Adur & Worthing Councils promotes Happy Hearts for Healthier Lives 

In 2016 the British Heart Foundation presented Adur & Worthing Councils Families & Wellbeing Officer Tammy Waine a Heart Hero award, in recognition for her work in local schools raising heart health awareness and promoting healthier lifestyles.

Her Happy Hearts initiative is a programme of classes for local school, devised just over 4 years ago following reports that Adur had a higher than national average rate of cardiovascular disease.

Tammy’s award winning six week programme of interactive and fun one hour lessons were made possible thanks to a substantial funding award from the British Heart Foundation and although that funding is now no longer available her innovative work continues through the Councils, and is now being made more widely available for all Primary school pupils in Worthing.

Any Primary School in Worthing interested in this programme are encouraged to contact Tammy directly at tammy.waine@adur-worthing.gov.uk for further details.

Feedback from pupils and parents in Adur, for 2015-16, has just been collated and the data proves that by educating 7-13 year olds on the benefits of healthy eating and embracing exercise as a long term lifestyle choice can effectively change the health and wellbeing for the whole family and once these pupils reach adulthood may well produce further data that shows reduced rates of heart disease in the region.  

Teacher - Ali Champion, Durrington Primary School

The Happy Hearts Programme gave my pupils a real insight into how to live a healthier lifestyle. They enjoyed multi-sensory experiences, rewards and challenges which made them fully engage and love their learning. The sessions were also rounded up beautifully by celebrating the children's achievements with parents and carers during a special assembly which really helped families at home become involved with the children's learning and healthy living lifestyles - which for a young age group is vital.”

Parent - Pauline Hannon, North Lancing

My daughter (7) often refers to what she is eating and trying new foods (this was something she struggled with before) after taking part in Tammy’s Happy Hearts sessions at her primary school, when she was 5.

Mia still reminds me that she should only eat sugary things as a ‘sometimes’ food and that she needed to eat ‘rainbow’ foods to get all the right stuff her body needs.  The fact that she could recall those lessons over 2 years later shows how good the programme is and that catching children young, is so effective.”

Councillor David Simmons, Adur District Council Executive Member for Health & Wellbeing adds “The award to Tammy Waine from The British Heart Foundation is well earned, and the impact she has made with her Healthy Hearts Programme and the ‘Grub Club’ which also encourages young people not only to choose healthy food, but also prepare and cook it, speaks volumes for her commitment and innovation. She has achieved remarkable results in helping to shape the attitudes of young people and their families which not only addresses the need for healthy eating, but also addresses the issues of obesity and the need for exercise. Her legacy will be for the changes she has encouraged to continue into the future and help reduce serious illness in the longer term.”

Councillor Valerie Turner, Worthing Borough Council Executive Member for Health & Wellbeing adds “Tammy’s tireless work over the past four years is indeed impressive, as these testaments from parents, teachers and pupils confirm.  To be able to engage and educate the younger members of our population in adopting and maintaining healthy choices, and for them in turn to take lessons learnt and encourage their own family members to adopt healthy and preventative health measures is possibly the most potent way of encouraging healthier habits for us all and lowering the risk of heart disease in the future.”

Best of Both Worlds - with property expert Lucy Alexander (From Homes Under The Hammer)

Are you looking to move out of the urban jungle to the quiet of countryside? Or have you had your fill of the countryside and you’re looking for a slice of city action? What if you could find somewhere that gives you the perfect mix of city and country living?

We’re looking for house-hunters to take part in Best of Both Worlds, a new Channel 4 series, with property expert, Lucy Alexander.

If you want to know more about getting our help to find your dream home in the best possible location, Raise the Roof Productions would love to hear from you.

For more information send an email with your details to bobw @raisetheroofproductions.com or call 0141 427 5880

Raise the Roof Productions will process your personal data in accordance with their privacy policy. Applicants should also be aware that expressions of interest are not a guarantee of taking part.

Below is a link to both Raise the Roof Productions and Channel 4’s take part website.

http://raisetheroofproductions.com/our-work/take-part/ 

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/take-part/articles/all/best-of-both-worlds/772

New Year, Enhanced Brand for Carpenter Box

Sussex-based chartered accountants, tax and business advisers, Carpenter Box has started 2017 with a subtle tweak to its identity – incorporating its membership of the MHA Association into its trading name.

The firm, now known as MHA Carpenter Box, was a founding member of the Association In 2010, when it was established by the best independent regional UK accountancy firms to share knowledge and resources.

Practice Director Chris Coopey commented: “Although it’s a small change, introducing MHA into our name demonstrates that whilst we remain a sizeable independent firm, we also have a considerable national resource at our finger tips to help clients get the best from their businesses, whatever opportunity or challenge comes their way.”

The new brand also reflects the firm’s expertise as tax and business advisers rather than just a traditional accountancy practice. The firm’s full-service offering together with its focus on sector specialisms helps to explain why MHA Carpenter Box has grown to a headcount of over 140, as does the outstanding success of its Gatwick office, which has tripled in size since first opening in June 2015.

MHA’s eight member firms have offices in 50 locations across England, Scotland and Wales. Its combined turnover puts the Association in the country’s top 15 UK accountancy groupings enabling MHA Carpenter Box to provide support to clients of every size and in every sector.

Multi Million Pound Boost to Support Access into Higher Level Education Across Sussex 

Efforts to increase the participation in higher education of disadvantaged groups across East and West Sussex and Brighton & Hove has received a major boost with confirmation that the Sussex Learning Network has been successful in its bid for a share of a new £60 million per year programme. 

The National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP) will launch on 24 January 2017 with the aim of driving a step change in the progression into higher education of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including members of ethnic minority groups and young men. The programme, which is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), will particularly focus on delivering activities which builds upon and boosts outreach in schools and local communities, as well as developing innovative ways to meet specific challenges in areas where participation in higher education tends to be low.

The Sussex Learning Network has been operating for over 10 years and brings together the combined expertise of the Universities of Brighton, Sussex and Chichester together with many of the local Further Education colleges, local councils, careers services and training providers across the region in a strategic partnership.

The Network’s successful bid, which is worth almost £8 million over the next four years, will focus on developing clear and appropriately supported pathways through various educational routes to relevant forms of higher level study aligned to local need and future demand.

Welcoming the announcement, Sarah Williams, Director of the Sussex Learning Network said: “This is fantastic news. Despite being fairly prosperous overall the coastal and rural nature of the region means there are several pockets of deprivation and sectors with low skills levels. When combined with other factors this means that we see lower than expected progression into higher education in some areas and amongst certain groups.

“This funding means that we can build on the considerable expertise and experience of our local universities, FE colleges and other partners to develop supported programmes that will have a real impact on raising aspirations and open up higher education opportunities to many who are currently missing out.”

A large-scale evaluation programme will measure the impact of the programme from the start, and will build a powerful evidence base to ensure the investment is concentrated on effective activity.

Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “We are seeing record numbers of disadvantaged young people going to university and benefiting from the real opportunities that our world class universities can offer.

“This funding and the schemes that have been developed by universities will make a real difference to young people in key areas. In addition to this, we are legislating for a new transparency duty which will place a clear requirement on all universities to release more information about their admissions process and real incentives on all institutions to go further and faster to promote social mobility.”

HEFCE Director of Policy Chris Millward said: “NCOP represents a significant investment by HEFCE in improving the life chances of young people in some of our most disadvantaged communities. Our evidence has shown that there are young people in these areas who are achieving the qualifications they need to benefit from higher education, but are not currently doing so. The programme will ensure that they are better equipped to make the right choice for them by exposing the range of higher education options available and the careers they make possible.”

For further information please contact Sarah Williams, Director of the Sussex Learning Network at s.williams@sussexlearningnetwork.org.uk

Small Business Confidence Rebounds In the South East

About 94 per cent of small businesses in the South East expect to remain the same size or expand operations over the next year, according to the latest findings by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). 

The report also revealed amid a fall in the value of the pound, four in ten exporters surveyed expect to increase overseas sales in the next quarter. It added that UK small business confidence in the last quarter bounced back to the level reported before the EU referendum campaign began and FSB’s Small Business Index (SBI) has now moved into positive territory.

The headline confidence measure now stands at +8.5, up from -2.9 in the previous quarter and reaching approximately the same level as it stood at the start of 2016 at +8.6.

Mike Cherry, national chairman at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "We are delighted to see confidence bounce back at the end of 2016, effectively wiping out the fall we saw over the course of the year in the run-up to the EU referendum and its immediate fallout. The current economic outlook seems brighter, and UK small businesses are ambitious and want to make the most of it.

"Small exporters continue their strong rise, as UK goods and services become more competitive overseas and small businesses go out to find new markets and new customers."

He added: "Despite the overall positive picture, our members still face many challenges as rising costs squeeze margins even further. The falling pound is driving up the price of imports and rising oil prices are being reflected in higher fuel costs. These inflationary pressures and price competition are hitting the bottom line hard with the majority of small firms seeing their profits continue to fall."

Read more here from Insider Media

Thriving as a Business in the Circular Economy
Roundtable Workshop
Venue: Brighthelm Centre, North Rd, Brighton BN1 1YD
Thursday January 19^th 2017, 4pm to 7pm

The University of Sussex are delighted to invite you to a roundtable workshop on ‘Thriving as a Business in the Circular Economy’ organised by the School of Business, Management and Economics at the University of Sussex in collaboration with Growth International Limited. 

The Circular Economy (CE) is an alternative to the traditional linear economy of “take, make, dispose”. CE aims to keep resources in use for as long as possible and extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recovers and regenerates products and materials at the end of their useful life.

CE promises many highly desirable outcomes including the sustainable use of the world’s resources, robust avenues for economic growth with lowered environmental impact, and new, high quality employment opportunities.

It is widely recognised that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will have a key role to play in CE. However, the opportunities and challenges they face in the transition to CE are underexplored.  

This workshop brings together academics, businesses and policy makers with four specific aims:

This workshop is designed to deliver something of value to all participants. As academic researchers, we wish to hear first-hand about the challenges SMEs face in engaging with CE practices and ideas about the form of support that would help remove these barriers.

For businesses, the workshop will offer a space to engage with other firms and relevant stakeholders as well as hearing from Professor Martin Charter who is a member of the BS 8001 framework Advisory Board. This is also an opportunity to share know-how about existing successful CE business models, identify shared problems and explore solutions in a local context. You will find an outline agenda below.

If you would like to read some background information on the Circular Economy, we suggest you take a look at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation website: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org.

We very much look forward to welcoming you to the workshop on Thursday 19^th January 2017 from 4pm to 7pm. To confirm your attendance or for further information please contact Peter Desmond of Growth International on 07956 586390 or at circulareconomy@growthinternational.com

Agenda

3.45pm - Registration and refreshments

4.00pm - Welcome & Introduction

4.10pm - “What is the Circular Economy?” – a video from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

4.15pm - The new BS 8001 framework and circular business models – Professor Martin Charter, Director, The Centre for Sustainable Design, University of Creative Arts & BS8001 Advisory Board

4.40pm - Round Table Discussions

5.30pm - Feedback from Table Discussions

6.00pm - The potential of a region-wide network for facilitating the transition to CE

6.15pm - Green Growth Platform Circular Economy project – Rachel Espinosa

6.25pm - Wrap up and Conclusion

6.30pm - 7.00pm - Refreshments

VAT Specialist Appointed at Carpenter Box

Dan’s accountancy career spans 14 years. Having trained in accountancy he went on to specialise in tax, so is both a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Adviser.

As a new member of the firm’s Tax Advisory team, Dan will provide advice to clients in a wide range of businesses and with a particular focus on specialist VAT advice, one of the most complex areas of taxation.

Dan looks to identify tax planning opportunities for his clients, helping them to become tax-efficient. His wide experience around accountancy and tax means that he is able to combine both sides, to give business advice that is really joined up.

Dan explains: “I have always worked in the Worthing area and was very familiar with the fact that MHA Carpenter Box is a progressive firm with a very good reputation. Its large client base spans many sectors. I’m confident that I can add further strength to the firm with my wide accountancy knowledge and, in particular, the specialist VAT advice that I am able to provide – a specialism that is quite rare in the accountancy profession.”

Dan lives in Worthing and outside of work he is a keen Formula 1 fan and cinema buff enjoying films ranging from sci-fi to comedy.

Safe In Sussex receive Xmas donation from Chamber members 

Local charity Safe In Sussex were delighted to receive an early Christmas present in the form of a donation from Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce.

The charity, who provides refuge accommodation for women and children subjected to domestic abuse, received the cheque for £385 from Tracie Davey, Operations Manager of the Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce. The money was raised through a Christmas raffle at the Chamber’s Xmas social event.

Louise Gisbey, Fundraising & Marketing Manager for Safe in Sussex said, ‘our refuges are a place where women and their children can feel safe and be given the vital support they need, both practical and emotional and all donations large or small make a tremendous difference’.

‘We have been really touched this year by several businesses and individuals who have supported us and this particular donation will go towards funding a new oven which we desperately need.  We are really thrilled that the Chamber decided on our charity and look forward to continuing to work closely with them.’

For more information on Safe In Sussex please see www.safeinsussex.org