Additional support for COVID affected businesses now available

Hundreds of businesses impacted by the second COVID lockdown can now apply for funding support from Adur & Worthing Councils.

With many local traders and organisations across the area seeing a drop in turnover and footfall, the government has set aside a cash pot to support them during the latest set of national restrictions.

Applications for the discretionary funding are now being accepted with grants of up to £3,000 available.

Eligible businesses and community groups are invited to apply by midnight on December 13 at: www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support/.

This discretionary pot follows the launch of the Local Restrictions Support Grant on November 11 which provides payments of up to £3,000 to all those firms forced to close by the new restrictions. More than 600 applications have already been processed under this scheme with nearly £1 million paid out.

Unlike the Local Restrictions Support Grant, which is paid to any business forced to close in lockdown, the discretionary pot is a competitive process.

The Councils has teamed up with five other local local authorities in West Sussex to make sure their scheme is fair and reflective of the wider area.

Detailed evidence will be required and bids will be assessed against a strict criteria.

Those encouraged to apply include:

• businesses and organisations severely impacted by the lockdown restrictions, such as suppliers to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors; or those in events;
• premises forced to close but the business owner is not responsible for payment of business rates;
• those paying unavoidable fixed property costs during the period of restrictions.

Businesses receiving a mandatory Local Restrictions Support Grant can also apply for the Additional Restrictions Grant.

All those applying must have been trading the day before national restrictions were imposed.

A Councils spokesman said: “We know businesses are struggling which is why we have got both of these grants up and running as quickly as possible. 

“Given the competitive nature of this discretionary pot we have worked hard with neighbouring authorities to create a fair system. All bids will be assessed against strict criteria, including reduction of income lost during the lockdown period.

“The Councils’ ruling will be final in making decisions so we urge those applying to take their time to review the guidelines and submit detailed evidence when they make their applications.”

For further information visit: www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support/

A record number of new trainees join MHA Carpenter Box

MHA Carpenter Box has taken on a record number of trainees at its Worthing and Gatwick offices over the last twelve months, opening up career opportunities for local school and college leavers, and university graduates, despite the challenges presented by coronavirus.

The 13 recruits have joined the firm’s highly-rated in-house training programme and will be guided by a team of qualified and experienced accountants, business advisers and auditors, many of whom also started out as trainees with the practice.

Alan Edwards, MHA Carpenter Box Managing Partner, welcomed the new arrivals, commenting: “These are challenging times for everyone but particularly young people, so I am delighted we can go further this year in offering more traineeships for local school and college leavers and university graduates.

“Some of our current partners started out as trainees with the firm, so I am looking forward to seeing the new intake thrive as they launch their professional careers.”

Joining the Business Services team in Worthing will be Chloe Dacombe, Noor Ali, Thomas Redpath, Oakley Evans, Jack Hallums, Dean Backstrom and George Renshaw-Fox. The Audit team in Worthing welcomes Sharna Challenger and Jamie Corps, while Abi Blade and Imogen Peters join the Tax Services team.

At the Gatwick office, Ben Summers has joined the Business Services team while Harry Smith has been welcomed into the Audit team.

Eight are studying for the ACCA qualification, three for the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ACA) qualification, one for the Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) qualification and one to become a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA).

All will benefit from the firm’s national association MHA Training Academy, which was launched in 2019 and a study programme rated ‘platinum’ by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) – the highest ranking.

As part of the Training Academy, 65 trainees including eight from MHA Carpenter Box, took part in a virtual national business induction day in September, establishing the foundations for their career development; part two of the training will, hopefully, be face to face in the new year.

The training covers a variety of topics including, ingredients of good service, professional risk, how trainees can help manage risk in their firms and an overview of professional qualifications.

(Image: Some of the new trainees at the Worthing office, left to right: George Renshaw-Fox, Imogen Peters, Abi Blades and Jack Hallums)

www.carpenterbox.com

Care for Veterans Black Friday deal!

Real Nordman Fir Non-Drop Christmas Trees – Save 20%

5ft £39.95 – save 20% pay £31.96

6ft £49.95 – save 20% pay £39.96

7ft £59.95 – save 20% pay £47.96

Care for Veterans is offering a pre-order Christmas tree sale from our facility in Worthing. We have sourced the finest Nordman Firs, which are the UKs most popular type of Christmas Tree. They have large thick needles so the tree can retain its water, resulting in far fewer needles dropping (and less hoovering for you!) The Nordman Fir grows in rings, with soft needles, making it perfect for hanging baubles on. These soft needles that don’t drop as frequently as some other types of Christmas trees makes it the perfect choice for any home, especially a household with children and/or pets.

All trees will be available for collection at Care for Veterans. The safety of our team, residents and supporters is our number one priority. So, once you have placed your order, we will need to arrange with you a collection slot for you to come and collect your tree.

Order before 4th December for collection between 12th and 13th December 2020

If you would like to pre-order a Christmas tree, please get in touch with our fundraising team at phoebe.tether@careforveterans.org.uk or 01903 790350

Latest coronavirus figures in West Sussex

The recorded number of West Sussex people testing positive for COVID-19 from 5 – 11 November was 976.

The seven-day incidence rate is the number of cases per 100,000 population and varies in the county.  From 5 to 11 November, Worthing had the lowest rate at 71.4 per 100,000 population, and Crawley the highest rate with 164.6 per 100,000 population.  The overall West Sussex seven-day incidence rate over this period was 113.0 per 100,000 population. All districts in West Sussex have an incidence rate below that of England (255.5 per 100,000) and the South East (172 per 100,000). Of the people testing positive over the seven-day period, 53% were under 40 years. Young adults had the highest age-specific incidence rate, although rates are growing in older age groups. The overall 60+ years rate for West Sussex is 67.5 per 100,000, compared with 119.2 in the South East.

Click here for more information

Latest issue of WSO's Music Matters Magazine out now

Welcome to the third edition of Music Matters. As the seasons change from Summer to Autumn my thughts are drawn to Vivaldi and his group of four violin concerti, The Four Seasons. The Autumn Adagio molto begins with the words “Everyone is made to forget their cares and to sing and dance” and this is certainly something we all need during the current situation. How we all wish that we could come together in the Assembly Hall to enjoy our wonderful Worthing Symphony Orchestra making music to help us forget our cares and indeed, make us want to sing and dance.

I asked in the last issue what your views were on returning to concerts when we are allowed to restart them and would like to thank everyone who responded. The common view was that you greatly missed the concerts which is gratifying to hear, and believe me, everyone involved with WSO feels the same way!

Some people were accepting that if this meant wearing face coverings in the audience then they would be willing to do this to get the concerts back, while others felt that they would not be able to wear such coverings during the entire concert.

The majority of responders also had concerns over the logistics of staging a concert. They wanted to know what would be put in place regarding entering and leaving the Assembly Hall; also at the interval when buying refreshments and while using toilet facilities. They questioned how social distancing could be observed in these situations.

Please rest assured that we will take all comments on board and will, when the
time comes to think of concerts returning, be addressing the concerns with
Worthing Theatres Trust so that due diligence is paid and a full risk assessment is
drawn up. Whilst we want to get concerts back as soon as possible, the safety of
the audience, the orchestra and the staff is, and always will be, our prime concern.

In the meantime, I invite you to sit back and enjoy reading this Autumn edition of Music Matters. We hope you find the articles both entertaining and interesting. It is our means of staying in touch and letting you know that we are still here and planning some wonderful concerts for you to enjoy in the future.

Best wishes,
Paul Baker
Chair of Worthing Symphony Orchestra

 Grow your tourism business - New toolkit

Experience West Sussex have launched a new toolkit that shows you how to grow your tourism business by collaborating with other local enterprises to create visitor experiences that will captivate - and propagate - your target market. With case studies, expert top tips, actionable ideas and support to help you maket your new visitor experiences, we're sure this toolkit can help accelerate the growth of your business.

Click here to read the toolkit

Woodstock Day Nursery support Children In Need

This year, Woodstock Day Nursery decided to support a local charity and let the children see how a community can care for others during difficult times.

Instead of money, they asked for donations of food and toiletries for the Worthing Food Foundation. Within an hour of publishing our request the first bag of groceries appeared; for the next 3 days the bags just kept coming in including everything from tinned food to pasta to biscuits to nappies and even toothpaste and soap.

Today, thanks to their wonderful and very generous families, we handed everything over to Carl Walker (it filled his estate car), representing the Worthing Food Foundation. He assured us that everything would benefit local families.

Worthing Food Foundation is based at the Baptist Church in Penhill Road, East Worthing. They also have a temporary shop in Ann Street redistributing good quality school uniform, coats and shoes. Any school uniform donations can be taken straight to Ann Street.

They will soon be collecting new or ‘good as new’ clothing and new or ‘look like new’ toys ready for Christmas at their Penhill Road base.

Equipping Your Legal Toolbox For Later Life

2020 has been an unexpected challenge for so many and for so many different and personal reasons. Businesses and individuals alike have been affected and we at Bennett Griffin have not been immune to the challenges that Covid-19 has presented.

We have received a great number of enquiries from both existing and new clients with various questions that have arisen from the impact of Covid-19.  These range from looking to review and create Wills, Powers of Attorney and Trusts to a desire to ensure assets are secured and their legacy is maximised and simplified for their family and future generations. Sadly, it has been all too apparent that people have to make quick and difficult decisions about their loved ones care needs as well as the benefit of having thought through plans in place in advance of these difficulties.

At Bennett Griffin we regularly present information sessions on the importance of ensuring your ‘legal toolbox’ is up to date and equipped for life’s uncertainties.

For example, have you had any existing Power of Attorney checked to ensure that it is still fit for purpose? Have you created a comprehensive Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) as well as a Financial one? Have you purchased, or do you even know about Lasting Power of Attorney Bonds and their benefits? Do you need to make a change to your Will to anticipate potential care needs of your spouse or partner, or are you part of the majority who don’t even have a Will yet? What about your preferences and wishes for your health and future care? Have you received advice on key “legal tools” such as Option A and Option B in a Health and Welfare LPA, Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR), Advanced Directives or Statements of your Wishes? These are all important considerations before you even move into exploring the options for care provision and care funding!

Navigating the legal and care sector can be confusing and draining, therefore it is critical that not only do you ensure that your legal toolbox is up to date, but that you have had the benefit of specialist, clear advice from an experienced and accredited advisor. Thankfully, we are experienced and here to help you understand the various options and make informed decisions.

Our specialist team at Bennett Griffin is headed up by Ian Macara, our experienced Partner and one of just 71 panel deputies in England and Wales accredited by the Court of Protection. In addition, he is a full member of SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly), a Dementia Friends Champion, a full member of the prestigious STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and on the Steering Committee of Dementia Friendly Worthing.

Do you have any questions or wish to speak to Ian or his excellent team about your ‘legal toolbox’? We’d love to hear from you by contacting us on 01903 229999 or by emailing: mailto:info@bennett-griffin.co.uk

Disability Awareness Q&A - supporting employees during lockdown

Date: Wednesday 25th November
Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm
This workshop is held online via Zoom and is free to attend

Aldingbourne Trust are holding a FREE Zoom Q&A session on Disability Awareness for Employers supporting employees with mental health during lockdown

A relaxed open forum to discuss employers' questions on how to support their employees in lockdown. ​​- disability in the workplace ​- reasonable adjustments ​- supporting mental health ​​If you would like to take part in this discussion. OR feel you can support or contribute - please email sarahap@aldingbourne.org

Click here to book to attend

Browns Natural Pet Store crowned 'Retailer of the Year'

Browns Natural Pet Store crowned 'Retailer of the Year' by The Pet Industry Federation (PIF). This a national award and a really big deal for us! It included hundreds of entries from pet stores all over the UK. The PIF is the official trade association for businesses involved within the UK pet industry, so we are overjoyed to gain some national recognition for what we are doing in the sector against some well established and much bigger retailers.

Browns Natural Pet Store would like to take this opportunity to thank all of their customers for their incredible support during the last few years; in particular, as they transitioned from Shoreline Pet Supplies into Browns Natural Pet Store. They really could not have done any of this without you and of course, your pets!

www.brownsnaturalpetstore.co.uk