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So, that’s the election over with … what do the pollsters know anyway. Predicting this result for the Conservatives was, I believe, a bit of surprise even for them but let’s just hope that we have a stable government – and for those in business – one that recognises the pressure on SME’s business owners and managers not least because most of the country is made up of them. Ed To become a featured sponsor please call Julian Richings on 01235 516926

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In This Issue

We start with the possibility that Kidlington, according to Richard Goodwin of Martin & Co, may see an upsurge in prices as he explains his ‘dark horse’ theory. Then how to get the best out of a business sale in ‘The Big Conversation’ with Rishi Ladwa of Withy King. We stop you in your tracks with the dreaded self assessment tax return, Peter Smith of the MGroup makes for some interesting reading as he advises on how to make the most of it by sending it in early! But all this can be stressful and a Clear Mind is what you need, yes The Clear Mind will help you deal with it … Simon Berry awaits your call. Perhaps a round of golf could do it for you, the FORE business members spotlight leads to a relaxing way to find out about new opportunities whilst enjoying your golf day out – Julian Poulter CEO of LAMP-360 explains. Richard Venables, Director at VSL & Partners gives a valuable insight into commercial property within our region and staying with property, Bannisters’ MD George Thomas tells of a merger that makes them a market leader of lettings in Aylesbury. Business News and Business Talk pages are followed by Charlotte Pimm of Woozelbears, she has won Oxfordshire’s business person of the year. Nigel Mackenzie talks about Westcott Venture Park, one of the regions first speculative industrial developments and Allen Associates – Oxfordshire based recruitment consultancy takes on new recruits. Leading developer, Dorchester Living announce their new executive homes development at Heyford Park and finally Alan Hine of AR Hine Associates asks ‘Who cares for the carer?’ Don’t forget keep sending in your news articles and you could appear in our next issue please email news@businessguardian.uk Grateful thanks to our sponsors Cinnamon Tree

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Is Kidlington, Oxford’s Dark Horse?? Afternoon all, For all my die hard blog followers out there ( he says in non delusional fashion!) you will have no doubt noted in recent months that I have posted alot of available property to purchase in the Kidlington area. Why you may ask? Well a landlord popped in to see me a couple of months back about a property he went to view for sale in The Phelps, Kidlington. It was an open house from 11am and he reported in excess of 15 viewers of which most were there for investment, so he wondered why the mad rush for this location? I decided to look into this further......... Keeping it relevant I decided to pick on two locations - The Phelps, Kidlington and Wilsdon Way, Kidlington. A 2 bedroom house in The Phelps recently sold for £205,000 on the 17th May 2013. It then sold again just 18 months later on the28th November 2014 for £250,000. Another 2 bedroom house in this location went for £159,950 in April 2004 and resold on 5th September 2014 for £250,000. Not bad on the CA front you will agree. 2 properties have recently sold in Wilsdon Way both of which were 1 bedrooms properties. Both of which sold for £172,500 in March 2015. If you compare this with purchase in August 2013 it shows a £33k

appreciation. Equally both locations show decent rental movement as well. A 2 bedroom property in The Phelps was renting for £750 in 2010. You can now pick one up for £1000 per calendar month in 2015. So why Kidlington I hear you ask and why all of this activity from investors recently? Well Kidlington is no great secret. It is close to Oxford, yet cheaper. The returns for these properties are very healthy at 5% + which is becoming very difficult to achieve in certain parts of the city centre. And the pierce de resistance is the rail line going through shortly which will only further the appeal for commuters and people visiting the great city. Kidlington wont remain a secret for long though folks. Prices are already beginning to climb as the word catches on. For investment advice on this location or anywhere in Oxford please feel free to call me. Richard Goodwin Lettings Manager Martin & Co (Oxford) www.oxfordpropertyblog.co.uk

For advice on preparing your business for sale or other issues, please contact Rishi Ladwa or Richard Baxter in Withy King’s corporate team on 01865 792300 or visit www.withyking.co.uk

The Big Conversation

Preparing a business for sale and how to get the most value from it Selling a business which you have spent years building can be a difﬁcult and emotional task not to mention time consuming. However with the right support and guidance, it’s a worthwhile and enriching journey. Rishi Ladwa, a corporate solicitor at Withy King, advises business owners on the best way to approach an exit. Ideally, and where possible, business owners and directors should think about the potential sale of their business several years before they decide to start the process because forward planning will definitely help to achieve the maximum value. There is no hard and fast rule about the optimum time to sell but it will be heavily inﬂuenced by market conditions. This year, we have seen a growing appetite for deals in many parts of Oxfordshire with several businesses looking to grow their market share through acquisition. However, many deals are still taking a long time to complete, partly because it is a buyers’

market and partly because finance remains challenging. Management buy-outs are popular. These are usually done on an earn-out basis as this is often the only way the management team can finance the purchase. If you are considering selling your business in this way, it’s essential that you take the necessary steps to protect yourself from risk during the earn-out period and structure the deal so that you can realise your money as quickly as possible. Many business owners get stuck on the headline price, but what really matters is what you will walk away with in your pocket once the deal has been done, and this requires careful financial planning from the outset. Business owners need to be confident that what they will earn from the sale will be enough to enable them to achieve their aims, be that retirement or funding their next venture. Another key consideration is people. It’s important that business owners inform their staff about their plans as soon as it

is appropriate to do so and keep updating them throughout the process. For most businesses, the people they employ are their main asset, so it is wise to keep staff engaged and feeling positive about the future. The two main employment law considerations when businesses are being sold are The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) – where the business is being sold as opposed to shares in the company being sold – and potential redundancies. TUPE protects the employees of the business being sold and enables them to transfer on their existing terms and conditions to the buyer, who will be their new employer. Before the sale completes, both the seller and the buyer should enter into a period of information and consultation with representatives of the workforce about the proposed transfer and any changes which may take place. If there is some overlap in jobs and redundancies have to be considered, it is imperative that they are carried out fairly, and proper consideration must be given to how employees might be selected and whether there are any alternatives. The selection and scoring of employees in a redundancy exercise before or after a business sale is particularly complex as it is generally difficult to identify an independent scorer when two businesses are merged into one. There are many different and often conﬂicting issues to consider but perhaps one of the most important aspects of selling a business is patience. It takes time to achieve the desired result and the best advice is to continue to run the business as if it was not for sale. A business will not sell overnight but the more prepared the shareholders are, the faster they will achieve their end goal.

The first three things you should think about if… you’re preparing a business for sale Crystalise your personal and business aspirations and plan ahead. It’s important to be clear about your reasons for selling and what you want to get out of any sale. For example, do you want to sell by a certain date, what price do you want to achieve, what payment terms would you be willing to consider and have you weighed up the various personal tax implications? Would you be willing to stay on in the business and help run it and if so, for how long? And what about your employees? Do you need a strategy to safeguard jobs and tie key people into the business?

Consider how to present your business in the best possible light. Make sure you can demonstrate and prove a good solid financial record to potential buyers. They will also want to see that you have robust systems in place, that these are working well and that every aspect of the business is under control. Information needs to be readily available and accurate. Try to minimise a potential buyer’s risks, for example by turning informal arrangements with customers and suppliers into formal contracts. Check that any premises, equipment and stock are well maintained and professionally presented.

Develop a strategy for reaching out and talking to potential buyers. To market your business effectively, you will need to identify potential buyers. They might be competitors, suppliers, customers, your own management team and investors. Consider instructing a corporate finance adviser to help you groom the business, identify buyers and prepare a sales memorandum. Make a list of key targets and decide whether to approach them directly or through an intermediary. Ask potential buyers to sign a confidentiality agreement before you begin discussions. Be prepared to look at different payment options and weigh up a good offer against a properly financed offer. Ultimately, it’s all in the planning.

Advantages of dealing with your tax return early Peter Smith | p.smith@theMgroup.co.uk | 01865 404726 (Oxford) 01993 848052 (Witney) | www.theMgroup.co.uk

Many taxpayers will by now have received a notice to file a self assessment tax return or a form for the 2014-15 tax year. For many the temptation will be to store it away given that the deadline for online submission is not until 31st January 2016. Whilst this would seem understandable there are many advantages of filing tax returns as early as possible. If you intend to file a paper return, rather than an online version, the deadline is 31st October so there is an even greater need to prepare early. If you prepare your tax return in good time and calculate the tax liabilities due you will be able to plan your cash flow to ensure you have sufficient funds to make the payment on time and so avoid any interest or late payment penalties. If the return is completed early it may be easier to reduce any July payment on account if income levels have fallen in the current year. It is also important to note that if you submit your tax return early payments are not accelerated but repayments will be. Any refunds will be processed shortly after the returns are filed and so you will have the benefit of receiving any refund earlier. If you discover that you have a tax liability of less than £3,000 and you have submitted your return by December 30th, then this fee can be paid through your tax code. The earlier your tax return is prepared the greater the opportunity to consider tax planning opportunities. This gives you time to assess current levels of income and

expenses and plan for the current year. The earlier you start to prepare your tax return the more time there is to find missing information and to avoid last minute panics. Preparing it in good time also reduces the risk of errors and allows time to check the entries. Leaving the tax return completion to the last minute will mean that HMRC , Accountants and taxpayers will be extremely busy and it will be more difficult to get help. If you are considering making a mortgage application or considering other borrowing early completion will mean that figures are available to supply to potential lenders. It is also important to remember that the penalties for filing your tax return late can now increase rapidly if the online filing deadline of the 31st January 2016 is not met. There’s an automatic fixed penalty of £100. If your return has still not been submitted after three months, you will be charged £10 for each additional day the return is late (up to £900) in addition to the fixed penalty. The penalties increase further if the tax return is still not submitted after six months. Hopefully the reasons stated above will encourage you to deal with your tax return promptly not least because you can avoid that last minute January panic. Peter Smith is a Partner at The MGroup Partnership a leading firm of Accountants and Business advisors with offices in both Oxford and Witney. DISCLAIMER This is a summary only, professional advice should be obtained before acting on any information contained herein.

Stress is all in the mind When I was a little kid, we used to spend our holidays on a farm in Wales. They were blissful days, but one day Charlie Pig escaped from his pigsty into the farmyard where I was playing on my own. Charlie Pig was massive! And I was petriﬁed. The ﬂight instinct kicked in and I legged it into the kitchen, where everyone was sitting at the enormous kitchen table drinking tea. Petrified and breathless, I explained to them what had happened. They laughed and the farmer left to deal with it. Unfortunately, my sister was in the kitchen and saw an opportunity. Thereafter, and for her amusement, she would occasionally sneak into my bedroom and tell me that Charlie Pig was just outside my door and was coming in to eat me. I would always react as if it were true and start screaming for help. What’s that got to do with stress? Well, stress doesn’t exist either.

Before you have a go at me, I’m not saying people don’t experience real stress or that it can’t have terrible consequences. What I’m saying is that it is not – ‘out there’, like Charlie Pig wasn’t behind the door. People don’t always respond to the same situation in the same way. And to complicate it even more, each of us can respond differently to the same situation on different days. For example, there used to be a particular announcer at Kings Cross tube station, who would try and cheer people up with a bit of banter over the tannoy. Most days I found it amusing, but sometimes I would find it irritating and wonder what he had to be so ****dy cheerful about. Now this should be somewhat of a relief to know that how we feel is not dependent on the vagaries of people and events outside us. We do not have to strive and change the world so we can feel better, which, let’s face it is a tiring and impossible task.

In my line of work, people often tell me they feel stressed and when I ask them why, they give me all sorts of reasons: • • • • • • •

Workload Pressure to meet targets Unrealistic targets Over-demanding/incompetent boss Economic climate Money problems Company politics

How did this all come about? Almost from the moment we are born we start to create a view of how we and others should be and behave, what works and what doesn’t, what’s good and what’s bad, what’s beautiful and what’s ugly, what’s right and what’s wrong. We learn to judge ourselves and everything around us against these ‘rules’. The world does not need to change for us to feel better. That does not mean we shouldn’t strive for what we think is right, it just means feeling stressed whilst doing it is not necessary. With a calm, clear mind, we will actually be much more effective too.

So what to do? We don’t have to actually do anything. We don’t need to try and change anything, even our thoughts. We simply need to see that we create our own experience of life, moment to moment. Give it a chance. Just notice. You may be surprised at how different life starts to look, how much calmer you feel and how much more productive you become. I did. As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet (this is me trying to be intellectual): “for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” Simon Berry – 07768 596026

“FORE” Business Members Spotlight! In the spotlight this month we have “FORE” Business member Julian Poulter, CEO of LAMP-360, a Lead Generation Company based in Chesham. Julian shares with us what being a member of “FORE” Business, the largest Golf Networking Company in the UK means to him... In many ways my business “LAMP” is about building and nurturing relationships, just like networking in many ways, but using software, processes and online techniques to help. LAMP stands for Lead Automated Marketing Process and is cloud based software simplifies the process of sales and marketing; by generating demand and converting leads and closing sales. Demand means getting people to visit your web site or online presence including social media, where leads are captured and then nurtured using best content, that businesses can apply

out of the box. The final part, closing sales, uses CRM technology that many companies will already be familiar with. However, LAMP provides this whole process in one unified product and provides a 360 degree view of the data, hence the name LAMP360. Having everything in one place makes LAMP cost effective and easy to use. LAMP goes to market through marketing agencies and direct to end users. Many of these two groups will currently use a series of products like LAMP and also often attend networking events. When you are trying to differentiate yourself in a crowded market, the face to face contact, the integrity and trust can be shown more easily though networking, compared to email and social media. So last year I decided to look for new ways to go to market. I’d tried networking before and had some success, but didn’t find networks with the right type

of connections. So I decided to look around and at the same time was contacted by “FORE” business. I’d played golf regularly many years previously and given up due to family commitments. Last year my partner also died from cancer aged 51 so I found myself with more ﬂexibility in my life and time to work harder on the business. So the idea of combining golf with business appealed. and mix of businesses in our group and it’s I attended the Oxford group at the certainly lead to business opportunities Southfield Golf Club in Headington, Oxford already at this early stage and I’m sure in October 2014. I was keen to join, but in it will lead to new business in the near a bizarre twist of fate, the hospice where future. The ﬂexibility of “FORE” Business, my partner died was right next door to the with a sensible and pragmatic approach to 17th fairway and brought back some painful membership, and the chance to easily visit memories. Our Group Ambassador, Gary other groups, to make new connections, and Goymer of Crystal Print, had not seen that play more golf is a winning combination. I’d objection to joining before and sensibly he gave me some time to think about things and heartily recommend it to anyone wanting to combine networking and golf. get my new life sorted! A couple of months If you would like to join Julian and his later, I was ready to join and decided to go fellow “FORE” Business for the local group in members on the golf Oxford, rather than go There’s a really good group further afield. I missed of people and mix of businesses course, for a great round and a spot of the first meeting due in our group and it’s certainly networking, with other to a blow out on the led to business likeminded businessmen motorway en-route and women, then please but then managed to opportunities already... simply click here to book play throughout the your FREE space cold, wet and windy winter months. I’m now www.fore-business.com/fore-business-event-booking-form looking forward to playing well in sunnier we have 50+ groups throughout the UK, summer conditions, especially given my new so why not come along and see what we’re role of Social Ambassador for the group! all about? I found with “FORE” Business that there is Special thanks goes to Julian Poulter for a good social side, because apart from the writing this article for us and to find out primary purpose of business networking, more about his business LAMP-360, please we are all people who share an interest or in either click here www.lamp-360.com or, some cases a passion - golf! simply join him for a round of golf... ON US! There’s a really good group of people

Commercial Property Consultants The Oxfordshire commercial property market produced its best performance since 2008 last year according to a report released by leading commercial property agents, VSL & Partners. The annual report records statistics for the office and industrial markets focusing on central Oxford and along the A34 ‘Innovation Knowledge Corridor’, providing a clear insight into supply, take up and rents. It finds take up in office and industrial property at a seven year high with supply at an all time low. VSL predicts this will drive an increase in commercial rents across the Oxfordshire region. The report shows demand is back up to pre recession levels with total take up for office space recorded at 423,700 sq ft, an 83% increase on 2013 figures and significantly above the five year average which is recorded at 260,000 sq ft. Industrial supply reﬂects strong demand and is at a new eight year low at 1,218,000 sq ft, an 18% drop from 2013 levels. There is no Grade A supply of new industrial stock in the market and based on 2014’s

01865 848488 enquiries@vslandp.com levels, VSL reports there is less than realised over the coming years. This rental two years supply of office and industrial growth should give developers confidence property available in the market. to bring forward new supply but due to Richard Venables, Director at VSL & increased build costs, these developments Partners explains: will be at even higher â&#x20AC;&#x153;The lack of rental levels. Many We believe that Oxford is going commercial businesses occupiers through a transformational period of development over might not appreciate economic development following a the recession years, that rents have in decade of under investment and that and the recent real terms ďŹ&#x201A;at lined opportunities for future commercial surge in take up has over the last 20 years growth will focus on the Northern created an erosion in comparison with Gateway of the county covering of existing stock. other occupational Kidlington, Yarnton and Bicester. With the improving costs such as business marketing conditions rates, staff and energy we are now seeing more competition costs.â&#x20AC;? for fewer units, which has resulted in VSL & Partners produces annual market reduction in incentive packages being reports providing a valuable insight into offered by landlords and increasing rental commercial property market activity in the growth. Based on current 2015 activity Oxfordshire region. we predict a 5-10% rental increase to be To access the VSL 2014 market report please visit http://bit.ly/1FZr4Bo or http://www.vslandp.com

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• Photo caption from L to R: Amanda Thom, Joanne Squires, Glenda Wallace, Beverley Cobb, Robert Thomkins, Simon Shefﬁeld, Lora Weston and George Thomas.

Bannisters is now Market Leader Bannisters is now the leading property lettings agency in Aylesbury after a merger with Sure Move, which traded as Christopher Pallet Lettings. In announcing the merger, Managing Director George Thomas, said: “This is an important step in the growth of the company. “Both companies have served Aylesbury for over 20 years and share the desire to offer landlords and tenants the best possible service. With the larger business we will have greater resources to let and manage our landlords properties whilst ensuring we keep abreast of the constantly evolving regulations and

legislation.” The merger will create the largest dedicated lettings agency in Aylesbury with the highest number of Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) accredited staff which will consolidate Bannisters position as leader in the field. The Christopher Pallet Lettings team of Lora Weston, Amanda Thom, Sara Miller and Robert Tomkins moved to Bannisters town centre offices at 17 Temple Street on May 1 2015. The properties currently managed by Bannisters will continue to be looked after by Beverly Cobb, Joanne Squares, Glenda Wallace and Simon Sheffield.

Business News

Penningtons Manches is keen to support Oxford charity for disabled children and adults to have fun KEEN Oxford, a charity that provides free social, sporting and recreational activities to children and young adults with special needs in Oxfordshire, has been selected by the staff of the Oxford ofﬁce of Penningtons Manches as their charity partner until April 2016. The law firm aims to raise around £5,000 for KEEN over the next 12 months through activities such as sponsored runs, bake sales, pub quiz nights and rafﬂes as well as providing volunteers and free legal advice for the charity. KEEN was founded in 1988 as a joint organisation of Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University. It now has around 300 volunteers who run four regular, weekly sessions during Oxford University term times for about 200 children and young adults – known as KEEN athletes - with a wide range of physical and learning disabilities. The sessions include sports activities, performing arts and social clubs for all age groups. The Penningtons Manches partnership programme with KEEN is run by the office’s CSR committee.

The Dangers of the New ‘Rombertik’ Malware A new malware called Rombertik has been identiﬁed by Talos, the company who create threat intelligence for Cisco, which will wipe the user’s PC if they attempt to remove it. It is being spread by clicking on infected attachments in spam and phishing emails, some of the messages discovered to contain the bug so far appear as business enquiries from Microsoft. It works by locking every document on your PC if you attempt to detect it, and they’re impossible to get back, requiring users to completely reinstall Windows, losing any ﬁles stored on their PC in the process. Tips to avoid this happening to you • As it arrives in the form of infected email attachments, simply do not open the files, especially if they are in zip format and from an unknown sender. • Ensure you back your system up regularly so that if you do have to perform a reinstall you won’t lose everything. • Ensure your anti-virus software is up to date. • Follow your company’s security policy for emails. For more information on how we can help you with any security issues you may have please visit our website or speak with one of our security advisors on 0800 817 4727

Business News

• Award win photo from last year’s ISPAs

Storm Internet announced as ﬁnalist for two prestigious ISPA awards Witney, Oxfordshire - May 2015 - Multi-award winning hosting company Storm Internet Ltd. (www. storminternet.co.uk), have been named as ﬁnalists for the third year running in both the Best Business Customer Service, and Best Business use of Cloud categories at this year’s highly prestigious Internet Service Provider Association (ISPA) awards. The annual awards are the longest established and most respected awards in the internet industry, ran by the Internet

Services Providers’ Association (ISPA UK) to herald the best of the Internet industry and to celebrate innovation and best practice. Competing against a number of industry leaders the competition is tough, but Founder and MD Salim Benadel is hoping to claim yet another award, giving them a hat trick for their third win at these awards in as many years. Entrants had to put forward a case study for each submission including examples of how they had gone the extra mile for business and how adopting cloud

Business News technology has helped their customers to meet their business objectives, increasing their overall productivity. Benadel comments “We’re delighted to have been short listed in these categories. Over the last 12 months we have continued to invest in our team, employing experts in individual areas to enable us to provide the best customer service possible. We also launched our Private Cloud solution, StormCloud Private, last month so to be named as a finalist in this category within such a short space of time is a huge achievement.” StormCloud Private combines the security and independence of a Dedicated Server, with the ﬂexibility and scalability of the Public Cloud, at a cost significantly less than traditional Private Cloud services. It is this revolutionary product which has enabled them to become a finalist in the Best Business use of Cloud category. “To make the finals in both of these categories is a testament to all of the hard work the team have put in over the last 10 years. We feel that the key to our success is our innovation and always putting the customer first in all that we do. We work closely with our customers by really getting to know their business, so that we can provide exactly what they need both now, and in the future,” Benadel concludes. Responsibility for selecting the winners now lies with a high profile panel of expert judges which again this year is chaired by Andrew Ferguson, Think Broadband Editor. The winner will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on the 2nd July at The Brewery in the City of London. About Storm Internet Storm Internet specialises in managed

cloud servers and web hosting solutions. The company was founded in 2004 by its CEO Salim Benadel with a strong focus on helping small and medium sized enterprises to get the most out of the internet. Making business better lies at the core of what they do. With a commitment to SMEs, Storm was voted the winner of the UK Internet Industry’s “Best SME Hosting” award in 2013 and “Best Dedicated Hosting” award in 2014. Storm is ranked among the top ten hosts in the world for uninterrupted service by website monitoring service Hyperspin, and continues to hold its position as one of the fastest hosts in the world by international comparison website fasthosts. net. Storm Internet’s main services include: • Managed cloud servers – Storm designs, builds and manages bespoke cloud solutions that help businesses achieve savings, resilience and increased revenue. Faster data access, on-demand scalability, backed by high-end, round the clock support, for less. • Dedicated servers – Award winning, fully managed hosting solutions for running high traffic web sites & applications, or where the ability to configure the server is required. Get the best in technology, service and support from a team of people who are dedicated to you - 24/7/365. • Web hosting and email - A shared platform for hosting low to medium traffic web sites and email. Excellent low cost starter platform to help establish web presence. Offering a unique lifetime hosting service to help get small businesses’ off the ground.

Business News

Withy King shortlisted for national ethical award Oxford-based law ﬁrm Withy King has been named a ﬁnalist in the Ethical Initiative of the Year category at the prestigious Lawyer Awards 2015. Family solicitor Rebecca Stevens was nominated by her employers Withy King for this award following her tireless pro bono work on behalf of a father with learning difficulties who had been denied legal aid to try and prevent Swindon Borough Council from having his young son adopted. Rebecca, who provided over 100 hours of her time free of charge to help her client, was praised by the Head of Family Justice in England and Wales, Sir James Munby, in a court judgement in which he threw a spotlight on the lack of funding available for legal representation. “It is an absolute honour to be shortlisted for the Ethical Initiative award,” said Rebecca. “Times are changing for law firms and cuts to legal aid have had a devastating impact on the most vulnerable members of society. Being a viable business whilst continuing to offer legal aid is becoming increasingly difficult for most firms. I am very privileged to work with a team who are dedicated to undertaking legal aid work to help others and to work for a firm who is committed to upholding the traditional morals and ethics of the legal profession. Being a legal aid lawyer is not a job. It is a vocation and I am proud to work for a firm which values this.”

Withy King is one of eight legal services providers – many of them heavyweight London-based firms operating internationally – to be shortlisted for Ethical Initiative of the Year Award which will be presented along with a host of others at a gala dinner to be held in London on 23 June. Now in its 21st year, the Lawyer Awards in association with Travelers attracted a record number of entries across 26 categories, making competition for the industry’s top accolades fiercer than ever. • Rebecca Stevens, family solicitor at Withy King, who has been shortlisted for the Ethical Initiative of the Year Award at the Lawyer Awards 2015

• Whitley Stimpson’s education team and Matthew Wolton of Clark Holt Commercial Solicitors at Whitley Stimpson’s April ABC event

School Business Managers warned about employment law issues Over 40 School Business Managers and Finance Directors attending a free event held by the specialist education team from chartered accountants and business advisors, Whitley Stimpson Ltd, were provided with invaluable advice on current employment law issues to help prevent their schools and Academies from being at risk. Whitley Stimpson’s first Academies Brunch Club (ABC) of 2015 saw guest speaker Matthew Wolton, of Clark Holt Commercial Solicitors, provide an overview of legal obligations and the practical consequences surrounding shared parental leave, discrimination, social media and disqualification from providing childcare. Matthew Wolton explained: “Academies need to ensure all staff are aware of the legislation, in addition to gathering sufficient and accurate information about relevant staff and people who live or work in their household. Whitley Stimpson’s education team also

welcomed the return of guest speaker Jennifer Jewitt, Finance Director of South Hunsley School, who provided a journey through some of the challenges she has faced in her role. Andy Jones, Education Services Director at Whitley Stimpson, said: “Our ABC events are proving very popular as we have created a platform for School Business Managers and Finance Directors to receive expert advice alongside an informed discussion on current issues that could make a significant impact to the running of a successful Academy The next ABC event will take place on Wednesday 8 July at Banbury Cricket Club and will provide a practical guide to help School Business Managers, Finance Directors and Finance Governors in preparing for year-end accounts and audit process. Please contact academies@whitleystimpson. co.uk to book a free place at the July event or visit whitleystimpson.co.uk for details of Whitley Stimpson’s Education Services.

Business talK Following the election are you more inclined to invest in expanding your company and take on more staff or are there still issues that need to be discussed and/or resolved before you will or can. Please send in your views to news@businessguardian.uk We asked for views from different business sectors about their business decisions both historically and post election

Q1. What has been your best business decision so far this year? Q2. Were any decisions held back because of the general election? Q3. Do you have expansion plans this year, if so what are they?

Kurt Joy, Branch Manager, Rabbits Vehicle Hire, Didcot A1) Moving into different, more “specialist” vehicle markets. We started getting many specific enquiries from existing corporate clients asking that we put these vehicles onto our range. This has proved to be a good move so far. A2) Nothing too major, however we have slowed down the ordering of vehicles a little. A3) As mentioned above, our aim this year is to increase our ﬂeet. This is being achieved largely by putting on additional vehicles within our “specialist” range. The following vehicle groups have already

arrived onto our ﬂeet: Fridge/Freezer Vans, 7.5t Dropside, 7.5t Tipper, 7.5t Beavertail Flatbed, Clinical Waste Vans, Additional Caged Tippers

Business talK Business talK Business talK Business talK Business talK Busi

Bob Urwin, Managing Director, Martin & Co (Oxford), Award Winning Letting and Sales Agents A1) To launch a property sales division for Martin & Co Oxford. We started planning for this in October 2014 and launched in February of this year. Within 3 months we had been instructed to sell 17 properties and within the same period sold (subject to contract) 8 of them. As we have been exclusively a lettings and property management agency since 2006, we feel we have the edge over our competitors when it comes to selling properties in the private rented sector. However, we took the decision not just to specialise in investment properties and can offer a full traditional estate agency service to any home owner.

A2) A Labour-controlled administration vowed to introduce radical reforms to the private rented sector which would include rent capping, a throw-back to the Sixties. Ultimately this could have put restrictions on the growth of available homes to rent as private landlords loose their appetite for this type of investment. As a business, Martin & Co have clear long-term plans for growth but some of our plans may have to be revisited in light of reforms which could unsettle the market. A3) The Oxford business is one of the top performers within the Martin & Co national network. The demand for rented homes in the city is very high and consequently one in four homes falls within the private rented sector. We have increased staffing levels to meet the demand for our services and have further expansion plans in mind.

Woozelbears H Y DROTHE RAP Y & GR OOMI NG

Dogged Determination wins the Day! Owner of Woozelbears, Charlotte Pimm 27, has just been awarded West Oxfordshire’s business person of the year 2015 following the success of the rehabilitation and dog grooming company. Just over 4 years ago she launched the brand and opened the ﬁrst centre in Witney. Last year she went on to open a centre in Swindon and it is already a thriving centre after just 5 months. Five years ago Charlotte left her Veterinary nursing role to train as a hydrotherapist. Whilst she was undertaking this she bred a litter of puppies from her newfoundland Woozel as she wanted to keep one to show. (she did go on to qualify for Crufts in

2013!) However Woozel unexpectedly had 11 puppies, they inspired and helped fund a deposit for all the equipment to open the doggie heaven that is Woozelbears. Her passion was rehabilitating the dogs and with having no previous business experience she gradually picked up the business side of things! She had no idea that it would come to being such an extensive enterprise. ‘I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey so far and I am extremely proud that a panel of judges have commended all my hard work and it has given me the drive to action new developments within the business.’ Woozelbears is the most equipt hydrotherapy cente in the country treating 120 dogs per week. The facilities include

a swimming pool, underwater treadmill, hydrotherapy spa and a gait assessment treadmill from the USA. Charlotte has trained 5 hydrotherapists over the last 3 years and they work alongside her in the centres to provide a professional and outstanding service to the dogs and their owners. They have over 40 Veterinary practices that directly refer the dogs to them for treatment. Some dogs require Woozelbears to work with other practitioners to compliment their programmes which we can now do in our new physiotherapy and gait analysis suite. Woozelbears rehabilitates a variety of conditions which include arthritis, cruciate ligament tears and repairs, hip and elbow dysplasia and a variety of spinal conditions which often leave the dog paralysed in 2-4 legs. With an appropriate program we get these dogs back to exercise whilst improving their functional movement. Witch has been attending regular hydrotherapy sessions since she was 2 years old due to having immune mediated polyarthritis. This is an inﬂammatory process that affects the thin layer of tissue that lines the joint space often causing cartilage and bone destruction. This causes her to be stiff and lame due to the joint pain and effusion. Hydrotherapy reduces the inﬂammation in her joints due to the temperature of the water, relaxing the muscles allows an increased range of movement from her joints. The buoyancy enables her to exercise without weight-bearing on her painful joints but helps build up and maintain her muscle mass. Lilly is a 9 year old Dachshund who was paralysed through her hindlimbs due

Woozelbears HYDROTH ER A P Y & GR OOM I NG

to an unknown spinal issue, she started hydrotherapy in the underwater treadmill and within just a few sessions started to gain the use of her hindlimbs again. She is now able to run around the park again. Dixie had a cruciate repair on both knees one year apart and attended hydrotherapy during the second leg’s recovery period. She could only take very short steps in the water to start due to the weakness but over the course of 20 sessions she has returned back to normal exercise and mobility. Our gait analysis treadmill has enabled us to assess her progress through the programme and she is now putting equal pressure through both her hind limbs. Digby the 2 year old Lurcher had a total hip replacement. He attended hydrotherapy before and after surgery to build up muscle to support the new joint and speed up recovery. After 18 sessions following the left hip replacement then 9 sessions in the aquatic treadmill following his right hip replacement he no longer needs to come for hydrotherapy. Digby is now back to off lead walks of 10 miles, sprinting across fields with no problems. Rosie is a 13 year old Labrador, who has had arthritis in her hind legs and left shoulder since the age of 9, she also has a swollen right paw. She started her weekly sessions in April 2011 and it really improved her quality of life. She has been able to chase toys and go for 4 hour long walks again whereas before hydrotherapy she was struggling to do this. Hydrotherapy has maintained her osteoarthritis for the last 4 years and she is a firm favourite as one of our regular golden oldies in the pool! WITNEY 01993 772 882 SWINDON 01793 953 222

Westcott Venture Park Construction Underway for Speculative Industrial Development at Westcott Venture Park Work has started on site for Phase to a high specification. Once completed it One of the regions ﬁrst speculative will be the only scheme to offer newly built industrial development for more than warehouse accommodation in the area. seven years. Rockspring has appointed Ashridge The scheme, which is to be called Century Construction to develop Phase One Court, is being developed at Westcott of the scheme with a contract value of Venture Park, the largest business park approximately £1.5 million. The overall in Buckinghamshire, located between investment in the new development is Aylesbury and Bicester. Business park estimated to be in the region of £3 million. owner Rockspring Westcott Hanover Property Venture Park is It’s exciting to be taking the park forward Unit Trust is now home to into a fresh development phase and it’s great delivering the 71 businesses to see a speculative development of this quality development, employing over now under construction. Century Court will and completion 400 people and be a fantastic addition to the wide range of is scheduled for is managed by buildings already at Westcott Venture Park and summer 2015. Lambert Smith should be well placed to capture the growing Century Court Hampton. If you demand from companies seeking a fi rst-class will comprise would like to find business environment with excellent amenities. two terraces of out more about We are already in discussions with a number industrial units Westcott Venture of high profi le occupiers who have recognised offering space Park, visit our the unique nature of this new scheme. from 2,000 sq ft website. to 6,000 sq ft built

- Nigel MacKenzie Project Manager at Westcott Venture Park

www.westcottventurepark.co.uk.

Allen Associates

OFFICE EXPANSION AND THREE NEW RECRUITS FOR ALLEN ASSOCIATES

Oxfordshire recruitment consultancy refurbished and decorated in our vibrant Allen Associates has appointed three corporate colours. new staff and almost doubled its office “We have also acquired additional premises. interview rooms so we now have six in total, Lora Fisher and Rebecca Havard have allowing us to meet more people in a day. joined as recruitment administrators while We conduct face-to-face interviews with Elly Kilsby is the new office manager, every candidate we register so it’s important bringing the total number of employees at that we can deal effectively with the Allen Associates to 17. increasing number of applicants responding The consultancy has also expanded the to the wide range of roles available. space it occupies at Clarendon Business “The employment market in Oxfordshire Centre, is booming, Oxford, from and demand 1,900 sq ft is high for to 3,300 sq the business ft, creating a support large openroles we plan working specialise environment in. The for its strongest job consultants candidates specialising have their • (L-R) Newly-appointed recruitment administrators Rebecca Havard and Lora Fisher with in placing pick of any Allen Associates’ managing director Kate Allen and new office manager Elly Kilsby. temporary number of opportunities and so employers are having to adapt their permanent staff in HR, Marketing, Finance recruitment practices to make sure they and Administration roles at all levels within can respond quickly and decisively when Oxfordshire-based businesses, colleges, the right person comes along. Clients are universities and charitable organisations. also having to invest in salaries and think Founder and managing director Kate creatively about their benefits packages Allen, who established Allen Associates to give them a competitive edge. This with her husband Rob in 1998, said: “This is an exciting time to be in business in is a time of unprecedented growth for Oxfordshire but we believe our success is Allen Associates and we are delighted to as much a reflection of the strength of our welcome Lora, Rebecca and Elly to our relationships with our clients and candidates team. Their appointments have coincided as the buoyancy of the market in which we with our expansion into larger offices within operate.” Clarendon Business Centre, which we have

CONFERENCE CENTRE RACE DAY HOSPITALITY 2015 ABOUT Hosted at the Williams Conference Centre we offer a unique way to view an F1 race, with a review of qualifying, an exclusive live link up to a team member from the track, followed by the race itself. The day also includes the opportunity to browse the Williams Grand Prix Collection as well as testing your speed in our Simulator/Pit Stop Challenge and other activities DETAILS Race Day Package ÂŁ150.00 per person DATES Monaco

24 May 2015

Austria

21 June 2015

British

5 July 2015

Italian

6 September 2015

Singapore

20 September 2015

Abu Dhabi

29 November 2015

EXAMPLE 09:30 Doors open, breakfast rolls, danish pastries & refreshments available - Grand Prix Collection & activities open 11:00

Bar open & pre-race presentation including live link with a senior team member