Mindworks Pop Up Escape Rooms!

What do you get if you take four strangers, a dark tent, a pair of handcuffs and a stopwatch?

Team ‘Operation Chamber’ taking on the Mindworks pop-up Escape Room at the Better Business show recently, that’s what!  (What were you thinking??)

Chay Took, Marnie Williams, Matt Marchant and Nick Tompkin – four business leaders who hadn’t worked together before – kindly agreed to let me observe and give feedback on how they performed as a team during this 15-minute escape challenge (or perhaps Tracie Davey is just very persuasive).

We had a great conversation afterwards, reflecting on how their team dynamics evolved in that short time, from being polite and measured at the outset, to each stepping into their natural styles and roles towards the end.

Thanks Chay, Marnie, Matt and Nick for being such good sports.

Without giving away any game spoilers, here are some of my favourite lines:

“Who did that?”

“Are we missing something really obvious?”

“I was over-engineering it.”

“Check his pockets!”

“And you know what, that matches as well... It's like they were giving us a clue!”

“Shall we wait and get some suspense?”

If you’re looking for a fun activity for your business event, Mindworks have three different Escape Rooms in Worthing, or can bring this pop-up experience to your venue.

Celebrating 10 years of HR Dept

As we celebrate our company's 10th anniversary, we reflect on a decade of unwavering commitment to excellence, growth, and personalised service in the field of Human Resources Consultancy. Since we started, we have become a beacon of expertise, consistently providing exceptional services to our clients across Sussex.

We started small but over the years we have expanded our team, diversified our services and kept up with the latest trends in HR. In 2022, we merged our East and West Sussex based HR Dept businesses and our consistent growth is thanks to the hard work and commitment of our talented HR professionals who strive for excellence. As a small business ourselves, we understand the pressures on our clients and do all we can to provide a cost-effective service.

One of our proudest achievements is the consistent positive feedback we have received from our valued clients. Their satisfaction is at the heart of our success. We have built enduring partnerships based on trust, reliability, and a deep understanding of their unique needs. It is rewarding to know that our tailored solutions and personalised approach have not only met but often exceeded their expectations. Such client testimonials are the foundation of our reputation and motivate us to aim even higher in the future.

Our success is rooted in our commitment to provide local, personalised commercial advice. We understand that every business is unique, and our consultants take pride in delivering advice that not only follows industry best practices but is also customised to address the specific challenges and opportunities our clients face in their local context. This approach has been fundamental to our clients' success and will remain a cornerstone of our business philosophy.

As we mark this significant milestone, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to our clients, partners, and dedicated team members. The last 10 years have been an incredible journey, and we look forward to the next decade with optimism, enthusiasm, and an unwavering commitment to delivering excellence in HR consultancy.

www.hrdept.co.uk/sussex-by-the-sea

British Business Bank new ‘Making business finance work for you’ guide set to help businesses across the South East

The British Business Bank has launched a new guide aimed at smaller businesses, to help them understand how different financial products can support them at all stages of their development.

The new guide, Making business finance work for you, was launched during the Bank’s Business Finance Week last week, and is available to access free of charge here

The new guide is designed to help businesses make informed choices about accessing the right type of finance. It highlights the seven most common challenges businesses might face and the types of finance that could help to meet them:

• ·         Starting a business - Starting a new business often requires capital – money that is used to help research a business idea, create a prototype product, or purchase equipment or machinery that a new business will use.
• ·         Research and development – Research and development (R&D) is when a business develops innovative products, services, or processes.
• ·         Importing and exporting goods and services – Businesses selling goods or services overseas face risks when it comes to cash flow and receiving payment from buyers.
• ·         Protecting cash flow and working capital – Cash flow can be unpredictable with unforeseen costs, seasonal fluctuations, and wider economic challenges all impacting business growth.
• ·         Debt consolidation – If a small business has multiple loans or lines of credit, they may decide to consolidate their debts into a single, more manageable loan.
• ·         Purchasing a major asset - If a small business is looking to acquire another business or invest in a large asset, such as specialist plant or machinery, an injection of capital may be required.
• ·         Scaling and growing a business - Whether it’s opening a new location, expanding product lines or increasing production capacity, growth requires capital.

Louis Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, British Business Bank, said: “It can be challenging for businesses to find the right finance at the right point in their journey. I hope our new Making business finance work for you guide can help businesses across the South East find the information and finance that they need to take them to the next level.”

As well as online, the ‘Making business finance work for you’ is also available in Accessible pdf, hard copy, Braille, Audio-Described and Large Print (20pt) formats.

According to its latest Annual Report and Accounts, the British Business Bank was supporting £1,439m of finance to 12,115 businesses in the South East as at 31 March 2023.

Sussex Manufacturer Invests £550k in Expansion

A Sussex-based manufacturer and supplier of specialist rubber grommets has invested in a new production and distribution centre with the support of £550,000 from Lloyds Bank.

Grommets Ltd manufactures thousands of moulded rubber products and bespoke items for use in electrical engineering and manufacturing, covering wires and cables or protecting sharp edges. The business supplies over 8,000 firms across a wide range of industries, from wind farms to the rail industry, with clients including Thales, Unipart Rail and the Fourth Bridge.

As demand from renewable sectors increases, the firm is producing more products for use in solar panels and batteries for electric vehicles.

To cope with the increasing demand, the business has decided to increase its footprint by nearly a third. Construction of the purpose-built facility in Henfield, which sits alongside its existing manufacturing unit on Grommets’ half-an-acre site, was supported by Lloyds Bank and help will enhance the firm’s productivity.

Grommets’ storage and distribution offering has now consolidated from a number of small units into one, boosting efficiency between the departments and reducing lead times for customers.

Four charging points have also been installed at the new HQ for its fleet of EVs while the business is exploring plans to add solar panels to the roof of the 3,918 sq ft building to reduce its emissions further.

Jo Boorsma, managing director at Grommets Ltd, said: “Our new facility is the culmination of three decades’ of hard work, as we’ve continued to expand our operations, capacity and client base. To be in a position where we needed more space to grow is a fortunate one and I’m glad Lloyds Bank stepped up to help us achieve that.

“We’re eponymous with the industry and as a result, clients look to us to deliver market-leading quality and innovation. Our new facility helps us do all this and more, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us, particularly as we grow into supporting new wind farms and EV battery manufacturing.”

Andy Boreham, relationship manager at Lloyds Bank, said: “Growing a business relies on operations flowing smoothly and finding efficiencies where possible. Grommets’ new facility is exactly what will help them achieve this.

“Embarking on a new build can be daunting, but the benefits to the business are enormous and are well-worth the investment. Grommets, for example, will be able to reduce its energy bills, boost productivity and improve talent retention and attraction as a result of a modern new workplace. These are three crucial ways of increasing resilience and accelerating growth in spite of headwinds.”

Fine Cut Group - A Journey to Solar Powered Energy

As everyone struggles with the increases, businesses are facing astronomical energy bills. Fine Cut saw their electricity costs double in just one year and in a business environment, reducing energy costs can be very difficult. Machines need to run and lights need to be on continually, so cutting back on output was not a feasible option.

With this in mind, they looked at internal strategies they could put in place to reduce their energy output. The first step was to insulate the entire factory wherever possible. By identifying the areas which needed attention, such as where they had suspended ceilings and the air temperature could not be maintained - they started insulating all these ceilings. The results have been dramatic and these areas now maintain a workable temperature and have had an instant reduction in gas and electricity usage.

Along with doing what they could internally, Fine Cut had the entire premises roof reclad ahead of their solar project, as it was crucial that the roof was in good order before the solar panel install.

The next steps towards solar powered energy was to apply for a grant and go through the tender process to vet potential contractors. Their forecast indicated that solar should generate 40-50% of their energy required annually, and a saving of £30k a year, so it was a worthy investment going forward...

To continue reading the full story on Fine Cut's journey to solar powered energy, visit their website - https://www.finecut.co.uk/our-journey-to-solar-powered-energy

Be part of Worthing High School's "Big Interview" on the 27th February 2024!

As a school Worthing High School is very keen to be pro-active with face-to-face events involving local businesses as these are a vital part of our student’s ongoing development and character building, particularly in preparation for their next steps as they progress onto further education and future employment.

One of the main events in the school calendar is our very successful annual ‘Big Interview’ event and this is being held on Tuesday 27^th February at Worthing High School. Timings for this are from 8.45am-1.30pm.

We are actively looking for locally based volunteers from the business community to be interviewers.

The ‘Big Interview’ enables each of our Year 10 students to receive a 10 minute interview from one of the local volunteer business partners on the day. The interview is not planned for a specific job, but to prepare students for what general questions they may be presented with in either future job interviews or at upcoming college and/or further education interviews.

Volunteers do not have to have experience of holding interviews as this will be more of a two way conversation approach and that this exercise will provide students with useful feedback on body language, question & answer techniques as well as giving them direct experience of a 1:1 interview with a person from outside of the school environment. We will of course provide further information both prior to and on the day to all businesses kind enough to support.

We will be providing refreshments for all our willing interviewers and would really appreciate your invaluable support for one of Worthing High School’s future pathways linked activities.

We can never have too many people for an event such as this and if you have any colleagues within your business or other contacts that would also be prepared to attend, please can you let me know and I will be more than happy to add them to the list of volunteers.

The event always provides our business partners with the opportunity to network with other local companies as well as within the school environment.

If you are interested please contact MFisher@worthinghigh.net

Businesses and individuals indifferent to Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, finds Kreston Reeves poll

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, delivered his Autumn Statement on Wednesday 22 November against the backdrop of the yet to be announced General Election.

With a reduction in National Insurance rates, permanent full expensing relief for companies, and further reform of R&D tax credits topping the ‘110 growth measures’ announced, there was a lot for businesses and individuals to unwrap.

To help them do so, accountants, business and wealth advisers Kreston Reeves held its Autumn Statement question time webinar for clients and contacts, including a straw poll on the Chancellor’s announcement and business sentiment.

Over 100 businesses and individuals participated in the polls with the overwhelming majority (47%) indifferent to the Chancellor’s growth plan. However, 35% did say they felt ‘positive’ following the Autumn Statement, with 18% saying they felt ‘negative’ or ‘very negative’.

The majority of businesses that took part in the polls (47%) will be prioritising sustaining their business over the next 3-6 months, with 39% prioritising going for growth, 8% on business survival and 2% currently looking for an exit.

Daniel Grainge, Partner and Head of Tax at Kreston Reeves, said: “It is a truism of parliamentary fiscal announcements that they are made in the context of the election cycle. Here, with the General Election no more than 14 months away, this announcement has fired the starting gun.

“Inflation (at 4.6%) is half what it was when the Prime Minister took over last autumn. It is, however, still about three times what it was when he was Chancellor.

“Over half (53%) of those polled believe the election will be held in Autumn 2024, 19% in Spring 2024, 13% in Summer 2024 and 15% in Winter 2024/25.

“Unless the next election is called in Spring 2024, we can expect some big headline announcements in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget.”

www.krestonreeves.com

Worthing students present at professional conference

Three Year 11 students from St Oscar Romero Catholic School recently presented an academic paper at the annual conference of the Institute of Acoustics.  Following their success in the 2022 IoA Secondary School competition, they were invited to submit a paper for the conference.

Ashton Billett, Emmeline Turner and Shay Wheeler wrote the scientific study, looking at the soundscape of their school environment, and the impact that loud noises such as the school bells have on students and staff.  In the course of their investigation they took sound level measurements at 35 different locations around the school, repeating this 10 times during each day across a 5-day school week.  Having identified issues with the school bells, they suggested possible solutions and presented these to the school leadership team and the governors.  The school is now implementing their ideas and is making changes to reduce the loudness of the bells.

Following the IoA competition win in 2022, Prof David Waddington (Professor of Environmental Acoustics, University of Salford) commented:

"St Oscar Romero Catholic School’s winning entry for the Institute of Acoustics Secondary School Competition 2022 is an outstanding project. This work combines a number of difficult areas of acoustics, including soundscapes, subjective testing, and environmental noise mitigation. These students clearly worked hard and produced a highly creditable result, and we welcome students of this calibre on the Acoustics courses at the University of Salford. My compliments to Physics teacher Mr Clarke, Headmaster Mr Bryne and his staff for their extracurricular support of this exciting and inventive project. With just a little effort, this work could be made into a conference paper and would be a popular presentation at the IOA Annual Conference. I hope to see them there in Winchester in October 2023."

The students then worked on writing the conference paper, and got to present it at the Acoustics Conference 2023.  This was the first time that school-aged students have presented at an IoA conference.

Professor Stephen Dance (London South Bank University) said: “It was lovely to see how the students coped when the boot was on the other foot and they were presenting to the experts. The level of professionalism showed maturity beyond their years. Real work problem identification and a practical approach to finding a solution was displayed”.

Alistair Somerville, President of the Institute of Acoustics, said: “This presentation was a great success, extremely well received by all those attending and a worthy addition to our conference programme. The students from St Oscar Romero school presented their work and handled questions with an assured confidence which impressed us all. Congratulations to Ashton, Emmeline and Shay for a well prepared and presented conference paper.”

The students’ Physics teacher, Peter Clarke, said “I am so proud of these students.  To produce a scientific paper while still at secondary school is a fantastic accomplishment.  Having the opportunity of presenting this to industry and academic experts was an unforgettable experience.  They each have a bright future ahead of them.”

Peter Byrne, Headteacher at St Oscar Romero’s Catholic School, said: "I am so incredibly proud of our students. To present a paper at a scientific conference, and to answer questions from university professors and industry experts with such confidence, is nothing short of remarkable. My thanks to Mr Clarke who both inspired and supported the students during the project."

Southern Water Business Partnership Fund

Has your business got a great idea to save water but not the funds to make it happen?

Water is a precious resource. Every year the population of the South East grows, but the amount of water available stays the same. Due to hotter summers and less rainfall, increased pressure Is put on our water supplies. If we keep consuming at our current rate, in time, demand will outstrip supply – as there’s only so much we can take from our environment.

That’s just one reason why we’re on the look out for new and innovative ideas to help reduce water use in businesses across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent. Can you help save a little water and make a lot of difference?

If you have an idea for a project – whether it’s harvesting rain or shower water, fitting flow restrictors on taps, harnessing new technology to save water, or anything else you can think of – we want to hear from you!Check if you’re eligible 

We encourage applications from:

• Businesses located in, and operating out of, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex, and Kent.
• Water retailers supplying a business in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent.
• Water conservation service providers supporting a business in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex and Kent.

Your project must meet the following criteria:

• Southern Water must supply the mains water to your business- use our Postcode Checker to find out if Southern Water is your supplier.
• It must deliver water savings in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex or Kent. It must save mains tap water and demonstrate a tangible, sustainable reduction in water use (litres/day saved as a result of the project) before 31 December 2024.
• You must be able to provide a monthly update once the project has launched and a full case study at the end.
  
  

Applications are now open until 31 December 2023! Find out more today!