9 minute read
Business
New Blackmore Vale, August 6, 2021 Business Employers hit by ‘pingdemic’
Serious concerns have been raised by Dorset Chamber of Trade following the rapidly rising number of businesses in the county hit by the ‘pingdemic’ as hundreds of people are being told to self-isolate by the NHS Test and Trace. Dorset Chamber has been contacted by a wave of employers struggling with staff shortages as rising numbers of workers are being forced into self-isolation after being pinged by the NHS covid app. A Dorset Chamber poll on LinkedIn showed that nearly a third of businesses to date face ‘serious’ staffing/capacity issues due to self-isolation, with a further 26 per cent citing it as an issue. Now the chamber is raising concerns in Westminster through the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) while chief executive Ian Girling is writing the Dorset’s MPs. He said: “We have serious concerns about the rapidly increasing number of businesses in Dorset being affected by employees going into quarantine. “More and more employers are calling us about it. With the soaring number of people testing positive for covid also a major concern, the situation could become much worse. “Many sectors, such as hospitality, were already suffering significant staff shortages before this and I am concerned that we are seeing a resurgence of problems.” He added: “The government’s updated guidance that named, double-jabbed key workers in 16 sectors will be exempt from selfisolation rules is a step in the right direction. However, eligibility criteria for employers involves paperwork and time –and a backlog of authorisation from relevant government departments is inevitable. “We are raising the staffing shortages issue through the BCC and I am writing to our MPs. “We’ll also be seeking more ways to support Dorset businesses too, including clarification about how they may qualify for the government’s exemption scheme. “Due to increasing infections all around us, we have re-introduced remote working for our team here at Dorset Chamber on a temporary basis. “We cannot recommend that people switch off the app as it is critical that we contain the virus while acting in a safe and responsible way to negotiate this latest obstacle on the long road to recovery.” The 16 sectors listed for exemptions are energy, civil nuclear, digital infrastructure, food production and supply, waste, water, veterinary medicines, essential chemicals, essential transport, medicines, medical devices, clinical consumable supplies, emergency services, border control, essential defence outputs and local government.
Award for stump firm
A Shaftesbury business has won Best Garden Maintenance Firm of 2021 for Innovation and Excellence. No More Stumps Ltd offers a range of tree stump removal services, including large stump grinding and narrow access stump grinding and with a top-of-the-range stump grinder, short work can be made of that unsightly, inconveniently located, difficult to remove tree stump – no matter the size!
AIRWAVES COMMUNICATIONS OF SHERBORNE - office space to rent as well half the front of the shop Contact Gary Bridger 07970 651750
In creative industries judging rules can affect the outcome
The creative industries are the fastest growing sector in the UK economy. Every new stage show, film, visitor attraction or event seeks to push out the boundaries of our imagination and our capacity to engage. A project team combines many creative roles to produce a compelling experience. We have worked around the world on many such projects, using Skype and Zoom meetings to keep the process to its intended timescale. Lockdown accelerated this trend. Physical meetings remain crucial. One theme park project involved illusions and deceptions, and required our mirror maze expertise. Our first prototype scale model fitted within a 4x4, small enough to bring to the meeting, yet large enough for everyone to appreciate the sight line issues involved. A three-dimensional prototype is not the final design, but a physical snapshot within an ongoing process. It proved a powerful way for different specialists to observe, discuss and interact. Eventually there were four prototypes, with modifications still being made during construction when full-size problems could be appreciated for the first time. When opened to the public, the attraction was indeed spectacular. The bureaucratic mind works differently. Creating a garden for the Chelsea Flower Show is a prestigious privilege, let alone winning a gold or silver medal. The Royal Horticultural Society requires that the entire creative process is concluded before entries are selected. Each garden is judged on how closely it adheres to what was proposed. Imaginative and spectacular afterthoughts arising in the year between design and build cause it to be marked down. I was a judge at a maze garden competition in St Petersburg, Russia; the way the judging rules were framed, I found myself having to vote one way, instead of for the maze garden which made my spirit soar highest. At a differently structured international garden design competition at the Chateau de Thoiry in France, I was able to vote as a jurist as my heart felt. I was thrilled when that entry won, with its set of judging rules working better as a way of recognising outstanding merit. This is one of the paradoxes of creativity. It collides with constraints, whether of space, time, budget, technology, quality or safety regulations. Yet constraints are often the Mothers of Invention. Whatever our business, living within a creative society can stimulate our own marketing, sales, product quality and customer service. There is even scope for innovation and creativity within the world of administration and regulation! Let our creativity flow!
n Adrian Fisher received the honour of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to International Sales and the Creative Industries.
By Andrew Diprose Residents in a North Dorset village are the first to benefit from a programme to help rural communities get a world class internet connection for free. Wessex Internet has started connecting people in Fifehead St Quintin via a community project set up to help residents take advantage of the government subsidised voucher scheme available to rural areas. But it was additional top-up funding from Dorset Council and Dorset LEP’s Getting Building Fund that made the scheme possible. Lee Dickenson and his wife Wendy, who run a B&B, are one of the first households to get full fibre brought direct to their property by Wessex Internet. It means they now have access to one of the fastest internet speeds available thanks to a full fibre 1 gigabit per second (1 Gbps) capable connection. Lee, a sculptor, said: “It’s early days, but as we both use the internet, we are pleased to be able to get this superfast connection. “We’d heard about Wessex Internet as we’d looked into a wireless connection in the past so when they got in touch, we were pleased to be given the opportunity to get full fibre installed.” Another resident, Wowie Dunnings, said: “We live in the middle of nowhere. “We were offered a 0.5 Mbps download by another provider, and after posting a comment on social media, quite a few people came forward and told me about Wessex Internet. “Then when we found out about the free connection, helped in part by the top-up funding, we were delighted.” The government’s UK Gigabit Voucher Scheme allocates £1,500 to eligible homes and £3,500 to businesses in rural areas to cover installation costs. The scheme works by residents pooling together to raise enough interest to apply for vouchers. However, the government funding alone is not always enough to reach some of the more remote areas, which due to their location and terrain incur higher construction costs. This is where the Dorset ‘top-up’ can make all the difference. The additional funds provided by Dorset Council and Dorset LEP enables residents to claim up to £2,500 and businesses up to £6,000. Cllr Peter Wharf, Dorset Council’s Deputy Leader, said: “We are delighted to see the first fibre installation using Dorset top-up funding come to fruition. “Seeing a rural community go from struggling on meagre broadband speeds to enjoying ultra-fast connections is exactly why we provided these additional funds. “Without the Dorset top-up communities like Fifehead St Quintin would still be forced to cope with inadequate broadband not fit for the 21st century. “Our rural area must not be left behind in today’s digital world.” Ludo Skinner, Director of Infrastructure at Wessex Internet, said: “A sub-standard connection because you live in a rural area is unacceptable. “Connectivity is a necessity –rural communities, businesses, schools, and the healthcare sector all depend on it to thrive. “We are delighted to be working with Dorset Council. “Local authority innovations like their Dorset Rural Gigabit Connectivity Voucher Top Up Scheme address any shortfall in funding and are crucial to ensure that rural areas are no longer overlooked or underserved.” Wessex Internet and Dorset Council anticipate that the scheme will open up hundreds of households and businesses across rural locations in Dorset to world class internet connectivity.
BROADBAAAND AT LAST: From left, Wowie Dunnings, Cllr Peter Wharf of Dorset Council, Ludo Skinner, Wessex Internet, resident Paul Dunnings with sheep Wolfhanger Chestnut and Wolfhanger Quince, and Adam Holloway, Wessex Internet
Andrew Diprose is the founder and editor of dorsetbiznews.co.uk, the No.1 business website in the county with more than 27,000 unique users.
Rural homes scoop full fibre
The Blandford Business Support Group (BBSG) has launched the first in what is hoped to be an annual series of local awards celebrating the strength and diversity of local businesses and promote the town’s economic community. The Blandford Business Awards are sponsored by Xero, the masonic Lodge of Honour & Friendship, Hall & Woodhouse and local community magazine Forum Focus, but others are invited to offer support for both the awards and the celebration in the Cowley Room at Bryanston School on the evening of Saturday, October 23. BBSG chairman Catherine Chapman said: “We particularly want to highlight those which have had a positive impact in the town and surrounding areas, as well as those demonstrating business excellence at a time when everyone has struggled with the ‘covid experience’. ”There’s a free and simple application and judging process to give everyone a chance of taking part.” To be eligible, businesses just need to have a DT11 postcode. Categories are for retail, hospitality, service (including professional and trade), with one for any business launched since January 1 2020 which has faced the added challenge of starting up during a period of considerable disruption. Customers can also nominate the business they believe to be the best in the area. An overall Business of the Year will be chosen from the category winners selected from a shortlist of finalists by a panel of judges, and the results announced at the reception with two-course dinner for which tickets will go on sale this month. For more information email blandfordbusinessawards2021 @gmail.com
