St Oscar Romero's Event Support Request

They are looking for local businesses to get involved in these upcoming events and support the future workforce.  A fantastic opportunity to build social responsibility and enhance staff development.

Thursday 16th June 2022 - In person support  between 9am - noon

Year 10 Interviews. Each year 10 student gets a chance to have 20 minute interview slot talking abut their skills development

Monday 20th - Friday 24th June 2022 - Year 10 Work Experience Places Needed

This is  great opportunity for the the students to experience the real world of work. 5 days out of school working access many different industries.  Can you offer a place?

Tuesday 28th June 2022 - Year 8 Build and Bake Business Enterprise event - in person support

This yearly event helps to build entrepreneurial mindsets by tasking student teams to make a product and sell it. We are looking for willing partners to help support the day (in person) or sections of it. 8.40am to 3pm. This would be a great opportunity for staff development. 

Wednesday 29th & Thursday 30th June 2022 - Project Creation & Development Support

This is an introduction to the World of SCRUM teams who work with clients solving problems and creating products and services. You would need you to think up a project and do a 2 or 3 minute film, then be in contact via Zoom/phone etc as they develop their projects over the two days. 

For more information and to get involved, please email Phil Dean, Extended Learning Leader pdean@stromeros.co.uk

Get involved with Esteem's Spring Spruce

From Monday 9^th May to Friday 13^th May ESTEEM is taking on the challenge of ‘sprucing’ up their building, The Old School House. By repurposing rooms, painting walls, updating furniture and cutting back our garden. They are hoping to rejuvenate every inch of the building to provide a more friendly and welcoming space for the young adults at ESTEEM.

Members of the community, companies and local businesses are showing their support by lending a hand, donating items and giving their skills to support this mammoth task.

For more information or to get involved click here

Brightening Up Montague Place

An array of colourful plants and shrubs, as well as decorative street lighting and new seating areas are set to brighten up Montague Place as the next stage of a planned regeneration project.

The finishing touches to the temporary scheme will be made over the coming weeks while Worthing Borough Council gears up to start consulting with local businesses and residents over the long-term plan for the pedestrianised zone.

Linking the seafront to the town centre, the new temporary phase one public realm is set to include flowers and trees to complement the new seating areas and modern lighting that will offer visitors an attractive outdoor meeting space.

In addition, the continental-style painted ‘squiggly lines’ on the tarmac are inspired by cities like Copenhagen and designed to brighten up the naturally dark tarmac as part of the project that has been funded by central government.

The east side of Montague Place will be utilised for cultural events, pop-up markets and community events, while businesses on the west of the public realm now have an inviting open space to accommodate al fresco customers.

The area will also eventually be equipped with a Gigabit Citizen WiFi, allowing free access to ultra-fast public broadband services.

Making the area permanently car-free will help reduce carbon emissions as the Council continues its pledge to go carbon neutral by 2030.

A Council spokesperson said: “We wanted to transform Montague Place and provide residents, businesses, shoppers and visitors with an inviting landscaped open space that can be used for a variety of things - whether meeting up with friends for a coffee or something to eat at one of the many excellent eateries, relaxing in the sun or visiting one of the events that will be held over the summer.

“The new planters and flowers will really add some colour, while the new lighting and seating areas will make a perfect meeting place that is car-free and more aesthetically pleasing for everyone.

“Initially this is a temporary project and we are preparing an engagement exercise to understand what people want to see in the long term to benefit this wonderful area of the town centre.”

The disabled parking spaces that were temporarily relocated to Marine Parade outside Marks & Spencer have now been made permanent, whilst new disabled bays have also been installed in the Montague Quarter car park. The loading bays at the seafront end of Montague Place will remain in place for business use.

Worthing Borough Council, working with West Sussex County Council, will be asking residents and traders what they would like to see in Montague Place in the long-term. Work on the permanent new look could begin in 2023.

The Council is also regenerating Portland Road and Railway Approach as part of a partnership agreement with West Sussex County Council.

Turning Tides SleepOut - Saturday 18th June

Local homeless charity Turning Tides are inviting the community to show their support on Saturday 18^th June across two exciting events.  

To mark thirty years of transforming the lives of people experiencing homelessness throughout West Sussex, the public are being welcomed to find out more about the charity’s innovative work, as well as experience a night without a roof over their head to raise awareness and vital funds to support people with no safe place to call home. Hosted at Worthing Football Club, gates will open at 12pm to ‘Meet Turning Tides’, followed by a ticketed SleepOut event opening at 6:30pm providing a unique opportunity to spend a night under the stars. 

Gemma Orpwood, Turning Tides’ Communications Manager, commented: “The number of people homeless across England is predicted to jump by a third in the next two years. The impact of the pandemic, soaring food and energy bills and government measures coming to an end will force more people onto our streets. Turning Tides need your help to meet the rising demands placed on our services. These two unique events will be a real opportunity to meet the people who work, volunteer and receive support from the charity. Find out the amazing work we carry out to ensure no one goes through the trauma of homelessness alone. Both events are guaranteed to be truly remarkable and thought-provoking.” 

Community is at the heart of Turning Tides’ ambition to end local homelessness - all ages are welcome to the free ‘Meet Turning Tides’ event from 12pm to 4pm. The event will provide an opportunity to: 

• Meet frontline staff who provide outreach services across the county, ensuring everyone has access to food, clothing, support, and advice   
• Discover the music, art and photography Turning Tides clients have produced which not only depict their experiences of being homeless but also harnesses their strengths, creativity and tenacity   
• Chat with volunteers who take on a wide range of activities from cooking breakfasts at the charity’s Community Hubs to collecting donated items for accommodation services   
• Explore ways you can get involved and support the charity; from holding your own event, becoming a volunteer or applying for one of the satisfying roles within the organisation   
• Hear from clients about their experience of homelessness and their time with Turning Tides   
• Be one of the first to step on board Turning Tides’ amazing double decker bus. This innovative service is the first of its kind in West Sussex, and designed to take support on the road to people experiencing homelessness in rural areas. Originally a vintage passenger bus, now converted into a mobile hub complete with kitchen, washing machine, shower and toilet.

From 6:30pm onwards, Turning Tides’ Big Summer SleepOut ticketed event begins. Bed down at Worthing Football Club from dusk until dawn to show the community your commitment that no one should be without a home. The event will include the opportunity to hear stories from those who have experienced homelessness and the frontline keyworkers who support them. Participants will receive a light evening meal, breakfast and unlimited hot drinks.   

Pre-registration is essential. Tickets cost £20, with a current early bird discount offer of £15. Participants are encouraged to raise sponsorship for the event, with Turning Tides providing plenty of fundraising support.  

To find out more about both events and to book your place at the Big Summer SleepOut please visit www.turning-tides.org.uk or phone 01903 680740. 

Invest4 Grant - Update

The Invest4 grant  offered through The Business Hothouse started in April 2020 and is now in its final year. So far, many businesses have benefitted from the grant investment to help their business grow and we are delighted to have supported many of your clients through the application process. 

The final submission date for current Invest4 grant applications is 29th April with eligible applications being reviewed on 6th and 20th May. Please share this information with your networks to make them aware. 

Phone recycling scheme hits huge milestone

A Coastal Office scheme which supports the marine environment through recycling old mobile phones has hit a huge milestone this week!

Since joining forces with Whale and Dolphin Conservation towards the end of 2020, our team on Worthing seafront has received an amazing 500 phones from locals - all of which are avoiding landfill and being used to benefit marine life.

So, how does it work? The phones are taken by a partnered recycling company where they are then broken down and recycled for their precious materials. Any funds raised from these parts are then sent to our chosen charity, which aids their campaigns, research and protection of marine mammals.

Whale and Dolphin Conservation is a leading marine charity. They work globally through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, field research, rescue and education. Ultimately working towards a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free.

Rebecca Belleni, the Coastal Office member who initiated the scheme, said: “Whales and Dolphins play an important role in keeping our marine environment balanced. Without these larger mammals feeding on smaller inhabitants, such as fish and squid, things start to shift and unbalance.

“The Coastal Office is delighted to be supporting the important work of Whale and Dolphin Conservation and we’re super grateful to the locals who have supported the phone recycling scheme.”

The scheme came about as phones are often discovered on the seafront, collected by our Coastal Wardens and taken into lost property, where they are normally forgotten and left unclaimed by their owners.

Emily Stewart, Fundraising Officer at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said: “The phone recycling scheme at Worthing Coastal Office has been a great success. Money raised has helped us to protect whales and dolphins all around the world, from the threats that they face every day, including entanglement in nets, whaling, plastic pollution and captivity.

“We hope to see this scheme continue to succeed and grow, not only helping us to provide a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free, but also to recycle phones that would otherwise end up on our beaches and in our oceans.

“Everyone at WDC is incredibly grateful to Rebecca and the team at Worthing Coastal Office for their continued support, and to those that have donated through the scheme.”

Keen to get involved? The recycling project is as simple as dropping in any old phones to the team at the Coastal Office. These can be working or not and old or new. 

If you have any questions or want to know more on the scheme, call into the Coastal Office located between Worthing’s Pier and Lido or call the team on 01903 238977.

Photo credit Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Charlie Phillips

Year 10 Practice Interview & Partner Breakfast invite - St Oscar Romero Catholic School

St Oscar Romero Catholic School would like to invite you or/and any of your colleagues to a practice interview session being held at St Oscar Romero Catholic School on Thursday 7th April 2022. The interviews for Year 10 students will run from 9am until 12 noon with a breakfast being held for the Partners from 8am to 9am. You have been invited because you are either providing Work Experience for our Year 10 or you have been involved in activities here before. If you are providing Work Experience you will get the opportunity to meet your students if you choose to although we are aware some of you are parents/carers! 

The session will be really straight forward and will include a student questionnaire which you will have a copy of when you arrive. The questions/answers you can quiz them on will include what they have been involved in and their planned career pathways etc. In essence it’s a conversation and a chance for the students to meet some external partners helping with their Work Experience or not, to help broaden their experience and horizons. They have had a very limited experience of networking due to Covid so your support would be greatly appreciated.  

We have also arranged a Year 9 'Experience of Work' Event on 29th & 30th June too which will see the students get into SCRUM teams to build produce or services for Product Owners (you?) based on the Agile Teams process. This will be school based and you will be required to be available via Zoom/email/phone during these two days. Please let us know if you can help with this too? 

Find out more here

Local financial advice firm named finalist in prestigious awards

Carpenter Box Financial Advisers, which has offices in Worthing and throughout Sussex, is celebrating being named a finalist in the categories of ‘Best Adviser for Vulnerable Client Care’ and ‘Adviser Firm of the Year for the South East’ at the Professional Adviser Awards 2022.

If the firm scoops the South East award, it will join other UK regional winners in the running for the coveted ‘Adviser Firm of the Year 2022’ national award.

Winners are to be announced at a glittering gala ceremony held at The Brewery in London on Tuesday 26th April 2022.

Head of Carpenter Box Financial Advisers, Roy Thompson, said: “We are delighted to have been named a finalist at these awards and therefore recognised as an outstanding, client-focused business.

“Our team has grown significantly over the last three or four years, and the work that has been put in to improve the business and service our clients has been phenomenal.

“It’s great that our efforts have been recognised by an independent body. It provides a boost to our team, which I have no doubt will work as hard as ever to continue to enhance our offer.”

Now in their 17^th year, the Professional Adviser Awards offer relevant businesses from across the UK the opportunity to showcase their knowledge, skills and expertise. They recognise the best in multi-asset investing, platform provision, adviser support and client engagement.

Carpenter Box Financial Advisers stood apart from more than 250 advisers, firms and product providers to be named finalist for each of the awards, which seek to reward excellence within both the financial advice community and among the broader financial services sectors that help serve clients.

To find out more about the services on offer and how Carpenter Box Financial Advisers can help you make the most of your finances, give them a call on 01903 234094 or visit them at www.carpenterboxfa.com.

A free course for ambitious professionals that want to grow a purposeful network

More than 12 hours taking place across 6 weeks, GLIDE – Radical Collaboration is a fully funded, modular, online course you can curate yourself. Through keynote events, webinars and interactive workshops, completing this course will give you a grounding in modern network-building and the knowledge to make the most of contemporary tools, collaboration opportunities and social business models. The GLIDE programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Buckinghamshire New University.

The old business relationships between companies, customers, and their competition no longer apply. The rules are being re-written. Successful enterprises are putting purpose first, embracing fragmentation and making the most of a new collaborative landscape to build sustainable networks around ideas as much as products.

GLIDE – Radical Collaboration brings together experts in this collaboration mindset to help you find others who share your ambition and who will help you push your ideas to the next level.

The course will kick off with a webinar on March 29th which features a keynote from Neil Gibb, author of The Participation Revolution.

Full course details and registration: https://www.alwayspossible.co.uk/building-business/how-we-help/glide/

Brighton Summit: Unite

Date: Friday 29th April
Time: 8:30am - 6:00pm 
Venue: Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts, Falmer, Brighton 
Cost: £105 - £150 - Worthing & Adur Chamber Members get £10 off! Email Lauren to get the discount code

It’s been a tumultuous few years for businesses in Brighton and beyond. But teaming up, collaborating and helping each other still epitomises everything that Brighton Chamber stands for – and everything the Brighton business community is about.

This year’s Brighton Summit: Unite is about how we can link together to improve, well everything really – our business, our lives and those of others. It’s about coming together and accepting that we can’t always do everything ourselves.

Brighton Summit will offer unrivalled opportunities to connect, communicate and combine with like-minded businesses.

*Worthing & Adur Chamber Members get £10 off ticket price! Email lauren@worthingandadurchamber.co.uk for the discount code*

Click here to find out more