Inspired By Business - Issue 2 - 2015

PLUS

“devastating, but not disastrous”

WIRRAL BUSINESS AWARDS 2015

Mark Palios

A BID FOR BIRKENHEAD EXCELLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE

ON TRANMERE ROVERS’ RELEGATION AND FUTURE

NEWS AND EVENTS YOUNG CHAMBER

MEMBER TO MEMBER OFFERS

ENGAGE

INSPIRE

DEVELOP

GROW

ISSU E 02

Atlas Security Patrol Ltd is a subsidiary of Atlas Fire and Security Ltd, trusted installer of alarms, CCTV and access control on the Wirral since 2003.

Filling the gap for a reliable, cost effective patrol and response service for Atlas customers Atlas Security Patrol was formed in 2014 and now provides bespoke and tailored patrol and response services to customers including over 40 Wirral schools. This year Wirral schools collectively saved over £138,000.

SUCCESS Atlas’ success is built on quality of service, offering an extensive range of professional insurance approved and licensed services along with giving customers the personal touch and flexibility they deserve.

COMMERCIAL AND DOMESTIC Working with commercial and domestic customers, we’ll tailor your security solution to fit your requirements.

PEACE OF MIND You and your staff don’t have to worry about having to respond to alarms and incidents. Atlas patrols are carried out by a team of highly trained, uniformed SIA licenced patrol and response officers available 24/7 to ensure that all calls are dealt with effectively.

OTHER SERVICES • Intruder Alarms • Fire Alarms • Secure Access System • CCTV Systems

s on Follow u r te it w T

atrol @AtlasP

TESTIMONIALS: “We believe we were highly fortuitious in identifying Atlas as a key supplier to our project as their professionalism, highly competitive prices and extremely personable and experienced staff are second to none in our experience" Customer Feedback, April 2015 “My brother commented on the very polite and friendly approach by security, particularly in the face of some very rude reaction from another driver. They did a good job.”

Customer feedback from 3 Queens event, May 2015

For more information regarding Atlas Security Patrol please visit www.atlassecuritypatrol.co.uk or call 0151 666 0626.

For further information regarding alarms, CCTV and access control please visit www.atlasfireandsecurity.co.uk or call 0151 666 2400.

We are happy to discuss your requirements without any obligation.

Welcome © Copyright Wirral Chamber of Commerce 2015.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, ether in part or as a whole including artwork without written prior consent. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this magazine, neither the Chamber or the publisher can accept responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies. The views expressed in this publication are those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Wirral Chamber of Commerce.

ADVERTISE If you would like to advertise in the next issue of Inspired By Business, please contact newsdesk @wirralchamber.co.uk or call 0151 650 6940

PUBLISHED Inspired By Business is published on behalf of Wirral Chamber of Commerce by

Let’s Go! Publishing Ltd, 70 Whetstone Lane, Birkenhead, Wirral, CH412 TG 0151 200 7422 letsgopublishing.co.uk info@letsgopublishing.co.uk

Welcome to the second issue of Inspired by Business, the magazine that celebrates the businesses and business people who make Wirral’s economy tick.

I’m delighted that our lead article is an in depth interview with Mark Palios, Chairman of Tranmere Rovers, one of our most active Chamber members. Despite relegation from the football league, Mark reflects positively on the future of the club both on and off the field. You can read how Wirral’s business community can support the club’s turnaround on page 7.

FRONT COVER

The Wirral Business Awards will take place on 18th September, when more than 600 leading business people will gather at Thornton Manor for the celebrations. The category shortlist is announced in this magazine, with details of each award, a profile of its sponsor and a summary of each nominee. I know first-hand what a difficult job the judges had to select a shortlist and would like to thank all applicants and congratulate each and every nominee. I hope that you can join us on the night for what promises to be a spectacular evening of deserved recognition.

Elsewhere in this magazine you can find out more about our plans for a Business Improvement District in Birkenhead, business support for exporters, Regal Wholesale’s search for organisational excellence and the launch of Wirral Young Chamber, an initiative to bridge the gap between schools, students and business.

INSIDE

In June, British Chambers of Commerce identified Wirral Chamber of Commerce as the fastest growing Chamber in the country. We have come a long way in a relatively short space of time, something that could not have been achieved without your continued support.

Thank you.

News

4

Interview – Mark Pailios

7

Birkenhead BID

10

Chamber Hospitality Events

12

What’s On

13

I hope that you will enjoy reading Inspired by Business, and if you would like to meet with any of my Wirral Chamber team to discuss how we can best support you and your business then please get in touch.

News

14

Wirral Business Awards

16

Young Chamber Programme

26

Become a Business Mentor

28

Start Up Business Loans

29

Excellence in the Workplace

30

Chamber Export Services

32

HR Advice – Managing Holidays

35

Hidden Talents – Nigel Hughes

37

Member Offers

38

Paula Basnett Paula Basnett, CEO

Wirral Chamber of Commerce When you have finished with this magazine please recycle it!

www.facebook.com/wirralchamber @wirral_chamber E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

READ ONLINE AT

www.wirralchamber.co.uk Inspired By Business

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NEWS WH Ireland going from strength-to-strength WH Ireland is a financial services company offering Private Wealth Management, Wealth Planning and Corporate Broking services.

It has had a strong start to 2015 with more than £110 million in fundraisings for corporate clients, via institutional placings, accelerated book builds and direct subscriptions.

The company’s research team was awarded another accolade in May for Thomson Reuters StarMine Analyst Awards 2015. This award followed on from the success at the latest AIM Awards, where the team won the ‘Best Research’ category.

Wirral construction industry firm Innov8 appointed on pioneering proton beam project Birkenhead based Innov8 Safety Solutions will act as CDM (Construction Design Management) coordinator for the new proton beam therapy centre, to be based at The Christie, in south Manchester.

It is one of two centres being built in the UK as part of a £250million Government project to introduce the latest cancer treatment. It follows a government announcement last week giving the green light for the proton beam project, including a second specialist centre in London.

Birkenhead-based Flynn Refrigeration completes major upgrade on nuclear cargo carrier Flynn Refrigeration has delivered a major package of improvements to the refrigeration and air-conditioning system on board a vessel used to transport specialist nuclear materials around the world.

Working under contract to ship managers, Serco, the Birkenhead firm has completed the retrofit and conversion project on International Nuclear Services’ (INS) MV Oceanic Pintail.

Flynn Refrigeration was founded in 2006. Its turnover stands at £2.6million rising from £2million in 2013.

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Inspired By Business

EN G A G EI N S PI REDEV ELOPGROW

NEWS LJLA becomes home to Merseyside’s first rapid electric vehicle charging point

Scantec launches rail recruitment division One of the UK’s leading recruitment agencies, Scantec has launched a new rail recruitment division in response to increasing demand across the UK. The company has appointed recruitment specialist Adam Carrington to work alongside Paul Gibbens, with a further two team members to be recruited later this year. Gibbens has ten years’ experience in the senior recruitment market and was recently appointed as Client Services Director, shortly after a celebration to mark 25 years in business for the firm.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport has installed Merseyside’s first Rapid Charging Point for electric vehicles in partnership with green energy company Ecotricity.

The facility is part of Ecotricity’s Electric Highway which forms part of the UK’s national network of electric charging stations.

Powered with 100% renewable energy from sun and wind power, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles cars such as the Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid or Nissan’s fully electric LEAF, can recharge in 20 to 30mins - about the time it takes to have a cup of coffee.

Kare Plus sign agreement with Royal College of Nursing A ground-breaking and innovative new nursing and care agency, based in the Lauries Centre, Birkenhead, today hosted regional leaders from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

Dr. Louise May who owns and manages Kare Plus Wirral had invited Stephanie Dunn, Director of RCN North West and Paul Wood, RCN Operational Manager to sign an agreement aimed at driving up nursing standards in the private and independent sector across the Wirral.

The agreement will encourage Kare Plus Wirral nursing and care staff to join the RCN, the largest nursing trade union and professional association in the UK. In return the RCN will support a range of training and development initiatives for Wirral nurses based on the RCN’s principles of nursing practice.

Wirral manufacturer Sovex delivers multi million pound project for new UK Mail hub Wirral manufacturer Sovex has played a key role in the creation of the UK’s largest independent postal operator’s new mail hub.

The Prenton-based materials handling specialist, the fastest growing company on Merseyside, was challenged by UK Mail to create a tailor-made system of conveyor belts and vehicle loaders to allow all profiles of goods to be transported in and around their new mail hub in Ryton, near Coventry.

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Helping Wirral Businesses To Grow Has Been The Key To Our Growth Woods Squared are Wirral’s Business Growth Accountants and a year of expansion has lead to an opportunity for a like-minded qualified accountant to join the team and work with Wirral’s best.

Join our Team!

How are Woods Squared different from other accountancy firms?

GROWTH

In 2014 we grew turnover by over 20% and client numbers by 37%.

SOCIAL

The Role

Charity BBQ & Quiz, London Marathon, Golf Tournaments – last year we raised over £5,000 for charity and had some great fun!

SUCCESS

We've been short listed for 2 awards in the Wirral Business Awards - Business Person of the Year for founder Alan Woods and Financial & Professional Services Team of the Year too.

RECOGNITION

We were named Overall Accountancy Firm of the Year at the National 2020 Innovation Awards in October 2014.

OUR TEAM

We've grown our team with the addition of a new trainee accountant and we’re recruiting a qualified accountant.

VALUES

We're pursuing LivingWage accreditation as an employer.

We’re Social:

Client Manager accountant keen to An ambitious, experienced, qualified (ACCA/ACA) of clients.We’re continue to develop and manage their own portfolio and develop their ad worklo own their plan will who ne someo looking for t for their portfolio. contac of point first a own client relationships becoming in improving Your opinion matters - we’ll look to you to have an input sses. busine clients our of and ss busine our both of cy overall efficien Supervision and mentoring of Trainee Accountants. assigning work, The successful Client Manager will be responsible for ing the completed review ent and assignm any during t suppor ng providi er or Director. work prior to final approval by either the Practice Manag

Benefits: Competitive Salary between Xmas 28 Days Annual Holiday plus minimum of 3 extra days & New Year Free Parking Gym & Shower Facilities Cycle2Work and a host of other initiatives to 4pm on Friday.

Hours of work = 9am to 5:30pm Mon-Thurs and 9am day.

With an hour for lunch each places a high value This is a unique opportunity to work in a business that and clients in equal people our value we – Fun and tion Innova , on Quality measure. the best service If you’re highly motivated and committed to delivering current your of details and CV your forward please to clients, tion you would remuneration along with any other supporting informa like to be considered to

Alan Woods at alan@woods-squared.co.uk www.woods-squared.co.uk

Mark Palios factfile: Mark is a former pupil of St Anselm’s College He graduated in Psychology from Manchester University Uniquely, he qualified and worked as a Chartered Accountant whilst playing over 400 League & Cup games as a professional footballer He retired from football aged 34 to become a partner in Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young) E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

In 1994, he wrote and implemented the strategy for Cooper’s & Leybrand’s Corporate Recovery practice UK leader for the Business Regeneration practice for PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1996-2003 He was Chief Executive of the Football Association between 2003-2004 Palios was elbowed in the chest during a match and suffered a double cardiac arrest but recovered and went on to play football until the age of 58!

When you finished playing football what made you take the jump into business?

I was always of the view that full time professionals are full time only in name they train in the mornings. I was in the team when I was at university and when I left I decided I could continue learning so I trained as a chartered accountant. I didn't actually retire from football to become a partner in Arthur Young, now Ernst Young; I did the two together.

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What made you want to be part of Tranmere Rovers again and why do you think you can invigorate the club?

When we went down the season before last, I was driving through France listening to the final day of the season on the radio and said 'That's it. They'll go down and they'll go down again and then they'll go into administration’. My wife said ‘then why don't you fix it?’ Can we fix it? Yes. When we got involved, just under a year ago, the club had lacked investment for quite a number of years. As a consequence, the fabric and the atmosphere around the club was such that, having spent 30 years going into businesses with problems, my antennae told me that the club had terminal decline written all over it.

We have restructured the balance sheet through the deal with Peter Johnson, who kindly agreed to write off his loans.

We own our own ground, we’ve got our investment ready for our training ground and the academy. So, in terms of why we think we can turn it around, it’s because we've done the first bit. The second bit is to fix the profit and loss account, for example by generating revenue during the week. It’s about realising the organic potential of the business, by doing things better with limited investment. Ultimately, we need to bring cash in to develop Tranmere Rovers and Prenton Park. We'll see where we go during the course of the season but now we're preparing to start to talk to people about second phase funding. What happened on the pitch last season was devastating but not disastrous.

What did go wrong on the field, why couldn't two managers turn the fortunes of the club?

It's a simple question but a complex answer. At the end of the day we didn't have a good pre-season last year, and the results got to the point whereby we were six points adrift with about 12 games gone. When you are nearly a third of the way through the season and six points adrift at the bottom it is a lot worse than being six points adrift at the top. We couldn't afford to let that continue. We brought in Micky Adams, universally acclaimed as the right appointment at the time.

Lots of Chamber members buy a machine that's pressing out metal; you know how much you pay for it, you know how much it will cost you to run it and you know what you get out of it. You can't say that in football and that's where the art conflicts with economics sometimes, and it is an art not a science. I can rationalise at different points in the season regarding what went on but I don't think that helps it just says it's an art not a science from a business perspective.

What were the characteristics you were looking for in recruiting the new manager, Gary Brabin?

I wanted someone who knew the league and would understand what the players had to do. I wanted someone who also knew the players in the Conference. Gary has a track record of success in this league and, importantly, he has managed a large club in the Conference. He has experienced the weight of expectation that it brings. He is also from Merseyside so he's got the contacts with the Merseyside football diaspora. So in all ways he was my first choice and I was exceptionally pleased to get him. image: Paul Heaps/WirralGlobe

image: Paul Heaps/WirralGlobe

image: Paul Heaps/WirralGlobe 8

Inspired By Business

EN G A G EI N S PI REDEV ELOPGROW

Is Tranmere Rovers more than just a business venture?

Yes it is, but I hope it doesn't cloud my judgement. I'm doing what I have done in all the businesses I’ve worked in. You fix the balance sheet, understand the timescales you have to work within, make sure you have the cash in place, and then go about fixing the operational side of the business, the P&L. That’s what we’re doing here.

Tranmere has been a highly visible community club including initiatives as Tranmere in the Community - are these going to be affected by relegation?

We lose a certain amount of cash that we get from the Football League but that's not fatal. We are actually going to try and increase the extent to which the club is active in the community. We are trying to make the club a more efficient delivery vehicle in the local community for lots of national projects.

What opportunities are there for supporters and the Wirral Chamber to get involved?

How will non-league football compare with experiences in the football league?

I think the major difficulty, and I have experienced it myself, is that once you have been playing in the league and then you go and play on grounds that may have 500 people you've got to make atmosphere for yourself. It’s very difficult sometimes for pro's to make the step down to that. We're hopeful we’ll put a team together that understands what it's like to play on a wet Tuesday night down South somewhere with 350 people and a dog in the ground.

Have there been any opportunities for support from neighbouring Liverpool and Everton?

Yes there are. That's always been on the agenda but it's not necessarily something you race in to. It's difficult if you are down in the Conference, as they see differences between their academies and the type of football they would be playing in this league. I think you've got to do it as an equal partnership; they can't be forcing their kids into your team and making their mistakes in your team because they want them to play every week. It's got to be on equal terms. I would never sell the birth right of Tranmere to one of the bigger clubs. There has to be a two-way benefit.

How difficult will immediate promotion be?

I'd be lying if I said I wouldn’t want that to happen this season, I'd be lying if I said it’s easy. I was asked early on regarding comparisons with the job at the FA - the issue with the media is controlling the agenda and that's about a balance of communication. What you don't want to do is to put hostages out there saying we're going for it this year - of course we are going to try and go for it. We're running a loss to maintain a budget that makes us at the top end of the league but we recognise the fact it's an art, not a science. We may get a lot of injuries. Can we develop the relationship with the clubs around us to get loan players in? There are so many variables. It's all in the balance!

E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

There are massive opportunities. The first and most obvious way is through sponsorship but also by using the new facilities we have here now. The facilities are not just for match day, we're trying to get non-match day income. If you are looking for meeting and conference rooms or for other events, Christmas parties etc., then use these because it's helping the club. We need to sell these facilities because we want to earn income not just on match days but on non-match days as well. In addition, we have used the abilities of partners to act as a communication channel for our messages.

Home Bargains play our messages on their in-store tannoy.

Businesses can use match tickets and match hospitality as rewards for their employees.

Thoughts on FIFA?

I don't think it's up to FIFA to clean up world football, as in my mind, I always divorce football from FIFA. FIFA should clean up itself and that's why you have had a lack of action from the sponsors because they distinguish between sponsoring the World Cup and sponsoring FIFA. There has never been a more eloquent example of that than in the last World Cup, when we had a fantastic World Cup competition, yet the FIFA President was hiding in hotels, being chauffeured in limousines to the games, avoiding the public of one of the most football-orientated countries on the planet. FIFA are, in reality, an irrelevance to football. How can they clean themselves up?

They just have to go through the ABC of governance. The first thing that has to happen is that Sepp Blatter has to go, because it’s axiomatic in any good governance manual that you wouldn’t contemplate having five terms.

A message for the supporters: I’d like to say ‘thank you’, thank you for sticking with the Club for ten years, fifteen years where they've seen it on a decline. The Conference is a hard league to get out of, there's only one guaranteed place. The biggest single factor for me, in any game, is confidence. We had better players by the end of the season but the confidence wasn't there. I can assure you that the coaches are trying to make them play and, if they're not playing well,there are people trying to make them put the effort in. After 90 minutes, by all means, say what you want, but during the 90 minutes, support the team.

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BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT Two of the high street’s biggest names have recently given their support for plans to introduce a Business Improvement District (BID) to Central Birkenhead. Representatives from both Marks and Spencer and McDonald’s have joined the team developing the BID after recognising the benefits it could bring to the town.

The introduction of Birkenhead Business Improvement District is being proposed by Wirral Chamber of Commerce in partnership with local businesses and Wirral Council following calls from the local business community for further investment in the town. There are currently over 200 BIDs operating in towns and cities across the UK. A BID is a scheme which brings businesses together to fund improvements to their trading environment to a level over and above what is already provided by local authorities. Which improvements the BID supports is up to the businesses represented by the BID but they usually include raising levels of safety and security, improving marketing and promotion, helping reduce business costs and increasing the cleanliness of an area.

Chrissy Verdin, Store manager of Marks and Spencer’s Birkenhead branch explained: “M&S have chosen to support the BID as we recognise the benefits it could bring to the town. We are urging businesses to get behind the scheme.”

Paula Basnett, CEO, Wirral Chamber of Commerce commented:

Clean-Up:

The support of M&S and McDonalds’s demonstrates their belief in the project. Reductions in funding for the public sector means that now is the time for businesses to take the lead and make the changes that benefit them the most.”

Between 1st – 5th June Birkenhead BID arranged a clean-up of the Charing Cross area of Birkenhead. The clean-up focused on Borough Road, Whetstone Lane, Oxton Road, Grange Road West along with the connecting alleyways and car-parks. The clean-up lasted five days and over 150 bags of rubbish along with several van loads of larger items such as sofas and fences were removed. The clean-up also dealt with graffiti, removed overgrown plants and shrubs and planted new seeding.

The introduction of a BID is decided following a ballot of businesses located within the BID boundary so as a way of demonstrating just how effective a BID could be the Birkenhead BID team have been delivering a series of projects and events.

By supporting the BID we can make these clean-ups more regular and roll them out across the whole of the town centre.

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Inspired By Business

EN G A G EI N S PI REDEV ELOPGROW

BID Hamilton Square:

During the month of July the BID are delivering ‘Summer Sessions’ - a series of weekly performances by some of the finest local talent. Artists such as Gary Murphy and Caroline England will be breathing life back to one of the town’s landmarks by playing every Friday lunchtime in the very heart of the Square.

Birkenhead BID also paid for a police patrol each weekday between 12-2pm in an effort to re-assure businesses and encourage them to take advantage of the square over their lunch hour.

By Supporting the BID we can make better use of the town’s public spaces and discourage crime and anti-social behaviour by bringing people back into the town.

:

ng Campaign

Selfie Marketi

es with Juice FM BID will join forc ad he en rk Bi In July tre to deliver s Shopping Cen id m ra Py e Th med at bringing and lfie campaign ai Se ad a4 he en rk Bi the g footfall. Over town and drivin e sit th vi to to in le ed ag op pe ill be encour w rs ne te lis d displays Week perio lfie at the Juice se a ke ta d an ill be followed Birkenhead n centre. This w w to e er th ss ro verage with ov spread ac l trails, radio co na io ot ng om hi pr up with l media reac tions and digita 100 on-air men ok followers. bo er and Face itt tw 0 00 5, 18 over ted n fund a dedica the BID we ca g le tin op or pe pp ng su gi y B brin paign aimed at m ca g tin ke ar m the town. into all areas of

Further information on Birkenhead BID can be found at www.BirkenheadBID.co.uk or contact BID Co-Ordinator Carl Critchlow at cc@wirralchamber.co.uk.

E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

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Wirral Chamber Corporate Hospitality The world of corporate hospitality is evolving, and many businesses want to get involved in networking that takes them out of the traditional boardroom environment.

With this in mind, Wirral Chamber of Commerce have this year put on several corporate networking opportunities that mean businesses can meet, do business and play sport with other like-minded businesses all in one day!

The Wirral Chamber Football Cup The Wirral Chamber Football Cup was held at Prenton Park in partnership with Tranmere Rovers on 14th May 2015. Teams began the day with a professional warm up session provided by the Underground Training Station, before they played each other to be crowned champions of the tournament.

With two league competitions underway in the morning, a break for lunch saw a sudden death penalty shootout competition to raise funds for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity. Tranmere Rover’s under-17’s goalkeeper, Luke Pilling was between the sticks to fend off spot kicks from the competing teams, with Kimpton’s Kieran Bogg emerging victorious.

Wirral Corporate Cup 2015

Later on in the year on 3rd June, Wirral Chamber held their third Wirral Corporate Cup 2015. The sun was shining on Heswall Golf Club and teams got to enjoy a view of the River Dee whilst team building and networking with fellow business people.

The event was sponsored by Birkenhead based growth accountants, Woods Squared, comprised twelve teams which took part in this popular business and sporting event - PDW Electrical, Woods Squared, HillyerMcKeown, Faiveley Transport, Tipografic, Argyle Taxis, The Contact Company, BAM Nuttall/Hitex, Seaking Electrical, Weightmans and MSIF. Special evening guest was Everton FC legend, Howard Kendall, who spoke humorously about his long career in football both as a player and a manager.

A charity auction took place with over £800 raised for Women’s Enterprising Breakthrough (WEB), an organisation which supports volunteers, women and men of all ages and backgrounds living within the local community of Birkenhead.

Two teams in action at The Wirral Chamber Football Cup

Winner -

HMS Ltd

Runner-Up -

Winner -

Kimptons Energy Solutions

Penalty Shootout -

Kieran Bogg of Kimpton Energy Solutions

Player of the Tournament Goal of the Tournament 12

This years Wirral Corporate Cup was sponsored by Woods Squared; their team, led by Alan Woods (2nd from left).

Inspired By Business

Tom Kimpton of Kimpton Energy Solutions Phil Butterworth of HMS Ltd

Max Web Solutions John Dunne of Argyle Taxis

Individual Best Score Joint Second Best Score Longest Drive -

Gary Corbett of Oxygen8 Dave Fletcher of Max Web Solutions Russ Hartley of BAM Nutall/Hitex Ltd

Jeff Cummins of MSIF

Nearest to the Pin -

Walter Hayes of Faiveley Transport EN G A G EI N S PI REDEV ELOPGROW

UPCOMING

wir ral cha m ofc ber om me rce

CHAMBER EVENTS Visit www.wirralchamber.co.uk/Events/ for more details and booking information.

Coming Soon Prospective Member Events Taster-sessions for non-members to see the benefits of joining the UK’s fastest growing Chamber of Commerce.

Recommend a new member and save on your 2016 renewal fee!

3 September – Wirral Chamber Cricket Cup This year’s Wirral Chamber Cricket Cup is being held at Oxton Cricket Club on Thursday 3rd September 2015.

The Cricket Cup is the second cricket tournament that the Chamber have hosted and if last year’s is anything to go by it should be an event not to be missed!

There are still some team spaces available. If you’d like to know more email events@wirralchamber.co.uk or call the events team on 0151 650 6940.

Coming Soon New members’ lunch with the CEO An opportunity for our newest members to make business contacts, meet Paula Basnett and the Chamber team

14 July - Cereal Hour Hot Employment and HR Tips Workshop With this short punchy workshop SME owners and HR professionals can stay on top of the constant changes in Employment Law. sponsored by Hillyer McKeown LLP

sponsored by Typhoo Tea Ltd

18 September – Wirral Business Awards 2015

This highlight of the region’s Business Calendar is an admissible chance for all Wirral businesses to shine and reap the benefits of increased exposure and promotion.

9 September – Importing & Customs Procedures Course Introduction to the principles of Importing and Customs Controls, covering documentary, procedural and compliance issues, controlling import costs, freight agents, and maximising the your relationship with the Customs Authority.

October – WAVE – Speed Networking at Wirral Chamber Another chance to come and try our fast, easy and invigorating networking session. In this structured, fast paced event you’ll engage with multiple other business people, in a series of brief one-toone conversations.

11 November – Lunch & Learn – Top Time-Saving Tips in Excel Get the expert’s tips on saving time when using some of Excel's most common functions. This session is useful to all Excel users, from rusty users to advanced. sponsored by Kotwal Learning Solutions

See pages 16-24 for more information.

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NEWS Hankinson Group Recognised as Investor In People Hankinson Group, incorporating R H Painting Limited, Whittle Programmed Maintenance Limited and EP (Industrial & Commercial Painting) Limited, the Wirral Headquartered Painting Group has retained its Investors in People Standard, demonstrating their continuing commitment to realising the potential of their people.

Investors in People is the UK's leading accreditation for business improvement through people management, and provides a wealth of resources for businesses to innovate, improve and grow, with a focus on good people making great business.

Riverview Law to expand its Wirral Centre and open a second US office Following new contract wins and the expansion of its work with existing FTSE100 and global customers Riverview Law, the fixed-priced legal services business, is expanding its Wirral Centre which already has nearly 100 team members. It has commenced a new recruitment drive to attract lawyers, and other professionals, from the Chester, Liverpool, Wirral and North-Wales areas.

Riverview Law has also announced that it is opening a second US office to support the significant growth it is experiencing. Opening on 1 August 2015, the New Jersey office will be close to its existing hub in Manhattan, as well as to the technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem surrounding Princeton University.

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Russell Taylor Group's charity push to fund room at new Alder Hey Children's Hospital Russell Taylor Group has launched a challenging charity initiative to pay for a state-of-the-art bedroom at the new Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Fundraising is now beginning in earnest at the company's headquarters in Bromborough with a target figure of £10,000 to reach by the end of the year.

Alder Hey, Europe's busiest children's hospital, cares for more than 270,000 children, young people and their families every year.

Wirral Council announces a 2020 Vision for Wirral plan Wirral Council Leader Phil Davies has proposed an “innovative and pragmatic” new plan for how the Council will operate to significantly improve the lives of Wirral people and businesses in the borough by 2020.

The new plan ‘A 2020 Vision for Wirral’, sets out a series of 20 pledges which the Council will work to achieve by 2020, focusing on three key themes; protecting the most vulnerable, driving economic growth and improving the local environment, amongst others.

Cllr Davies said: “This year we became the UK’s Most Improved Council in the eyes of our peers in local government, and this plan is about building on that success. Our aim now must be to move from normal to outstanding and this will require some further radical changes to the way we think and act.”

The pledges include, among others; · That every child should have the best possible start in life; · To equip all our residents with the skills to enable them to secure quality jobs; · To create economic opportunities by attracting new jobs and investment; Download the plan at www.wirral.gov.uk/councilplan

2020 VISION

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NEWS Justin Dooley wins Young Entrepreneur of the Year Justin Dooley, co-founder of New Brighton based Caffe Cream has been named “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” at the 2015 E3 Business Awards. The event was held on 11th June at the Macron Stadium in Bolton.

Justin helped to found the craft ice cream manufacturing company in 2012 and has created 22 jobs in the region. He faced intense competition from companies across the North West but was adjudged the winner on the basis of a strong application and an equally strong performance during the judges' interviews.

Students gain valuable work experience on new campus build leading to jobs The new Wirral Met College, Wirral Waters Campus is on target to assist 300 construction students who will be actively involved in the construction of their new campus in Birkenhead.

As the first group of brickwork students completed their work placements working alongside subcontractors on the site, one of those students has gone a stage further and has been employed as an apprentice.

Jake Muir, who has been working alongside professional bricklayers on the Wirral Waters Campus site, impressed Joe Hollingsworth Ltd, the contractors, so much that they decided to offer him an apprenticeship position with the company.

Craig Jones, of Joe Hollingsworth Ltd, with apprentice Jake Muir.

Craig Jones, from Joe Hollingsworth Ltd, said: “It’s fantastic to see someone stand out with enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

We will give Jake all the help we can and wish him well for the future.”

North West law firm first to offer pioneering articled apprentice scheme A leading North West law firm is the first in England and Wales to offer a legal apprenticeship programme aimed at opening up the profession to a greater number of talented candidates.

Hillyer McKeown, which has offices in Chester, Wirral and North Wales, was the first firm to adopt the new “Articled Apprenticeship” scheme and

has now been joined by two other firms in the region, Rowlinsons and Gamlins Law. The firms are working closely with The University of Law (ULaw), which has developed the programme to provide an alternative route to qualification as a solicitor for those who want to earn while they learn.

For more of the latest news stories, visit our website www.wirralchamber.co.uk E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

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The finalists for the 2015 Wirral Business Awards have been announced after Wirral Chamber of Commerce welcomed a record number of applications.

As ever the standard of entries was excellent.

The judging panel, which consisted Chris Fry of KPMG, Richard Malley from Handelsbanken, Kevin Adderley of Wirral Council and Paula Basnett from Wirral Chamber of Commerce, had the unenviable task of choosing the shortlisted finalists. All of which are revealed here.

The judges agreed that Wirral’s businesses and entrepreneurs have stepped up a level this year, demonstrating a real depth of quality which bodes well for the future prosperity of the area.

With over 600 leading business people expected to attend the Gala Dinner, this will be one of the region's largest business and networking events of the year, and one not to be missed.

The shortlisted businesses will now wait in anticipation before the ceremony and black tie awards dinner on Friday 18th September. The evening will consist of a drinks reception, four course meal, the awards ceremony and entertainment to close.

The Wirral Business Awards 2015 is one of the region’s most prestigious events, but it would not be possible without the support from both the event and award sponsors. The Wirral Business Awards 2015 event has been sponsored by The Contact Company, Park Group PLC, Magenta Living, Wirral Radio, Typhoo Tea and Tyger Communications successful businesses and supporters of Wirral’s business community.

Read on to find out more about our sponsors and nominees.

Tickets are available from from www.wirralbusinessawards.com or by calling Jamie Harrison on 0151 650 6940.

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EVENT SPONSORS

Creating Solutions through Design & Print

The Contact Company The Contact Company (TCC) provides high quality services to a continually growing client portfolio, partnering many well-known blue chip companies such as Play.com, Jewellery Channel and Liverpool FC. Its mission is to add value by improving the business of their clients, exceeding their business expectations by improving customer service offerings and profitability. The Contact Company started in 2006 with 15 staff and, as of October last year, it now employs around 1,000 people. Of those employees 75% are from Wirral, 20% Liverpool and 5% Ellesmere Port. TCC includes a growing number of large national companies in its client base including River Island, Superdrug, Argos and the BBC. Its growth is reflected in the new office development at Twelve Quays in Birkenhead which will enable even greater expansion and employment. w: www.tcc.co.uk | t: 0845 303 4333 | e: enquiries@thecontactcompany.co.uk @TCC_UK

Magenta Living Managing around 12,500 properties across Wirral, Magenta Living has added great value to those assets. It is a Wirral based business with over 500 employees and is therefore one of the largest employers in the borough. It recently completed installation of replacement windows to every Magenta home and has also undertaken substantial building projects in New Brighton, Hoylake and Wallasey among others as it adds new properties to its portfolio. As a registered charity it is operated for social benefit rather than profit, because of that around 90% of the revenue generated stays within the Wirral economy. w: www.magentaliving.org.uk t: 0808 100 9596 @MagentaLive

Park Group PLC Park Group plc is the UK's leading multi-redemption voucher and prepaid gift card business, focused on the corporate and consumer markets. It has always looked to develop products and introduce new ones, and its success is against a backdrop of high levels of customer service, strong financial control, innovative marketing and investment in technology. Most of its products can now be managed online through a client portal which frees up staff to find new customers and develop new products. Park has introduced a voluntary benefit card which offers discounts at partner retailers. Businesses like Argos use it as an employee incentive card that staff members can also load value to. The company recently launched services into Ireland and is looking to progress further into Europe. w: www.parkgroup.co.uk | t: 0151 653 1700 E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

DRINKS AND RECEPTION SPONSOR: Typhoo Tea has been flying the flag for Great British Tea since 1909 and is one of Britain's best loved brands. They take their pick of the best crop, so you have all the ingredients you need for a perfect cup of Typhoo. They use tea from Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM farms that have environmentally and socially responsible practices. Their tea comes from all over the world and helps support a healthier planet and an improved quality of life for farming communities. Typhoo has a long history in Wirral and employs over 200 people at their Moreton base. w: www.typhootea.co.uk | t: 0151 522 4000 e: consumer.relations@typhoo.com @Typhoo_Tea

MEDIA SPONSOR: Wirral Radio operates a bespoke media centre on the Wirral Peninsula, generating a whole range of positive activity that works for the good of the Community and Wirral. It is a peninsula positive organisation using broadcast and media training, live music and social action to create opportunity and aspiration for its users, listeners, partners and stakeholders. As well as playing all the contemporary and classic hits, Wirral Radio covers issues that are important to the people of Wirral, covering all of the local health, local authority, police, fire, ambulance and other service issues which impact listeners. w: www.wirralradio.co.uk | t: 0151 637 3790 e: reception@wirralradio.co.uk @WirralRadio921

PRINT SPONSOR: Tyger Communications is a creative design and print agency with over 45 years’ experience in design, print and customer service. Their design is engaging, clever and fun and works for every application, be it for print, web and pdf portfolio. The business works on delivery and quality ensuring that all client orders can be designed and delivered, even on a short time frame. It produces the full spectrum of commercial print, including digital and large format printing. Tyger offer a complete range of design and print services shaped around your needs and deadlines. w: www.tygerdesignandprint.co.uk t: 0151 645 3610 e: info@tygerdesignandprint.co.uk Inspired By Business

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BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

NOMINEES (Under 11 Employees)

This award was open to small businesses (including sole traders) who employ less than 11 FTE employees and are not part of a larger organisation.

SPONSOR

Equipped 4 Ltd provides commercially focused intellectual property advice and management support to individuals, academics, SMEs and listed companies.

More than just offering IP services, it also provides business development and financial management services. w: www.equipped4.com Innov8 Safety Solutions is a dynamic, progressive health and safety business delivering Construction Design Management ensuring projects are delivered safely, on time and on budget, particularly for maritime, commercial, retail, engineering, healthcare and education sectors. w: www.innov8safetysolutions.com

McEwan Wallace is the largest firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers in Wirral and as such have the capability to provide specialist advisers for all your needs. Its specialist divisions of tax planning, payroll, wealth management and business development carry out regular reviews of each of its client’s business to ensure they are aware of any new opportunities. w: www.mcwallace.co.uk

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

(11-49 Employees)

The judges looked for a business showing impressive financial figures, strong and steady profit margins, signs of sustainability and potential future growth. An understanding of the market and mechanisms to respond to change and have strong growth potential.

SPONSOR

Russell Taylor Group Ltd operates nationally out of three northwest offices, with an ambitious growth plan and established credentials in diverse sectors including power and power generation, while servicing core markets in engineering, construction, manufacturing and logistics. It has loyal and dedicated professionals providing a full recruitment service, covering search, technical contractor resourcing and interim management. w: www.russell-taylor.co.uk 18

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Helukabel UK Ltd boasts an extensive range of cables, wires, special cables, media technology, cable accessories, as well as data, network and bus technology for all markets and every purpose. Its extensive warehouse stock of over 33,000 articles enabling short order delivery times. w: www.helukabel.de/en/en/home.html

NOMINEES Capital Reinforcing (Ireland) Limited specialises in cutting and bending steel reinforcing bar for building and construction. It stocks and supplies reinforcing stock steels for fabrication, concrete flooring contractors and precast concrete customers. Depots in England and Northern Ireland ensures UK nationwide coverage. w: www.crsteel.net Heap & Partners Ltd is a leading manufacturer and distributor of fluid control equipment, offering a range of process and instrumentation valves, filters and ancillary equipment. Representing the best manufacturers of valves and instrumentation products, Heap can offer complete valve packages. w: www.heaps.co.uk Hoist UK Ltd: manufactures and supplies lifting and handling equipment for the industrial and entertainment market sectors. It also distributes products directly from some of the world's leading manufacturers and can design and install complete lifting and handling systems to create complete project solutions. w: www.hoistuk.com EN G A G EI N S PI REDEV ELOPGROW

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

NOMINEES (50+ Employees)

This category recognises an outstanding performance by a business or organisation.

Judges looked for exceptional financial returns, strong growth, market leadership and a plan for a sustainable future.

SPONSOR

NW Systems Group is a specialist IP video company.

Its in-depth knowledge and dedication helps customers take full advantage of the benefits that IP video technology offers. Flexible in approach, progressive in thinking and thorough in execution, it has created one of the most successful companies in the industry. It continues to invest profits into R&D and company expansion to remain at the forefront of industry advancements. w: www.nwsystemsgroup.com

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR This award recognises an outstanding individual demonstrating initiative, drive and leadership in adding value to their business, bringing financial and non-financial gain to the organisation through their hard work.

SPONSOR

Sovex Systems is renowned for providing powerful solutions to material handling problems. They offer some of the most significant technical developments in conveyor and boom conveyor manufacture over the last decade. Its customer charter ensures that it delivers the same excellent service whatever the size of company. Customers receive a dedicated account manager to ensure Sovex provides the right product for any operational requirement. w: www.sovexsystems.com E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

B&M Waste Services delivers high quality waste management services throughout Wirral, Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds. It includes everything from mixed recycling to total waste management solutions so it can provide clients with a tailored service that suits their needs. w: www.bagnallandmorris.com The Contact Company has surpassed financial targets achieving turnover of £15m and now employs over 1,000 staff. This has been achieved through proactive business development in securing new work from existing clients and expanding into new national and international markets. w: www.tcc.co.uk Thextons is a multi-faceted construction company offering housing associations, contractors and domestic customers reliability, cost effectiveness and a skilled 200 strong workforce. Supporting energy efficiencies, during 2014 it completed ‘Green Deal’ works on over 100 properties in the North West. w: www.thextons.co.uk

NOMINEES Chris Jordan (Cabfind.com): Chris has demonstrated vision and leadership in developing a technology enabled transport-on-demand-business. Year by year he has increased its turnover – rising to £17.1m in 2013 - and has secured further investment following an acquisition package with Transdev PLC. w: www.cabfind.com Ian Dolman (Faiveley Transport): Ian has led Faiveley’s recognition as a Centre of Competence within its global group, growing sales by 25% since he joined, with a record £42m turnover in 2014/15. He is supporting a North West Rail Forum for supply opportunities from future rail initiatives. w: www.faiveleytransport.com Alan Woods (Woods Squared Limited): Alan has driven success through his initiative and his leadership, always looking to find new ways in which to help clients. He introduced investment in new technologies to provide a truly proactive service and to deliver the best service possible. w: www.woods-squared.co.uk

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NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR The judges looked for a company who had a strong business plan, found a niche market and created local jobs. They needed to demonstrate strong management and leadership skills with a dedication resulting in a sustainable business.

SPONSOR

Cabfind.com has an extensive and reliable supply chain nearly three times the size of its nearest competitor, with a fleet representing half of all taxis and private hire vehicles in the UK. From the Scottish highlands to central London, Cabfind.com reaches parts of the UK others cannot. Its cars, multiple passenger vehicles, wheelchair accessible cars and executive transport are just a call, click or tap away. w: www.cabfind.com

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AWARD An outstanding achievement in International Trade, resulting in substantial growth in overseas earnings and in commercial success.

SPONSOR

Conveniently located and with good communication links, the Isle of Man is ideally suited for businesses to flourish. Financial and related services, manufacturing and tourism are key sectors of the island's economy.

The Manx Government policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the Island has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. w: www.whereyoucan.com 20

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NOMINEES Apollo Care Wirral Ltd enables people to live in their own homes for as long as possible through holistic care packages suiting service user needs. Its dedicated care team provides excellent and professional standards of care to all its users. w: www.apollocare.co.uk Extreme Low Energy Ltd supplies low-energy, sustainable ICT infrastructure,with innovative solutions operating partially or fully ‘off-grid’. Its solutions are ideal for those with unreliable or no access to mains electricity, or those looking to reduce electricity bills. w: www.extremelowenergy.com Whitmore & White Ltd is an independent food hall and wine merchant offering fine continental food and local produce, together with a wine and spirit selection, much imported from Spain and Italy. To enhance customer experience it holds regular tasting sessions. w: www.whitmoreandwhite.co.uk

NOMINEES Bennett & McMahon Agencies Limited is a fully independent worldwide liner, forwarding and logistics agent evolving into an internationally renowned operation with annual sales set to exceed GBP 12m. It exports and imports goods in thousands of shipping containers each year. w: www.bandmships.com Dantec is a world leader in composite hose technology, applying more than 40 years of manufacturing and technical excellence to deliver solutions to a global distribution and support network exporting to dozens of countries. It is looking to continue developing trade links in Russia and the USA. w: www.dantec.com Sovex Systems is a leading international vehicle loader and conveyor manufacturer with over 170 employees worldwide. Its dedicated and skilled workforce is responsible for significant technical developments placing Sovex at the forefront domestically and overseas in Europe, Asia and the USA. w: www.sovexsystems.com

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COMMUNITY AWARD This award will recognises an outstanding performance by a not-for-profit organisation whose profits are invested back into its services and who are passionate about providing true community and social benefit.

SPONSOR

Progress to Excellence is a national training provider offering training and assessments for apprenticeships at levels 2 and 3, and customised QCF (NVQ) Certificates and Diplomas at levels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7.

It provides specialist training and support for the Health and Social Care sectors in addition to business and management training for public and private sector organisations. w: www.ptoetraining.co.uk

INVESTMENT OF THE YEAR An organisation that has made a significant and beneficial investment within the Wirral during 2014.

SPONSOR

NOMINEES Claire House Children’s Hospice offers care, support and choice to families whose children won’t live to be adults. Whilst the hospice is located in Wirral, it offers its special care wherever and whenever a child and family needs it. w: www.claire-house.org.uk Stick ‘n’ Step provides specialist conductive education and support services to children with cerebral palsy and their families and carers. It supports children from North West of England and North Wales, and prides itself on listening to parents for guidance on development. w: www.sticknstep.org Wirral Hospice St John’s aim is 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 comforts both them and those who are important to them. w: www.wirralhospice.org

NOMINEES Carr Farm Garden Centre is creating jobs through a £3m redevelopment of a state-of-the-art 300 cover restaurant, refurbished retail areas, along with a wildflower meadow which will transform the garden centre into an even better day out and a unique shopping experience. w: www.carrfarmgardencentre.co.uk The Longbow Shop Ltd is the UK’s largest traditional archery outlet. It has doubled its floor space and created a 3 lane shooting range, and has supplied products for the BBC and Weta Workshop, the SFX company behind The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series. w: www.thelongbowshop.com

Peel invests for the long term. Regeneration and job creation is an important feature of its work and is reflected in its track record. This long term ethos is encapsulated in the company motto, ‘determination, perseverance and patience’. Corporate policy is to actively manage the diverse portfolio by improving the quality of the Group’s interests and properties bringing benefits to the local areas and communities where it operates. w: www.peel.co.uk E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

Redsun Developments supports business growth through developing premises and it has been visible in the creation of the £4m Riverview Business Park, now occupied by companies such as Smylies Ltd and Regal Wholesale. It currently has development projects taking place in Birkenhead. w: www.redsundevelopments.co.uk

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PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT AWARD An organisation that has shown the most commitment to developing their workforce through specific training and development programmes (including apprenticeships).

SPONSOR Wirral Metropolitan College is the largest college in Wirral with student success rates in the top 10% nationally. In 2012 they invested £6 million to improve their learning facilities and every year over 16,000 students study in their two main campuses or one of their seven specialist learning centres. It is also the largest provider of apprenticeships in Wirral, graded outstanding by Ofsted for employer responsive training. w: www.wmc.ac.uk

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD To recognise outstanding achievement in how an organisation behaves towards the environment, the local community, their people and supply chain.

SPONSOR

Every day, around the world, people reach for Unilever products. Its brands are trusted everywhere and by listening to the people who buy them, it has grown into one of the world's most successful consumer goods companies. Since launching in November 2013, its Project Sunlight initiative has inspired millions of people to take small steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle and drive positive change within their local communities. w: www.unilever.co.uk

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NOMINEES Daisy and Jake Day Nursery is recognised as an outstanding provider of childcare. They understand and reward their staff talent through clear career progression. They identify training needs and apprenticeships as an investment in developing and supporting the progression of their workforce. w: www.daisyandjake.co.uk Paddock Johnson Partnership (PJP) targets a percentage if it’s annual turnover in staff training and CPD, and encourages individual learning programmes and other career advancement initiatives. PJP also believes in encouraging and supporting school leavers, graduates and trainees to get the real life work experience they need. w: www.paddockjohnson.com PIMSS Data Systems is the market leading provider of asset management software and consulting to UK residential social landlords. It promotes staff from within and encourages training initiatives, together with a training and development programme to support best practice, project management and core technical skills. w: www.pimss.com

NOMINEES Bennett Williams Solicitors contributes hours of time in supporting its community working with various organisations in providing legal advice, especially to people on low income. They have extensive links to charities and social enterprises offering valuable assistance to the local community. w: www.bennettwilliamssolicitors.com Finsa has supported a number of charities, including Claire House Children’s Hospice, Catholic Children’s Society and Barnardos, and is investing in developing young people through apprenticeships and training programmes. It is also co-operates with local schools to help children’s learning journey. w: www.finsahome.co.uk Mere Brook House concentrates on a policy of wherever possible sourcing locally for contracting work, service provision, staff or even food supplies. It places great emphasis on its employee personal and business skills development to create a friendly, flexible and customer orientated environment. w: www.merebrookhouse.co.uk

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YOUNG APPRENTICE/ TRAINEE OF THE YEAR AWARD To recognise an individual aged 25 or under, who is working towards a nationally recognised qualification and making excellent progress in their chosen career.

SPONSOR Stiebel Eltron UK Ltd provides innovative technology to heat your home, conserve energy and reduce your bills. For over eight decades, across 72 countries, it has offered their customers products and services of exceptional quality with a focus on protecting the environment. With an unbeatable breadth of green technologies including heat pumps, solar thermal and solar PV Stiebel Eltron designs systems specifically to suit your project. w: www.stiebel-eltron.co.uk

CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD This award is designed to reward exceptional standards of customer service and to promote these success stories as examples to the industry.

The award recognises those constantly striving to exceed customer expectations and innovation around customer experience.

SPONSOR

Hillyer McKeown is one of the leading corporate and personal law firms in the North West, with offices in Chester, Wirral and Deeside. They provide excellent legal advice to businesses, business owners and individuals. Their key areas of expertise are business sales, mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, finance, commercial agreements, insolvency, IP, debt recovery, property, wills and probate, family, dispute resolution and employment advice. w: www.hillyermckeown.co.uk E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

NOMINEES John Adams - Halliday Funeral Supplies is an independent family owned business manufacturing entry level to bespoke coffins.

During 2014 it embarked on a growth plan to increase its investment, staff numbers, apprenticeship development and to create opportunities to grow team roles over subsequent years. w: www.hallidayltd.co.uk Rebecca Hulse - McEwan Wallace runs a comprehensive apprenticeship scheme across many divisions of the accountancy business.

The firm has underpinned the future success of many young people in Wirral and is liaising with schools to afford more students the same opportunity. w: www.mcwallace.co.uk Natasha Burns - Women's Enterprising Breakthrough (WEB) is a community based service provider that supports women and their families with complex needs. It invests its time, energy and resources into upskilling its local volunteers to offer support to its continuous service delivery in the community. w: www.webmerseyside.org

NOMINEES Caffe Cream of New Brighton: is a craft ice cream manufacturer which teaches its key customer services mission - making great ice cream and served with a smile. It has implemented a loyalty card scheme which has helped it retain large numbers of customers. w: www.caffecream.co.uk CJ Charles Ltd business is built on its reputation, and its reputation sets the quality of its work. It ensures that it maintains high standards, reflected in positive feedback and repeat custom. Its work speaks for itself and customers speak for the company. w: www.cjcharles.co.uk Wirral Society of the Blind and Partially Sighted: The society ensures its services are able to have a lasting impact on those it supports by offering a smooth and less stressful transition from medical intervention to practical and emotional support through understanding the needs of its client group. w: www.wirralsociety.org.uk

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FINANCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARD This award recognises an outstanding contribution made by an organisation in the Financial & Professional Services sector.

SPONSOR

Digitel Europe Ltd is one of the fastest growing business communications companies in the UK. This success is due in large part to its commitment to provide their customers with quality solutions that reduce communication costs, increase operating efficiency and enhance customer service. Its company vision is to provide a one stop business communications service to the under 500 port market in selective geographic areas. w: www.digiteleurope.co.uk

OUTSTANDING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Each year the judges select one winner from among all our entries to receive the Outstanding Business of the Year Award.

SPONSOR

If you are considering relocation for your business, or expanding your company, Wirral Council offers accessible, user-friendly information that saves you time and enables faster, better informed decision-making. Its business support team works in collaboration with Wirral Chamber of Commerce to provide a single touch point for all business support requirements. w: www.wirral.gov.uk

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NOMINEES Bennett Williams Solicitors is a commercial law firm specialising in debt recovery, commercial dispute resolution and insolvency law. It delivers high quality legal services to a number of household names including Tommy Hilfiger and Ted Baker. w: www.bennettwilliamssolicitors.com Hillyer McKeown has provided legal advice for more than 70 years and with new offices in Chester and Liverpool, investing in modern technology ensures staff can access training and development. It has introduced new services including HM Business Growth, HM Financial Services and HM Creative. w: www.hillyermckeown.co.uk Woods Squared Limited works with businesses to help them grow and achieve their business goals. Named as a UK Top Rated Accountant, it develops clear long, medium and short term goals for client aspirations and then a roadmap to get help achieve them. w: www.woods-squared.co.uk

LONG SERVICE AWARD This award recognises a significant milestone in business services to Wirral and will be announced on the night.

SPONSOR

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is one of the major employers in Merseyside, attracting inward investment and bringing significant tourism benefits and helping to boost the North West of England economy. It was the first airport in the UK to be named after an individual when it was rebranded in 2001 as a lasting tribute to the Liverpool born former Beatle, John Lennon. w: www.liverpoolairport.com

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CNPOFFICES www.cnpoffices.co.uk

OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE Maritime House -

0151 653 5000 14-16 Balls Road, Oxton Wirral, Merseyside, CH43 5RE maritime@cnpproperties.co.uk

CNP Offices have been established on the Wirral for over 30 years and have all the necessary experience to provide a good quality service to all our customers.

Our friendly staff offer a professional, caring and efficient service and both centres provide 24 hour access, flexible monthly contracts, all inclusive rates and secretarial facilities on reception.

The Foundry -

0151 666 1117 Marcus Street, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, CH41 1EU foundry@cnpproperties.co.uk

We also offer to non-residents use of conference facilities, postal address and telephone answering services and The Foundry now offers a hot desking facility to accommodate the smaller business.

Move in Today!

Bridging the gap ridging the gap between education and business is a high priority on the Wirral Chamber of Commerce agenda for 2015. To support this, they have introduced Wirral Young Chamber, a new initiative to help young people in making the transition from education to work.

Findings from Developing the Talents of the Next Generation, a British Chambers of Commerce survey of almost 3,000 companies, showed that more than 76% reported a lack of work experience as one of the key reasons young people are unprepared for work.

Over half said that young people are lacking basic ‘soft’ skills, such as communication and team working, to succeed in the working world.

With this in mind, the team at the Chamber came up with a plan.

Wirral Young Chamber will bring together young people between the ages of 11-19 with local businesses through its network, to provide clear and meaningful understanding about business, jobs, careers and the range of potential opportunities that exist for all young people, of all abilities, once they leave education.

It's a simple, straightforward and a direct initiative to provide benefits for both young people and local businesses - providing opportunities to explain about the qualities and attitudes that employers look for in their future employees.

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The benefits of the Wirral Young Chamber for business are as follows: Already employers have recognised the strengths of the Young Chamber framework, and will be meeting with interested young people to talk about their industry sectors and areas of expertise, providing young people with informed information.

Marcus Bemrose, Director, Apollo Care Wirral said: “Apollo Care is delighted to support and be involved with the Young Chamber initiative. The care sector is quite often overlooked as a career prospect so we would like to offer young people the opportunity to understand more about what makes a career in this industry rewarding and one that can be developed.

“Apollo Care continues to grow as demand for our services increases.

Each of our offices is owned and managed by people who share our passion for caring and providing a service that supports and enables people to stay in the place they feel most loved and secure….home.”

It can be a component in a business corporate social responsibility agenda It can increase company brand awareness It helps to bring professional team development for your team - public speaking, running workshops, mentoring, governance opportunities It will identify young and eager talent for businesses You can explain the role and values of business within the local community to schools, teachers and students It can open the doors to direct recruitment possibilities You can utilise fresh approaches to product or service research It gives a business the ability to shape future workforce

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“helping to bridge the gap between education and business” Paula Basnett, CEO, Wirral Chamber of Commerce is excited at the introduction of the new initiative, she said:

The benefits for schools: Access to a proactive network of engaged, enthusiastic local businesses Business Ambassador from the Chamber Essential employability training such as interview skills, personal brand and image, CV writing and organisational excellence A single point of contact to access businesses

“Many businesses will feel that it is a risk to employ a young person through their lack of experience, and the investment in time and resources they will need to train them, therefore, they may be unwilling to take that chance. There is also a risk, however, that businesses could lose out on the untapped skills and creativity of a talented pool of potential employees. By bringing business and schools together in Wirral Young Chamber we will be able to establish positive and effective links which will identify those young people that are resilient, good communicators and are eager to understand how to work as part of a team.”

Chambers throughout the UK have over 1,500 schools in membership of the initiative and the Chamber network Young Chamber will enable further and effective engagement with schools and colleges and help bridge the gap between education and business.

Business patrons signed up for the initiative include Cabfind.com, Sovex Systems, Cammell Laird, Apollo Care Wirral, Regal Wholesale, Park Group, Progress to Excellence, Kimpton Energy Solutions, and The Contact Company.

Wirral Young Chamber activities organised by the Chamber Increase school brand awareness Enterprise days run by the Chamber and Patrons Invitation National Summit and Awards Access to business intelligence Networking with key local players Informative company tours within a range of sectors Gain private sector experience for students and teachers through placements and visits

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To find out more about the Wirral Young Chamber and how you can get involved please contact Kate Eugeni on ke@wirralchamber.co.uk.

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Mentoring How it can benefit you and the business community

Wirral Chamber of Commerce is looking for voluntary mentors from our business community to help support local people in the early stages of starting a business.

Giving up a small amount of your time could be of great benefit to a start-up business and to the Wirral business community as a whole. It is also extremely rewarding!

Who would make an ideal mentor?

We are looking for friendly, committed business people who can offer a small amount of time to support new entrepreneurs who have a great business idea that may need unlocking and developing.

Do you have to be a business owner?

Not necessarily - many individuals have vast business knowledge without being the business owner. Depending on your background and experience we would welcome directors and managers from all business disciplines to get involved to support this programme.

Rewarding experience

Uncover hidden talent

Gain a new perspective

Develop your skills

Opportunity to access mentor training Improve your local business economy

Pass on your knowledge

What will you do as a mentor?

What is the role of the Chamber?

As a volunteer mentor you meet with people in the early stages of starting a business to provide encouragement and guidance to develop their business.

Wirral Chamber of Commerce will manage the mentoring process and provide you with all the support and information that you need to be a volunteer mentor. We will screen people before you meet them to ensure that they have a reasonable business idea in place and are committed to taking it forward.

There are two mentoring programmes that you can get involved in. The first provides Start Up Loan recipients with 15 hours of mentoring support over a 12 month period. The second provides one hour of support per week, up to a maximum of eight weeks, for pre-start businesses. Both initiatives are flexible to suit the mentor and the mentee.

What help do mentees need?

Your mentee will have some experience and skills but may lack the confidence about what to do next. Above all, they need someone to give them guidance about getting started on the journey into self-employment and encourage them along the way.

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Inspired By Business

Become a mentor make a difference today!

To get you started we will invite you to a face-to-face meeting to discuss your business experience and interest in mentoring. For more information please contact Julie Knights at Wirral Chamber on 0151 650 6940 or email jk@wirralchamber.co.uk

EN G A G EI N S PI REDEV ELOPGROW

NEED A LOAN TO GROW A NEW BUSINESS? The Start Up Loans Company is a UK-wide, government backed scheme, which offers a repayable loan to individuals over the age of 18 who have a viable business idea but no access to finance.

The scheme funds businesses in every sector.

Wirral Chamber of Commerce is part of a network of official Start Up Loans delivery partners across the UK that administer the scheme. We are here to guide you through the application process, including advice on creating a business plan and cash flow forecast.

If you’re looking for funding, then follow these simple steps: Step One – Register

You can register directly via the Wirral Chamber website by completing the online registration form:

www.wirralchamber.co.uk/startup or contact our team if you would like more information:

0151 650 6940 startup@wirralchamber.co.uk We aim to contact all applicants within 24 hours of registration, so we can have an initial chat about your business plans and funding requirements.

Step Two – Tell us about your business

As part of the loan application process you will need to put together a business plan and two year financial forecasts, but don’t worry as Wirral Chamber of Commerce are here to help. We will provide you with all of the necessary templates and useful online tools to support the creation of your business plan and forecasts. There are other documents that you will need to provide as part of the loan process but Wirral Chamber can advise further on this.

The important thing to remember is, you are not alone, Wirral Chamber of Commerce will support you to help you understand your business ambitions and access finance that will make your business goals a reality.

Step Three – Meet us

Once we have received all of your completed application documents, Wirral Chamber will review them and arrange a meeting with you to finalise your loan application.

It’s more than just a loan…

APPLY ONLINE

Successful applicants of the start-up loan can access further support such as free networking events, business mentoring up to 12 months and exclusive business offers such as 2 years free business banking, free accountancy software, discounted business mobile contracts and many more.

wirralchamber ofcommerce

Wirral Chamber of Commerce is an official delivery partner of the Start Up Loans Company, a national Government initiative which is supported by prominent business leaders. Personal loans must be used for business purposes – eligibility criteria applies.

THE TRAINING HUB

Excellence in the workplace he quest for organisational excellence defined a generation of successes that emerged from corporate America in the 1980’s and 90’s. Its relevance has grown in the 21st century as businesses strive to achieve organisation-wide effectiveness in ever changing and globally connected markets where ‘good’ simply isn’t enough.

To achieve organisational excellence we need to engage our staff, ensure that they understand our culture and buy in to our vision.

“British Airways, like Apple, John Lewis and many others, have embraced organisational excellence principles to get where they are today. Employee engagement and training are at the heart of their approach; they constantly develop their staff, reinforcing the importance of image and brand as key components of their service offerings”.

Building a brand and entrenching its personality are some of the most important aspects of developing an excellent business. The best brands do more than promote recognition.

They set you apart from the competition, enabling you to connect with customers and add real value that goes beyond your physical assets.

While often a focus of new businesses

The search for excellence

Kate Eugeni,Wirral Chamber’s Head of Training, began her training career by developing a bespoke image course for

public facing staff at British Airways.

“That was 20 years ago and even then the flagship airline understood that it was their staff that had the power to define their customer’s experience.”

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Inspired By Business

EN G A G EI N S PI REDEV ELOPGROW

thetraininghub

THE TRAINING HUB

Wirral Chamber of Commerce

Working with

Chris Hughes, Director was delighted with his employees’ response to the training. "The excellence in the workplace sessions have been a significant step forward for us in our efforts to engage with our employees.

during the embryonic and early start-up stages, many leaders take their foot off the branding pedal as other priorities take hold. Organisational Excellence training with Wirral Chamber of Commerce helps you refocus, by reminding you that brand is king and your staff are its ambassadors.

Chris Hughes,

Director | Regal Wholesale

Question: How sure are you that your employees’ values are aligned to those of your business?

Many leaders don’t know how to start answering this question. That is why Wirral Chamber of Commerce has developed a range of organisational excellence sessions that can be tailored to suit your business needs.

Regal’s enthusiasm for the subject was piqued when one of the company’s relatively new starters joined an Excellence in the Workplace session at Egerton House alongside representatives from more than 10 local businesses. The session was an opportunity to reflect on their experiences to date and understand the relevance of their position to the growth and development of the Regal Wholesale brand.

Regal Wholesale is a family business that has grown and developed from humble beginnings into a forward thinking success story that supplies markets around the globe. The company understands that organisational excellence is essential to compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace; something that requires all staff to understand and contribute from day one.

Regal’s employee returned to the office with renewed confidence and the knowledge that his effort will help secure an excellent future for him and the business. Chris Hughes, Director, saw this change and took the opportunity to put their entire organisation through a bespoke, on-site Organisational Excellence programme with Wirral Chamber.

E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

We’ve noticed real improvement in workplace standards as people have understood their value and contribution to the business.

The organisational excellence approach developed with Wirral Chamber has also provided a platform for our employees to identify areas of the business that, if improved, will help develop their roles, providing motivation while strengthening the company."

Should you wish to explore bespoke training for your organisation, the Training Hub team would be delighted to hear from you. Call, email or tweet us:

0151 650 6915 traininghub@wirralchamber.co.uk

@trainingwirral Inspired By Business

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Grow Overseas With Wirral Chamber Wirral Chamber of Commerce provides a range of services to help you grow internationally. As well as providing export documents for proof of origin and tax preference, we are part of a network of support organisations that help you grow into new markets.

International Trade Training

Guarantee payment for your exports

Wirral Chamber of Commerce organises a wide range of Training Courses which have been specifically designed for staff involved in exporting and/or importing cargo to and from the UK.

Take the risk out of exporting and ensure you get paid by using a Letter of Credit. Getting paid on time and securely is the most important financial consideration when embarking on international trade.

The courses are delivered by export professionals with years of experience. All our courses are tailored to your own international trade activities and bespoke courses are available.

Whether you are an Export Sales Manager, Export Administrator, Shipping Clerk, Financial or Shipping Manager, Manufacturer, Exporter or Forwarding Agent, we have a course that will help you and your company succeed.

Importing and Customs Procedures 9th September (see page 13)

To avoid problems getting paid use a Letter of Credit.

What is a Letter of Credit?

A Letter of Credit is a guarantee issued by a bank assuring payment of goods. The Letter of Credit will have strict terms specifying the amount of money to be paid, timeframe and documentation required.

How can we help?

Wirral Chamber provides a high quality Letter of Credit Service, which removes the fear that some exporters have when it comes to the intricate detail required in a Letter of Credit transaction.

Our Letter of Credit service has a 98% first time approval rate and we have an excellent reputation with all banks, which ensures a truly unique, comprehensive and cost-effective service.

We deliver a professional service whereby your Letter of Credit is passed to our associates who will then: • • • • • • • •

Check the conditions in the Letter of Credit to ensure you can meet them Inform you of any amendments that you need to obtain Prepare all the relevant documents Liaise with freight forwarders, shipping companies, inspection agents etc.

Check the Bills of Lading Arrange cargo insurance Provide advice on Incoterms® 2010 Present all the documents to the bank within agreed deadlines

For more information, or details on the costs, please contact the International Trade Team on 0151 650 6940 or export@wirralchamber.co.uk

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EN G A G EI N S PI REDEV ELOPGROW

Chamber FX – Treasury and Foreign Exchange Service Through the buying power of the British Chambers of Commerce, we are able to offer a leading Foreign Exchange and International Payments Service with exclusive discounts and services to our members.

Currency fluctuations can have a significant impact on companies engaged in international trade and hinder ambitions for growth. ChamberFX, provided by currency specialists Moneycorp, can help you to protect your business against adverse rate fluctuations and make the most of any positive movements, whilst giving you access to exclusive offers and highly competitive rates of exchange.

Why not make the most of the following benefits?

New Markets & Export Growth Programme -

Highly Competitive exchange rates whenever you trade

Lucrative funding and access to expertise, if you act quickly!

Reduced transfer fees

Chambers of Commerce in Liverpool City Region are working together to support the international trade ambitions of local businesses.

Fast, secure online transactions

If... you have not exported before and are hesitating because you are unsure about procedures If ... you already do business overseas, but need some help to enter new territories If... you need some financial assistance towards putting it into practice Sign up free of charge to the New Markets and Export Growth programme and receive 12 hour business assist and/or access to funding!

Use the funding of up to 35% towards the costs of your....

• • • • •

Market visits - on an official trade mission or on your own Exhibitions Website internationalisation Promotional material Any other expenditure that is essential for growing your exports

Take advantage of 12-hour free business assist in a form of: • Advice from the Chamber’s partners (Overseas Business Network, China Britain Business Council, UKTI, Barclays and more).

• Workshops that will give you a strong grounding in export knowledge For the list of workshops and more information please contact export@wirralchamber.org.uk or 0151 650 6940.

E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

Expert market guidance Free currency accounts Free foreign exchange health check worth £250!

Personal MSTA qualified dealer to help make more informed currency decisions, keeping you abreast of the markets, and help with FX budgeting Access to market orders, to target specific rates of exchange and secure prices 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Fast, worldwide transfers, including same-day settlement Moneycorp has been trading foreign currencies since 1979 and traded over £11 billion in currencies last year making 2.4 million transactions. With 577 dedicated employees, market leading accounts and credit ratings, Moneycorp is the UK's leading provider of Foreign Exchange services.

If this service is of interest, and you are a member of Wirral Chamber, please contact Barbara Sutton, Moneycorp Regional Sales Manager: Tel: 0207 823 7400 Mob: 07785 463671 Email: enquiries@moneycorp.com Web: www.moneycorp.com/chamberfx

Export Sales Leads Taking less than 5 minutes to register, you can access updates straight to your inbox, covering new business opportunities that arise all over the world.

You can specify which sectors or markets you are interested in and point out how regular you wish to receive these updates.

An ideal opportunity and it won’t cost you a penny!

Inspired By Business

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HR ADVICE

may have escaped your attention given the wonderfully variable weather we enjoy here in the UK, but the summer holiday season is now almost upon us.

Just about everyone looks forward to taking holidays from work and particularly during the summer months when many of us plan breaks with our family and friends, which we spend all year looking forward to.

Employees see holidays as an important part of their benefits package, however when holidays are poorly managed, employers can find them to be something of a hindrance to their business.

When holidays are well managed, the benefit to your business can be enormous, but of course you must take a sensible approach and ensure that you do not compromise your service to customers by allowing too many employees to be off on holiday at the same time.

Keep accurate records It is helpful to have a calendar visible so employees can check for clashes before they submit their annual leave request, and ensure that you keep an accurate record of annual leave on a central system to avoid any disputes.

Remind employees regularly how much leave they have left Encourage your employees to plan and take annual leave bothfor their own welfare and so that they do not build up an excessive amount of leave at the end of the holiday year which can cause a problem to the business.

Establish an annual leave policy and procedure

Monitor your busy months

Ensure that you have an annual leave policy and procedure which is well communicated and clearly understood by all employees.In particular, it is useful to include the following:

You can put in place procedures and contractual terms to control the timing of annual leave and so improve your productivity. There may be seasonal fluctuations in your workload. If so you will want to discourage employees from taking holiday at your busiest times. For example some retailers prohibit staff from taking holiday in the run up to Christmas. Conversely, you can make it a contractual requirement for employees to take time off at certain times of the year; a Christmas or summer shutdown is a common example of this.

• When the holiday year starts and ends • Any shutdown periods or periods during which holiday cannot be taken • How competing holiday requests will be dealt with (e.g. first come, first served) • How much notice employees should give when they wish to take leave • The maximum number of days holiday that will be permitted in one block under normal circumstances • How many members of staff are permitted to be on holiday at the same time within a single team or department • The process for authorisation of leave and a statement advising employees not to make bookings until authorisation has been granted • How many (if any) annual leave days can be carried over from one holiday year to the next It is also important to include the key aspects of your annual leave policy in your contracts of employment.

E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

Lastly, there are of course legal considerations when managing employees’ annual leave, most of which are set out in the Working Time regulations 1998. If you are considering changing your approach to the management of annual leave, for example byissuing a new policy and procedure or by changing terms and conditions of employment, it is sensible to take professional advice.

Article written by Laura Cross, ConcentricHR Inspired By Business

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THESE COMPANIES HAVE JOINED THE FASTEST GROWING CHAMBER IN THE UK

ISN'T IT TIME YOU DID THE SAME? WIRRAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 0151 650 6940

www.wirralchamber.co.uk

HIDDEN TALENTS

Shipping Memories in Watercolour Capturing history has been a passion for Nigel Hughes, CEO at YMCA Wirral, and he has painted one of the most impressive collections of Manx steam vessels a calling rather than a mere hobby. igel Hughes grew up in the Isle of Man and soon realised the importance of the sea to the island’s way of life. In particular, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company passenger ships, which brought thousands of holiday-makers during summer and maintained the island’s supply lifeline during the often stormy winter months.

Nigel recalled: “In Summer, Douglas harbour was a hive of activity as ships would converge on the piers bringing trippers from Liverpool, Heysham, Fleetwood, Llandudno, Belfast, Dublin and Ardrossan.”

“I drew and painted what I liked best – ships. Mr Drysdale encouraged and coached me in the finer arts of perspective, depth of colour, light and shade and how to paint waves. Much of the way I paint now is thanks to him.”

“My favourite subjects are ships of the Steam Packet Company.

Painting them is a hugely relaxing pastime and after a busy days of work at the YMCA, it forms a perfect escape to unwind. Each and every picture has its own story or background. I pick the ship then the scene of where she is – at sea, racing past the Bar lightship speeding towards Liverpool or just tied up at one of the many piers the ships used around the Irish Sea.

“The old steamers were beautiful works of the shipbuilders art, the finest were built by Cammell Laird – long graceful hull lines with an “Over the years my work at the YMCA has brought me into contact impressive curving sheer and graceful funnels and masts. They had with many famous people and amongst them I count Ted Walker, the most fantastic steam whistles, you would see the curling surge the famous Liverpool marine artist who has also given me the of high-pressure steam erupt from the funnel and then the roar as benefit of his expert skills and knowledge.” the whistle called out her approach. I count myself lucky to have witnessed these vessels Nigel recalls: before they were gone forever. From those early days I heard a calling from the sea that has never “When I look back left me.” now, I realise I owe In the 1970s his parents moved to Wirral and him and all the Nigel found himself at Pensby Secondary Boys’ other superb School, where teachers were allowed to teaching staff at introduce hobbies to the children at break times Pensby a great debt and during holidays. One of these teachers was of thanks.”

Mr Waterhouse who ran the school boat club and arranged an annual school trip to the Norfolk Broads. Another was Mr Drysdale, a charismatic Right: Nigel’s artwork art teacher who had a short fuse but was a kindly at a recent exhibition encouraging skilled artist.

E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

Inspired By Business

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MEMBER TO MEMBER

Free Business Health Check OFFER ONGOING Take advantage of our FREE business Health Check.

Let us help you to start spending time working ON your business not just in it.

Our health check will focus on what YOU are doing now and how WE can help you to develop a strategy that will focus on.

0845 293 9682 | 07910 738501 www.businessdoctors.co.uk/Wirral/

10% discount on Fire Training EXPIRES: 31/12/2016 Fire Training protects lives and livelihoods. Wirral Fire also offer Fire Training courses that can be held at your workplace.

0151 639 7745 www.wirralfire.co.uk

@BizDocsWirral

67% off 3 Reiki Healing or Hopi Ear Candles sessions.

EXPIRES: 31/07/2015 Experience Reiki healing or Hopi Ear Candles with some relaxing music. Reiki will help to clear any chronic pain, fears, phobias, stress related problems that you have, it balances the organs and glands, clears toxins, strengthens the immune system, relaxes the body and reduces stress, regulates blood pressure, it can sooth tight muscles, it can ease hormonal disorders.

07539 540906 reikiwithkatie@gmail.com www.reikibykatie.net

15% Discount Off All Wedding Dresses, Bridesmaid Dresses And Accessories EXPIRES: 31/12/2016 Bella Nuvia would like to offer all Wirral Chamber of Commerce Members an exclusive 15% discount off all wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses and accessories. For all friends and family members of Wirral Chamber of Commerce Members they will receive 10% discount on all wedding dresses, bridesmaid and accessories.

0151 652 0172 sales@bellanuvia.com

Debt Recovery - Letter Before Action £2.00 plus VAT EXPIRES: 30/12/2016 Bennett Williams Solicitors, specialists in debt recovery and business disputes, are pleased to offer Wirral Chamber Members a discounted rate for a Letter Before Action. For £2.00 plus VAT we will send a professional Letter Before Action, on our letterhead, demanding payment from your debtor within 7 days.

Our letters are usually all that is required to persuade your debtor to pay.

We DO NOT take any commission so for £2.00 plus VAT you can recover all of your debt!

0151 650 6908 gaynor@bennettwilliamssolicitors.com www.bennettwilliamssolicitors.com

Andrew Hough-Smith of WH Ireland will offer fellow Wirral Chamber members a free general review of your financial circumstances, including pensions, savings & investments, tax and estate planning. Call to find out more information and to arrange a meeting at your convenience

0161 819 8654 www.wh-ireland.co.uk

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Egerton House Meeting rooms and Bistro OFFER ONGOING If you have important client meetings or need to make a key presentation, members can access the Egerton House conference rooms and meeting rooms at membership rates and subject to availability.

For something more casual you can also relax and meet clients at the Egerton House Bistro (between 8.30am until 4pm) and discuss work over a cup of coffee or snack.

For further information please contact info@wirralchamber.co.uk and make reference to 'use of Egerton House meeting rooms'

Free Financial Review EXPIRES: 31/12/2016

@katie2574

1 hour free consultation EXPIRES: 30/07/2015

Use of rooms will be subject to availability and for main conference areas will be subject to discounted rates.

Please quote 'Wirral Chamber' for your 1 hour free consultation. Talking through your ideas that could soon become a reality.

0151 650 0555 info@wirralchamber.co.uk

0151 214 0830 | 07828 502 240 www.springarchitects.co.uk

2 Tower Rd, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 1FN

EN G A G EI N S PI REDEV ELOPGROW

OFFERS 10% Discount to Chamber Members OFFER ONGOING We are delighted to offer a 10% discount on all of our IT training courses to fellow members of the Wirral Chamber of Commerce. Courses we teach include Excel, Outlook, Sage, AutoCAD, Word, PowerPoint, Project and Adobe Creative Suite packages.

0151 650 6907 info@squareonetraining.com www.squareonetraining.com

DESIGN AND PRINT

20% discount for design and printing OFFER ONGOING

ALSO

Pull up banners –

EXPIRES: 06/07/2015 MDFitout would like to offer you a 10% discount on all our services whether it be soundproofing your walls, plastering or a new suspended ceiling we can give you this great deal for a limited time only.

0151 559 1642 www.suspendedceilingswirral.co.uk

3 MONTHS FREE

designed printed and delivered for just £49.99 +VAT

Hillyer McKeown Solicitors offer fellow Wirral Chamber members our Aventi Employment Solutions service, completely FREE for 3 months, with no strings attached.

hello@letsgopublishing.co.uk

08444 177 177 richard.burnett@law.uk.com

0151 200 7422

10% off on ALL our services.

Free HR and Employment Law Support

Free energy efficiency review Before you consider how to reduce the amount of energy you use, it is important to get the best price for the supply of your gas and electricity. With electricity and natural gas prices forever on the increase it is very important to buy energy at the right time and for the right price.

Please contact the Wirral Chamber to arrange:

0151 650 0555 info@wirralchamber.co.uk

FREE paperless solutions review PLUS Christmas rates if you scan in December or January We can provide an easy and efficient way to store and retrieve your documents whilst reducing costs and releasing office space for more profitable use.

0151 638 6000 www.cull.co.uk

Confused about Pensions?

Chamber Delegate Offer Hillbark Hotel EXPIRES: 30/08/2015

20% off advertising rates for Inspired by Business

INCLUDES: Tea/ coffee on arrival, mid morning & mid afternoon Promote your business to Wirral’s business 2 course pre agreed lunch community through Inspired By Business.

Room hire, mints and bottled water Flipchart/ use of projector screen For Chamber Members. £45 per delegate

charlotte@contessahotels.co.uk

E N GAGE I N S P IR E D E V E LO P G ROW

0151 650 0555 info@wirralchamber.co.uk

The world of pensions has had a massive shake up in the last few years as the government takes measures to encourage private saving and personal responsibility, complementing the changes they are making to the universal State Pension and pension age to keep them affordable.

As a fully regulated Financial Adviser, I am able to talk through the changes with you, help you review your existing pensions and plan for a well-deserved retirement. I can also help employers to choose and implement a suitable pension for their employees.

For an initial complimentary discussion:

07882 325052 nigel@moneytreewm.co.uk

Inspired By Business

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EGERTON HOUSE

PACIFIC ROAD

WIRRAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE’S RANGE OF MANAGED

OFFICE SPACE (200-7,000 ft2)

EGERTON HOUSE

THE LAURIES CENTRE

Egerton House is a visually stunning and beautifully restored former trade warehouse situated on the south quay of Egerton Dock in Birkenhead. Constructed in 1874 it is the only original building that remains on the dockside. By 1994 the building was refurbished and substantially adapted to create the popular, modern high quality business centre and onsite Bistro that exists today.

PACIFIC ROAD

Pacific Road was a former warehouse dating back to the early 19th century. It was originally built for storage and handling of goods within the maritime sector. The building became a tram museum in the late 20th Century, housing some of the world's oldest trams and tramways. More recently the building was used as an Arts Centre before a ÂŁ1m renovation transformed Pacific Road into a modern high quality business centre.

THE LAURIES CENTRE

Built in 2004, The Lauries Centre is an iconic building that offers a range of modern office space together with large conferencing facilities. Other benefits to tenants include onsite catering and refreshments, as well as a fantastic central Birkenhead location with nearby parking facilities and excellent public transport links.

Quality Accommodation Excellent Transport Links Unrivalled Service Levels

We provide you with a professional, fully serviced experience allowing you to concentrate on your core business. Office space is available now for immediate occupancy.

To get the latest availability and pricing or to arrange a viewing, please contact Sharon Stanton, Head of Commercial Services on

(t) 0151 650 6940 | (m) 07742 442503 | (e) sms@wirralchamber.co.uk