Worthing Food Foundation and Hill Barn Golf Club tee off a new community partnership thanks to Worthing & Adur Chamber

The power of networking was brought to the fore at February’s members’ breakfast meeting at Hill Barn Golf, a popular and welcoming public golf course with wonderful views to the coast. Among the new guests was Fiona Gallagher of the Worthing Food Foundation, a volunteer-led foodbank supporting 1,000 people across Worthing every month. The charity was set up by local residents at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and operates on a non-referral, ‘food first’ basis – anyone in need can contact the foodbank and will be supported for at least 12 weeks. Fiona’s 60 second introduction highlighted the growing demand for the foodbank’s services as a result of the cost of living crisis, and an appeal for business and community support to help families in need throughout Worthing.  Andrew Smedley, Hill Barn’s General Manager, was so inspired by this that he offered there and then to nominate the foodbank charity as the beneficiary of Hill Barn’s inaugural Worthing Business Championships on Friday April 21^st. The event is open to teams of four of any ability from businesses in Worthing and Adur, and will take place from 11am, with refreshments and networking before tee off and prizes for the top three teams. Ahead of the event, Hill Barn have already started collecting food donations for the foodbank and will offer raffle prizes and encourage teams to support the foodbank on the day.

Fiona says ‘Without Worthing & Adur Chamber, I would not have met Andrew and been able to create an exciting new community partnership with him and his team at Hill Barn. All of us at Worthing Food Foundation are really grateful to Hill Barn for their generous support for the foodbank, and look forward to a fun day of golf and networking later this month.’

Andrew says ‘I was nervous when helping to host a Worthing & Adur Chamber Breakfast Meeting but listening to the speakers, I was enthused to hear so many interesting stories. I was able to share a coffee with Fiona who was incredibly passionate about the Worthing Food Foundation and I felt Hill Barn Golf Club could offer some support. I am looking forward to hosting the Worthing Business Golf Championships in support of the Worthing Food Foundation and continuing or partnership into the future.”

For more information about the Worthing Food Foundation and how you can donate time, money or food to help it continue to support local families, please email Fiona at fcegallagher@gmail.com or visit www.worthingfoodfoundation.org.uk. For more information about the Hill Barn Golf Club, please email Andrew.Smedley@hillbarngolf.com or visit www.hillbarngolf.com.

Fit for the Future - Lunch and Learn

Adur & Worthing Councils in collaboration with the Careers Hub for the area supported by The Careers & Enterprise Company and Fit for the Future are running a lunch and learn session to showcase a programme that businesses can engage with to showcase their sector to the world of education

 The purpose is to offer businesses a simple and impactful way of showcasing their business and industry sector to young people in the region.

The programme offers a fully inclusive offer so that businesses can get all departments and colleagues involved increasing engagement of staff and adding to their CSR strategy.

Fit for the Future - Lunch and Learn Tickets, Tue 25 Apr 2023 at 12:00 | Eventbrite

Thinking about your skills gaps?...Think about degree apprenticeships!

The foundations for the continued growth and success of any business is its people. Recruiting and developing the right people with the right skills ensures continued stability and opportunities for growth and success/increased competitiveness in the future. 

Degree apprenticeships are a proven, popular and successful way of meeting skills gaps, helping to drive recruitment of high-calibre staff and upskilling and developing existing employees. Degree apprenticeships provide an opportunity to combine a career with a recognised and credited training programme. Whilst employed with you, a degree apprentice will study with the University of Chichester, one day a week, towards a qualification aligned to the needs of your business. This enables theory to be put into practice, embeds learning, and creates opportunities within the workplace for new thinking, new ideas and new ways of working.  

The apprentice does not pay any tuition fees. If a business pays the Apprenticeship Levy, the apprentice’s tuition fees are paid from its digital account. If a business does not pay the Apprenticeship Levy, the tuition fees will be jointly funded by the employer and the Government. In many cases, the Government meets 95% of the costs of the programme.

Skills shortages are clearly evident in a range of sectors and degree apprenticeships offer a proven way of helping to tackle this issue, as well bringing additional benefits to the business such as:

• Skills. Degree apprenticeships help employers find and develop the right talent and skills. Many employers have reported difficulties finding the right recruits at graduate level. Hiring a degree apprentice gives you the opportunity to train a future graduate to suit your particular needs, and create a pipeline for talent within your organisation. Nationally, 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation 
  
  
• Productivity. Feedback from employers suggests that where they have hired apprentices, it has improved their productivity and the quality of their service. Nationally, 78% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity 
  
  
• Staff satisfaction. Employers who have hired apprentices also report greater staff satisfaction and increased morale. Nationally, 74% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service  

The University of Chichester delivers degree apprenticeships that are designed specifically to the needs of employers. Our programmes are delivered on a day-release basis, with apprentices attending sessions on campus one day per week. Our innovative Postgraduate Senior Leader Apprentice programme is offered on a one day per month basis.  

The university’s apprenticeships team can support employers with recruitment and selection of suitable apprentices. The team is happy to be as involved as needed by an employer.

What have employers and degree apprentices said?

Eurotherm (Watlow Group) - Lacey Evans, R&D Degree Apprentice said: ‘Some of the benefits of combining working and studying for a degree at the University of Chichester, include applying the knowledge and skills you learn at university in a working environment, which provides industry experience and consolidates what you have learnt. Another benefit includes receiving the essential workplace experience often required for graduate jobs, before graduating! 

I have used the knowledge gained at university to help contribute to many projects at Eurotherm – the things I have learnt at university provide the fundamental background knowledge required to be applied within real-life engineering applications at work.’ 

Red River - Simon Pringle, CEO of Red River said: “Adam’s working on real projects for customers and doing a great job. He’ll be with us for four years as he works towards his degree and is already a firm member of the team”. 

“We have worked closely with the university over the past years and been proud to do our bit to get the Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship up and running. I’m looking forward to getting involved again as the degree apprenticeships have been a game changer for us and the eight software engineers we have put through this programme have turned out to be the engine room of our business. For those employers out there who are unaware of the benefits please do get in touch and visit https://www.chi.ac.uk/degree-apprenticeships/”

If you would like to find out more about our programmes or need an informal chat to talk through options please contact us on apprenticeships@chi.ac.uk or our business development managers, Andrew Adams (a.adams@chi.ac.uk) and Dr Andy Slade (a.slade@chi.ac.uk)

Alternatively, you can view information on all of our programmes online at: www.chi.ac.uk/apprenticeships

George Square Financial Management - Market Update - in Conjunction with Albemarle Street Partners

The light at the end of the tunnel may be brighter, but we are not out of the woods!

The first quarter of 2023 has come and gone. As we wait for Spring, the prevailing gloom in markets has given way to a renewed sense of optimism.

Central bankers, for all their dithering, finally delivered “whatever it takes”. Interest rate rises have been at their fastest pace in 30 years, to tackle inflation. Their efforts have slowed the post-Covid economic boom which fueled price rises.

Whilst the path is down, inflation is unlikely to be entirely smooth, we believe the Central Banks have done enough to prevent a repeat of the 1970s. US inflation has fallen steadily in recent months, and even in the UK and Europe, things are slowly improving. While investors and markets are likely to be jittery around the exact pace of improvement, a decline in inflation numbers through the summer months looks highly likely given the annual rate of inflation will no longer be including the rapid price rises of a year ago.

Banking tumult and peak policy rates

Higher interest rates impose stress on the financial system. We wondered what would break first, something in the real economy, or the central bankers’ resolve to continue to tighten policy.

As it turned out, we saw some failures amongst small US banks and a forced merger with Credit Suisse, but the central bankers held their nerve.

However, these events have made it more likely that inflation will fall faster as banks opt to reduce the amount of lending they are carrying out in the real economy to reduce risk. For this reason, the market has become convinced that we are very close, and possibly at, the peak for interest rates. The bond market is signaling a belief that US interest rates will be 1% lower than today in two years’ time.

We believe that the US Central Bank will need to cut rates as early as the fourth quarter. Ultimately this is the mechanism by which the world begins to move out of economic crisis. However, it may mean that we may have to pass through a recession first.

Some of course will worry that the banking issues will persist. However, we do not believe the collapse of Silicon Valley bank and the demise of Credit Suisse in the subsequent week speak to a broader fragility in the financial system. These institutions suffered a lack of confidence in their management, which caused a liquidity crisis as they were unable to find sources of capital to replace fleeing deposits.

While all banking institutions are susceptible to bank runs, deposit guarantees, and timely regulatory action can help limit financial contagion. The Federal Reserve and US Treasury have been swift and direct in their response, which mitigates spillover effects.

Duration - welcome back dear friend

The last few months have seen a recovery in portfolios, with positive returns. While we are pleased to see portfolios delivered during a recovery in risk sentiment, it was even more pleasing to see the relative outperformance of portfolios (versus IA equivalent benchmarks) during the mid-March pullback in equity markets.

While bonds have rallied sharply in recent weeks, they remain attractive sources of diversification and return during a period of economic uncertainty.

Factor Diversification

The shift in the financial landscape over the last few weeks has caught many investors by surprise. The risk of a severe recession has increased which has pressured economically sensitive stocks, ranging from banks to commodity suppliers. We were concerned about a recession in 2023 and positioned portfolios accordingly.

We have retained exposure to a wide variety of factors but have understood the factor biases in geographical allocations. The UK large cap market was a standout performer in 2022. The value bias in the index, as well as its large dividend yield helped placate investor nerves as they sought sanctuary from the implosion of growth stock valuations.

Conclusion

The events of the last few weeks have increased the risk of a deeper recession as banks tighten lending standards. Bond markets have started to rally in anticipation of a pause in monetary tightening and are likely to benefit from a continued decline in inflation. While the economy has so far been resilient, earnings could fall sharply if a deeper recession materializes. Quality and growth stocks have been beneficiaries of falling yields and a rotation away from cyclical sectors. We see value building in parts of the fixed income and equity market but will be disciplined in adding risk exposures.

parry@george-square.co.uk | www.george-square.co.uk

Chamber Member Shoutout! 

Chamber Member, Mint Design Studio are proud to be successfully delivering the branding for the Digital Futures programme, which is delivered by West Sussex County Council and the West Sussex District and Borough Councils.

Digital Futures is aimed at inspiring jobseekers and people at all stages of their careers to discover the range of digital roles available in West Sussex, to connect local businesses with local talent and increase aspiration for digital careers across the county. The programme is jointly funded by West Sussex County Council and the West Sussex District and Borough Councils. More than 20 events will be held across the county in 2023. Information hubs will connect students, graduates, jobseekers and those seeking a career change with trainers and businesses to showcase the opportunities available. Interactive roadshows will support recruitment drives and allow jobseekers to learn more about the growing number of digital jobs in West Sussex: www.digitalfuturesws.co.uk.

To find out more about Mint Design Studio click here

More Radio Live was a huge success in 2022, with over 5,000 people joining us for an evening of live music.

One of Worthing’s biggest music events “MORE RADIO LIVE” Returns to Steyne Gardens on Saturday 19^th August.

2023 Features some of the best tribute acts around including one of Queen’s biggest tribute acts “A crazy little thing called Queen” as well as tributes Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.

It is a great opportunity to generate awareness of your brand as well as attend this great evening, Sponsorship opportunities start from £500 plus Vat, if you are interested in become one of our sponsors please contact Matt Hoare – matt.hoare@totalsensemedia.co.uk

For ticket information visit - https://www.moreradio.online/more-radio-live-2023/

Government launches campaign to help businesses drive down energy bills

New campaign has launched to help organisations save money on their energy bills by improving energy efficiency 

• New campaign will help businesses boost their energy efficiency, cut costs and increase their cashflow as government ads hit the airwaves from next week.
• UK businesses, charities and other organisations to continue receiving energy bill support with energy and trade intensive industries expected to save around 20% on wholesale energy costs.
• Comes as the Energy Price Guarantee continues to keep a typical household energy bill at around £2,500.

A new campaign to help businesses, charities and public sector bodies increase their energy efficiency and drive down bills by making simple changes at low-to-no cost has been launched by the UK government today.

The campaign, targeted at small and medium sized businesses, will offer guidance on how organisations can make significant savings while cutting emissions, from installing light and heating timers, to turning down boiler flow temperature and changing light bulbs.

Many organisations are already aware of ways to boost their energy efficiency and have put these measures into practice. However, a substantial number of businesses are missing out on huge potential savings, due to a lack of information on how to cut down on their energy costs.

For many companies, a 20% cut in energy costs represents the same bottom-line benefit as a 5% increase in sales. A new website will help organisations access simple, low-to-no cost advice, outlining a range of possible actions, from having better sight of current energy use to upgrading and modifying equipment.

Examples of businesses already benefiting from energy efficiency measures:

• LED lighting allowed a carpark in Bedford to cut their average annual lighting costs by 50%. Lurke Street Multistorey Carpark installed lighting throughout their premises in 2017, replacing older, less energy efficient lighting. By installing a smart meter they were able to actively track and compare year-on-year savings - on average £50,000 per year - allowing them to build business cases for further investments.
• Marlec Engineering, a wind turbine manufacturer in Corby, switched to energy saving lighting as part of a range of measures to make their business premises more energy efficient. The company replaced T8 Fluorescent lamps with new, energy saving LED tubes. The lighting did not reduce light levels in the office and achieved a 60% saving on lighting costs.

To make sure as many businesses as possible know about the campaign, it will be promoted through paid advertorial across TV, radio, social media and more, and we are seeking to promote this through partnerships with the British Chambers of Commerce and Federation of Small Businesses.

It follows the launch of the government’s £18 million ‘It All Adds Up’ campaign last year. This provides similar advice for households, saving them hundreds on their energy bills, and saw UK sales of ‘draught protection products’ on eBay double shortly after the launch.

Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan said:

Falling wholesale energy prices are welcome news, but this in no way changes our firm, long-term commitments to vastly boost UK energy efficiency across industry and households.

From today businesses, charities and public sector bodies can access helpful and practical advice on simple actions they can take to substantially reduce their energy use – and potentially increase profits.

Not only will this help lower operational costs by up to hundreds of thousands of pounds, but smarter energy use will help us deliver on our critical pledges to cut demand by 15% and reach net zero by 2050.

The new site also offers guidance on taking full advantage of the government’s range of energy support schemes available, such as the new Energy Bills Discount Scheme, which offers a unit discount on bills, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which offers grants to help make installing heat pumps and biomass boilers as cheap as a gas boiler.

Adrian Dennis, Managing Director of Marlec Engineering, said:

Our business works with an absolute focus on sustainable energy solutions. We’ve invested in electric company cars and eco-friendly packaging. But upgrading to LED lighting is low-cost, and one of the simplest ways to promote sustainability in-house and save money on utility bills. We’d encourage other businesses to upgrade as well.

Energy Bills Discount Scheme

From today organisations across the country will start receiving money off their energy bills through the new Energy Bills Discount Scheme. It comes as wholesale gas prices are at levels not seen since before Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, with eligible UK businesses, charities, public sector bodies and others to receive the discount until 31 March 2024.

Customers do not need to apply for the universal discount, with suppliers automatically factoring it into the bills of all eligible non-domestic customers.

The new scheme replaces the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which by late March had paid out £5.6 billion – around £35 million a day to cut energy costs for businesses.

Minister for Energy Consumers and Affordability Amanda Solloway said:

This government will always be unapologetically pro-business. We’ve spent over £5 billion to protect against disruption to UK industry at the hands of Putin, saving many businesses around half on their wholesale energy costs this winter.

The new level of support offered today reflects a substantial drop in global energy prices – now at their lowest level since before Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

We will continue to firmly back UK industry and are making sure those unable to cut back on their energy use continue to be shielded.

Dhara Vyas, Deputy CEO at Energy UK, said:

Despite recent falls, wholesale gas prices are still high by historical standards, making this is a difficult time for businesses up and down the country. Energy suppliers are working with businesses to come up with innovative solutions that will help customers afford their bills while providing improved customer service and information. But high prices cannot be solved by industry alone, so we’re pleased government and industry have worked together to ensure delivery of this critical, extended support is on time. We particularly welcome the launch of a business energy campaign to help reduce bills now and protect against future crises.

Meanwhile, eligible energy and trade intensive industries will be able to apply for a higher level of support through a GOV.UK portal later this month. This is expected to save some businesses 20% of predicted wholesale energy costs.

Domestic heat networks will also receive a new, sector-specific support rate. This will make sure these customers do not face disproportionately higher energy bills under the Energy Bills Discount Scheme than those supported by the Energy Price Guarantee.

The discount is expected to be reflected in bills from May onwards, with support backdated to 1 April.

Minister Solloway met with Ofgem, energy suppliers and others earlier this week to discuss what more suppliers can do to help business customers fixed into long-term contracts at high prices – especially those in sectors currently facing challenges.

Non-Standard Cases

The government is today announcing further that non-domestic energy support will be extended and eligibility expanded to include customers receiving energy from non-licensed suppliers through the public electricity or gas grid.

These customers will be able to apply for Non-Standard Cases support under the Energy Bills Discount Scheme covering similar levels of energy costs from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Non-Standard Cases support will also be expanded to include non-domestic customers who receive electricity or gas from license-exempt suppliers via private wire or pipe and where prices paid are pegged to wholesale energy prices. This wider group can apply for backdated support under the Energy Bill Relief Scheme as well as under the new Energy Bills Discount Scheme.

Further information about how eligible customers can apply will be provided on GOV.UK in due course.

Government launches campaign to help businesses drive down energy bills - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

Worthing community groups invited to find out if they are eligible for development funding

Worthing-based community groups, organisations and residents associations are being invited to find out if they are eligible to apply for funding from Worthing Borough Council.

The Council has made changes to how its Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Neighbourhood Fund is distributed, to open it up to more groups and make it easier to apply.

The Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund is made up of a proportion of the payments collected from developers building in the local area to offset the impact felt by residents.

This year the fund has been expanded to cover a wider area of Worthing, with groups based in any of the following areas eligible to apply:

• Coastal East: Heene, Central and Selden wards
• Coastal West: Marine and Goring wards
• North West: Northbrook, Castle and Durrington wards
• North: Tarring, Gaisford and Salvington wards

The fund covers both revenue projects and new infrastructure projects up to a maximum of £15,000.

Applications will open in May, but the Council is inviting groups to find out if they are eligible now by filling out a simple expression of interest form.

A Council spokesperson said:

“We have made a series of changes to the CIL Neighbourhood Fund since it first launched in 2021 to make it fairer, more transparent and easier to apply for.

“The new expression of interest stage will allow community groups, organisations and residents associations to easily find out if they are eligible for funding ahead of making a formal application.

“Any groups that are not fully ready to apply will be given advice from the Council or referred to Community Works, a local organisation that supports the voluntary sector.”

To find the expression of interest form and for more information about the fund click here.

Job Vacancy - Insurance Administrator - Omni Davis Insurance Brokers 

We are an independent insurance broker that prides itself in professionalism, expertise, and customer service.

Based at our offices in Billingshurst, you will be required to work within the Personal Lines Team, assisting the Account Executives in their daily duties. It is an Administrator role with full training provided with the aim to progress into a career in insurance.

Insurance Administrator Responsibilities:

• General insurance administration
• Dealing with queries and servicing customer requirements
• Producing customer documentation in a timely, consistent & compliant manner
• Ensure daily queries and e-mails are answered efficiently
• Assist with team administration
• Undertake any other reasonable duties as directed by the management team

Essential Requirements:

• Proficient I.T. skills. Including Word/Excel/Outlook
• Ability to follow processes and procedures and to work within timeframes
• Ability to stay calm in a fast-paced environment and remain proactive and professional
• Be able to rapidly adapt to change
• Be a strong team player who is eager to learn and can grasp new information quickly
• Good telephone manner
• Good attention to detail and organised in approach
• Satisfy all pre-employment checks required for the role including criminal records and credit check

Desirable Requirements:

• Previous admin and/or office experience beneficial
• A good range of strong GCSE passes, with a minimum requirement in Maths and English

My client has a genuine pride in delivering high quality work. They live by their reputation in professional services and it is this focus on quality which underpins their offering to Clients. My clients are proud of their history and accomplishments, but they’ll never forget the philosophy that has brought them to where they are now. The priority is the Client.

My client is committed to cutting through the jargon so that Clients understand the cover they are buying. Although price is always important, their reputation is based on experience and expertise in finding Clients the most suitable policy at a competitive premium. By forging strong relationships with the best-known insurance providers in the UK and through long standing connections, my client ensures they offer the insurance protection that they need, negotiating the best terms for their personal or business needs.

Location: Billingshurst, West Sussex

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full Time, 9.00am – 5.00pm (Monday to Friday)

Salary: £20,851 to £22,500 (dependent on experience)

Send your CV to: recruitment@omnidavis.co.uk

Climate Challenge & Committing to NetZero

Worthing & Adur Chamber are committed to achieving NetZero by 2050, in 2022 the Chamber joined the Good Business Charter and pledged our support to their ten components to be a business for good. 

The British Chambers of Commerce are also committed to the NetZero and as a local Chamber, we share their ambitions and values which you can read more about below:

British Chambers of Commerce: For the member businesses of the UK’s Accredited Chambers of Commerce and the Global Business Network, the Climate Challenge is the single most important long-term issue. Our members want to rise to the occasion and play their part in meeting this inter-generational problem head on because of their keen sense of social value and connection to local and global communities.

We at the British Chambers of Commerce are committed to helping them play their role through a wide range of initiatives. This Hub, developed with partners who share our ambition and values, is one of those initiatives, and it showcases many more. It comprises three sections, which will evolve and grow over time to give businesses more insight, support and best practice help, allowing them to understand how they can best make their contribution and what is expected of them. We have also set out some of our key ideas for how Government can create the right incentives and structures.

• Climate Challenge Central: we are already seeing the effects of climate change on society, and so businesses want to know not only how to help stop the process, but how to live with its effects. The BCC will set out its key resources on doing that in this section.

• Net Zero Hub: we have pooled our network’s expertise with partners to help businesses and Government alike understand how we can work together to minimise our climate change gas emissions as a community.

• COP27: the 27th UN Climate Change Conference, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from 6 – 18 November 2022 was a key date for the international community to come together and set out how to meet the Climate Challenge as a planet. This section includes the BCC and Chamber Network input and engagement ahead of and during the Conference.

https://www.britishchambers.org.uk/page/campaigns/climate-challenge