Getting to know your Better Business Show Keynote Speakers: Spotlight on Shaa Wasmund MBE 

Shaa Wasmund MBE is one of Britain's most highly regarded female entrepreneurs and was named in early 2016 by The Sunday Times as one of the Top 20 Most Influential Entrepreneurs in the UK. 

She is an international best selling author and award winning businesswoman, who the Institute of Directors voted one of the most connected women in Britain. Her first book, Stop Talking, Start Doing was the #1 Best Selling Business Book in the UK for 14 months in a row, breaking all records. Shaa’s experience is incredibly diverse.

Whilst still at University, she became the world’s only licensed female boxing promoter, working alongside Don King to put on 22 World Title fights. Shaa then started working with Sir James Dyson from around his kitchen table and helped build Dyson into one of the most recognised brand names in the world.

 In 2015 she received an MBE (Member of The British Empire) Award from the Queen for her “services to business and entrepreneurship”. Today, in addition to running her own successful online educational businesses (shaa.com), she is also an acclaimed international speaker, having spoken alongside the likes of Gary Vaynerchuk and Tim Ferris. And in 2016, The Guardian newspaper named Shaa’s events as one of the Top 10 Events to attend as a small business owner.

Shaa will be sharing how she’s had her most successful and happiest 2 years in business yet!

At the Better Business Show, 2nd February 2017 - Shaa will talk about how to:

- Make Money From The Skills, Expertise and Knowledge You Already Have
- Grow Your List With Zero Marketing Budget
- Build predictable, recurring online revenue of £5k a month
- Grow an audience of raving fans and repeat buyers
- Create, market and sell online courses to monetise your audience
- Automate your business to run itself and make money around the clock
- To build a business to live life on your terms and totally smash 2017!

Shaa's purpose is to help as many people as possible, build businesses they love and which deliver them what she says is her most valuable asset: FREEDOM.

Upcoming Sir Robert Woodard Academy Shows

Sir Robert Woodard Academy are pleased to announce two large shows at the Academy in December and January...

• The Academy drama production of A Christmas Carol  on 6^th, 7^th and 8^th December. If interested, you can book your tickets via the Academy website.

•  The Musical Spectacular of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, starring six local primary schools, on 25^th and 26^th January 2017. 

• The SRWA Junior Band have a Christmas Concert and Craft Fayre at the Academy on Saturday 10^th December.

Please contact Lynn Brown on 01903 875507 or by email lbrown@srwa.woodard.co.uk if you have any questions, or would like to purchase tickets for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  

A West Sussex company which claims to be the largest seller of used books in Europe has sold a majority stake in the business to Bridges Ventures in a multimillion-pound deal.

Bridges has invested £13m to buy a majority stake in Goring-by-Sea-based World of Books, which was founded by a group of entrepreneurs in 2002 and is touted as a "pioneer" in the re-use and recycling of books.

The business works with thousands of charity shops and recycling merchants to collect and buy used books, while also purchasing unwanted books directly from consumers. It re-sells as many books as possible through its own platform, as well as other websites such as Amazon and eBay, while the rest are recycled to make corrugated cardboard packaging and news print.

Managing director Stephen Boobyer will lead the company as chief executive, and will be supported by co-founders Simon Downes, who has been promoted to chief technology officer; Mike Laundon, who will continue to run the company’s rare books division; and operations director Ben Maxfield.

"We chose Bridges as an investor because we felt they shared our values, understood our sector and our vision of what World of Books can achieve in the future," Boobyer said.

Chairman Kenneth Blair and co-founder Arthur Maxfield will transition from their current executive roles over the next six to 12 months. However, they will remain actively involved with the business as non-executive directors.

Bridges partner Oliver Wyncoll and investment director James Hurrell will join the World of Books board, while an experienced non-executive chairman will be appointed in due course. 

Spectrum Corporate Finance advised shareholders and acquisition debt was provided by Clydesdale Yorkshire Banking Group.

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Telecoms giant BT has been ordered to legally separate from its Openreach division after failing to address competition concerns raised by Ofcom. In a separate announcement, BT has appointed Mike McTighe as Openreach's first chairman.

The industry regulator is preparing a formal notification to the European Commission to start the process, and said it was disappointed that BT has "not yet come forward with proposals to meet our competition concerns".

"Some progress has been made, but this has not been enough, and action is required now to deliver better outcomes for phone and broadband users," Ofcom added.

Openreach is the division of BT Group that develops and maintains the UK's main telecoms network used by providers such as Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and BT's retail business.

In a separate announcement today (29 November 2016), BT has appointed former Ofcom executive Mike McTighe as the first chairman of Openreach. He will oversee the new board, which will operate from early 2017, and be "instrumental" in selecting further independent members.

BT said the appointment was part of its strategy to make Openreach more independent and transparent.

BT chairman Sir Michael Rake said: "We promised in July to create an Openreach board and we are delivering on that promise. I remain hopeful this significant move by BT can help to underpin a sustainable, proportionate and fair regulatory settlement that is in the interests of the whole country."

Picture: New Openreach chairman Mike McTighe

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Get Involved in Stemfest 

Here is an opportunity not only for students to see some of the latest innovations and learn about careers in STEM but for their teachers to forge links with businesses in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) communities.

Coastal STEMfest is exciting and challenging. Getting young people engaged makes STEM subjects fun and relevant, it nurtures the capacity for thinking “outside the box” and becoming truly innovative.

Schools
If you would like your school or college to be involved with Coastal STEMfest, or for further information, email CoastalSTEMfest@brighton.ac.uk or call STEM Sussex on 01273 644178.

Activity providers
Coastal STEMfest provides an excellent opportunity for STEM providers to become involved with the local community. If you want to get involved or would like more information, email CoastalSTEMfest@brighton.ac.uk or call 01273 644178.

Employers
If you would like to support our work in engaging young people across the South East in STEM activities, please see the employer section.

University of Chichester recognised for outstanding student retention

THE University of Chichester has for the second time in four years gained national recognition for its outstanding achievement in student retention.

Chichester has been named as the ‘University of the Year for Student Retention’ for 2017 by the Good University Guide from The Times and Sunday Times newspapers.

The award is based on the drop-out rates of undergraduates against a predicted annual figure.

Good University Guide editor Alastair McCall said that supporting students through their enrolment to graduation is an underestimated quality but one which the award specifically recognises.

He added: “Students who drop out represent not only a waste of public money but, more importantly, each case can represent a personal disaster for those involved.

“Chichester provides an environment where students thrive and prosper, where their skills are encouraged and honed, and where, equally importantly, they have a good time in fine surroundings, enjoying the full support of the University’s excellent staff.”

The University of the Year award was presented to Chichester for having the largest gap between its expected drop-out rate - around 12 per cent - and its actual figure of 5.7 per cent.

It concludes a successful 12 months for the institution which was recently rated as one of the best in the UK for teaching satisfaction by the Times Higher Education.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Clive Behagg said that winning the accolade twice in four years is extremely gratifying and demonstrates the University’s commitment to creating a student-centred experience in a community atmosphere.

He added: “This is testimony to the work that our entire staff put in day after day to support our wonderful students - many of whom tell me they feel part of the Chichester community from the very first day they arrive.

“This award is a significant step towards achieving our vision that - by 2020 - we will be internationally-recognised as a beacon of good practice for high-quality, student-centred higher education within a supportive community of learning.”

The University has recently announced significant investment into its Chichester and Bognor Regis campuses which includes the development of a multimillion-pound Engineering and Digital Technology Park to provide an additional 30 degree courses.

Dr Mark Mason, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience) at the institution, said that students’ experience of university is now more important than ever before.

He added: “The new structure for university fees means that students are rightly concerned about value for money and access to high quality facilities – we have invested substantially in our campuses in recent years and I believe this partly explains our success.

“But the main reason for our success is in the caring learning community created by our staff.

“This combination of excellent teaching informed by research and wonderful support by staff gives our students a real sense of belonging and encourages them to participate, grow in confidence, and exceed their expectations regarding what they can achieve.”

To find out more about how the University of Chichester provides an inclusive and enriching experience of higher education for its students go to www.chi.ac.uk/about-us.

Alternatively for more about the University’s student retention ranking within the Good University Guide go to www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/gug.

A Demonstration of Xero Cloud Accounting System 

Join Bespoke Accounting Wednesday 14th December 2016 at 10.00 am for a live demonstration of how Xero can help your business. This is a Free webinar. 

Xero is an amazing way to streamline your financial systems. But this is only the start: there's a whole marketplace of Xero Apps providing cloud tools, business solutions and ways to tailor your system to the needs of your business.

Work in the cloud - With Xero you work in the cloud, from any device. So you're not tied to the office, or your laptop. Check your balance from your smartphone, send an invoice from your tablet or pull up your key numbers while sat in the local café.

Real time numbers - You see your business information in real time with Xero. So your figures are always current, with your bank account balances and transactions pulled in through a direct feed.

Clear reporting and business dashboard - Xero's dashboard gives you a great view of your cash flow, your outstanding invoices and any bills you need to pay. It's simple, clear and keeps you on top of those numbers.

Online invoicing and payment - Forget about paper invoices and use Xero's online invoicing to email bills straight to your customers. And get paid online too through payment gateways such as PayPal.

Bob Stebbings and Corinne Marsh from Bespoke Accounting will demonstrate what Xero can do for your business in this live webinar.

Click here to book your place

Gatwick Airport Interim Results: Airport sets new world records and announces biggest-ever annual development investment of £250m 

Gatwick Airport results for the six months ending 30 September 2016 

Gatwick Airport today reinforced the vital role it plays in the local, regional and national economy as it announced its biggest-ever annual investment in development projects at the airport.

The investment of £250 million for the forthcoming financial year is part of the airport’s £1.2 billion transformative capital investment plan to be spent over five years on projects including:

Today’s results show that Gatwick continues to further increase its lead as the World’s busiest single-runway airport, with passenger numbers +6.3% on last year.

Long-haul routes grew 21%, versus the same six months last year, with North Atlantic routes +40% on the previous year, as WestJet’s new routes to Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, St John’s started. Meanwhile, Norwegian started a new route Oakland San Francisco which contributed to a more than doubling of their passengers from Gatwick.

Gatwick’s vital role within the UK economy was demonstrated by growth on domestic routes of +7%, as passengers took advantage of the regional services available from the London airport best connected to the rest of the UK.

Already the second half of this financial year has seen new connections to business destinations including Hong Kong and Moscow start. While some of the routes already announced for upcoming months include Thomas Cook’s route to Cape Town and Tianjin Airlines’ service to Xian, China, the UK’s only direct route to the home of the Terracotta Army.

Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport, said:

“Gatwick represents the changing face of aviation – demonstrated by today’s results. We continue to grow strongly breaking records as passengers respond to the variety on offer at the airport, low-cost, charter airlines and full services airlines. All now flying more passengers on more flights to more global destinations than ever.

“Our long-haul routes have grown 21% with the very latest of these British Airways’ new route to Cape Town starting today. Meanwhile, next summer Gatwick will start the UK’s only direct route to Xi’an China – home of the Terracotta Army.

“This year destinations in China, Peru, Canada, Costa Rica, Nigeria, as well as the US have been added to the airport’s line-up of long-haul routes whilst The Airport Council International have recognised that Gatwick is one of the fastest growing airports in Europe.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates Gatwick’s ongoing commitment to our development and growth, maintaining our vital role within the UK economy as we continue to offer the UK Government a credible and deliverable option for runway expansion.”

Unprecedented growth

New airlines and routes

-       WestJet to Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and St John’s (28 weekly flights)

-       Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong

-       Norwegian to Oakland San Francisco

-       Norwegian to Las Vegas

-       Tianjin Airlines to Xi’an, providing the UK’s only direct route to the city home of the Terracotta Army

-       British Airways to Oakland San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale

-       Thomas Cook to Cape Town

Airline Moves

Community Works building on the great work of our Voluntary & Community Sector Development in Adur and Worthing

A strong and vibrant community voluntary sector is very important to Adur and Worthing Councils.  Our places are fortunate to have a great mix of voluntary and community organisations who provide an important service, from befriending and working with older residents, young people, families, those with disabilities, refugees, and so much more.

Following a tendering process earlier in the year, Adur & Worthing Councils awarded a new contract to Community Works to provide sector leadership, networking and development support for the Community and Voluntary Sector locally.  This is jointly funded by West Sussex County Council.

Community Works will build on the good work in place and are currently developing a number of new relationships with the voluntary and statutory sectors and local businesses.  Central to their offer will be the development of groups around key issues (starting with health, Wellbeing, and young people and families) and guidance and support for local groups to help them grow and thrive to meet the needs and wants of local communities.

Community Works officially started in July 2016 and have since been busy in meeting local groups and recruiting key staff.

Previously, both Voluntary Action Worthing and Adur Voluntary Action delivered this service on behalf of the Councils and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their efforts over the years.

Community Works Chief Executive, Sally Polanski adds, “We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with the local community groups and voluntary organisations to support them in developing their plans and achieving their goals.

We encourage anyone to get in touch to tell us what support they need; we will aim to shape our services in response.   There is already a wealth of information from the consultation the Council’s undertook last year on the sector’s support needs which we are using to inform our setup and priorities. To stay in touch and find more about what’s on offer, groups are invited to sign up to our newsletter where all our future activities will be advertised”

Councillor David Simmons Adur District Council Executive Member for Wellbeing adds “I am pleased to say that Community Works have hit the ground running and are already providing essential support to some of our communities. I look forward to working alongside them as a local Councillor in developing a vibrant, inclusive and effective community across Adur.”

Councillor Val Turner Worthing Borough Council Executive Member for Wellbeing says  “I look forward to working closely with Community Works as the role of the voluntary and community sector is vital for Worthing and our role in helping communities to flourish.  We have made great efforts over the last few years to ensure that our support for the sector is strong and having a top class group to continue this work really matters.”