Newsletter ~ November 2003
Christmas and New
Year are upon us once again, and the Chamber of Commerce would like to take
this opportunity to wish all its Members a very happy Festive Season. The fun really begins in Leatherhead on
December 6th with the Christmas Festival ~ the Mole Valley Silver
Band will be in attendance, there will be a Carol
Concert and a Grand Firework Finale.
There’s even free parking in the Swan Centre from
Our thanks to you all for supporting us throughout what has been a difficult trading year for the town. It is to be hoped that the infamous works at the end of the High Street will soon be a thing of the past !
The Chamber will continue to press on your behalf for the improvement of the Leatherhead District as a place to live, work and do business.
On behalf
of the Chamber and my colleagues on the Board,
may I wish all of you Health, Happiness and Prosperity in 2004
John Howarth, Chamber President
I would like to say a final “thank you” to the Chamber Board of the last three years for all their fine work in supporting me during my time as President. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish David Harrington well for the future, and offer a special “thank you” to him for the twenty-plus years of hard work he has dedicated to the Chamber during his time as a Director.
On a personal note, a big “thank you” to all for the good wishes, cards and flowers I received during my recent stay in hospital ~ the flowers were the envy of the ward ! ~ thank you all very much.
I am pleased to say that I firmly believe Leatherhead has a great future, particularly with the influx of new businesses arriving during the last year. The Chamber, as ever, will be very busy on all fronts.
I am sure that with John Howarth at the helm, the Chamber will be in a strong position to tackle any problems which may lay ahead.
Bruce Andrews,
Immediate Past President
John Howarth, our Chamber President, attended the Memorial
Service at
Heralding the 2003 Christmas Festivities, the brightly-lit Christmas Trees displayed throughout Leatherhead Town Centre are, once again, thanks to our extremely hard working volunteers, David and Sylvia Sharland … who can be seen pushing their tree-and-ladder-laden trolley along the town’s main thoroughfares this time each year … and following the same route again at the end of the season !
We send our sincere thanks to David and Sylvia for their sterling efforts on behalf of us all ~ and wish them both a very happy, healthy and prosperous Christmas and New Year.
Tony Casey, Clerk of Works, SCC Local Transportation Service Mole Valley Department, has very kindly responded to our request for a progress report, and provided the following information:
“I am confident the majority of works will be completed
before Christmas, and am keeping the pressure on our contractor, Blakedown Landscapes (SE) Ltd, to complete the scheme as
quickly as possible … although I must admit, until now, without much
success. However, I am confident the
cladding will be complete by Friday 21st November. The suppliers of the slate cladding have had
difficulty producing the semi-circular sections, which has caused a delay in
delivery. There are also some other
items to finish, such as the LED carriageway lighting and some minor
repairs. I hope the majority of these
outstanding works will be completed next week [w/c 24th November] …
although I am not confident the new sign post will be installed by the end of
next week. This work should not have any
impact on the traders and shoppers. Blakedown have again supplied a Christmas tree, which I
understand will be placed on Friday 21st or Monday 24th
November.”
A meeting of the Town Centre Forum took place on the evening of 15th October, Chaired by Councillor Heather Ward. Leatherhead Chamber Members Chris Stagg (Barclays), David Dyer (Cradlers House Jewellers) and Mike Menni (Wing Cleaners) all accepted invitations to attend the Forum, as representatives of retail and business in the town … and John Howarth, President, represented the Leatherhead Chamber … our thanks to them all for donating their valuable time on our behalf.
John will again be representing the Chamber at a meeting of the SCC Mole Valley Local Committee on November the 26th ~ and will be taking the opportunity to put forward the Chamber’s views in respect of parking, access and transport in the Leatherhead area.
From A New Pen ! …
The regular “From Peter’s Pen” feature is missing from this issue of your Newsletter, following the retirement of Peter Stait at the beginning of November. A new Leatherhead Town Centre Manager has been appointed, and will be starting early in the New Year. The Chamber is represented on the Town Centre Manager Steering Group, and we extend our warm welcome to the new TCM, and look forward to working closely with them over the coming year, and to publishing their regular news updates in our “Pen” section.
Launch of visitleatherhead Website
Leatherhead’s new Website www.visitleatherhead.com will
be launched on
If anyone wishes to attend the launch, please contact: Rod Shaw, Mole Valley District Council, on 01306 879247, or Sandra Grant at Leatherhead Town Centre Management, on 01372 363652 ~ and an invitation will be forwarded to you.
Alternatively, please Email: rod.shaw@molevalley.gov.uk or sandra.grant@molevalley.gov.uk with your invitation requirements.
Nick Smith of Hurst Warne has let us know that: “There has been some progress in that the District Valuer has inspected a number of the properties that are the subject of rating appeals arising from the town centre works. However, due to a huge backlog of appeals, the District Valuers office are not yet in a position to discuss the appeals in detail. The Chamber’s rating advisors are pressing for a date to discuss the appeals, but this will depend on a suitable opening becoming available in the appeals programme. I will provide a further update in the New Year”.
Disability Discrimination Act – Be Prepared
There are 8.6 million disabled
people in the
·
employment;
·
access
to goods, facilities and services;
·
buying or renting
land or property.
Previous rights of access came into force on
·
Treating
a disabled person less favourably because they are disabled has been unlawful
since December 1996.
·
Since
October 1999, service providers have had to consider making reasonable
adjustments to the way they deliver their services so that disabled people can
use them.
·
The final stage of the duties, which means
service providers may have to consider making permanent physical adjustments to
their premises, comes into force in 2004.
The final stage of the goods and services provisions in Part
III of the DDA will come into force on
The Government
website also recommends contacting The Disability Rights Commission: DRC
Helpline, FREEPOST MID02164,
Your can also visit the Website at: www.drc-gb.org for further help and information, including access to the "Code of Practice - Rights of Access, Goods, Facilities, Services and Premises", a section in which employers and service providers can find out about the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and your duties not to discriminate against disabled people. You can also read practical guidance about the best ways to ensure that disabled people are treated fairly. This often involves making quite simple adjustments which can benefit not only disabled people but also the public generally.
[Sources:
www.disability.gov.uk and www.drc-gb.org]
The Chamber extends a warm welcome to our new Members ~ we hope they enjoy the benefits of Membership, and we look forward to meeting them at future Chamber events.
Howell-Jones Partnership …
Joined the Chamber during October, and are located at Flint
House,
Chamber Members Keeping Fit !
Chamber Members had the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of an energetic and therapeutic "work out" last week when Cannons Health Club hosted a Chamber Breakfast. Members were given the opportunity to tour the facilities and then make use of them if they wished. Chamber Directors John Howarth and Peter Snell were amongst those who "worked out".
A breakfast of croissants, fruit juice, cold meats, cheese and coffee was generously provided by the Health Club.
Said President, John Howarth, "Cannons is a wonderful facility to have in the town and the Chamber's thanks are due to them for their generous hospitality".
There will be another opportunity for Chamber Members to see Cannons’ facilities on Friday December 12th, when they are having their Christmas party ~ tickets available at Cannons reception.
Don’t forget to sign up for the final Swap Shop of this year ~
a ‘drop-in after work’ networking opportunity, taking place at the Metro Café
on 27th November, between
Five out of Five for Callingham Crane
Brian Wharton, a Senior Accountant with Chamber Members Callingham Crane, has been successful in having five of his taxation tools published in the award-nominated ‘Tax Tips and Tools’ CD Rom, distributed by the 2020 Innovation Group. 2020 Innovation Group attracts progressive accountancy firms across the country, providing an exchange of ideas and resources amongst its members, as well as funding new products and services.
“Tax Tips and Tools”
achieved short-list status for the “Best Tax
"When
I submitted these five taxation tools, I had no idea all five would be accepted
for inclusion. It makes the late-night
hours seem well worthwhile. Credit
should also go to my colleagues in our very experienced tax department, who
have been a great help in creating these tools".
Callingham Crane Partner, Linda Nandlal, noted that:
"By
making these tools available to the whole profession, we not only publicise our
expertise in taxation affairs, but hopefully help thousands of individuals and
businesses to better understand their potential tax liabilities. Once clients are aware of their potential
liability, the motivation to take the right steps to minimise the impact of
taxes is considerable and they are then able to plan and act accordingly. In return, as members of the 2020 Group, we
receive many other tools submitted by fellow members which we are able to use
for the benefit of our clients. An
example of this would be the Prophet system, which provides us with an ability
to carry out profit improvement planning for both our own clients and the
clients of other practices."
Brian’s five tools accepted for inclusion are:
·
A Capital Gains Tax calculator that addresses the complex taper relief
associated with this tax
·
A Trading Entity Assessor that compares the taxation advantages and
disadvantages of trading as a company, partnership or as a sole trader
·
A Dividends vs Salary tool that evaluates the
best way for owner managers to extract cash from their businesses
·
A Single Page Tax Statement that provides clients with a one page
summary of their taxable income, reliefs and
allowances and significantly simplifies the completion of Inland Revenue
self-assessment forms.
·
The Inheritance Tax Calculator, likely to be of particular interest to
“Congratulations” to Callingham Crane … do let us know how you fare in next year’s awards. [Ed.]
Would You Like To Play Host ?
Metro Café, Parallel Business Centres and, most recently, Cannons, have all hosted Chamber events over the course of this year … and, as you will see in the Events Diary, both Soulinnis and Indian Ocean have invited fellow Members to Chamber events at their premises during 2004 … our thanks to them all for their kind hospitality. If you would be interested in hosting a Chamber event at your premises, please do let us know by contacting the Chamber office.
(This
is your Forum: let the Chamber know how it can help you and your
business … we welcome your feedback. Or
maybe you’d like to exchange views or share information with your fellow
Members. Contact us in time for
publication in your January 2004
Newsletter.)
Counting the Cost of Christmas Cards
Peter Earle, Managing Partner of Callingham Crane:
Last week I delivered our firm’s one and only Christmas Card to
the children and staff at local charity Cherry Trees … and we issue a
challenge to our fellow Chamber Members to rethink their Christmas card policy.
Like many firms, we were in the habit of sending our clients the almost obligatory Christmas card … until four years ago that is. We then decided to put a stop to the practice. The aim of this seemingly scrooge-like action was to boost the coffers of local charities, rather than cut our expenses. In typical ‘accountant’ fashion, we added up the cost of sending cards … which, when all factors were costed-in, was quite considerable. There was not only the cost of the card and postage … the labour costs of selecting-and-signing, licking-and-sticking, all added up. “Whilst some of our clients will perhaps miss our Christmas greetings, I take the view that local charities will benefit far more from a £500 donation”.
So, for the last four years, our firm has made a donation to a local charity … and this year the beneficiary is the “Cherry Trees - Upstairs Appeal” … which aims to expand the respite accommodation facilities they offer to special needs children and their families.
We have made our donation early
this year … for two reasons: firstly to boost this very worthwhile appeal; and,
secondly, to encourage other businesses in
“The Leatherhead and Dorking Advertiser” and “The Cobham News and Mail” have both published articles and to encourage other businesses to follow suit, we are publishing a “Role of Honour" on our website. This records the businesses joining the appeal, the sums they are donating, and the charities they have chosen. A second section records the details of "Local Charities" who would like to find local sponsors for their works.
Asked why the Cherry Trees Upstairs Appeal was chosen Peter remarked “Giving to a charity that serves children seems particularly appropriate at Christmas. Cherry Trees, like many local charities, carries out its work here in our community, providing much-needed respite facilities for these special needs children. This benefits not only these children, but also their brothers, sisters and their family as a whole. Cherry Trees does this with the help of local volunteers who endeavour to keep running costs down, and ensure donations are spent on good works rather than administration and expensive fund raising”.
Businesses and charities can send their details to: christmascardappeal@callingham-crane.com for inclusion in the "Role of Honour" or the "Local Charities List".
Scam Alert
Fellow Members … please be alert ! We at Dragonridge Limited have received a communication from the 'data processing protection corporation' asking us for £95 + VAT to register us under the Data Protection Act. On checking with the Information Commissioner and local Trading Standards, we have discovered that this company, and others involved in similar scams, have no connection with the Information Commissioner.
We have been asked to forward our correspondence to:
Michelle Vaughn, Misleading Advertising Unit, CRE 2E, Office of Fair Trading
Fleetbank House,
We advise that other businesses receiving similar letters should also report and forward them. Further information can be found at: www.dataprotection.gov.uk.
[Angela Bigwood, Director, Dragonridge Limited]
(An
opportunity to publicise your organisation to the Membership. Two
profiles will be presented in each Newsletter, copy approximately 250
words. Contributions are published in
order of receipt. Your next Newsletter
will be printed in January 2004.)
dragonridge
We are
a professional business I.T. consultancy and software house, specialising in
quality bespoke solutions. DragonRidge has been trading since 1996, and has completed
projects for a number of clients including major international banks, sporting
events, charities, and local businesses.
The benefits of working with us are that you will be using experienced
and innovative professionals, who are flexible, responsive and customer
focused.
Our
highly skilled consultants, who are bound by a professional code of ethics,
provide our clients with independent, impartial advice. We are a trusted partner, who takes the time
to understand your business and technical environment. Our commitment is to act in our clients’ best
interests at all times, helping them to make decisions that will enable their
business to use I.T. creatively in the work-place. We may advise a solution that requires
bespoke software, or we may advise a solution that uses readily available
technology.
Our
software development expertise enables us to provide a tailored software
solution, when this is necessary. We are
specialists in database design and implementation, with a strong background in
financial systems. Our technical
abilities are at the forefront of the I.T. industry, with Java, C, C++, Oracle,
SQL-server, client-server solutions and internet systems design in our range of
expertise. Our highly qualified software
engineers use industry best practice to develop solutions, and deliver them in
rapid fashion.
Working
with us usually follows the format shown below:
1.
Initial – no obligation – consultation
2.
Outline proposal
3.
Meeting to refine (2) and sign-off
4.
The main work phase – regular reviews and discussions
5.
Final review and acceptance
6.
Ongoing support of any systems installed, including any bespoke
elements
Contact: Angela Bigwood,
Director
Telephone: 0845 053 1604
Email: angela.bigwood@dragonridge.co.uk
Website: www.dragonridge.co.uk
You will have previously known us, from your
Membership Directories, as “33 Bridge Street Ltd.” … but we have
recently changed our name to Church Street Investments Ltd. When we formed the company, in June 2000, we
signed an agreement to purchase the building at
Within a very short walk of all usual town-centre
facilities, including: major banks, wine bars/restaurants, supermarket, post
office, shops, and a private health club with swimming pool* (*corporate
discounts available to Cannons for our clients), and serviced by a Mainline
Station (Leatherhead to Waterloo and Victoria, 30 minutes, every 20 minutes),
as well as being within 1 mile of Junction 9 of the M25 ~ Devonshire House
is a high-tech conversion of a listed historic building … with every office
unique and full of character & providing fully-furnished, air-conditioned
office-suites for 1-8 people ~ yet retaining a warm, open and friendly
atmosphere. This office is an easy place
to do business … and a great place to work !
Our Fully-Inclusive Monthly Fee provides:
|
·
24-Hour Access |
·
Individually-Monitored Office Alarms |
|
·
High Quality Furnished Office Suites |
·
Car Parking |
|
·
Personalised Telephone Answering |
·
Dedicated Reception Team |
|
·
ADSL (Broadband) Internet Connection |
·
DDI |
|
·
Voicemail |
·
Meeting Rooms/Boardroom |
|
·
Audio Visual Suite |
·
Kitchen Facility |
|
·
Lounge Area |
·
Courier Administration |
|
·
Postal/Franking Collection |
·
Refreshments (including Tea and Coffee) |
|
·
On-Site Management |
·
Office Cleaning on a Daily Basis |
At-Cost Facilities include:
|
·
Photocopying and Faxing |
·
Secretarial and Administration |
|
·
Telephone Calls (at BT business rates) |
·
Postage (at Royal Mail rates) |
For
a FULL Colour Brochure & Further Details
Telephone: 01372 224700 ~ Facsimile:
01372 224707
Email: james.sheppard@millersfoods.co.uk