, training, parent information programmes and other specialist legal services.

Oxfam Oxfam Charity Shop 0151 644 7611, 62, Bebington Rd, Bebington, Wirral, CH62 5BH Oxfam International is an organisation dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world. Oxfam work together internationally to achieve greater impact by their collective efforts. Working with more than 3,000 local partner organisations, we work with people living in poverty striving to exercise their human rights, assert their dignity as full citizens and take control of their lives.

We work with and through partners and communities on long-term programmes to eradicate poverty and combat injustice. We deliver immediate life-saving assistance to people affected by natural disasters or conflict, and help to build their resilience to future disasters. We are part of a global movement for change. We raise public awareness of the causes of poverty and encourage ordinary people to take action for a fairer world, we press decision-makers to change policies and practices that reinforce poverty and injustice and we can speak with authority as a result of thorough research and analysis, and the real experience of our partners in developing countries.

With over 120,000 items, our Second-hand Store is the largest Oxfam Shop in the world!

All products are donated by our supporters and listed by our amazing volunteers. Every penny raised goes towards funding Oxfam's work around the world.

Ronald McDonald House at Arrowe Park The Ronald McDonald House at Arrowe Park is situated inside the Hospital, on the first floor of the Women’s and Children’s building. Ronald McDonald House Charities was formed in 1974, from an unlikely alliance in the USA between the Philadelphia Eagles football team, a hospital in Pennsylvania and a McDonald’s Franchisee.

On hearing the plight of a young couple whose child was seriously ill with cancer but who were unable to find accommodation near to the hospital so they could be with her, they together established the first “home away from home.” Where hospitals do not have the requirement or facilities for a Ronald McDonald House, RMHC can offer Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, which are built within the hospital itself, often above, or adjacent to, the children’s ward. There are currently 29 sets of Ronald McDonald Family

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thecharityissue Rooms in the UK, providing over 150 bedrooms a night for families to stay in.

If you would like to fundraise for Ronald McDonald House Charities, why not request a fundraising pack? Full of hints and tips on organising an event, as well as information on the charity, stickers you can give away to help raise awareness and even a cardboard collection box to put your spare pennies in, this has everything you need to get started!

Samaritans Samaritans 0151 334 7560, 15, The Rake Precinct, Bromborough, Wirral, CH62 7AD Samaritans is a confidential emotional support service for anyone in the UK and Ireland.

Samaritans is a volunteer-led organisation, which remains one of its continuing strengths and also employs a small number of paid staff at its Central Office. There are many volunteering opportunities within Samaritans.

The service is available 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide. Volunteers offer support by responding to phone calls, emails and letters.

Alternatively people can drop into a branch to have a face to face meeting.

Listening Volunteers provide the emotional support service to callers by telephone, email, SMS, minicom, letter and face-to-face. Inactive Listening Volunteers are those who are temporarily not providing the emotional support service and may be on a leave of absence. Support Volunteers carry out essential tasks to ensure efficient management of the local branches, such as administration, finance and publicity. Shop Volunteers run Samaritans shops to fundraise and raise awareness of Samaritans within local communities.

SSAFA Forces Help SSAFA Forces Help (County of Merseyside) 0151 604 1205, P.O Box 49, Upton, Wirral, CH49 4LL SSAFA Forces Help is the national charity supporting those who serve in our Armed Forces, those who used to serve and the families of both.

Our services reflect the financial, practical and emotional issues people face today and they are freely available to virtually everybody with a service connection. Some are more appropriate for those currently serving, some for those who have served and there are those which apply to everybody. Our continually evolving support services are driven by the current needs of the Service community. They are particularly relevant in today's high pressure military environment, where our

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contemporary veterans and serving personnel alike often experience different problems from the soldiers, sailors and airmen of earlier conflicts. Reservists too, heavily engaged in current operations, have equal call on our services.

Last year alone, our professional staff and trained volunteers provided a reliable, caring and trusted service to more than 50,000 people. We make a real difference to so many lives and by purchasing SSAFA merchandise you can show your support too. Purchase items and help us support our Armed Forces and their families at the same time!

who have Down syndrome.

SUNDOWNS provides information and resources to schools, hospitals and other interested groups. Each year SUNDOWNS hold a Buddy Walk. Where people with Down syndrome, their families, friends and supporters come together for a public walk to Further raise awareness of Down syndrome.

This is the only event of its kind in the U.K. and is inspired by the continent wide events organised in the U.S.A. by the National Down Syndrome Society, the world’s largest organisation working for people with Down syndrome, to whom we are affiliated.

St. John's Hospice

Stick 'N' Step

St. John's Hospice 0151 334 2778, Mount Road, Higher Bebington, Wirral, CH63 6JE

Stick 'N' Step 0151 641 9765, St. Johns Parish Centre, 128, Bebington Rd, New Ferry, Wirral, CH62 5BJ

St John’s Hospice aspire to warmly welcome people with progressive illness, which has failed to respond to curative treatment, into the quiet calm of a highly professional caring atmosphere, which always comforts both them and those who are important to them. We work in conjunction with the Wirral Hospital and Community Specialist Palliative Care teams to provide an integrated service for patients whilst extending care and support to those close to them. Patients are referred to St John's Hospice by their family Doctor or hospital Specialist. The Hospice service is available to all, free of charge. Our specialist team comprises Medical and Nursing staff, Social Workers, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Psychologist, Aromatherapist, Creative Therapist, Chaplains, Housekeeping/Maintenance staff and Volunteers all working together as a team to improve the quality of life of patients under their care. The demands on our Hospice services continue to grow – this year the cost of providing care to all our patients and their loved ones will be over £2 million, the bulk of which we need to raise from local voluntary sources.

Sundowns SUNDOWNS is a Wirral based charity that supports individuals with Down syndrome, their parents and carers. Since 1999 SUNDOWNS has developed from a strong family support group into a charity committed to raising awareness of the needs of people with Down syndrome. We provide unbiased support and a listening ear for all our members. Our committed volunteers have formed strong links with Wirral’s statutory bodies in order to work in partnership to improve the quantity and quality of opportunities for children and young people

Stick 'n' Step were founded in August 2002 to address the lack of support for children with cerebral palsy in the North West. It was created to give children the help they need, and make their families feel that they have also found the support they need.

They provide free specialist conductive education and support services to children with cerebral palsy and their families and carers. They welcome children from across the North West of England and North Wales and fundraise to ensure their sessions are provided for free.

They welcome everyone, and exist to support whole families, especially when they are feeling confused, lost or worried. The Board of Trustees knows how you feel as half of them have a child with cerebral palsy, so they work hard to ensure Stick 'n' Step provides the right type of service, based on their own experience.

Conductive Education is a proven, practical and successful approach which provides coping mechanisms and techniques to allow children and adults to learn to manage the difficulties caused by their disability. It helps to increase their confidence and motivation, helping to develop their personality, feel more positive about their future and their ability to lead independent, fulfilled lives.

Sue Ryder Care Sue Ryder Care 0151 677 5808, 102, Ford Rd, Upton, Wirral, CH49 0TQ Sue Ryder Care is committed to improving standards in long-term and end of life care and have ongoing programme of innovation and research. Our health and social care services are supported by our retail, fundraising and volunteering teams.

We support people living through the

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thecharityissue challenges of life-changing illness. For some people, we do that by caring for them around the clock in one of our hospices’s or care centres. For others it's about regular visits at home, helping them with those everyday things that might not come so easily anymore or keeping them active and involved in their community.

Our growing numbers of shops are raising money to improve health and social care across the UK. By supporting our shops you're helping us expand our specialist palliative, long-term and homecare services. By shopping with us, giving us what you no longer use and gift-aiding your donations, you're helping people to get the specialist palliative, longterm and end of life care they need. And you're helping the carers, friends and families too.

Tearfund Tearfund 0151 522 0594, 90, Dingwall Drive, Greasby, Wirral, CH49 1SQ At Tearfund, what drives us is a belief that the local church is a powerful force for transformation in communities living in every kind of poverty. Inspired by the example and

teaching of Jesus, we recognise that people have deeply interconnected material and spiritual needs, and we seek to meet those needs by working through our local church partners. Churches are at the heart of their communities – full of dedicated, resourceful people who want to make a long-term difference.

We are recognised for our professional expertise in development, disaster response, disaster risk reduction and advocacy. This level of professionalism and expertise, matched with the enduring, sustainable effectiveness of the local church, is a powerful force in the face of poverty. We are committed to standards of conduct and good practice that ensure we are always accountable for the work we do.

We’re also committed to ensuring that as much as possible of the money that supporters give us is spent in ways that really benefit the people who need it.

The Lions Club of West Kirby The Lions Club of West Kirby, 3, Valleybrook Grove, West Kirby, Wirral, CH63 9FR Since 1917, Lions have been reaching out to

people in need in their local and world communities. As the demand for Lions' services continues, so does the demand for quality members to fulfil the association's "We Serve" motto. West Kirby Lions Club was formed on 8th February 2002 with 24 men & women who wanted to serve their local community and help people in need.

During 2008/09 we have raised funds at local events and 100% of the funds raised are being used in our charitable and community service activities. Previous events held to raise funds are; Attended various community fun days with our inflatable football game and toy tombola, Run a fundraising stall in our local hospital, In partnership with a local school organised a Celtic concert in a local church hall and Invited clubs and individuals to sponsor a child for 5 years in Sri Lanka.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society Wirral The Multiple Sclerosis Society Wirral Branch 0151 606 1677, 57, Overchurch Rd, Upton, Wirral, CH49 4NW The Wirral Branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society has over 200 members and is run by

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thecharityissue volunteers. We offer support and information for those affected by MS in our area. We have our own mini bus adapted for those who use wheelchairs.

We stock a number of publications that are available, on request, from our Support Officer, Bernie Gallagher. During the year the mini-bus covers several thousand miles, taking people to Therapy classes, meetings and training courses.

We have a team of volunteers who are kind, compassionate and are there to make your trips more enjoyable with their gentle humour.

The team is managed by Yvonne Higgins.

The Romanian Orphans Appeal The Romanian Orphans Appeal 0151 648 2564, P.O Box 9, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 3EF The Romanian Orphans Appeal work involves building, refurbishing, digging wells and septic tanks, plumbing, electric's and sanitation and we still continue to supply medical equipment and medical supplies, toys, shoes and general supplies to orphanages, medical dispensaries and schools. All our projects are on going and include four medical dispensaries, two schools, an orphanage, a kindergarten, a hospital and a 'Street Kitchen'.

We generally visit at least twice a year and we carry out maintenance on all previous works and begin new projects. All of our workers, who give a great deal of their time and effort, are volunteers and receive no remuneration.

Victim Support Victim Support 0151 645 8901, The Old Police Station, Civic Way, Bebington, Wirral, CH63 7SF Victim Support is the independent charity for victims and witnesses of crime in England and Wales. We were set up over 35 years ago and have grown to become the oldest and largest victims' organisation in the world. Every year, we contact over 1.5 million people after a crime to offer our help.

We depend on thousands of speciallytrained volunteers to deliver our services and although we work closely with the police and other parts of the criminal justice system, we are an independent charity. Our services are free of charge and confidential.

We have a special arrangement with the police so that they give us your contact details after you report a crime (we call this referral and you can tell the police not to refer us if you want). We'll then get in touch - normally within 48 hours of getting your information - to see if we can help. But you can just pick up the phone and call us for support whether or not the police are involved after a crime. We are

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aware that a single crime can affect lots of people, so that is why we’re there to support friends and family too.

War on Want War on Want 0151 334 2127, 6, Bromborough Village Rd, Bromborough, Wirral, CH62 7ES War on Want fights poverty in developing countries in partnership with people affected by globalisation. We campaign for human rights and against the root causes of global poverty, inequality and injustice. Poverty is political. The decisions of politicians in rich countries can mean life or death for people in developing countries. We have the power to reshape the global landscape - to ensure that people across the world can live in justice and peace. War on Want works with some of the bravest and most inspiring groups of people in the world. In rural communities, in factories and sweatshops, in conflict zones and on the margins of society, we work with people fighting for real, lasting change. We always welcome donations, but there are many other ways to raise money for War on Want. One of the most common ways to raise money is to get your friends involved by having them sponsor you for a marathon, cycle ride or some other event.

Wirral Autistic Society Wirral Autistic Society 0151 334 7510, 2-10, Grisedale Rd, Old Hall Industrial Estate, Bromborough, Wirral, CH62 3QA Wirral Autistic Society have been dedicated to caring exclusively for people with autism for over 40 years. We are committed to understanding each individual with this complex condition and to providing each with the structure to live life to the full, based on their personal needs and aspirations.

Autism is a lifelong condition which affects each person uniquely. It can affect a person’s ability to form relationships, to communicate and to understand the world around them. Our day services offer fantastic opportunities for people with autism to develop essential skills and reach their full potential.

Based in three different locations in Wirral our services are extensive and provide a real work experience within a full range of activities including woodwork, pottery, printing, fine crafts, information technology, music, personal development and social skills, physical education etc.

For 6 reasons why you should support a charity see page 26

West Wirral Lions Club West Wirral Lions Club 0151 632 0156, Kings Gap Court, The Kings Gap, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 1HQ We are a group of people who have come together to give something back to the community. We do not get involved in politics, religion or anything contentious. We enjoy the work involved in raising and distributing the funds within our local community and we have an active social programme, encompassing a wide range of activities. Approximately 90% of the money raised by the West Wirral Lions is spent locally, the remainder being sent through the club's connections to the International Association of Lions Clubs to be used for global charity support.

As a member of a Lions Club you become aware of the needs of your community and have the opportunity to make a difference. All Lions Clubs, West Wirral Lions included, provide volunteers with project management experience, leadership training, personal development opportunities and organised fund raising programmes. Being a Lion empowers you to help others in a way that no individual could do alone.

As well as giving the opportunity to help the local community being a member of the West Wirral Lions also provides access to a variety of social activities for members and their partners; great opportunities for fun and developing friendships.

Wirral Donate www.wirraldonate.co.uk We support six local charities working together right on your doorstep, and serving our Wirral community. We are a team of volunteers whose aim is to raise funds through payroll donations, gift aid or standing orders. Please take a few minutes to visit our web site and see how easy it is to donate on line to help people on Wirral who urgently need your support.

It’s simple and it’s local! TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Our member charities are: Age UK [Wirral] Wirral Centre for Children with Special Needs Crossroads Care [Respite care for carers] Multiple SclerosisSociety Wirral Wirral Talking Newspaper Wirral Autistic Society

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Six reasons your business should support a charity D

oes your business support a charity or non-profit group? As your business grows and becomes more successful, you will undoubtedly receive requests from different groups in your community for sponsorship, donations, participation in events or other ways of giving to good causes. Most large corporations will have programs for social responsibility and community involvement in place and it is a great idea for small businesses to get involved also. Here are six reasons you should support a charity or non-profit endeavour in your community:

The opportunity to give something back. This is the number one reason to seek out a charity to support. It allows you to share and pass on some of your good fortune and success and in doing so your own community can bring business benefits, too.

Community support and good will.

Being part of a community is vital for small business. In the days of the mega stores and the internet, it can be difficult to sustain a small business. One way to ensure that your business thrives in your community is to help build a thriving community.

Marketing opportunities. When you donate money, time, products or services, charity and non-profit groups usually have some sort of recognition program. Having your business name included is good promotion.

It is one of the reasons you see children’s sports teams with business names on their kits. People are more apt to support businesses they feel are part of their world.

The opportunity to support causes you believe in. It is great if you can tie your business purpose to a particular charity, but if you cannot, you can pick a charity or community group that you are passionate about and support them. For example, a baby clothing store could support baby safety, prevention of child abuse, breastfeeding or any other causes that “make sense” for a baby clothing business to support. But, if the owner has a passion to help animals, she can certainly promote those causes in a baby store, too.

Contributions don’t have to drain your bank account. Many organizations, particularly those at the local level have needs for time and services as well as cash. Contact the group you would like to help and ask them if there are volunteer opportunities available. Maybe you could ‘donate’ an employee for regular volunteer days throughout the year. This may also create added job satisfaction for your volunteer employees (especially if you let them choose a charity close to their hearts) and help with staff retention.

The opportunity to be involved.

Getting involved in your local community is a great business strategy for many reasons. As you get to know others and work with others for a cause that you believe in, you will have fun and become a part of the group. You will be involved and that can help you with marketing your business in many ways—you will know the needs of the community and be able to find ways to meet them. It’s hard to buy that kind of market research anywhere, but almost impossible for small businesses.

All in all, supporting a charity or non-profit group can help your business grow, but most of all, it can be a great way to give back to your community and help support causes that need your help. Whether you support battered women’s groups, energy efficiency, animal rights, rainforest preservation or ending world hunger, be sure to research your group first. Ask your local Chamber of Commerce or other local supporters about them. Pick one “preferred” group that you support with most of your available time and money but also keep a small amount of money in your monthly budget for other charities. Usually, you can buy small ads in programs or yearbooks; sponsor a hole in a charity golf tournament, or supply soft drinks for a bring and buy sale. These little bits of money can buy a lot of goodwill and public relations while also helping the local community. e www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 25

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thecharityissue

Company Fundraising The Benefits of

In addition to giving something back to the community or helping a favourite cause there are benefits to company fundraising.

Many consumers will use the services of companies if they know some of that money is going to a charity. Business fundraising is also a good way to generate favourable publicity for your business. Annual fundraising enable you to interact with the local community, and this can be very beneficial for smaller businesses. Tax relief in the form of Gift Aid is another option open to business owners who make charitable donations.

usInG a company WeBsIte to raIse Funds Company websites are a great way to advertise fundraising events. Many businesses will give a percentage of their profits to charity. This can easily be achieved by stating on the website that a certain percentage of the profits will be donated to a charity. The decision over the nominated charity will be entirely up to the business owner and employees. Small businesses may find that nominating local charities will be beneficial and can actually help increase business sales. Giving a percentage of the profits can be an ongoing concern or there can be a set time period for this fundraising activity.

BusIness FundraIsInG events calendar Annual business fundraising events are another way to give to a good cause and attract publicity. Fundraising events such as golf tournaments and come to work in pyjamas days are also something for employees to look forward to. These events can be run throughout the year and can turn into regular calendar dates. Events such as sponsored runs will allow employees, family members, business contacts and customers to become involved 26 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

in the fun. This type of fundraising is especially beneficial for start-ups that want regular publicity within the community

Get tInG the medIa Involved In BusIness FundraIsInG The price for publicising a business fundraising event can negligible. Businesses that do run fundraising events will usually attract the attention of local media which can make a major difference to fundraising events and generate customer interest.

Businesses can consider giving to local good causes, local charities or providing equipment for local schools. It shouldn’t be too hard to negotiate with companies that can print flyers for fundraising events.

Emails to customers and business suppliers are another easy way to advertise fundraising events.

the BusIness FundraIsInG dInner Fundraising evenings are one of the simplest and most popular ways to raise funds for a good cause. Good business negotiators should be able to obtain discounted prices on the venue, food and entertainment for the event. Dinner, dancing and a range of fundraising events can take place during the evening. These can include auctions, bingo and race night events, and tickets for the dinner can be sold to employees, family and friends. The fundraising dinner can be a one off event or can be the highlight of the fundraising year.

oBtaInInG FundraIsInG tax relIeF For BusInesses Business owners who do donate to charity can claim a certain amount of tax relief through the government’s Gift Aid scheme.

This tax relief can be claimed whether the donation is a one-off occurrence or an ongoing concern. The business will simply deduct the charitable donation as a ‘charge’ when assessing company profits for tax purposes. This tax relief can be claimed by sole traders and companies. There are some

restrictions and eligibility requirements with Gift Aid, and full details can be found at the HM Revenue and Customs website.

Get employees Involved Employers should find that employees will always be eager to help out when it comes to raising funds for good causes and charities. Work can be monotonous, and charity fundraising helps to break up the day and provide an infusion of fun and excitement into daily work tasks. Many of the fundraising ideas you do outside of work can be incorporated into a work environment, but there are also certain tasks that are successful largely because they occur in a work environment. Here are some workplace fundraising ideas to get you started:

FundraIsInG raFFle Raffles are another popular workplace fundraising idea, and they're also one of the easier fundraising ideas to do - print matching tickets, sell each one for a pound and hold a drawing to give away prizes. You or your co-workers can bring in items to serve as prizes, or you can work with a local business to give away a larger prize or gift voucher. You can even ask a local restaurant to provide a free dinner for the winner. It's great exposure for the businesses involved and you'll also raise a good bit of money for your fundraising cause!

“BaG a lunch” FundraIsInG In most workplaces, employees favour going out for a takeaway or visiting the work cafeteria at lunchtime. If all of this money was put towards your fundraising cause instead, it would make quite a difference!

Start a campaign at work where your coworkers bring in lunch at least one day a week. They can bring lunch on their own, or get a group together and have everyone agree on one item to bring. You can even bring last night's leftovers! The money you save by bringing your lunch instead of buying it is donated to your fundraising efforts.

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thecharityissue HAving A SuCCeSSFul FunDrAiSing CAmPAign At WOrk Fundraising at work can be an extremely successful endeavour, but it requires some knowledge of your workplace to do it properly. In nearly all cases, you will need the support of your manager to conduct fundraising activities on work premises. You may also need permission from your company's corporate office if your local manager is not authorised to make those decisions for the business.

Once you've received permission, pick an activity suitable for the number of coworkers in your office and get started! By doing something fun and making the work day different for your co-workers, your fundraising efforts will surely be rewarded.

When it comes to fundraising at work, some offices are inundated with fundraising requests seemingly every week. It takes an unusual fundraising idea to stand out from traditional office donations and fundraising initiatives. Whatever unusual fundraising activity you decide to do, rest assured it will brighten your day, amuse your co-workers and benefit your cause, too.

WeirD SPOnSOreD FunDrAiSing ACtivitieS Doing a weird and wacky sponsored activity allows your co-workers to relax and have a laugh at work. The only limit is your creativity (and your boss's permission). Here are some popular ideas: Fundraising is a great way to break up an otherwise monotonous day at the office, and this is especially true for wacky fundraising ideas.

A bizarre fundraising idea can foster office camaraderie whilst also raising money for a great cause.

Sponsored wax – co-workers pay a donation for a chance to pull a waxing strip from a colleague’s leg, back or chest. It's a painful – but profitable – way to fundraise for your charitable cause.

Shaved head sponsorship – similar to the sponsored wax, co-workers make donations and are allowed to shave someone's head.

Baked bean boots – ask co-workers to pledge for every minute you walk around work in baked bean boots. Who knows?

After they get a whiff of your feet, they might even pay you to stop!

Fancy dress with a twist – Most workplaces

are accustomed to holding dress down days or fancy dress days, and for good reason – they're unobtrusive and employees love them. Why not put a twist on traditional dress up days by having a cross-dressing day? Ask the men to wear high heels, dresses and wigs and let the women wear suits or baggy shirts and trousers. Just watching the male employees try to walk in high heels will be enough to keep your coworkers and customers thoroughly entertained all day long.

Wacky Work Auctions – Holding a charity auction at work is a very entertaining fundraising activity, and it works especially well if you're able to get your bosses to participate. To make it a bit more unusual, instead of selling products to the highest bidder like one would expect from an auction, your bosses and co-workers can volunteer to do tasks for the highest bidder.

For example, a manager might promise to make breakfast for a week, and the highest bidder wins this prize. You can auction off prizes and other items, too, but watching your boss serve breakfast or lunch will be the hit of your fundraising work, guaranteed!

Swear Box and Other Weird Fundraising Pledges – If you have the type of workplace

where you're allowed to speak freely, consider placing a swear box in the office.

Employees or customers caught swearing should make a donation to your charity. This fundraising idea could make millions in some workplaces! Similarly, you can round up your co-workers and ask them to make other pledges in the workplace, with your fundraising cause benefiting. For example, you could pledge to give up smoking or chocolate, and your co-workers could sponsor you for how long they think you'll last without your vices. However, if you're caught cheating, you have to make a big donation to your own fundraising cause!

Staff Charity Days – some companies allow their staff to take one or two days a year as additional days off so they can undertake charity work for local organisations as volunteer workers or collectors. This is basically giving local charities free staff who are able to carry out a wide range of tasks.

With the kind of positive, entertaining attention that an unusual fundraising idea can bring to your cause, your fundraising endeavour is well on its way to being successful. e www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 27

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tax&accounts

Charity - the tax issues Charity auctions

your questions answered

by Clive & Susan Marshall of TaxAssist Accountants

Mature donor My wife has recently been looked after by a local hospice during her Cancer treatment.

Now she’s out and on the mend, I’d like to make a donation to the hospice to say thank you for looking after her. I am over 65 but still run my own sole trade. Can you tell me the tax implications please?

You may be able to get some tax relief for the donation. To do this, firstly make sure that you have signed a Gift Aid declaration from Cancer Research, and that you have completed all of the necessary details on this form.

Next, make sure you will pay enough tax to cover the tax the charity will be claiming. To check this, divide your donation by four, and make sure it is less than your tax bill for the tax year the donation is made. As you normally complete a tax return, you can tell HMRC about your Gift Aid donation by completing the section on Gift Aid payments.

Because you are over 65, you will be receiving the larger, age-related Personal Allowance.

To calculate the value of your Personal Allowance, HMRC will subtract the amount you donate plus the basic rate tax (that is, the ‘grossed’ up donation) from your total income and use the reduced figure. This may have the effect of increasing your Allowance if your income was above the relevant 'income limit' that applies, and therefore, more of your income could be tax-free!

Companies making donations

Donations to charity

I am a director of a small limited company and want to make a donation to a local children's hospice. Can you advise me on the implications?

Assuming that the children’s hospice is a registered charity, your company will get corporation tax relief on the donation. To get the tax relief, the company simply makes the payment to the charity and deducts the amount as a 'non-trading charge' when working out its profit for corporation tax purposes. Charitable donations cannot be used to create or increase your company's trading losses, and they cannot be carried over from year-to-year. So if you make a donation of more than your taxable profit, the excess is not tax effective.

Please note, if the company receives any benefit from the charity as a result of the donation, such as an advertisement in its newsletter, there are restrictions of the value of the benefit, in order that the donation still qualifies for relief.

Furthermore, there are different rules if you were to gift anything other than cash, such as land or equipment.

My business had an unexpected rise in profits in the year to March so I recently made a big donation to Cancer Research. A friend of mine mentioned you can get tax relief on donations- could you tell me a bit more please?

You may be able to get some tax relief for the donation. To do this, firstly make sure that you have signed a Gift Aid declaration from Cancer Research, and that you have completed all of the necessary details on this form.

Next, make sure you will pay enough tax to cover the tax the charity will be claiming. To check this, divide your donation by four, and make sure it is less than your tax bill for the tax year the donation is made.

Because you have made this donation after your ‘bumper’ tax year, the donation should be claimed on next year’s return. However, you can carry the donation back; provided you paid enough tax in that year (calculation above) and you must not have filed that tax return yet. As a rough guide, the tax relief you will obtain will be 25% of the donation if you are a higher rate tax payer and 3/8 if you are an additional rate tax payer.

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I will be attending a number of fund raising events and they often include charity auctions. I know donations under the gift aid scheme normally attract tax relief, but can I get any relief for my purchases at these auctions?

The payment for an item at a charity auction is not officially a gift to charity, but HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) accept that people may intentionally pay more than an item is worth, in order to support the charity. Therefore, Gift Aid relief can be available in some circumstances.

To calculate how much can be considered as a qualifying donation for Gift Aid relief, you need to consider if the item service is ‘commercially available’. Where the item service is ‘commercially available’ (i.e. a book you can buy on the high street), your entire payment qualifies as a donation under the Gift Aid scheme, provided that the market value is less than a certain portion of the price paid (as set by HMRC). Where the item service is not ‘commercially available’ (i.e. a book with a celebrity’s signature which is priceless), the qualifying ‘donation’ is the difference between the market value and the price you paid.

In both cases, you (the donor) must be aware at the time you make a successful bid, that the item could be purchased commercially and for how much.

Please note, where a number of different items are purchased at charitable auctions, each item must be considered separately as the treatment could differ for each item purchased.

If you would like to discuss this or any other accountancy or tax matter, please feel free to contact your local TaxAssist Accountant.

Charity ball I recently got offered tickets for a local Charity Ball. Does the cost of them attract any tax relief- like normal donations do?

Tickets to charity events, can qualify for Gift Aid. But the ‘donation’ must be voluntary. So for instance, if the ticket was £50, but there was a ‘suggested donation’ of £20, then the £20 would qualify for Gift Aid; but not the £50. If the wording was instead ‘minimum donation’, then none of the payment would attract Gift Aid. Alternatively, perhaps the tickets are purchased by ‘donation only’, and therefore, the entire amount would qualify for Gift Aid.

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Sponsorship My young boy plays in a local under 13s football team and they are looking for a new sponsor for next season. I run my own sole trade and would really like to pay for the strip and put it through the business. But can I get tax relief for it?

As you can imagine, this is a particularly ‘grey’ area of tax. To be an allowable expense, the sponsorship must be incurred ‘wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the trade’.

To try and make this as transparent and business-related as possible, you need to demonstrate that you hope the sponsorship will benefit your business. So for instance, there should be: • an agreement in place, detailing things like: • what the team offers your business in return for the sponsorship (your name on their shirts, advertising around the pitch, attendance at their corporate events etc) • the size of the sponsorship • the duration of the sponsorship • correspondence documenting the negotiation of the payments and terms • evidence of how you found out about the opportunity to sponsor them • evidence of your decision to choose them

Gifting stock I own a small clothes shop and have been thinking about giving the charity shop next door some of my old stock. What would be the implications of this?

If you donate goods that your business makes or sells (i.e. 'trading stock') to a charity, you can claim the cost of these goods in your business accounts. This applies whether you are a sole trader, partnership or company. You do not have to include anything in your sales income for the value of the gift. So you can reduce your business' taxable profits by the full cost of the goods.

For VAT purposes, you can zero rate your

over the alternatives • business plans • details of how the sponsorship will be exploited (i.e. local media) It’s not ideal that you had pre-existing knowledge of the team before the sponsorship or that your son plays for them. But if you can follow HMRC guidance and essentially treat the relationship, like any other business

supply - even if normally the goods are standard-rated or reduced-rated- provided your company makes the donation specifically so that the charity can: • sell the goods; • hire out the goods; or • export the goods This means that if you’re VAT-registered, your company is entitled to reclaim the VAT on the purchase of the trading stock that you donate and not charge any VAT on the gift of them. If you're VAT-registered and you do not give the stock to charity for the above purposes, then you'll need to account for VAT on the goods at the appropriate rate, depending on what the items are.

relationship, you stand a good chance of attracting tax relief against the sponsorship.

As this is such a murky area of tax legislation, please seek professional advice before entering into an agreement with the team.

Send your questions to editor@theedgewirral.co.uk

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 29

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TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 15/09/2011 1:09 PM Page 31

businessprofile

Empire Supplies Building, home, garden and commercial catering equipment Empire Supplies has been helping local business trade with China since 2005. Partners Paul Smith and Robert Kelly set up the company, and with third partner Colin Griffiths, they assist local businesses find products and trade with Chinese suppliers. The company has recently established new office, warehouse and distribution premises in Bromborough to mirror its existing setup in China’s Guangzhou province where Empire Supplies has an office and warehouse and employs a staff of seven.

E

mpire Supplies benefits from established trade links to the manufacturing heartland of China. In China, reputation and recommendation are paramount to successful business relationships and Empire Supplies have a strong network of contacts within many different sectors of the economy.

They offer a multi faceted service to their growing list of UK clients. On the simplest level they can represent clients to source and import products ranging from household and garden furniture to bathroom and kitchen equipment and commercial catering equipment from Chinese manufacturers. Importing direct from China can result in much cheaper inventory than can be achieved within the UK or Europe.

Managing director Paul explained: “We can source pretty much anything. Our expertise, our links with reliable suppliers and our understanding of Chinese culture means we can help businesses here to get the goods they need at the right price.”

Empire can also offer a part container import service so that clients can order smaller quantities and share the costs of shipping with other customers. To complement the import service they can also offer warehouse facilities both in China and at their Bromborough premises or full container loads can be shipped direct to clients’ own premises.

There is more to Empire supplies than this though as they can also undertake to arrange for manufacture and production of bespoke items for UK entrepreneurs.

Directors Paul and Robert understand the need for complete commercial confidentiality and exclusivity and have successfully provided services to inventors and product designers looking for cost effective manufacturing opportunities not available in the UK. As part of this service they will use their experience and contacts in China to source suitable manufacturers and then liaise with them on the client’s behalf to finalise product specification and negotiate on price. Typical manufacture times for new products are 30 days and shipping to UK takes a further 19. Beyond this, Empire Supplies representatives will also carry out factory inspections, monitor quality control and ensure that the chosen factories maintain acceptable Labour relations and standards of treatment for employees.

Empire supplies are open to all commercial suggestions from UK entrepreneurs looking to tap in to the potential of the Chinese economy.

Wholesalers, retailers manufacturers inventors and designers can all benefit from a commercial partner with unique and direct access to Chinese manufacture and the economic advantages to be had from lower costs and faster turnaround. If you feel you could benefit from Empire Supplies service contact Paul Smith for more information. e

Empire Supplies 0151 345 6492 sales@empiresupplies.co.uk www.empiresupplies.co.uk

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 31

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 14/09/2011 4:21 PM Page 32

businessprofile

Geetas Organisation Management Consultancy

32 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 14/09/2011 4:53 PM Page 33

tax&accounts

Landlords: are you paying too much tax?

By Steve Tobin The Priory Partnership

I

n the past decade more than a million Britons have become landlords; some through choice, some reluctantly due to poor market conditions. Whatever reason you find yourself with the title of landlord, are you sure that your rental(s) are set up and run in the most tax efficient way, both for the tax you pay today and for when you sell the property?

Firstly, mortgaging your buy-to-let properties effectively is key because the interest payable on borrowing to fund them receives tax relief and the interest on your own residential property mortgage does

not. So it makes sense to have lower borrowings on your main residence than on your let property.

Expenses which are incurred “wholly and exclusively” in generating income are allowable, e.g. mortgage or loan interest payments taken out to fund the purchase, refurbishment or repair of a let property.

Repairs are included and you may be able to make repairs that go beyond replacing 'like for like' and make an improvement, but on a restricted scale, e.g. HM Revenue & Customs is unlikely to allow the replacement of grubby bathroom suites with luxury items like Jacuzzis, however, it may allow replacing single glazing wood-framed windows with double glazed UPVC, meaning your profit (and therefore your tax) is reduced.

You could claim the cost of replacements in furnished properties, or alternatively, you could simply claim 10% of the annual rental income for wear and tear on all furnishings.

In our experience, most landlords find the

10% allowance far simpler and more beneficial.

There could also be advantages for couples to share ownership of two properties if one is a higher rate taxpayer and one a lower rate taxpayer, or if one is not working, in order to utilise their tax-free allowance and save tax.

Finally, when you come to sell your rental property, you could be liable for up to 28% Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on any profit you make, unless you can take advantage of certain tax reliefs which are available. For example, there could be a partial exemption if the property was your main residence (even for a short time) and an additional letting exemption in certain circumstances which could significantly reduce your CGT liability. e This article should not be taken as advice and should not be acted upon without specific individual discussion.

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 33

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 15/09/2011 9:59 AM Page 34

businessmanagement

“I don’t know how she does it! ”

By Elaine Owen FRSA Designated Associates

T

he new movie I Don’t Know How She Does It is released on 16th September 2011. As a working mother of three, I am looking forward to ninety minutes of relaxation, empathy, laughter and entertainment with Sarah Jessica Parker in the lead role of a successful working woman and mother of two. If only the majority of us working women had her money, her figure and the clothes budget!

Work life balance is difficult to achieve and it takes discipline and dedication to the cause to make one’s living whilst successfully raising a family and maintaining a sense of self and sanity!

Women are not the only working parents of course, there are a growing amount of men who share the same value for successful work life balance and I’ve been privileged to work with and for some of the best – you know who you are.

As a leadership mentor and executive coach I am often privy to personal information that is deep within the core of highly successful and those aspiring to be highly successful leaders. Enabling an individual to recognise, ‘own’, live and work with their personal values is often one of the most powerful things we will do within our 1 to 1 or group sessions.

Personal values are those things which are important to us; they are often the primary sources of our motivation.

Satisfying our personal values can therefore be highly motivational and rewarding and achieving work life balance is one of mine.

Truly knowing and understanding yourself brings confidence, motivation, belief in self and others and real happiness. These are the kind of attributes that energise performance and create trust. Trust forms the basic foundation stone of some of our most important relationships both personal and business. As trust is formed it provides more positive working relationships which have an important impact on an individual’s overall psychological well-being. The presence of trust in an organisation is

therefore crucial for employer, employee and overall business performance.

Cutting corners on what we value is possible for all sorts of highly justified reasons but sustained periods of compromise only leads to exhaustion, stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, a loss of motivation and a lack of trust.

Highly successful organisations are led by people who understand, live and work with their personal and organisational values and know to what degree (if at all) they are prepared to compromise.

The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) and Management Today have recently published their 2010 Index of Leadership Trust which reveals some interesting insights into current levels of trust in UK organisations.

An Ebay purchaser will pay up to 25% more to buy from a ‘trusted source’ such as a 5 star reseller. Recognising and/or changing your own and your organisational values and building trust can have a pro-found impact upon attitudes, behaviour, performance and the bottom line.

Brian Tracy said: “Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.”

Tiger Woods said: “I stopped living according to my core values. I knew what I was doing was wrong but thought only about myself and thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to.”

I often get asked how I do it all... I answer honestly and confidently... I don’t! e

Elaine Owen, September 2011

The Index measures trust on six dimensions:

Ability – the manager’s ability to do their job Understanding – displaying knowledge and understanding of their employees’ roles and responsibilities Fairness – behaving fairly and showing concern for the welfare of employees Openness – being accessible and receptive to ideas and opinions Integrity – striving to be honest and fair in decision making Consistency – behaving in a reliable and predictable manner

For enquiries and comments email elaine@theedgewirral.co.uk 34 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 14/09/2011 4:22 PM Page 35

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- Have a Google specialist give your business a digital health check and learn about how the internet can help your business grow - Get one on one help and answers to your questions about the digital world and online advertising that are specifically about YOUR business.

Visit www.gbbo.co.uk to reserve your one-to-one appointment now or call Laura on 0151 653 3338 for more information.

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TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 14/09/2011 5:15 PM Page 36

health&safety

Three simple tips to protect your business from arson As well as the obvious and thoroughly securing all entry points to the premises, we would also recommend the following;

By Mike Pearson Wirral Fire Protection

Many businesses in the UK have been left counting the cost following the August riots that spread across the UK. Looting and senseless arson attacks have meant that many of the shops targeted may never reopen.

Whilst thankfully riots are fairly unusual, a vast number of fires in the UK are the result of arson attacks. Our sympathy is with those affected by the riots and our advice may help to ensure that your business premises does not become a fire statistic.

1 If possible, ensure the outside of the premises is well lit and if you can't afford the real thing, consider installing dummy security cameras in an elevated position.

This is sometimes enough to deter potential arsonists.

2 Externally sited refuse containers should be positioned in a secure compound if possible and at least five metres clear from any of the buildings windows or doors to prevent fire spreading from the container into the building. If you don't have a secure area for your bins, a steel bin with a close fitting lid provides a much safer option. Ensure all lids are locked in the closed position when not in use and that collections suit the needs of the business.

3 Burning paper or liquids being pushed through letterboxes can have devastating consequences especially if the premises are occupied. Fitting sealed metal boxes or intumescent fire bags/liners to the inside of the letterbox, can protect the property from such a risk.

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TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 15/09/2011 10:15 AM Page 37

legalmatters

Mediation should improve divorce process

A

major shake-up of the family court procedures in England and Wales came into effect on 6 April 2011. All divorcing and separating couples will be referred to mediation to try and settle any disputes before being allowed to go to court. An independent mediator will assist the parties to reach agreement about children and money but should also cover issues including arrangements for business and other relevant assets.

This system will reduce the number of divorces which are dealt with by the courts.

In addition to saving court time and expense, it will provide a more harmonious way of dealing with disputes. The rules make it obligatory to consider mediation by attending a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting. The new rules will not apply if there has been domestic violence

within the last 12 months or if there are child protection issues.

Generally, mediation is less expensive than litigation and, if successful, is quicker than the courts. On average, successful mediation takes three to five meetings.

Although a lot of family mediators tend to be lawyers, this is not a requirement and a lawyer mediator is unable to provide any legal advice. Their role is to act as an independent third party and to remain impartial at all times. Many people take legal advice from their own solicitor alongside mediation.

Face to face meetings with both parties with the mediator present are the norm, unless relations are particularly acrimonious. Meetings generally take place on neutral ground, usually in the mediator's office. To begin the process the mediator

will speak with each person alone to check they are willing to participate and if necessary continue interviews in separate rooms, moving between the two.

If either party feels the process is not working they can apply to court instead. A vital aspect of mediation is that discussions are confidential and the content of the sessions cannot be used as evidence in legal proceedings if the matter goes to court. If couples reach agreement at the end of the mediation they should instruct solicitors to draw up a consent order to ensure the agreement is legally binding and enforcible by the court should either party breach the agreement.

Once mediation is completed the divorce needs to be 'rubber stamped' by the courts making the decree nisi and the decree absolute. The whole process generally takes four to five months. By removing the court room battles, surrounding divorce or separation, couples will save considerable money and time. e Article supplied by The National Family Law Practice, Hoylake

Our fixed price divorce packages could save you money and months of stress

Call us on 0151 632 0330 or visit www.tnflp.com to find out more about our fixed price divorce and will packages.

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 37

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 15/09/2011 10:08 AM Page 38

legalmatters

The Perils of TUPE

By Mark Bland Percy Hughes and Roberts Solicitors

What is TUPE? It is the much needed acronym for ‘The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006’. These rules are of crucial importance when ownership of a business is transferred.

The rules apply not only in the clear circumstances of a sale of a business, but also in all kinds of less obvious circumstances where an ‘undertaking’ changes hands even where there is no obvious sale.

38 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

So what do the rules say?

When a business changes hands all the employees, together with all their contracts of employment, transfer automatically to the new owner. This means that the new owners of the business not only inherit all the staff, but also the terms and conditions in their contracts of employment. The new owner cannot impose their own contractual terms on the workforce. Pay and conditions must remain the same and the start date for their employment stays the same, i.e. when computing years service, you go back to the commencement of their original employment.

Consultation There are other obligations placed on the new owners of the business. Both new and old owners must consult with the workforce prior to the transfer taking place. Failure to comply with the duty to consult the workforce can prove very expensive because if there is a

failure to consult, the employees can make application to the Employment Tribunal in relation to the failure which can lead to protective awards of up to 90 days pay for each employee affected.

Once a transfer has taken place, if the new owner dismisses any of their employees for a TUPE related reason, i.e. for a reason directly relating to the transfer, then that is deemed to be an automatically unfair dismissal.

There have been cases where a dismissal taking place up to 5 years after a transfer of undertaking has been held to be still related to that transfer and thus automatically unfair.

The TUPE rules apply to any transfer of a business and this can be anything from the modest acquisition of a paper shop to the purchase of a large factory. Unfortunately the impact of the TUPE rules is often forgotten about or not considered when a business transfer takes place. This can cause substantial difficulties after the transfer has taken place.

Change of Service Provider The TUPE rules do not just apply to a straight forward sale and purchase of a business, they also apply in any case where an ‘undertaking’

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 15/09/2011 10:08 AM Page 39

legalmatters is transferred. A good example of this relates to what is known as a change of service provider when a Company decides to change the provider of a service such as cleaning or security. In many cases where this is a labour intensive service, the TUPE rules apply between the old contractor and the new contractor. This means that the new contractor can be forced to take on the workers who were working for the previous contractor. For example, where a business employs a contractor to carry out office cleaning services and then decides to change contractor. In most cases this will be considered to be a TUPE transfer and consequently the personnel who actually carry out the cleaning will have their contracts of employment transferred to the successful applicant for the contract.

This can lead to the absurd position of an organisation dismissing their contractor because of the poor service they receive and because of the poor quality of the personnel carrying out the work. They appoint a new contractor to carry out the work and find that the same staff are still working on the contract due to the TUPE rules.

Because such a TUPE transfer often occurs

between two competitors where animosity exists there are sometimes attempts at sharp practice on the handover of the contract such as the original contractor ‘dumping’ some of his problem employees on the new contractor.

Buyer Beware It is important to note that because all employee’s rights transfer to the person who has acquired the business, the liability for any mistakes on a TUPE transfer will nearly always fall on the new owner. This really is a case of Buyer Beware. The one major exception to the operation of the TUPE rules is where a Company goes bust. If a Company goes into liquidation and subsequently the business which it carried on is taken up by a new Company, then the new Company does not have to take on the workforce of the insolvent Company on the same terms and conditions. This was a change introduced by the 2006 rules as prior to that date the rules did apply in this situation. The rules were changed in order to encourage the rescuing of defunct businesses.

Unfortunately this has led to the practice of what are known as ‘pre pack’ administrations. This is where a floundering

business lines up a buyer and then goes into administration. The assets are then quickly transferred to the buyer often for a low price.

The new Company then carries on, often in the same premises, but is able to discard the old workforce who become redundant.

Take Advice I have only described the bare bones of the TUPE rules in this article. The rules are complicated and if not adhered to, can cause great difficulty and expense to a Company who is acquiring another. It is important when considering the acquisition of a business, or when tendering for a service contract, that you factor in the possible expenses and problems that may be caused

by TUPE. Some of the harsher aspects of the TUPE rules can be mitigated by a carefully worded contract with the seller of the business. Therefore if you are at any time acquiring a business, or bidding for a service contract, you need advice from a specialist employment solicitor. Taking timely advice will mean that mistakes are not made that could lead to costly and time consuming claims being made against you. e

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 39

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 14/09/2011 4:24 PM Page 40

commentary

Startup Britain... and Wirral!

The view from here Business Consultant Paul Davies takes a sideways look at the world of commerce

A

couple of weeks ago the Startup Britain Campaign brought their Tour Bus to Merseyside and my colleague Phil and I were invited to help man the bus as resident ‘experts’, offering advice and information to members of the public interested in the idea of starting their own business. I also managed to rope in Di Bradbury, from Invest Wirral, to come with us to provide some Local Authority perspective on Enterprise Support. Di has been at the forefront of managing this process in Wirral for the last five years so she has a really good grip on the key issues involved in getting a business off the ground and making it a success.

The Startup Britain Campaign is a major enterprise initiative for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs intended to “inspire, celebrate and accelerate Britain’s start-up talent”. Although the Government is backing the campaign, it’s not a Government initiative, but has its roots in the business community. Major companies such as Microsoft, Barclays, Intuit, Dell, PayPal, as well as many smaller businesses are supporting Startup Britain, and local business champions are involved in spearheading the campaign at grassroots level.

The Tour Bus was parked at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Liverpool on August 24th and as well as talking to budding entrepreneurs about their business ideas and the practical implications of running their own enterprise, I took the opportunity to quiz Startup Britain co-founder Emma Jones about the thinking behind the campaign and the reason she got involved.

She told me that having successfully started her own business and written a number of books about enterprise and startups, she was determined to champion enterprise, even in a stagnant economy.

“Britain needs entrepreneurs and we need an entrepreneurial spirit”, she said. “Startup 40 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

Britain is designed to encourage that, and working with Westminster, Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, and most importantly, the existing local business communities, we are aiming to involve more people, more effectively, in the idea that together we can create more businesses and more wealth that will help put our economy back on track.”

These are sentiments we can all agree with, and I for one applaud Emma and her colleagues for their initiative in starting this worthwhile campaign.

However, although mindset is an issue, the real barriers faced by startups, especially in areas of social deprivation, revolve around money, and most frequently the lack of it. Startup Britain currently can offer only limited help on this front

The Startup Britain Tour Bus comes to Merseyside

properly paid expert advisors.

In particular, a startup support package of training courses, business planning and forecasting, essential skills training etc. is absolutely vital. I’ve written in this column before about the need to know where you’re going in business, and nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than when you are at the very start of your journey.

At local level, the type of assistance I’m

“I for one applaud Emma and her colleagues for their initiative in starting this worthwhile campaign” principally in the form of discounts on products and services provided by the sponsoring firms, and the possibility of some free advice and mentoring. Welcome, but not enough.

In my view, the Government has got to properly get behind this campaign, not just in name but financially as well. Having been involved in Business Startup Support on Wirral for the last five years, I know for a fact that the majority of small businesses start up on a shoestring. This makes them very vulnerable if sales don’t develop quickly and in such cases access to financial support can be critical. With the banks currently so unwilling to lend to all small businesses (but especially unproven ones) and grant funding almost non-existent, alternative means of support are needed. A decent government-sponsored microbusiness loan scheme might help, with business advice and support available, provided not on a voluntary basis, but by

describing has traditionally been provided by the County and Borough Councils, with additional funding channelled through the Regional Development Agencies. Now that the RDA’s have been wound down, LEP’s (Local Enterprise Partnerships) are supposed to be stepping up to the plate, but the situation on Wirral is still very fluid and it’s currently unclear how this vital support will be provided in the future.

Fortunately, Invest Wirral, the Council’s Business Support Department, have already announced a programme of support for SME’s and Micro-Businesses, starting this autumn, which I’m delighted to be playing a part in. The plans for the additional, allimportant Startup Support are still being put in place, but I’m hopeful that those people wanting to start their own businesses on Wirral can do so with a package of proper training, coaching, advice and maybe even some grant funding to help set them on the path to business success.

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 14/09/2011 4:24 PM Page 41

commentary

Big Society or Big Spin?

A s the economy continues to stagnate, and each day another set of gloomy figures are released, at home or abroad, it’s clear that many individuals, businesses and organisations are finding life harder. This is especially so in the Charity and Voluntary Sectors.

I work regularly with a small charity based in North Birkenhead, which aims to improve the lives of women and children living in that area. Women’s Enterprising Breakthrough is run by a dedicated team of staff and volunteers led by manager Bernie King. Over the last three years Bernie has seen her reserves dwindle as more and more funders have withdrawn or cut back their funding. The work that the Charity does has dramatic and far-reaching effects on the quality of life for hundreds of people in Birkenhead, but the operation is in serious danger of collapse through lack of money. Bernie told me, “There’s no shortage of volunteers to help with our activities, but they have to be managed, and we have to

have in place the support infrastructure – accommodation, heat, light, equipment and so on – which will allow the programme to operate. All of this costs money. We provide support services for our clients which would otherwise in many cases fall upon the Local Authority or the NHS. Wirral Council help us as much as they can, but they are hamstrung by the budget cuts imposed at Westminster. Sometimes I’m afraid it seems like they are throwing the baby out with the bathwater!”

Bernie and her team are staying positive, but she’s finding that an increasing amount of her time (and that of some of her volunteers) has to be spent on fund-raising and preparing complex funding bids, and this is detracting from the amount of useful work that she and the charity can undertake. If David Cameron is serious about the Big Society, he and his Government have to accept that even with willing volunteers, there has got to be money involved and at the moment, many

charities are in the same boat as WEB determined to survive, but finding it more of a challenge to do so than ever before. If you want to find out more about Women’s Enterprising Breakthrough (or better still, help with a donation!) visit www.womensenterprisingbreakthrough.org Finally, can I offer a very heartfelt thank you to all the friends, colleagues and strangers who helped out, supported and visited our various Open Garden events through the summer. After spending seven long years developing our garden it was a big decision to open it to the public for the first time under the National Gardens Scheme in July. Although the weather was appalling, we had a very respectable turnout and we followed this up with another three or four events throughout August. In all we managed to raise nearly £1,400 for local and national charities like Claire House, Macmillan Nurses and WEB – so a big thank you to everyone who helped make this possible. You can see pictures of the garden and the open days at www.fieldcrestgarden.co.uk.

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 41

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 14/09/2011 4:25 PM Page 42

businessawards

Wirral Business Awards 2011 W

irral’s business community saluted the success of companies that are strengthening the borough’s economy. More than 350 key figures from commerce and industry celebrated the achievements of these companies at the 2011 Wirral Investment Network (WiN) annual awards ceremony on Friday 8th July.

Distinguished guests included Esther McVey MP for Wirral West and President of WiN, Alison McGovern MP for Wirral South, Cllr Phil Davies Deputy Leader of Wirral Council, Deputy Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr Jeff Green, Cllr Ann Bridson and Jim Wilkie Chief Executive of Wirral Council.

The awards ceremony was opened by Chairman of WiN, John Robinson and hosted

by Roger Phillips of Radio Merseyside. A total of 12 awards were presented to organisations spanning a range of sectors, markets and industry disciplines, at the black tie event at the magnificent grade II 42 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

listed Hillbark Hotel in Frankby. The 2011 Wirral Investment Network awards were sponsored by Park Group plc, Egerton House Wirral Ltd and The Contact Company and partnered by Wirral Council.

enthusiasts – including an Everton academy coach, sports graduates, and a Lancashire and Cheshire ladies cricket coach.

Eight4Sport also hosts numerous charity events, as well as disabled football training.

Winners of the 2011 Wirral Investment Network business awards were:

Small Business of the Year Award sponsored by Hillyer McKeown Fleetsolve Ltd

Business Start of the Year sponsored by Wirralbiz Eight4sport Eight4Sport offers sport activities from netball to football, and has the only indoor cricket match facility of its kind in the North West. Within three months of opening, over 40 teams were competing in cricket competitions, together with a range of corporate business customers such as Unilever and IBM. It employs local sports

Fleetsolve Ltd delivers energy efficient solutions, and are leaders in sustainable fuel innovation, combustion technology and engine development. Focussing on alternative fuel engineering, Fleetsolve offers clients a variety of services, from concept through to design and implementation. A strong strategic development plan has enabled the company to develop and secure orders for the coming twelve months.

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businessawards

Corporate Social Responsibility Award sponsored by Unilever UK B&M Waste Services B&M Waste Services offers total waste management solutions to reduce both costs and impact on the environment, by diverting as much waste as possible away from landfill, and by encouraging customers to be more environmentally aware in their business operations.

B&M actively supports Claire House Children’s Hospice, as well as other activities and donations to a range of national charities. B&M’s mindset hasn’t changed in over 27 years - if you look after your staff and your local community, they will value and look after you.

Environmental Award sponsored by Stiebel Eltron Arriva Wirral By introducing the Eco Manager initiative, Arriva Wirral has shown commitment to protecting the environment. Eco Manager is an innovative way of reducing emissions and saving fuel. By utilising an LED dashboard display, Arriva drivers can adjust their driving techniques to improve fuel economy and emissions. The objective of the scheme is to improve fuel efficiencies by 4%, to embrace greener driving practices through awareness, and to reduce the carbon footprint.

Excellence in Training & Skills Development Award sponsored by Wirral Met. College Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders As Cammell Laird moves into new and exciting multi-million pound markets, such as offshore renewable and civil nuclear sectors, the company is committed to ensuring that its workforce is trained to the highest possible standards. A motivated, disciplined and educated labour resource is key to its development.

Through the continual implementation of training programmes and supporting apprenticeships, Cammell Laird sees this investment as essential to the future commercial success of the business.

Innovation and Creativity Award sponsored by T-Systems Ltd Furlong Innovations Ltd By developing the CombiSave, Furlong has created a unique device, compatible with all domestic boilers, which can save water, gas, money, time and cut carbon emissions.

The CombiSave speeds up the delivery of hot water, by responding to its temperature, which then controls the water flow. It’s easy to fit and inexpensive, and following development and trials, UK manufacture of the device started in April.

International Trade Award sponsored by Invest Wirral Greyhound Chromatography & Allied Chemicals Established in 1981, Greyhound supplies equipment to the scientific community, including environmental, petrochemical, forensics, chemical and pharmaceuticals.

Exporting to over 150 countries has helped to increase its turnover to £2m.

Greyhound continues to identify growth markets through attendance at international shows, and by developing trade links in the Middle East and Russia.

They’re probably the leading single source of chromatography products and chemical standards anywhere in the world.

Medium Business of the Year sponsored by Scantec Osiris Projects Osiris Projects are market leaders in highresolution coastal seabed mapping and geophysical survey, specialising in bespoke, high quality solutions to all types of shallow water survey requirements. It has enjoyed significant growth over the past three years, increasing turnover by 24%, whilst creating employment opportunities.

They’ve recently moved to Bromborough, and they plan to grow their business, particularly within the expanding UK offshore wind and marine energy markets.

investment in moving to the Queensgate office in Birkenhead.

This £3.9 million pound project is enabling The Contact Company to expand its Outsourcing Call Centre activities to meet customer demands, whilst creating employment opportunities for 350 new staff.

An additional £2 million pound investment is also being made to implement the required IT and physical infrastructure to support the company’s growth.

Business Person of the Year sponsored by Tranmere Rovers Football Club Mark McManus from Stiebel Eltron UK Mark is the UK Managing Director of the global renewable energy manufacturer, Stiebel Eltron. Under Mark’s leadership, the company has established itself as one of the leading players in the green energy market.

Four years after setting up Stiebel Eltron UK, Mark continues to push himself to gain more business and drive company growth.

He’s a committed member of a number of business networking organisations, using his vision and drive on behalf of Wirral’s business community.

Business of the Year sponsored by Smith and Sons Park Group plc Park is one of the UK's leading multiredemption voucher and prepaid gift-card business for both corporate and consumer markets. The innovation and investment demonstrates the evolution of Park from its origins as a hamper company.

Park has undergone a steady transformation over the past few years, as it capitalises on the market leadership of its traditional business, and harnesses the power of the internet to drive exciting and substantial product innovation, capturing new business, and generating strong profit growth.

Investment of the Year sponsored by AEV Ltd The Contact Company Established in Wirral just five years ago, The Contact Company is now one of the area’s key employers, and has made a significant www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 43

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online

Invest Wirral is Working for Business I

nvest Wirral is Wirral Council's business support team which for many years has provided Wirral businesses of all sizes with a range of proactive support to encourage growth, enterprise and innovation in the borough. They work closely with clients by developing working relationships to encourage new development and investment projects which help achieve not only growth but also sustainability, particularly in times of economic uncertainty.

Amongst its services, Invest Wirral provides information about locating business premises, training and skills knowledge, funding support resources, apprenticeship opportunities, and regularly holds free business workshops and seminars. By introducing new initiatives, they have continued to lead in helping local businesses meet the challenges faced in a competitive, changing environment - from local supply chains to information and support designed to help companies trade successfully overseas.

The Invest Wirral Business Forum – www.businesswirral.com – is a free online initiative for all Wirral based companies providing online networking, inter-trading, business to business collaborations, updates on business support, business news and free procurement and tendering opportunities and alerts. With a membership which is growing daily the business forum is a key online tool to help business development. To join go to www.businesswirral.com and follow the simple registration link.

Schemes providing new services are also being introduced which includes specialist support delivered by the private sector and funded through Invest Wirral to work within businesses identifying those issues creating 44 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

www.investwirral.com barriers to growth and to create solutions for clear and attainable project objectives.

Micro Business Support Managers will work with small businesses that have 3 or less staff or have turnover below £100,000.

Companies will be supported for growth and assisted in developing and implementing a strategy to encourage enterprise success and job creation. SME Business Support Managers are a pool of private sector skilled individuals that can offer specialist support on key elements which promote business growth. Wirral based SME’s can access intensive support that will improve success across business areas such as strategy and vision, people and processes, customers and sales and, raising finance.

In the first instance, Invest Wirral will discuss your needs and from this introductory meeting will then make recommendations for you to access the new services. Invest Wirral will suggest a programme of work and the time needed to assess and bring about beneficial changes for your company.

Invest Wirral is also launching a Wirral Business Angels Network that will provide private risk capital for investment in fast growing local enterprises. The scheme will offer a dedicated service, including one-toone business support for angels (investors) and entrepreneurs/business owners, attracting private capital for local fast growing businesses and providing a cost effective local route to investment. e

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technology

‘Phone Phreaking’ costs UK Business £1.3bn Telephone hacking is becoming increasingly common, conducted by organised criminals as credit cards are becoming more secure and unprotected phone systems represent a comparatively soft target, reports Dean Dunwoody of Lake Technologies Ltd.

P

hone Phreaking (hacking) involves your phone system being compromised by someone with malicious intent. Typically it is either the admin interface or a users’ voicemail that is targeted. A hacker can often gain access in a matter of seconds and once in, they can route calls to anywhere via your phone lines so you pay for the call. More often than not it involves calls to international destinations or premium rate lines and calls take place out of hours and at weekends so you don't notice the lines in use. You are only made aware when your phone bill arrives.

Are you at risk?

1 Do you change your voicemail passwords regularly?

2 Will your system block access to mailboxes after 2 or 3 failed attempts?

3 Can you make calls out from your voicemail?

4 Can you get remote dial tone by accessing your phone system remotely?

5 Do you record who changed their passwords and when?

6 Can you force the changing of passwords?

7 Do you have Detailed Call Logging and Reporting?

8 Does your system have an unusual call alert with 24/7 monitoring?

9 Do you restrict international calling on your system?

Protect yourself from phone hackers.

1 Ask your telephone company if your system is hack proof?

2 If it’s practical, block international calling.

3 Encourage extension users to change their password regularly. Use complex 6-8 digit passwords, Use Words converted to numbers e.g. - Elephant – 35374268 4 Remove direct Inward System Access 5 Ensure all calls made and received are logged in to a Call Detail Recording Database for reporting and analysis.

6 Analyse your call records daily if possible. Look for suspicious calling patterns. Generally hackers will test your system for weeks before the actual event causing large phone bills to occur. Look for calls received between 7pm and 8am when you would not expect them.

7 Monitor your call traffic on a daily basis, to identify any unusual call patterns/cost, anything out of the ordinary can be raised and stopped before calling escalates out of control 8 Seek advice from a reputable telecoms company who will have up to the minute anti hacking advice. www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 45

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internetmarketing

By Mike Hayden Measured Marketing

Facebook and Google both offer Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising where you can advertise and you only pay when someone clicks on your advert, therefore said person has been qualified by the advert, they have read the advert and are interested in what it appears to be offering.

With the launch of Google+ they now also both offer a social media platform but for this article we are going to be comparing Google Adwords (Google Search Engine's PPC) with Facebook's PPC advertising service.

What they have in common: • Both are partially results based in that you only pay when someone clicks so if there is no interest then you don't have to pay any money out.

What are the differences: • Google Adwords is based on the keywords a user enters, therefore the user is taking the initiative and already decided they are interested in a particular product or service.

• Facebook users need to be logged in so its adverts are based on the criteria of the user such as age, gender, location, marital status, interests and groups they may be a member of.

What this means for Google: • A user from Google that has searched for your service and maybe location (e.g "Internet Marketing Wirral") has a higher probability of becoming client or customer.

• There will be more competition on that 46 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

page, sometimes 20+ results in total for some searches. Natural Results, paid results, local results, news results and maybe shopping results.

• You will pay more for the visitor because of the very direct competition you have to compete against.

• You are limited by the number of searches. This means if you offer something new and innovative there probably aren't any searches yet.

• Google Adwords does almost nothing for brand awareness. Only people that actually clicked on your ad and became a client will be aware of your brand.

What this means for Facebook: • You’re are not dependent on users searching for your product which is great if there are a lot of people that could sign up if persuaded to do so that weren't planning on searching for your product otherwise.

• People spend a lot more time on Facebook and because you are targeting them based on certain criteria, if your campaign is set up right you will be able to expose them to your advert multiple times to build interest. You don't pay until they finally click.

• Users who click on your ad where not searching for your product so are a little bit less likely to buy from you but you may be paying a lot less per visitor. Equating to a profitable marketing campaign.

How to get the most from Facebook PPC One of the most important criteria to a successful Facebook campaign is ensuring that you do manage to get people to click on your advert. Adverts that aren't clicked on very often will cost you more when they do get clicked on. Even worse, if no one

clicks on it your ad won’t show as often and will dwindle in to obscurity. So the key is to get the right criteria in the first place to ensure your advert only shows to people with a good probability of clicking on the ad. You need to be sophisticated with your selection criteria.

A common example people use is if you operated a chain of hotels in major cities you could create fan groups dedicated to different Football Clubs. You can then advertise your hotels to members of the relevant groups e.g. your London Hotel to Liverpool fans when Liverpool are playing away against Arsenal. This is known as interest based marketing.

If I wanted to target local businesses I could create a fan group called "I read Edge Magazine". It would be better to do this then to create a group about my own company which would come across as very “commercial”. I can then run Facebook PPC ads targeting members of the Edge Magazine group. The members of the group would not be aware that the reason they are seeing my adverts is because they are a member of that group and the adverts would not be seen to be affiliated with the group in any way. It is just a way for me to target local businesses so that my adverts are more likely to get clicked on and will therefore keep running and provide a good return.

Previously The Edge Magazine could make their own group and charge people to run Facebook Ads targeting their group members.

A similar technique to this is popular on Twitter. This has now changed on Facebook as you don’t need to be the owner of a group to advertise to its members, you can target members of other people’s groups. For example, if I made a new brand of coffee I could advertise it to members of the Starbucks Fan Group! e

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health&wellbeing

Don’t work yourself to death Take control of major heart attack risk factors

I

nvestigators now report that most heart attacks can be predicted by the presence of 9 controllable risk factors. This conclusion comes from the INTER-HEART study, one of the largest studies of its type ever conducted. This study looked at more than 29,000 individuals from around the world, roughly half of whom had had prior heart attacks. The other half had never had heart attacks. Investigators were able to identify in this population 9 modifiable risk factors that were associated with an increased risk of heart attack. Indeed, these 9 risk factors appeared responsible for over 90% of the heart attacks seen in these patients. Further, these same risk factors "worked" in predicting heart attacks for every racial and ethnic group in every region of the world.

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The risk factors in order of importance are: 1 High LDL, low HDL triples your risk of heart attack. LDL cholesterol is a major component of arterial plaque; good HDL cholesterol helps clean the arteries.

2 Cigarette smoking nearly triples your chances of a heart attack compared to those who never smoked.

3 Diabetes, a condition marked by high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood, more than doubles your chances of having a heart attack.

4 High blood pressure or hypertension— defined as 140/90 mm Hg or greater— doubles your chances of having a heart attack.

5 Abdominal obesity, defined as a waist size greater than 35 inches for women and 40 for men, increases heart attack risk by 62 percent.

6 Depression and anxiety more than doubles your risk of heart attack or stroke.

7 Too little fruit and vegetables boosts risks. People who eat produce daily are 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack.

8 A sedentary lifestyle accounts for 12 percent of heart attacks. Regular exercise lowers your risk by 14 percent.

9 Too much or too little alcohol can increase risk. The right amount, with your doctor's OK: Two drinks a day for men and one for women, reduces heart attack risk by 10 percent.

The risk of heart attack for individuals who had all 9 of these factors, amazingly, was almost 130 times higher than for somebody with none of them. The first two of these risk factors (bad lipid readings and smoking) predicted 2/3 of all heart attacks. Smoking any form of tobacco (including cigars and pipes) increased risk, and the more tobacco an individual used, the higher the risk.

Diabetes is considered a "controllable" risk factor on this list because, while type I diabetes is not preventable, the much more common type II diabetes is (with diet, exercise and weight loss). It is notable that abdominal obesity, but not obesity itself, made the list of 9. Obesity itself was found to increase risk, but it was abdominal obesity - excess fat predominantly stored in the belly - that really made a difference.

The overriding message of the report is that we can all take actions to control these factors and reduce the risks of heart disease. e

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technology

Order Vs. Chaos O

ver the past couple of years the speed of technological change in the consumer market has started to move at a faster pace than the corporate market. New devices such as tablets, web apps and cloud services have been embraced by consumers in the blink of an eye leaving many businesses trailing while they debate how this new technology can be safely integrated into their business model.

Many staff are unwilling to wait while businesses decide whether to integrate new technology or not. We’re now in the position where a large quantity of consumers will actually have better and more advanced IT equipment in their homes than in the workplace. The new employee with their new laptop, iPad and smartphone at home may find that when they start their new job they’re given a computer or laptop several years old with old software. They then become quickly irritated with the lack of functionality and speed and start complaining. What does the employer do in these situations? Invest in new equipment? Tell staff to live with the problem and enforce company IT policy? Or do you let staff use their own equipment as long as the job gets done?

It’s a difficult decision and as usual there is no black and white solution.

Do you try to maintain some kind of order to your company IT systems or do you allow them to expand in a haphazard but flexible fashion and give staff a lot of autonomy in choosing how they work. Some things to think about on each side are:

Order

By Kurt Beaumont-Jones Director, Vigo IT Solutions

stressed. Having no rigid IT policy can make your company fast and flexible in its approach to IT, outmanoeuvring many of your larger competitors and beating them to the punch when it comes to cutting costs and maximising productivity. Surely if employees are willing to use their own equipment it must be of huge benefit to the company, your company could save a fortune in hardware costs.

Why not let your staff use Facebook or other social networking accounts at work, that new person you hired in sales might have wide circle of friends and old clients who they could bring over to your company via facebook. It could expand your client base considerably? You feel you don’t have the necessary IT knowledge to be able to decide on an IT strategy and you can’t afford to outsource to get the necessary skills. It’s far simpler to let your staff who might be more knowledgeable make their own decisions.

Conclusion Sorry but there’s no real conclusion or answer here apart from the obvious ‘ Every business is different and some will suit a more relaxed chaotic IT approach and some will need more rigid enforcement of regulations’.

The main thing is to be aware of the issues of both approaches. We’ve only barely touched on the topic here but it’s likely to be something more businesses come across in future as demands made by more IT literate staff get louder. e

It’s critical for a business to keep firm control of its data. You simply can’t allow staff to use their own equipment and end up with your company data spread over a wide variety of devices with questionable security in place. Would you be comfortable knowing that Eric in the Marketing department has your full client list on his laptop and smartphone? Oh, and he has a habit of losing his smartphone on a 6 monthly basis and doesn’t lock it with a password. Or the new graphic designer you hired is doing a great job but just happens to be using an illegal copy of some very expensive software.

Keeping firm control of company equipment, IT policy and data is undoubtedly the best way to run your company’s IT systems. This way you know where the data is, which devices have it installed, which email programs are being used and what your current licensing situation is. Is one of your employees using Microsoft Office Home and Student edition to carry out their work thus breaking the licensing agreement?

If you allow them to do as they wish you could end up with staff using different software with compatibility issues. Everyone should be using the same software to ensure compatibility. What happens if you allow one of your staff to use their own equipment and you have to let them go?

Are they going to hand over their IT equipment with all your data on? Of course not, it’s their equipment, the best you can hope for is a promise to delete your data or hand it over. If they decide not to play ball you’ve potentially got a bit of a nightmare on your hands!

The resulting chaos from allowing your staff to use whatever equipment and software they want is simply too much to consider, how could you track and keep up to date with your current IT status in that type of situation.

Chaos Company IT rules and regulations are stifling creativity. Many of your staff find it unbearable spending 30 minutes on a report using their company laptop and software when they know they can do the same thing, better, in almost half the time on their own laptop and software. Letting them use their own equipment would make them more productive and less

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health&safety

Driving for work – are you covered? “...1 in every 3 road accidents involve someone who is on work related business”

by Martin Bryant MBR Driving School

employees may not be aware that they must inform the DVLA of certain medical conditions, such as diabetes. A robust Driving for Work policy can help to tackle all of these problems, leading to safer drivers and hopefully fewer accidents.

If your organisation has 5 or more employees, you are legally required to record your findings. If you have fewer than 5, you are not obliged to write anything down, but it is a good idea to have a written record of what was checked and what action was taken.

What are the benefits?

As a business owner, how do you ensure that employees who drive as part of their job are doing it safely and legally? How do you check they have the correct insurance in place?

Are the vehicles they use mechanically sound? And what are your legal responsibilities with regards to driving for work?

T

he legal responsibilities of a business are required as a result of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 which allows prosecution for gross failures in the management of health & safety within a company as a whole.

It has been estimated that 1 in every 3 road accidents involve someone who is on work related business, possibly accounting for 20 deaths and 250 serious injuries every week. So the problem is real and the employer is responsible. Driving for work is something that businesses are legally required to manage and monitor. This includes being aware of the licences and insurance that workers carry, and also includes making sure that they are taking responsibility for their safety and the safety of others whilst out driving on company business. This also includes ensuring that vehicles being used are correctly taxed and covered by a valid MoT , that they are mechanically sound and that tyres, lights

50 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

and other routine checks are carried out regularly. Businesses must also ensure that they are not setting unsafe or unrealistic targets for journey times, targets that may force the driver to have to exceed speed limits or drive unsafely to comply.

The Health & Safety At Work Act 1974 requires you to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health & safety of all employees whilst at work, and to ensure that others are not put at risk by your work related activities. A good starting point would be an assessment of the risks involved. These might include • Risk to the driver and any passengers of accidents caused by lack of skill, knowledge or competency. It could also include risk caused by driving whilst tired, ill or under stress.

• Risk to the public caused by factors affecting the driver • Risks caused by use of an inappropriate or unsafe vehicle • Risk caused by travelling in unsafe weather conditions Some of your employees may not be aware of the effects of some prescription or 'over the counter' medications, and the possibility of these rendering them unfit to drive. Some employees may not have read a copy of the Highway Code since they passed their driving test. The Highway Code is updated regularly and there may be new regulations that some may not be aware of. Some

This might seem like a lot of work and a major investment but it can yield real benefits and cost savings.

• Better control of costs, such as maintenance costs, fuel, insurance premiums and possible legal fees • Better decision making regarding identifying 'at risk' drivers and tailoring targeted training towards them • Work related stress can be reduced and morale improved • Fewer work days lost due to injury. As work driving standards improve, so will personal driving standards, again leading to fewer sick days • Fewer vehicles in the repair shop • Reduced running costs • Fewer missed orders and business opportunities leading to better relationships with your customers Driver assessment and training can be carried out in a number of ways, from 'classroom' style sessions, to online assessments and development sessions.

Web based tools are available to carry out licence checks directly with the DVLA which can help to identify 'at risk' drivers who can then be targeted for further training. A good place to start might be with an independent Health & Safety Practitioner, if your organisation doesn't have one. They can help with the undertaking of a risk assessment and the development of a Driving for Work policy document. e

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womeninbusiness

Google and Women In Business NW When the call came to say that Google were looking for partners on Merseyside and was Women In Business interested, at first we did not take it seriously and thought it was someone pulling our leg, says Women In Business NW Director Ellen Kerr.

W

e were somewhat preoccupied at the time because we were in the last week of preparation for Merseyside Women of the Year, which has been ‘ours’ for the last 2 years. It is the biggest event for women on Merseyside and with an expected audience of 400 our minds were elsewhere. However, the request was genuine and Women In Business NW are delighted to be chosen as one of only five partners for the Launch and delivery of a brand new programme of support for businesses by Google, commencing in Liverpool on Wednesday 14th September.

Amongst the buzz and razzmatazz that is being created by Google coming to town there is a genuine passion from them to help Merseyside businesses get digitally fit and start doing business on line. Women In Business are especially pleased that through our event on 15th November and Juice Bar activity, Google are coming to Wirral and so we can showcase the businesses that are starting and growing here.

All the Wirral events are now fully booked which is testament to the interest in getting digitally ready and taking advantage of what the web has to offer. We are very proud that two of our Women In Business member businesses have been chosen to be part of the launch event. Liz Howard, Sensory Toy Warehouse and Jane Richards, Third Sector Thinking will be interviewed by Google UK's Managing Director Matt Brittin.

This is an amazing achievement for both businesses and we wish them lots of luck on the day.

The use of technology to improve business growth has never been more important with more consumers than ever choosing to use the internet to buy goods

and services. Research has shown that 17pence in every pound is spent online and businesses that embrace the web can grow up to 4 x the rate of those that don’t – so it really is a no brainer not to be part of that growth.

Through the partnership group who are, Liverpool Vision, Federation of Small Business, Liverpool Chamber and Down Town Liverpool in Business, we have worked together to promote the various events across the five boroughs of Merseyside.

Women In Business have been able to enlist our own partnership stream to take the message to the wider business community via, Designated Associates, Egerton House, Let’s Go! Publishing and Invest Wirral. It has been very interesting to be part of such a wide partnership collaboration which will see a calendar of events take place that until December and into 2012 to help business with getting to grips with digital advances.

At Women In Business, we have always been passionate about increasing the technical abilities of our Members, even when it wasn’t such a hot topic and we have always encouraged women to use technology to help juggle home responsibilities and keep ahead with business.

Being on line savvy can help businesses survive and thrive without being tied to an office from 9.00 to 5.00. Our social media and Getting British Business On line training sessions in partnership with Designated Associates are always oversubscribed.

Our Director, Elaine Owen has been selected as a Google Ambassador and

advocates the benefits of keeping in touch with the changing face of the on line world for business and networking purposes.

The investment Google bring to the region is a great boost at a time when starting and being in business can be daunting. The legacy of information and technical ability that will be left for Liverpool City Region businesses via the free in-depth workshop events and Juice Bars will leave a digital foundation for local business to build upon. We are honoured to have been given the opportunity to work with such an industry giant and to assist in the technical advancement in women’s enterprise across the region. As the Google bus moves on, as inevitably it must, it is fantastic that as Women In Business, we had the ticket to ride! e

www.womeninbusiness.co.uk • www.facebook.com/WomenInBusinessNW • www.twitter.com/WIB_NW www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 51

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businessadvice

Surviving the downturn

Obstacle

or opportunity?

By Richard Gerard ACA ibd North West

T

he current economic downturn, much documented over the past 2 years, has already seen many large organisations failing to cope and going into administration.

What hope is there then for the many SME’s in existence? Fortunately with every obstacle there is also great opportunity and in particular this can be the prompt to review all aspects of the existing business to make it leaner, meaner and more productive.

Confidence is vital! No matter how tough the going gets it’s important that the manager /owners of SMEs are able to focus on the job in hand and project confidence in going about their business as this has a knock-on effect on all key stakeholders including customers, staff and suppliers.

In essence the current economic climate poses two major issues for companies, lack of finance and reduced orders. Whilst both of these are serious on the surface, the last thing to do is panic! A well organised company should have had a reasonable order book leading into the crisis; they should also have had a reasonable balance sheet. Trading out the order book should provide a period of grace to get your house in order but it’s often easier said than done!

If this is the first time you’ve experienced running a company during a downturn in the economy then there is no single ‘magic’ solution to survival; however; taking a step back and looking closely at all functions within your organisation can provide some solutions that will ease the path and hopefully allow a good well organised company to pull through. In order to maximise this review it can be very useful to seek helpful advice from external specialists who have been here before, know how to maximise what you have and who bring a fresh perspective to guide you going forward.

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You should review all areas of your business to ensure they are functioning as well as they could do while adding value. This is likely to include reviewing the effectiveness of the marketing plan / spend in promoting or exploring new business, the control and intelligence provided by the finance function in managing and forecasting in advance cash flow and margins, checking that the production processes are working optimally with each member of staff pulling their weight and adding value, and so on.

There are some basics to consider during this review and its worth considering these in overview. a) cash is king b) ensure you give no more customer credit than is essential c) stretch your creditors as much as you can d) review your annual budget line by line, are all costs appropriate/vital given prevailing levels of trading volume e) are there grants available? f) ensure your cost of sales is as efficient as it can be g) is stock on the shelf taking up cash that could be in the bank? h) now is the time to revisit how you market your products/services i) discounted orders are better than no orders j) are all staff essential, adding value and productive?

Now let us consider these, ‘Cash is King’ - if you are cash positive then the vultures will not ‘be circling’ and you can survive so make sure that your debtors are chased for that overdue payment, the cash is of more value in your account than theirs. Conversely try to stretch your creditors, use the downturn as an excuse, make sure your money is earning as much as it can, target you FD to make money

from your cash position. Above all make sure you have good quality financial information to hand particularly on cash forecasts. Don’t wait until the year end to find out how things are; you should know your position weekly or monthly at the very least. Talk to your Bank and see if they are going to be co-operative before you absolutely need them.

When was the last time you reviewed your budget? By this I mean the entire cost of running the company, from the utility bills to salaries, from orders and margins to consumables, saving 5% on £1m costs equates to the equivalent of an extra £50k net margin from new orders (i.e. £100k-£200k of sales).

Check to see if there are any Grants available or Tax breaks especially if you do any development work. Consider if you are eligible for business rates relief (requires rateable value of less than £18k/annum).

‘Cost of Sales’ - it’s amazing how many companies don’t actually know how much their products or services actually cost them.

Review these and look at ways of reducing costs, if you order regular small batches to satisfy sales then look at larger batches at reduced cost (but don’t go mad as stock eats cash!) Similarly ask yourself if you really need that many vehicles (or resources) within the business, they all cost money!

A good project management process can save thousands of pounds per year. Once sales have confirmed an order they will have done so at a defined margin, the project manager who now delivers the items / services should be focused on producing additional value by reviewing how the items / services are delivered. Remember any savings that can be made here go straight to the bottom line!

They should also be in constant contact with the customer to ascertain if there are any “extra’s” that can be provided again adding value to the bottom line.

Target and / or incentivise your staff / managers with improving their margins. Some staff that are ‘coping’ with their work may be revitalised and more efficient if some training

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businessadvice is given, a small outlay here can pay dividends going forward. Also review your prices, if your customers are not pressurising you for discounts then this may indicate that your prices are too low.

How do you sell your products? The initial temptation will be to cut the marketing budget, but this is often a false economy and

industry sector, are you communicating your message regularly enough, can you visit all existing customers not only to review their current services but to see if they have any additional needs?

Remember your customers may be suffering as much as you are, so ask your suppliers for a better discount (they need the business as

“If this is the first time you’ve experienced running a company during a downturn in the economy then there is no single ‘magic’ solution to survival” is likely to create a downward spiral of further trading problems. If you currently use marketing techniques how successful are they, the last trade show cost you £10k but how many orders did it bring in? Was it the best way to spend £10k? It’s vital not to postpone active marketing, promotion or exploring new business opportunities. As such the marketing plan should be reviewed, does it still project your latest USP’s, does it reflect changing customer and market trends, can you be innovative in the product / service mix and associated pricing, can you target specific customer segments by geography, size or

well) and offer that wavering customer a special deal if he takes more than usual.

Now for the subject that nobody wants to face, are all your staff required and are they all adding value and performing at the required standard? I know ‘person x’ has been with the company for 20 years but they should be employed because they are a valuable asset and you make more by having them, not because you feel obligated to keep them on!

An often used method is to look at how much each member of staff contributes to the turnover or profit, then review each member of staff and ask yourself honestly how much you

think they contribute against that figure, remembering that this is a guideline and not a de-facto rule, but it often highlights staff that don’t really enhance the organisation.

Your Finance function should add real value and give you the visibility to manage your cost base in line with revenues, there should be a direct correlation. It’s vital to be able to flex costs downward in the face of reductions in activity levels on a short-term basis. Therefore ensure that when sales drop you can react quickly and ideally in advance to scale down the costs.

As you can see it’s not about one single item but a combination of all the business processes. For the smaller SME’s it may well be too much for the MD to deal with so seek help to guide, support and advise you through this. One thing is certain if you achieve all the above and come through the downturn you will be stronger and more efficient for it, you will then look back and view that it turned out to be an opportunity to review and improve the company and not an obstacle to battle through.

Finally, keep in mind 3 key principles to drive your action plans – act confidently, as quick as possible, and leave no stone unturned! e

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 53

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startups

Wirral’s newest businesses Every issue we showcase a selection of Wirral's newest start ups. Good luck to them for the future and please keep us informed of any new business you come across who you feel may benefit from a mention in The Edge.

Sapphire Dancewear is a manufacturer, distributor and retailer of dancewear, practice wear and accessories. Originally a hobby for owner Mandy Poe who originally designed and made freestyle and hip-hop outfits for young family members before being asked to design and make outfits for other dancers. Sapphire Dancewear was formed early 2010 before becoming the dancewear division of MCP Sport Ltd (an already established sportswear supplier).

Initially concentrating on local schools, Sapphire now supplies dance schools, educational establishments, private companies and individuals throughout the UK. Sapphire Dancewear produces its own branded range of products but also offer custom made designs from customers own specifications. Quality and customer service is paramount to Sapphire's business and they use the highest quality materials and the most advanced processes and equipment. In addition to supplying dancewear to the dance world, Saphire also supply other industries with bespoke printed garments i.e. hoodies, t-shirts etc. www.sapphiredancewear.co.uk sales@sapphiredancewear.co.uk Clair Wilkinson has recently launched Go Direct Lettings (West Wirral), offering a personalised range of services to residential landlords and tenants in the West Wirral area. Hers is the first franchise operation of Go Direct Lettings although Clair has worked in the residential and property development sectors in the local area for a number of years. She has a wide and diverse network of contacts to help landlords secure reliable tenants and develop their property portfolios, and at the same time providing tenants with good quality, well managed accommodation. Go Direct 54 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

Lettings has over 25 years experience in the lettings business in the North West, establishing a reputation for high quality customer care for its clients.

0151 632 6978 www.godirectlettings.com Rainbow Reptiles – Dave Mason is an experienced reptile keeper with over 10 years experience of keeping and breeding exotic animals. His passion for reptiles has now become his career after establishing his company, Rainbow Reptiles earlier this year. Rainbow Reptiles provide a popular mix of education and entertainment based around the lives of reptiles amphibians and insects. Their informative, hands-on workshops are perfectly suited to any age group and offer a fascinating opportunity to touch and see close up animals many have only seen on a TV screen or in books.

Rainbow Reptiles display amphibians and insects from all around the world and are therefore able to incorporate a wide range of topics within their shows. Each presentation is tailored to the customers’ specific requirements and are suitable for private parties, school workshops or corporate events. Central to the show is an explanation of each animal and how they go about their daily lives - what they eat; where they sleep; how it reproduces and interacts with its environment.

0151 645 6991 www.rainbowreptiles.co.uk The Rehab Physio was formed in February 2011, by two experienced Wirral-based neurological physiotherapists (Christopher and Jennifer Wynne and specialises in neurological and general rehabilitation for people with impaired physical function.

Their highly skilled therapists are specialists in the treatment of Stroke, Acquired Brain Injury, Spinal Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and many

other neurological conditions. They also provide individualised assessment and treatment to those with falls and mobility problems caused by age/illness related deterioration such as arthritis, reduced exercise tolerance and bone fractures. The Rehab Physio has a track record of facilitating physical improvement that can dramatically enhance quality of life and increase independence in even the most complex of cases. Their service offers hands-on therapy, access to the latest technologies and equipment and extensive rehabilitation plans either at home or in one of their clinics across Wirral, Chester and North Wales.

The Rehab Physio can also provide accredited, experienced and well respected expert witness services nationwide.

07813 752337 christopherwynne@therehabphysio.com www.therehabphysio.com JCH DataCare – As businesses become more dependent on our computers we need to be ever more careful of the integrity and security of the information stored on them.

So many of us only back up all of our data on the rare occasions we remember or can be bothered! JHC Datacare’s system is designed to remove that problem by doing the remembering for you. JCH DataCare is committed to helping small businesses protect ALL their data. Not just your working files, but your images and videos, your programs, your emails, your gadgets and everything else, even the USB sticks and hard drives you attach to your computer.

This is all done simply, silently and automatically in the background without interfering with your working day. Crashes Needn’t Be Fatal Anymore. In the unfortunate event that you do have a problem with one of your computers, you can restore a single file or your whole PC in a matter of hours. www.jchdatacare.co.uk e

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usefuladvice

Make your business It’s the best client/customer magnet ever!

By Susan Gallagher Momentum Performance Coaching

H

ave you ever noticed that your business is more fun when you are having fun? Have you ever noticed that your team is more productive when they’re having fun at work – and that they get along a whole lot better? Even if you are a team of one isn’t how you feel related to your output? And have you ever noticed that when your business is fun and your team is having fun customers are attracted to you magnetically?

If you are not having fun in your business right now then it’s up to you as the leader to create it. Here’s how to have more fun in your business and be a customer magnet.

Take a good look at your marketing – Does it give the impression that doing business with you is an enjoyable experience, one that customers will talk about with their friends? If not – throw your old marketing out and start again!

Develop a personality in your business – This is your personal brand. Go out of your way to be different not only from your competitors but also in your industry. Get customers enthusiastic about doing business with you because you are different.

Stop using phrases like “customer satisfaction” and “friendly professional service” in your marketing – That is the bare minimum that every customer expects.

Go way past customer service – to “customer delight”. Tell them and show them what they can expect from you.

Collect testimonials from delighted customers and use them in your marketing – Use videos if you can – they are even more powerful than audios, photos and written testimonials.

It doesn’t matter what business you are in – if the experience isn’t remarkable or enjoyable then customers won’t come back – Even funeral providers can give a memorable experience – in fact they probably invest more time than most businesses in getting it right – after all you only get one shot at that experience!

Find out what makes your team tick and reward them – If pizzas and beers when they produce great work makes a fun experience then be prepared to give it to them.

Create a fun work environment for your team – try music to create atmosphere, snacks and great coffee for breaks, drinks after work, breakfast before work and team events to celebrate wins.

Survey your customers – find out what they want and give it to them and give them even more than they expect. Having long term loyal customers will slash your marketing budget and you will get to hang out with really great people – and so will they!

Think differently – do some research to find other companies that are having massive amounts of fun and increasing productivity. Success leaves clues, so model what you learn; there is no need to reinvent the wheel.

Appoint someone on your team to be the Fun Monitor – Work out how you will know when you are having fun and make sure everyone is on board, contributing ideas and innovating. e

If you find yourself shying away from staff “perks” because you think it might impact productivity think again – We have proven this approach with all the businesses that we coach. It’s great to watch their productivity and profits go UP along with the level of fun.

Look at your environment – if the colours are drab, the flooring worn and the fixtures and fittings looking like they have seen better days, then you are not giving your team or your customers the best experience of your business. Clean it up, shake it up and revitalise your environment. It will lift everyone’s spirits.

Find out what makes your team tick and give it to them, whatever that may be!

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 55

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Christmas party nights West Kirby The Wro Northwest House, Grange Road, West Kirby, Wirral CH48 4DY | 0151 625 2010 | www.the-wro.co.uk The Wro in West Kirby has gone from strength to strength since opening in 2009.

Undoubtedly one of Wirral’s most sophisticated venues the Wro’s popularity is reflected in its success as three times winner of Wirral's Most Professional Bar Team and winner of (the Mersey Partnership Tourism Awards) Merseyside Bar of the Year 2010 and 2011. Split over three venues, The Wro is uniquely versatile and flexible to the needs of its customers. With elegant contemporary décor and an excellent reputation for casual dining and first class service the Wro has much more to offer than an ordinary Bar or Lounge restaurant.

In response to the growing demand for corporate events and hospitality The Wro has extended its facilities with the creation of the Wro Loft – a new venue for local business. This stylish space is ideal for all business uses and can accommodate up to 55 in an informal setting or smaller groups more formally. It is a self contained venue with its own entrance and washrooms and boasts advanced audio visual equipment with cordless microphone, projector, screen and HDDVD player. The space also benefits from flexible seating layouts, air conditioning and BT Open Zone broadband.

With its own bar and kitchen facilities events can remain contained within the Loft or can be combined with breakaway refreshments at the Wro Lounge restaurant or the Wro Bar. With its relaxed atmosphere and comfortable layout the Bar can act as a casual retreat from the work environment, providing a change of scenery and allowing delegates to recharge their batteries.

Situated downstairs from the loft customers can enjoy a range of fabulous food or hot or cold beverages in style and comfort. The Lounge restaurant is ideal for anything from a pre meeting breakfasts in the orangery, a 56 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

three course meal on the private dining mezzanine or social drinks afterwards.

The Wro’s professional staff and exemplary service will allow you to impress your clients and colleagues and create the best impression for your company. With fabulous décor across the three venues and a range of flexible spaces and services Wro can cater for any corporate occasion for up to 120 guests. Wro offer a range of adaptable hospitality packages that can be tailored to suit your specific requirements and allow you to get the maximum out of your event.

Services include: Champagne & Canapés Reception, Hot & Cold Buffets, Private Dinner Parties, Product Launches, Award Ceremony, Presentations, Pre Event Breakfast, Interviews, Networking suppers

The Wro has recently published its festive menus and is currently accepting advance bookings for staff parties large and small.

So whether it’s ‘getting down to business’ for events ranging from staff training, team building or interviews or alternatively ‘mixing business with pleasure’ for festive parties, awards ceremonies, networking or product launches the Wro’s dedicated events team will guarantee the best service so everything runs smoothly from start to finish. e

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hospitality

The Aiden Byrne British Grill at Macdonald Craxton Wood

L

iverpool born celebrity chef Aiden Byrne has launched a brand new restaurant concept at the idyllic Craxton Wood Hotel in Ledsham on the outskirts of Chester. The Great British Menu finalist launched his first British Grill at the iconic Macdonald hotel site at the end of July and has been awarded a prestigious AA Rosette in recognition of the quality of its food and impeccable service. The restaurant, which has recently undergone a major refurbishment is now serving classic British dishes with a twist and is proving to be a fantastic new edition to the already blossoming Cheshire food scene.

The restaurant uses only the finest Scottish beef, lamb, pork and wild white fish and sources local, organic suppliers for its vegetables and dairy products where possible. Aiden, who is famed for his fine dining offering said 'It’s about giving everyone the opportunity to taste really

great food. We have created a contemporary and relaxed dining space and the food, although hearty, will be every bit as inventive as anything I have ever created.

It's a venue for all, for everyone. We're looking to enrich the dining experience by blending traditional British cooking with a relaxing venue in tune with what the British public are looking for."

Diners can expect true British favourites such as Beer battered Fleetwood scampi, along with some Aiden inspired classics such as Rose veal rack with wild mushrooms, broad beans, cocotte potatoes and white port cream sauce. Add to that a selection of Aiden’s signature sharing platters and a collection of mouth-watering desserts and you have the makings of an exciting yet informal dining experience for the whole family. The sharing platters (see below) are proving especially popular for business lunches as they provide wonderful

combinations of expertly prepared food, presented in a relaxed, rustic, tapas style for diners to enjoy at their leisure. Tables booked for lunch remain available throughout the afternoon so that meetings can continue without the inconvenience of having to relocate. e

The Ultimate...

WORKING LUNCH Meet with colleagues or clients, dine in style with a selection of mouth-watering Aiden Byrne platters and stay all day.* Book a ‘Working Lunch’ at the Aiden Byrne British Grill and you can keep your table for the full working day whilst enjoying complimentary Wi-Fi and teas and coffees throughout your stay.

Meat platter £16.00/£30.00 Pork pie, honey roasted ham, Jacobs Ladder, pork rillettes with apple, chicken liver parfait and smoked chicken mayonnaise Fish Platter £16.00/£30.00 Home smoked salmon; beer battered scampi, roll-mops, peppered mackerel pate, crisp squid, and beetroot cured salmon Ploughman’s platter £16.00/£30.00 Piccalilli, Blacksticks Blue and Mature Cheshire cheese, pork pie, honey roasted ham, pickled onions and Waldorf salad

QUOTE CODE “BG WORKING LUNCH” WHEN MAKING A RESERVATION

Parkgate Road, Ledsham, nr Chester, CH66 9PB

www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/craxtonwood/

58 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

BOOKING LINE 0151 347 4016

* Max time 12noon - 5pm

www.aidenbyrne.co.uk

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networking

What not to do at networking Quick tips to help you avoid messing up the complex brain surgery that is networking!

It’s no all about you... to impress people, ask them genuine questions about themselves or their business.

Make 'what do you do?' your second or third question rather than your opening. It pigeon-holes or categorizes people too quickly and can close down rather than open up opportunities. It's better to ask some general small talk questions before requesting an elevator pitch.

Remember it's not what they do, it's who they know. Just because someone isn't your target market, doesn't mean they don't know your target market. By exploring what other events they go to, where their network is strong, what kind of clients they deal with and who they have around them, you might begin to see them as a door that's opening rather than one that is closed.

Use job titles only to soothe your ego.

People are actually more interested in what you do than who you are. It might sound grand being a consultant, lawyer or accountant, but it's the qualities you display that really count when networking.

You are there to network, so network – many people find networking an uncomfortable experience but try to avoid the temptation to go with a colleague and latch onto each other all night. This will put people off talking to you and will stop you from looking for other people to talk to. If you must go with someone then split up when there and network with other people to get the most out of the experience.

Groups are bad for networking – don’t hang around with a group of people. Networking works best one on one and standing with a group of people makes it difficult for outsiders to approach you. Make sure you are obviously available whenever you are not speaking directly with someone. If this means standing on your own in the middle of the room so be it!

Sell yourself first – People are there to network with you! Not your card or your

Other quick tips

web site. When someone asks you about your business, that’s your opportunity to shine! If asked “So, tell me a little more about your company…” don’t say “Look at my card for the list of services I do.” If someone says “What kind of businesses do you work with, big or small?” don’t say “You can find out what kind of businesses we work with on our web site”.

This the only time you’ll be able to talk about your business without being considered a solicitor. Make the most of it!

Go to a bar for a drink, not a networking event – whatever you may think, networking works better without alcohol. Keep a clear head and make the best impression by staying sober.

• Don’t interrupt a stranger having a conversation to network under any circumstances • Don’t dismiss yourself from a conversation to talk to someone more interesting • Don’t dismiss yourself from a conversation simply because someone has a service you’re not interested in • Don’t hand out business cards unless you’ve properly introduced yourself • Don’t take phone calls in the middle of a conversation unless it’s an emergency • If you must take an emergency phone call during a conversation, apologize and explain it’s an emergency phone call • Don’t accept someone’s business card without them accepting yours also • Introduce yourself to each person if conversing with a group of people • Don’t monopolize the entire conversation under any circumstance • Don’t refer to someone’s name tag after they’ve introduced themselves, refer to their business card if anything. e

It’s not all about you – Don’t go on and on talking about yourself, your services or your company. The only person you’re going to impress is yourself if you simply talk about yourself. To impress people, ask them genuine questions about themselves or their business. www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 59

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propertynews

Commercial properties to get greener About 700 million sq ft of commercial floor space may need to have an energy efficiency overhaul by 2018, according to research from property advisers Savills.

Its latest report, Opportunities in Green, explores the impact of Private Rented Sector regulations which form part of the 2011 revised Energy Bill.

The firm suggests that the issue of a requirement to upgrade private rented properties to an Energy Performance Certificate rating of grade E or above will be most pertinent in London.

The firm says that due to a large number of lease renewals anticipated to come to the market in the next five years, landlords left with vacant space would be advised to take the opportunity to improve the energy performance of their property.

The Department of Energy & Climate Change says 62% of non-domestic properties are rented and of this figure 18% have a rating below grade E. Michael Pillow, director of Savills building consultancy said: “If the legislation goes through, leasing of a sub grade E standard property will become unlawful from April 2018.

“Although upfront payment issues to enable energy consumers to improve their property are considered within the Government’s proposals under The Green Deal financing framework, in practice there are many issues still to be resolved such as recovering charges incurred during void periods or in multi-tenanted properties which could raise concerns and needs close examination.”

However, Savills said that going beyond basic levels of refurbishment can reduce

A range of high quality office space available to let.

void periods in a property as firms are increasingly showing a preference for greener buildings.

This may not directly translate into a higher rental premium but Savills suggests it will improve the long-term investment value of a building.

Marie Hickey of Savills research team says: “It’s the avoidance of the ‘brown’ discount rather than the hunt for the ‘green’ premium that will drive investors/landlords to improve the efficiency of their portfolio.

“The UK market has not yet seen a clear hike in values when comparing higher ranking green office properties to that of lower grades. “ However, if we look to US and German markets we are seeing evidence of clear demand shifts towards green office product with a recent report suggesting demand has tripled in the five core German markets”. e

Hard hitting deals on industrial units

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Lumina Providing a full property service in Merseyside & the North West for 170 years

Call for further details or visit www.smithandsons.net 60 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

To Let Industrial units from 4,500 - 9,000 sq ft Wirral International Business Park, Bromborough For more information on these sites please contact us on 01925 273000 or visit our website www.langtreegroupplc.co.uk/apexcourt www.langtreegroupplc.co.uk/luminabusinesspark

TheEdge_Issue4_Layout 1 14/09/2011 4:31 PM Page 61

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timeout

coffeebreak What’s in a name?

With unemployment rates rising and fewer jobs available, HR departments are making a meal of every job they get to fill. There’s a new manifestation in one-upmanship to create organisations with the most grandiose titles for even the most run of the mill jobs.

Global talent supply – Recruitment consultant Employer engagement coordinator – Work placement officer Generic DIP practitioner – Work with people in the Drugs Intervention Programme Process operative – Factory worker Retail logistics capacity & flow planner – Supply chain specialist Direct debit and membership consultant – customer services Family protection consultant – Insurance salesman Collections and recoveries credit services advisor – Call centre worker Communications executive – Telesales Worldwide marine asset financial analyst – Accountant Debt management officer/field force agent – Tax collector Hospital modality manager – Ward sister And these gems were all from the same local authority: Surveyorship enumerator – Responsible for counting cars going through traffic lights Internal communications coordinator – Handing out faxes to people Coordinator of interpretive teaching – Museum tour guide Vertical transport engineer – a lift engineer Welcoming agent and telephone intermediary – a receptionist Wet leisure assistant – lifeguard Vegetation control operative – Gardener Waste Removal Engineer – Bin man Information advisor – Librarian

Lunchtime surfing How many people in the UK share your name? Find out at www.yournotme.com Hours of by yourself amusement punching celebrities like Simon Cowell and Madonna in the face at www.dumb.com/punchcelebs Inspired and innovative (well just wacky, actually) inventions from wedgie-proof underwear to Dali inspired melting clocks at www.wackyinventions.com If you want to loose a few hours in an addictive game have a go at this, but youhave been warned! www.dumb.com/multiplechoice 62 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

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timeout

“I Double Dare you…”

You might be regarded as the office kill joy so why not turn the tables and proof your staff wrong by seeing how many points with The Edge office dares. You get double points if you do any of these whilst giving an appraisal!

One point office dares...

Run one lap around the office at top speed.

Phone the newest recruit in the office and say, “Just called to say I can't talk right now. Bye.” To signal the end of a conversation, clamp your hands over your ears and grimace.

When someone hands you a piece of paper, finger it, and whisper huskily, “Mmmmmmm, that feels soooooo good!”

Walk sideways to the photocopier.

Shout random numbers while someone is counting.

Three point office dares...

Babble incoherently at a team member then ask, “Did you get all that, I don't want to have to repeat it”.

Page yourself over the intercom (do not disguise your voice).

Kneel in front of the water cooler and drink directly from the nozzle (there must be a 'non-player' within sight).

While riding in a lift, gasp dramatically every time the doors open.

As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

Five point office dares...

At the end of a meeting, suggest that, for once, it would be nice to conclude with the singing of the national anthem (double points if you actually launch into it yourself).

For an hour, refer to everyone you speak to as “Bob”.

Announce to everyone in a meeting that you “really have to go do a number two”.

In a meeting slap your forehead repeatedly and mutter, “Shut up, all of you just shut up!”

Repeat the following conversation 10 times to the same person: "Do you hear that?" "What?" "Never mind, it's gone now".

Speak with an accent (French, German, Porky Pig etc) during a very important conference call.

Hang a two-foot long piece of toilet roll from the back of your pants and act genuinely surprised when someone points it out.

Present meeting attendees with a cup of coffee and biscuit, and as you hand them out, smash each biscuit with your fist.

During the course of a meeting, slowly edge your chair towards the door.

Tell a new recruit that the receptionist is hard of hearing but does not like to talk about it. Tell the receptionist that the new recruit is hard of hearing but does not like to talk about it. Listen to them shout at each other. www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 63

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networking

events& networking september Tue 20th Sept 5-7pm Wirral Enterprise Club - Social Media Means Business! These Wirral Chamber of Commerce meetings are aimed at helping new and existing entrepreneurs to succeed with advice from experienced business owners. Elaine Owen, of Designated Associates delivers taster workshop ‘Social Media Means Business’. Egerton House, 2 Tower Road, Birkenhead. To book visit: edgewirral.biz/WCCbook Tue 20th Sept FREE business support workshop – Business Planning and the Pensions Problem.

Egerton House, Tower Road, Birkenhead, CH41 1FN. Effective business planning advice and an overview and preparation for the forthcoming pension changes . Details and bookings at www.businesswirral.com Wed 21st Sept 10.30am-3.30pm Wirral & Chester Business Fair 2011 B2B exhibitions, Ask The Expert, Complimentary Marketing Clinics, Business Seminars and How to… Workshops with other special features and attractions.

New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Free to visit.

0151 709 6800 or tony@liverpoolba.com Thur 22nd Sept HMRC Workshop - Business Expenses and Capital Allowances for the Self-Employed Find out what business expenses you can claim and about Capital Allowances and how they give your business tax relief.

James Street, Liverpool. To book call: 0845 603 2691 or visit: www.hmrc.gov.uk/bst Fri 23rd Sept 10am-4pm Grants and Funding Workshop – Advice and information on finding funding and completing grant applications, for charities with limited knowledge of grant funding or newly registered charities. Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool. Cost: £125 per person (includes refreshments, lunch and workshop booklet) To book call: 07720 844609 or email: helenfunding@hotmail.co.uk 64 | w w w. t h ee d g ew i r r a l . co. u k

diary Wed 28th Sep Property Investors Network meeting brand new specialist networking event for property investors or people thinking of taking their first steps into the field. £20 Village Hotel Liverpool, Fallows Way, Whiston, L35 1RZ www.pinliverpool.co.uk Thur 29th Sept, 9.30am-11.30am Morning Mums – Networking for mums who run a business in Wirral. Creche and breakfast for just £10. 7 Waves Radio and Community Centre, Twickenham Drive, Leasowe CH46 1PF. Cost: £10 per-person www.morningmums.co.uk Fri 30th Sept HMRC Workshop - Business Expenses and Capital Allowances for the Self-Employed Find out what business expenses you can claim and about Capital Allowances and how they give your business tax relief.

James Street, Liverpool. To book call: 0845 603 2691 or visit: www.hmrc.gov.uk/bst

october Tue 4th Oct 8-10.30am International Trade Seminar: Access to Finance for Exporters Egerton House, 2 Tower Road, Birkenhead CH44 1FN Invest Wirral and Natwest /RBS present information about payment options for exporting. For more information contact Maud Duthie - van der Venne 0151 650 6915 accesstofinanceexport1.eventbrite.com Tue 4th & Wed 5th Oct Managing Uncertainty 2 day workshop to develop the skills to manage change and challenging emotions during uncertain times. info@purpletree4u.com 0151 651 0123

Wed 5th Oct 12.30pm HR forum - Health & Wealth - staff & profits Understand the roles of clinicians in assisting you and your company manage the two most common forms of absence and lost productivity: Musculoskeletal disorders and Mental health disorders. Joints and Points Healthcare, Bromborough. For more information, please contact Adrian Mercer, 0844 415 4895, adrianmercer@jointsandpoints.co.uk Wed 5th Oct 6pm Commercial Vehicles Auction at Clwyd Auctions, Holywell Road, Ewloe, Deeside, CH5 3BS Thur 6th Oct 9.30am-1pm PR skills workshop Workshop to write a winning media release and a social media masterclass. The Plaza, Old Hall Street, Liverpool. Call Rachel at Red Room Training 07846 406 487.

Thur 6th Oct 12-2pm Google Workshop - Getting Digital Fit Learn how to get a website for free, market your business online and advertise online to get more customers. Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. To book go to: www.gbbo.co.uk/liverpoolworkshops Fri 7th Oct 9-10am Improving your email management techniques This practical session will take you through a series of simple hints and tips on how best to manage your email.

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Number One Old Hall Street, Liverpool. Cost: FREE for members, Non-members £6. To book visit: edgewirral.biz/WCCbook1 To include you event in our next issue email editor@theedgewirral.co.uk

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networking

Wed 12th Oct 7.30-9.30pm Free Business Networking Open to all those who run a business on the Wirral or surrounding area. The Chimneys, Hooton Green, CH66 5ND. www.wirralbusinessassociation.co.uk Thur 13th Oct Google Juice Bar at Designated Associates, Birkenhead Book your place for one to one help from a Google specialist about how the internet can help your business grow.

Visit www.gbbo.co.uk to reserve your appointment or call Laura on 0151 653 3338, see page. 25.

Thur 13th Oct 6-8pm The Chartered Institute of Marketing Event: How to make advertiser-funded programming work for your brand – See how, with the application of branding and positioning, any company can go from good to great and gain exposure in a crowded market place. Edge Hill University, Ormskirk cimevents@cim.co.uk or call: 01628 427340 Fri & Sat 14th & 15th Oct Northern Independent Schools Show An opportunity to take a look at some of the best education available in the North of England. Private school heads and senior staff share their knowledge and expertise.

Thornton Manor, Thornton Hough, Wirral, CH63 1JB. www.northernschoolsshow.co.uk Tue 18th Oct FREE business support workshop - Social Media Egerton House, Tower Road, Birkenhead, CH41 1FN. Understand Social Media and the benefits it can bring to your company. Details and bookings at www.businesswirral.com Tue 18th Oct 10.30am-3.30pm Business and Technology Show North West Technology, Environment and B2B ehibitors as well as Seminars, How to Workshops, Sales & Marketing Clinics, Business Advice and Speed Networking. Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. tony@liverpoolba.com Thur 20th Oct 4.30-7.30pm The Priory Annual Networking Event The Priory is holding its annual networking event in October. To receive an invitation email: atimewell@the-priory.co.uk

Tue 25th Oct 8-10am Google Workshop - Getting Digital Fit Learn how to get a website for free, market your business online and advertise online to get more customers. Crowne Plaza Hotel, Liverpool City Centre. To book go to: www.gbbo.co.uk/liverpoolworkshops Wed 26th Oct 9.30am-1pm Excelace Top Tips for Excel Enable you to learn tricks to be able to complete tasks quicker and make Excel do the hard work, so that you don’t have to!

Regus, Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool L2 3PF. 07813 347 139 or email: info@excelace.co.uk

november Thur 3rd Nov 8-10am Priory Business Forum Networking and topical seminars over coffee and a bacon batch. Maritime Engineering College, Monks Ferry, Birkenhead CH41 5LH. 0151 649 3900 or email: atimewell@the-priory.co.uk Wed 9th Nov7.30-9.30pm Free Business Networking Open to all those who run a business on the Wirral or surrounding area. The Chimneys, Hooton Green, CH66 5ND. www.wirralbusinessassociation.co.uk

Wed 16th Nov (6pm-8pm) The Chartered Institute of Marketing Event: Viral Marketing Can you plan to formulate a viral marketing campaign? Simon Poyser from IQ Media will discuss. Warrington Campus, Chester University. Cost: FREE for members of CIM otherwise £25pp.

Wed 23rd Nov Google Juice Bar at Designated Associates, Birkenhead Book your place for one to one help from a Google specialist about how the internet can help your business grow.

Visit www.gbbo.co.uk to reserve your appointment or call Laura on 0151 653 3338, see p.25.

Thurs 24th Nov (9.30am-11.30am) Morning Mums Networking for mums who run a business in Wirral. Creche and breakfast for just £10. 7 Waves Radio and Community Centre, Twickenham Drive, Leasowe CH46 1PF. Cost: £10 per-person www.morningmums.co.uk

december Thur 1st Dec 8-10 Priory Business Forum Networking and topical seminars over coffee and a bacon batch. Maritime Engineering College, Monks Ferry, Birkenhead CH41 5LH. 0151 649 3900 or email: atimewell@the-priory.co.uk

Fri 11th Nov 9.30am-1pm Basic/Intermediate Excel Enable you to understand the basics to be able to confidently create and use existing spreadsheets. To book call: 07813 347 139 or email: info@excelace.co.uk

Tues 6th Dec (TBC) FREE business support workshop – Neuro Linguistic Programming Egerton House, Tower Road, Birkenhead, CH41 1FN Self awareness and effective communication for business. Details and bookings at www.businesswirral.com

Tue 15th Nov 12pm-2pm Google Workshop - Getting Digital Fit Learn how to get a website for free, market your business online and advertise online to get more customers. Egerton House, Birkenhead. To book go to: www.gbbo.co.uk/liverpoolworkshops

Wed 14th Dec (7.30pm-9.30pm) Free Business Networking Open to all those who run a business on the Wirral or surrounding area. The Chimneys, Hooton Green, CH66 5ND www.wirralbusinessassociation.co.uk

Tues 16th Nov (TBC) FREE business support workshop – Sales and Marketing Egerton House, Tower Road, Birkenhead, CH41 1FN. Simple ways to use marketing to increase your sales. Details and bookings at www.businesswirral.com

To include your event in our next issue email editor@theedgewirral.co.uk To include you event in our next issue email editor@theedgewirral.co.uk www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 65

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