Christmas 2013 - Hounslow Chamber€¦ · Brompton Bicycle Limited It was a chance meeting in 1975 with a backer of the fledgling Bickerton folding bicycle which inspired Andrew Ritchie

Christmas 2013

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was only three months old, and she was running things from a phone in her back bedroom.

But her determination saw her through and the firm, which began by providing plumbers on motorbikes for emergency repairs, now has a workforce of 30, carrying out all manner of plumbing, electrical and maintenance works across west and central London. Its turnover last year was £1.5million and is on course to reach £2m this year.

The bulk of their work is domestic and the company, based in Sutton Court Road, Chiswick, has won rave reviews from clients including TV presenters Matthew Kelly, Jeremy Vine and Ant McPartlin.

Best SME business Russell Finex

You may not have heard of this firm before, but it helps other companies produce everything from chocolate to life-saving drugs.

Based in Browells Lane, Feltham, it manufactures sieves and filters used by companies from Nestle to GlaxoSmithKline.

Named after its founder, the company began life in 1934 as a one-man business but now employs 140 people in Feltham and some 200 across the globe, with subsidiaries in the US, India and Belgium. The firm, which boasts annual sales of more than £17m, is also looking to open bases in Brazil, Russia and China in the near future.

Managing director Ray Singh said: “While many businesses of our type have moved their manufacturing overseas, we have continued to invest and recruit people to meet the demands of our ever growing global customer base and brand.”

He added that the award was a testament to the hard work of all the staff who were helping it grow and buck the trend of UK manufacturing.

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Best for customer service• My Plumber Limited

ROBERT CUMBER reports on the winners

A single mum who started a repairs company out of frustration at the way workers treated her home, was honoured at the inaugural Hounslow Chamber Business Awards.

My Plumber Limited, based in Sutton Court Road, Chiswick, run by Angela Lyons-Redman, was named business of the year in a lavish ceremony at Brentford’s Holiday Inn last Thursday.

The awards, hosted by LBC radio presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer and sponsored by Barclays, also honoured companies in seven other categories ranging from greenest firm to the best for apprenticeships.

out&about Magazine, a free bi-monthly lifestyle magazine, won the commitment to the community award, sponsored by the Chronicle. There were 80 entries for the awards, run by Prospects Business Support in conjunction with Hounslow Chamber of Commerce, with 26 firms short-listed.

Hounslow mayor Sachin Gupta said he was thrilled to be there to celebrate enterprise in the borough, which is home to more than 12,000 firms and is in the top three London boroughs for business growth.

The full list of winners was:Business of the year

My Plumber LtdIt was Angela Lyons-Redman’s frustration with repair workers at her home in Chiswick which inspired the former city lawyer to launch her own firm in 2005 with Jamie Glasson, regional winner of Britain’s Favourite Plumber that year.

“I was a housewife with two children and when there was a leak or the washing machine broke down, I couldn’t find anyone to fix it without messing me around or leaving the house looking like a tip,” she said. “I was so fed up I decided to set up the sort of company I’d be happy to deal with, providing skilled tradespeople who treat you and your house with respect.”

It wasn’t easy; she was a single mum, whose youngest daughter Ella

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article courtesy of Hounslow Chronicle

Local up-and-coming businesses have been recognised for their initiative and contribution to the community at the inaugural Hounslow Chamber Business Awards.

STAR fIRM: Angela Lyons-Redman’s My Plumber Ltd won business of the year and best customer service at the Hounslow Business AwardsPhotos by Paul Tanner

• best for training and development: Gaby Marcon, of Shine People and Places, presents the award to representatives from Brompton Bicycle Limited

Best for training and development

Brompton Bicycle LimitedIt was a chance meeting in 1975 with a backer of the fledgling Bickerton folding bicycle which inspired Andrew Ritchie to come up with a fresh approach to the challenges to designing a bike commuters could carry on trains and the Tube.

He worked furiously at his South Kensington flat, overlooking the Brompton Oratory, before completing his first prototype the following year.

Mr Ritchie produced the first bikes in 1981, working on them in his spare time until the firm went into full-time production from a railway arch in Brentford.

The business expanded rapidly, taking over a second arch before moving to a new factory in Bollo Lane, Chiswick, and in 1998 to its current premises in Kew Bridge, Brentford.

About 40,000 of the bikes, which rely entirely on word of mouth and have won numerous awards over the years, are now assembled by hand at the site every year for sale across the globe.

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Christmas 2013

GENERAL INTEREST

Commitment to the communityout&about Magazine

Agnieszka Studzinska was an English teacher when she bought out&about, a community magazine distributed in Isleworth, Brentford and Chiswick, two years ago from its founder Angela Yates. The 38-year-old, of Isleworth, who is also a published poet, said she wanted to help knit the community together and prove you do not need to head into central London to find something amazing to do.

The magazine, which is delivered door to door and via businesses in the area, lists local events and tells stories about the places and people on your doorstep.

“I want to make a difference in the community in the same way I tried to do in the classroom as a teacher,” said Ms Studzinska, who runs the magazine single-handedly. “I want to get people to look outside their doorsteps at what’s going on and all the interesting people living in their neighbourhood.”

The mother-of-two, who taught at Cranford Community School, Longford Community School and Woodbridge Park Education Service, added that one of her favourite stories was about people’s memories of the Second World War, when Italian prisoners-of-war were held in Osterley Park.

Best new businessJust Say Hi Ltd

Founded by Sarah Webb after spiralling rents forced her to give up

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her cafe in Sutton, Just Say Hi is an attempt to marry new technology and traditional socialising.

The 43-year-old, of Feltham, came up with the idea two years ago because she found it difficult to meet new people having closed her shop.

The social networking site encourages people to meet face-toface but is not a dating site, though it can be used to find love.

As well as finding like-minded users online and giving people they meet their Just Say Hi username, members can wear badges, or ‘iDents’, indicating they are happy to be approached – not always a given in a large, impersonal city like London.

Mrs Webb hopes her site will fill the gap between Facebook, which helps people stay in touch with those they already know, and dating sites, which are only for those seeking romance.

“After closing the cafe, I found myself looking for a new social circle and it was difficult, even for a sociable person like me, so I decided to use modern technology to encourage people to say hi face to face,” she said.

Mrs Webb launched Just Say Hi at the end of September after working with the Hounslow Enterprise Club, a joint initiative by Hounslow Adult and Community Education, the Job Centre and Hounslow Library Service to help budding entrepreneurs.

Best for apprenticeships and employment for young people

Cultivate LondonThis social enterprise has literally blossomed since being set up in December 2010 to give unemployed youths a helping hand while transforming derelict sites across west London. It helps young volunteers and apprentices grow vegetables, herbs and flowers on vacant plots in Brentford, behind the Magpie & Crown pub in Commerce Road, and in Isleworth, on unused National Trust land. The produce is sold to local restaurants and greengrocers, as well as at farmers markets in Brentford, Ealing and further afield.

Volunteers and apprentices, meanwhile, get valuable horticultural and business experience, helping them go on to further training or employment. Cultivate London was started by the Housing Pathways Trust, which provides about a third of the funding. The rest of the money comes from sales and grants, including a recent contribution from Heathrow’s Communities Trust.

General manager Adrienne Atorp said: “It’s wonderful to be recognised for the work we do with young people because everything we do is centred around improving their chances.”

Best green businessUrban Planters London West

Elizabeth Cabble and her business partner Richard Poole were working for an interior landscaping firm in 1999 when they decided to go it alone.

Their company now supplies more than 200 firms across west and central London, from small businesses to the likes of BP and 20th Century Fox, with floral decorations to brighten up their offices.

Ms Cabble said the business, based near her home in Hounslow West, helped make offices more pleasant places for people to work. “Plants have been shown to make people

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feel more relaxed because our natural instinct is to be near greenery and we don’t spend enough time outdoors,” she added. “They improve the air quality, make people happier and also make them work more efficiently.”

The business stepped up its efforts to be as eco-friendly as possible about 10 years ago. It now has a fleet of electric vans and ensures all waste plants are turned to mulch, among many other measures to reduce its carbon footprint.

• best new business: Sarah Webb of Just Say Hi Ltd receives the award from Debo Ogunlami, of Software Mind Spa

• commitment to the community:Agnieszka Studzinska of out&about magazine receives the award from Hounslow Chronicle news editor Chris Longhurst (left) and senior reporter Robert Cumber

• best for apprenticeships and young people: Okia Smith (right), of Prospects Apprenticeships, presents the award to the representative for Cultivate London

• best green business: Marcin Miloszewski (left) and Elizabeth Cabble of Urban Planters London West receive the award from John Breech, of BST Environmental Consultancy

3Contact: Sally Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Tel. 020 8326 6416, Fax 020 8569 9670, Email: [email protected]

GENERAL INTEREST

Quidnet Capital signs up Next and H&M for Hounslow’s Treaty CentreHounslow Town Centre is set for a step-change transformation as Quidnet Capital has signed up Next and H&M to take two newly created 26,000 sq ft stores in the Treaty Centre in the former Woolworth store.

Both Next and H&M will have new two-level, dual frontage stores, designed by Leslie Jones Architects, with entrances on to the High Street and internally to the Treaty Centre mall. The Next store will offer their full fashion ranges for men, women and children, together with Homeware and will feature a coffee shop overlooking the High Street. A planning application has been submitted to Hounslow Council this week.

Tony Yiannakis, Partner, Quidnet Capital, said;“We have worked incredibly hard over the past 18 months to bring Next and H&M to the Treaty Centre and are very excited about how this will bring new life and prosperity to the High Street. Key to attracting

these high quality retailers has been the vision to transform the run down former Woolworth building into modern retail space. We look forward to working with Hounslow Council to get the planning permission agreed so that construction work can start in the New Year and realise what will be a major first step in the rejuvenation of Hounslow Town Centre.”

Nick Tribe, Partner, Quidnet Capital, said;“The arrival of Next and H&M is great news for the Treaty Centre and Hounslow as a whole. The arrival of these exciting new brands will help put Hounslow High Street back on the west London retail map. What Hounslow Town Centre now needs is new leisure and restaurant uses to complement the High Street’s strengthening retail offer so more people are attracted to the heart of Hounslow.”

Stephen Fry, Chief Executive of Hounslow Chamber of Commerce, said;“We are delighted that Next and H&M are coming to Hounslow Town Centre. This will give an enormous boost to the High Street and to existing businesses. The Quidnet team deserve our appreciation for all their hard work and for investing so much time, effort and money in our Borough.”

Drive your company’s growthA service for businesses and charities with the capacity to grow: the Growth Accelerator

The Growth Accelerator composes of coaching, workshops and potentially an IP audit. The one to one coaching will give you your company’s specific growth strategy for the next three years and tackles the obstacles that are getting in the way. This will give you a very generous amount of coaching for a contribution which is less than what you would pay on a commercial basis for one day’s worth of coaching. You also get six half day workshops on areas like management and sales plus potentially a free IP audit (worth £3K) from as little as a one off £600. This government co- funded service is aimed at growing your organisation in the number of staff, net profits or assets.

This applies If you have less than 250 staff and do not have a larger or foreign parent company,

Companies with less than 5 staff will pay £600 (+VAT) for this service, those with 5-49 staff £1500 and organisations with 50-249 staff pay £3000 for a package worth £10,000!

If you are accepted on this service, you can also claim £2000 of match funding per member of senior staff (uncapped) in your organisation for leadership and management training.

Of the 7000 companies that went on the programme last year, 97% achieved improvements in their management capabilities. 94% made changes to the management of their business which had a positive impact on their business performance.

For more information about the service or your eligibility, please contact either Lizanne Jakobs or Christina Jackson who are registered and approved coaches for Growth Accelerator.

Christina JacksonActionCOACH Tel: 020 8776 [email protected]

Lizanne Jakobs,Ology CoachingTel: 01784 [email protected]

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Christmas 2013

GENERAL INTERESTThe plan for a quieter Heathrow expansion that isn’t being heard.

Landing

Taking off

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ChiswickHestonIver

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Four runways, less noise. Noise footprint reduction key:

Current 57 db line

Projected 57 db line for 2034 with 900,000 annual movements

Based on assumption of 100% chapter 14 aircraft. Government research indicates 57 dB is the level at which people become significantly annoyed by aircraft noise.© 2013 Infoterra Ltd & Bluesky. Image © 2013 Bluesky. Google Earth.

Heathrow Hub, the independent, innovative proposal to double the available capacity at Heathrow while also reducing noise, has recently launched a nationwide advertising campaign to ensure its proposals are heard by all those interested in the future of Britain’s airport capacity.

The Heathrow Hub concept proposes extending the existing Heathrow runways to the West and then splitting them to create four, thereby doubling the number of slots. It also proposes building a new rail and passenger interchange on identified land just to the north of Heathrow. The facility would at last connect Heathrow to the national rail network via the Great Western Mainline and Crossrail, connecting regional towns and cities to global markets and providing an integrated transport solution for the whole country, not just London.

The new runway configuration, and the extra capacity it would deliver, would reduce current noise levels, particularly over west London and especially in the sensitive early morning period. More advanced air traffic control procedures and improved operational techniques also offer the opportunity to reduce noise disturbance even more.

A submission, with technical work led by URS - a leading provider of engineering, construction and technical services for public agencies and private sector companies around the world - has been made to the UK Airports Commission. The entire project could be built for an estimated £12.5 billion, to be privately funded.

Captain William ‘Jock’ Lowe, the longest serving Concorde pilot, and Mark Bostock, a former director of Arup who promoted and developed the HS1 Channel Tunnel rail link alignment, lead the team behind Heathrow Hub. The concept is very different to and entirely separate from

Heathrow Airport Ltd’s plan for a third runway, not least because it brings no new households into the airport’s noise footprint.

Jock Lowe said: “Expansion at Heathrow is vital for the economy and we believe this independent, innovative proposal is the most cost effective and practical solution to the issue of Britain’s aviation hub capacity. It also has the merit of being quieter by not building the ‘third runway’ and adopting noise reduction measures. We have embarked on this advertising campaign in the hope the proposal is properly understood by all those interested in the future of Britain’s aviation capacity.”

Among the additional noise reduction techniques Heathrow Hub advocates are:

Use of the western runway extensions for the critical early morning arrival period, thereby moving the noise footprint 2 miles to the West.Two-stage, steeper approachesFlexible operations. While this

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proposal doubles available capacity, much of this will remain unused, allowing for respite periods and providing much needed additional resilience Chapter 14 regulations are also forecast to reduce noise impact substantially by ensuring new aircraft are quieter.

For further details please see www.heathrowhub.com

Heathrow Hub was also the subject of a recent report entitled “Double Up On Heathrow” published by the Centre for Policy Studies available at http://www.cps.org.uk/

For more information:Jock Lowe: 07831 599925Mark Bostock: 07785 397710Maitland Consultancy: 0207 379 5151

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�Contact: Sally Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Tel. 020 8326 6416, Fax 020 8569 9670, Email: [email protected]

GENERAL INTERESTChristmas is comingThis Christmas, Access Self Storage in Twickenham (Rugby Road), Isleworth (London Road), and Sunbury (Windmill Road) have decided to help the disabled children of Hounslow Borough. The charity they have chosen to support this year is The Friends of Hounslow Portage.

Hounslow Portage is an educational home visiting service for pre-school children with additional needs, living in the London borough of Hounslow. Portage home visitors visits children on a weekly or, in some cases, fortnightly basis, working alongside parents and/or carers to build on the abilities a child already has and to also teach skills the child has yet to master. Hounslow Portage offers a carefully structured, but flexible, system to help parents become effective teachers for their own children.

This Christmas Access Self Storage will be joining The Friends of Hounslow Portage at their annual Christmas party held for the families supported by the charity on 17th December and they’re asking for your help. All they need is for you to take 5 minutes of your time to look through your old and new toys for any items suitable for a child with a disability.

LightsSoundsTexturesShakersDrumsBellsBlack and white Toys

All toys will be accepted and if they don’t match our needs we will donate them for you to our local charity shops. Please deliver the toys to the Isleworth and Sunbury stores

If you have any questions feel free to contact: 01932 772 703.

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iBurbia StudiosiBurbia Studios is a fascinating business venue right in the heart of Chiswick with a long history of use. In Victorian times the building was known as the ‘Drill Hall’ - the community hall for the Salvation Army, the Scouts & Guides and any other civic body wearing a uniform who wanted to meet and ‘drill’. In the Seventies and Eighties it was an auction house, so many Chiswick residents have memories of buying furniture in the building. Then for many years it was the home of a record company, Independiente who invested in the first stage conversion of the Drill Hall into a business unit, albeit with a few creative twists.

Its wonderful, soaring spaces have now been transformed into a high-tech business venue by the iBurbia Group (it is short for interactive suburbia) who have similar venues in Manchester and Glasgow. The Chiswick iBurbia is now a business venue boasting meeting and presentation rooms, with a great ambience as well as cutting edge presentation technology. The venue is open to rent and is used by local companies for small and large meetings, company away days, product launches and other PR events. The venue is fully catered and the in-house chef can produce breakfasts, lunch or dinners for any size event. iBurbia is currently celebrating

Autumn, with a range of seasonal dishes.

As befits the high tech installation, iBurbia also supports a range of specialist business functions including market research - with all rooms configured for focus group recording, and video-conferencing. It can also stream coverage of meetings and events held here no the web. Reflecting the huge amount of TV industry companies that have moved West in recent years, iBurbia is the only business venue in London with a full range of TV services like Sky, Virgin, BT and TalkTalk available to use in its spaces. Why not book a visit to see all the ways that iBurbia Studios could help your company?

iBurbia Studios is a unique and dynamic environment with suites and breakout areas perfect for off-site meetings, away-days, large presentations and events.

Our team can provide on-site parking, excellent catering and other support services for clients taking part in varied on-site activities. We also have more presentation technology, access to digital services and tech support than any business venue in the UK.

Hounslow Chamber and Ealing Chamber are holding a joint networking evening at iBurbia on 23rd January so you can see for yourself

Call or email our friendly team to find out more on 0208 747 4593 or [email protected] visit our website www.iburbiastudios.co.uk

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Christmas 2013

GENERAL INTERESTMayor of London invests £7.7m in New Entrepreneur Laboratory

London Mayor Boris Johnson has given the strongest endorsement of all to redevelopment plans at The Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes by announcing a £7.7 million allocation from the GLA’s Growing Places Fund to build the Central Research Laboratory (CRL) at the site. The CRL will be a pioneering facility to incubate new hi-tech manufacturing businesses and will create hundreds of jobs and contribute hundreds of millions of pounds to London’s economy over the next ten years, kickstarting the renaissance of The Old Vinyl Factory as a hive of 21st Century innovation, manufacturing and commerce.

The funding will enable the transformation of one of the existing buildings on the site, The Record Store, to become a ground-breaking support facility for new manufacturing start-ups where innovators will be able to take their idea through the final stages of development and to market.

The CRL is the first of its kind in the UK and is, simply put, a jobs factory, nurturing and training a highly skilled

workforce. New start-ups in high-tech, design-led manufacturing industries will be provided with comprehensive business incubation support including access to a fabrication laboratory, and a small batch production facility. They will also receive business mentoring, through partnerships with organisations such as Brunel University, the RSA and the Design Museum (the quality of which is not currently available anywhere else in the UK) and early seed capital funding – investment of between £50,000 and £250,000 will be available to CRL entrepreneurs.

This holistic model of business support, access to finance and technical facilities is the future of the UK’s manufacturing industry and will make the CRL at The Old Vinyl Factory a unique, world-leading centre of high profile, entrepreneurial activity just two miles from Heathrow Airport, acting as a beacon for further investment.

Work will start on The Record Store in the spring of next year with completion a year later. Richard Upton, Chief Executive of Cathedral Group, said “The CRL is the first step for us on the road to delivering the commitment we made to the London Borough of Hillingdon when we started work in Hayes – to bring

4,000 new jobs to our site. This is a huge contribution to that goal and we are so happy that the Mayor and London’s LEP board are supportive of our mission. This is very good news for London.”

www.cathedralgroup.com www.developmentsecurities.co.uk www.theoldvinylfactory.com

HB Human Resources (HBHR) Harold Benjamin’s recently-launched human resources tool-kit is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses that don’t require a full-time human resources manager and yet frequently need help managing important staff management issues on a day-to-day basis.Called HB Human Resources (HBHR), the new portal is accessible at work, at home or on the move at just the touch of your fingertips 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provides subscribers with a one-stop shop of HR advice and support including:

Employment Contracts: Using out of date employment contracts is false economy and can cost you thousands of pounds, even tens of thousands if a dispute leads to tribunal. The HBHR portal ensures that your contracts of employment are tailored specifically for your company, are compliant with employment law and reduce the risk to your business. Our online system also gives you 24/7 access to your documents whether in the office, at home or on the move.

One to One Helpline: When you have an urgent employment law question it can weigh heavily on your mind and distracts you from important business. Our helpline is available from 8am to 6pm and provides you with prompt access to a team of highly experienced

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solicitors who will solve your problems as a matter of priority so that you can get back on track.

Managers Toolkits: Once you have access to these easy to use Toolkits you will never feel out of your depth about an employment law procedure again. A wealth of constantly updated online Toolkits contain all the guides, flowcharts, forms and letters you need for confident management of everyday issues from recruitment through to retirement!

Employee Records Management: If you are fed up searching manually through employee files and records in your filing cabinet, frustrated by scraps of paper stuck in folders and sticky notes on your desk you will love the order that this online storage system brings to your life.

In addition, this user friendly HR Portal helps you reduce costs with self service employee dashboards for managing and monitoring attendance and systems for streamlining disciplinary and grievance files and producing department reports.

For further information about HBHR and a live demonstration highlighting how it can benefit your business, call either Cyril Dennemont, Partner and Head of the Employment Department at Harold Benjamin, on 020 8872 3032 (email: [email protected] or Marina Vincent, Partner in the Employment Department at Harold Benjamin, on 020 8872 3052 (email: [email protected]).

Harold Benjamin Solicitors, Hill House, 67-71 Lowlands Road, Harrow HA1 3EQ. Tel: 020 8422 5678. www.haroldbenjamin.com

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MEMBER NEWS

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Source:LB Newham. Note – LBHF nametag added by lookwest.

West London has an enviable economic position, but must not be complacent, or it risks allowing other regions to overtake it, said speakers at Place West London.

The annual sub-regional economic development summit took place on October 22, and was opened by the chair of the advisory board, Richard Barnes, who gave the first warning against resting on laurels. He said that West London needed to focus on staying ahead of other parts of London, the UK, and Europe in the competition for jobs and growth.

Keynote speaker Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, is a living embodiment of the challenge other areas can bring to West London’s economic pre-eminence. The changes in and around the Olympic Park, and the work going on to regenerate the Royal Docks – which has already produced a landmark agreement with Chinese developer ABP to bring over 50 Chinese companies into Newham – is a demonstration of the step changes that can be produced with energy, commitment and resource.

Sir Robin also gave an uplifting example of what an area can do with his story of the regeneration catalysed by the Olympics, which holds many lessons for West London.He spoke of the work Newham

Council and others have done on “resilience and capacity”, which, in the context of regeneration, means a focus on building skills in young people to provide a local talent pool for businesses choosing to locate in the area. He emphasised that skills needed to be appropriate for employers, and not just popular with students – using as an example the number of students who qualify from hairdressing courses and do not, in fact, find work in that area.

He also emphasised that what has been achieved in Newham was helped immeasurably by genuine public/private sector partnership – an essential element of successful large scale regeneration programme, and a lesson for the mega-schemes being discussed in West London such as White City and Old Oak Common.

One of his graphs – designed to show the amount of land opportunity in Newham – neatly illustrated the same over-sized opportunity in a number of western boroughs, in particular in Hammersmith & Fulham, one of the smallest boroughs by area, but among the largest after Newham in the opportunity stakes (see picture above).

Sir Robin poked fun at opponents of Heathrow expansion, saying: “What is it with west London? You build an airport, generate thousands of jobs,

Hounslow Property ReviewComplacency the enemy for West London

grow an economy, then say – oh, it’s a bit noisy!”. He jokingly said that he’d be delighted if Heathrow closed, and the airport moved east, as it would benefit his residents – although Chris Choa of AECOM later showed that Stratford is closer in distance and (once Crossrail is open) time to Heathrow than to either Stansted or the sites of the Estuary proposals.

Big SnoozeChris Durkin, Vice President of Hounslow Chamber, took part in the Big Snooze on Friday, 8th November. The event was organised by SPEAR to raise funds for their work for homeless people. The Big SPEAR Snooze is now in the fourth year, and, the objective of the event remains the same. They encourage people to spend just one night sleeping outside to raise sponsorship and awareness for their work. Whilst this can never give anyone a realistic experience of being homeless, it does highlight the increasing problem, and provides an opportunity for the community to work together for the benefit of rough sleepers. About 80 hardy people slept out all night at Twickenham Church. The harsh reality of living on the streets was brought home to those taking part as Les, a homeless chap came into the church hall during the evening. To quote Chris: “Seeing him in such a terrible condition made us all realise why we were doing this sleep out.”

To date, the event has raised just over £22,000.

After the event Chris said: “The night was bitterly cold and in the morning the windscreen of my car was covered in solid ice. Les did not have a sleeping bag or anything really apart from alcohol to keep him warm and he does this every night; I fear he will not make old bones!”

Please contact [email protected]

Ambush at WatermansThis summer Watermans was turned into one giant attraction for young people. Each week for four weeks, there was a range of arts activities run by some of the most fun people in the business. They made music and performed on the stage, painted the car-park, and built sculptures on the terrace. Young people made films, learnt to perform up in the air and created a virtual world of their own. Overall there were ten different art forms available to try in a new Arts Summer School called URBAN AMBUSH.

Some 30,000 young people aged 8-18 live in Hounslow. Many have very limited opportunities to interact with culture outside school. Developing these young people’s creativity, sociability and self-esteem through exposure and involvement with arts and culture has real benefits – for them, their families and society more generally. Watermans know that such events often lead to young people considering new and previously unexplored ideas for education and career paths. And they know the positive difference that arts courses can make to young people because that’s what they’ve told us.

Over 200 young people aged 8 to 18 took part. In most instances participants were exploring these different art forms for the first time

Big Snooze participants

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Christmas 2013

MEMBER NEWSand it is really remarkable what they achieved in such a short time.

The prolific creative output was put on show in an exhibition which has just closed and Watermans is immensely proud of the creative energy that was on display.

This was the first of what Watermans hope will be many URBAN AMBUSH and was only possible through partnership with London Borough of Hounslow Youth Service and additional financial support from Heathrow Communities Trust and Glaxo Smith Kline.

Watermans would also like to thank London Borough of Ealing, Heidelberg, DunnHumby, their suppliers and all of their customers who helped to make URBAN AMBUSH possible.

Heathrow Community FundHeathrow Community Fund, run under the guidance of The Communities Trust, makes donations to community projects local to the airport.

Communities For Youth Grants of up to £25,000 to support young people in their development in both education and skills development.Eligible boroughs: Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Slough and Spelthorne.

Communities for TomorrowGrants of up to £25,000 for projects that help protect the environment or encourage sustainable development and eco education. The programme is funded by aircraft noise fines.Eligible boroughs: Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Richmond, Runnymede, South Bucks, Slough, Spelthorne, Windsor and Maidenhead.

Communities TogetherGrants of up to £5,000 for a wider range of smaller community focused projects. This programme is funded in part by donations from passengers at Heathrow Airport.Eligible boroughs: Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Richmond, Runnymede, South Bucks, Slough, Spelthorne, Windsor and Maidenhead.

Further information about the Heathrow Community FundThey do not as a rule support general running costs, including staff costs, preferring to fund, part fund or make a grant towards specific projects. They will not provide funds for commercial sponsorship, to individuals, for third party advertising or political campaigning. Heathrow Community Fund Trustees meet up to four times a year to consider grant applications.If you would like more guidance on a potential grant application please drop an email with a summary of your proposal to Kate Birch at [email protected]

Their focus is on projects linked to education and youth development, the environment and employment/skills development. In 2014 around £500,000 will be available through three distinct grant programmes.

E&E Architects International LimitedE&E Architects International Limited (formerly known as Hans Haenlein Architects (UK) Ltd.) is a Hounslow based Architectural Practice, with many years of experience in the design of Education, Community, Residential buildings and Urban design.

In the education sector their experience ranges across the whole spectrum of primary, secondary, tertiary, specialist teaching and higher education facilities. They have extensive experience in residential and housing, with a wide variety of homes from private one-off houses tailored to specific client and contextual needs, to large scale housing and mixed use schemes.

In the community field they specialise in providing strategic advice to voluntary and community organisations and helping them to formulate their ideas in order to obtain funding for their building needs. Personal service, and the support of an excellent network of specialist consultants, ensures a fully integrated service. They also offer a full project management service.

Their buildings are based on ecological principles and they are active in the field of urban regeneration. For more information please visit www.eearchitects.com. If you would like to get in touch please send your emails to [email protected] or call 020 3714 2704

Entrepreneurs Succeed With Our BookChamber members Shakeeb Niazi and Antony Doggwiler are extremely excited by the success of their first business book “Entrepreneurs Succeed With Us”, a very readable guide for business owners who are looking to create a high performance business.

Written by a team of practical experienced business people, the book provides entrepreneurs with a set of principles and actions that enables them to achieve their long term goals of expansion and ultimately business exit.

Covering all the key areas of creating your own successful business, such as the seven vital signs, developing your people, creating the right entrepreneurial mindset, sources of finance, how the law helps your business, marketing, IT and exit strategy, the book provides solid advice on all aspects of creating a sustainable and valuable operation.

IT Strategist and Consultant Shakeeb naturally has contributed the chapter on ‘making technology work for you’ while interim and part-time Finance Director Antony’s chapter focusses on how business owners can maximise the value from a successful exit from their business.

The book was the brainchild of business growth coach Alan Charlesworth, who having been the CEO of a number of growth businesses, really appreciated how his entrepreneurial success had been assisted by the help and expertise of the people he had worked with.

He felt that other entrepreneurs could benefit from a book that focussed on the solutions to common business issues and problems, particularly if

Mustafa Erdem


MEMBER NEWSit was written by people who had experienced and dealt with these problems first hand.

The book itself was favourably received when it was launched in June, occupying the top spot on Amazon’s Small Business and Entrepreneurs book chart. As a result the team behind the book will be looking to organise other events designed at helping entrepreneurs put the lessons learned to practical use.

Energy Cost Management approach helps to simplify the energy market, whilst delivering real results in terms of lower energy costs and as such more profitable businesses. Not only does this service facilitate transparency, it also provides a simple approach enabling businesses of all sizes with options to proactively reduce capital and operational costs associated with managing energy costs.

“We were very honoured to have won this award last year and our clients have shared in our enthusiasm since then for developing our services to lead them quickly through this rapidly changing market whether just in the UK or pan-Europe. The momentum is increasing and our determination to satisfy the needs of all clients remains at maximum output.” (John Hall – Chairman at Alfa Energy)

In July 2012 Alfa Energy were proud to be nominated for the first time for the award of Energy Broker of the Year at the 2012 Energy Awards, and subsequently were fortunate enough to win the category at the Energy Industry Awards ceremony held in December 2012 in London.

The Broker of the Year award aims to demonstrates that reputable energy brokers and consultants can add real value to the business community by providing quality services resulting in a reduction in energy costs. Alfa Energy are proud to announce that they have been nominated again for this prestigious award.

Over the past year, Alfa Energy has continued to provide trusted energy advice in the most transparent and clear way to their clients. Their Total

New book Digital Leadership shows you how to be more creative when using social mediaWhat did major brands Kodak, Blockbuster and HMV all have in common? They all denied that digital matters and they didn’t listen to their customers. When their customers changed their behaviour and stopped consuming as they used to, these brands lost a significant part of their businesses and thousands of people lost their jobs.

Today, digital and social media skills are essential in any profession. As a brand you must engage with your clients and listen to their needs. Social media is an excellent communication tool if used in the right way. Use it intelligently and you will be one step ahead.

Hounslow Chamber member, Sofie Sandell, the author of Digital Leadership, is encouraging all leaders and people who want to inspire others to use these tools more effectively. Her new book covers why social media matters, how creativity in business works and explains why you, as a leader, need to get involved in digital development to avoid being left behind.

Sofie Sandell says: ‘More people need to learn how creativity in business works. You will find it much easier to get your head around social media and new technology if you do. In the future I also think we will all need to be personally responsible in our jobs for how we use social media to connect with others helping our business to move forward.’

“An essential guide to de-mystifying how social media and the digital world can work for you ... a real common sense approach for you and your business.” - Lesley Young, JCI Executive Vice President Europe

Sofie Sandell is an entrepreneur with interests spanning from technology and leadership to art and sailing. She is a public speaker, trainer and author. Sofie was the first social media manager at a large publishing house in London and has been involved in digital media for over ten years. She has had a number of leadership roles in non-governmental organisations and in 2011 was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in recognition for her services to the city.

Sofie is also a regular contributor to the technology radio show #TechTalkfest where she talks about all things digital. She wrote this book to be able to share her views with a wider audience.

For more information about the book please visit: www.sofiesandell.com/book or contact [email protected]

However for now it is all about the book. As Antony concludes “Writing your first book is an event in itself. Seeing it reach the top of the best sellers chart on Amazon takes it to a new level.”

“Entrepreneurs Succeed With Us” is available from Amazon and all good booksellers. For more information go to www.entrepreneurssucceedwithus.co.uk. Should you wish to be invited to their next event please, email your details to [email protected].

Hounslow Chamber member and Ealing Based Company, Alfa Energy, shortlisted for the 2013 Energy Broker of the Year Award

December 2012 Awards

alfaenergy is able to secure better energy cost-management strategies for Hounslow Chamber members, allowing you to make savings. For more information please contact Paola Marchini on 020 8810 7743 or 078 5290 7099 or [email protected]

10

Christmas 2013

MEMBER NEWSAnne’s Charity Skydive… She Did It!Although we doubt Anne Egleton is keen to repeat her experience anytime soon, Pentagon HR is incredibly proud to announce that Anne raised a whopping £1,740 for Pancreatic cancer UK. Anne “falling with style!

Development First Training is a small Boutique Training Provider and a cost effective way to get high quality training from experienced trainers and consultants who deliver fun, interactive and creative courses that deliver objectives and exceed client expectations.

DFT’s philosophy is to make the training programmes creative, exciting and interactive. They believe people retain a lot more information if they are having fun and so design their programmes to be creatively interactive with game-shows and relevant exercises that check understanding and deliver company objectives.

The Hounslow based company was formed in 2010 by Director and lead trainer Anis Ahmed. Anis has been a freelance trainer and consultant for over 15 years and has had amazing success working with companies such as Samsung, O2, Rank Xerox, Mecca Bingo, The Carphone Warehouse and Selfridges.

The company has had significant experience in designing and delivering sales and staff training within the Retail, Customer Service, Motoring, Electronics, Entertainment, Media and Telecoms industries all over the world.

All DFT trainers are certified Chartered Institute of Personnel and

Development (CIPD) Associates with a Certificate in Training Practice (CTP).

DFT also have extensive experience in the blended learning process delivering many successful Online Virtual Classroom (webinar) sessions as well as designing self-learning modules (e-Learning) that have delivered great results.

DFT are also one of the first training organisations to deliver their courses using the sensational new format, PREZI.

What is PREZI? It’s the fantastic new way to deliver training and your message to your staff and customers – Replace Powerpoint with PREZI and see the results. DFT are training staff to use PREZI to get significantly better results. “Prezi has a marvellous approach to the visualisation of information – the freshest I’ve seen since the 1980s.” — Rob Campbell, Founder, Powerpoint

ISO �001 accreditation expected to bring more business to WatermansWatermans has just gained ISO:9001 accreditation. As well as reflecting Watermans’ commitment to continuously improving its service, this will put Watermans in a strong position when bidding for many Social Contracts that involve arts and culture.

ISO:9001 is the global standard established to help organisations manage and improve their performance. The accreditation process involves examining the organisation’s systems and processes to ensure that they comply with current best practice and to ensure that they are implemented, to help provide continuous improvements in the services and activities delivered. This standard has been adopted globally and is the only internationally recognised standard related to the quality of the performance of an organisation. Each year, as more and more organisations earn accreditation, a growing number expect a similar level of performance from the companies they choose to work with.

Accreditation for Watermans involved a significant investment in time, systems and people. This was part of a 4-year organisational development project designed to ensure that Watermans was able to win and deliver multiple public sector contracts efficiently and

to the highest possible quality. This development was funded by the Social Investment Business. Watermans has worked with consultants such as KPMG, Red Ochre and Matter & Co to develop their approach.

Watermans gained ISO:9001 accreditation at the first time of asking.

Today, more and more organisations that provide contracts for work to organisations like Watermans require their suppliers to be ISO:9001 accredited. As one of the very few Arts and Culture organisations in the whole of the UK to be accredited, Watermans will be in prime position to be considered for more and larger contracts than ever before.

Jan Lennox, Watermans’ Director, said, “We are really delighted to have gained ISO:9001 accreditation as it was a great challenge for a creative business of our size. We have only been able to gain accreditation with the support and hard work of all our staff. It is a reflection of the importance we have always placed on providing a first rate service to all of our customers and we are confident that maintaining this accreditation will help us to ensure that we continue to raise our standards even further. We fully expect that the benefits will be apparent to our existing funders as well as giving us an advantage when bidding for new contracts for work from local authorities and other organisations that require ISO:9001 accreditation.”

For more, contact Leigh Stops, Watermans Marketing Director, [email protected]


MEMBER NEWSComplete Pants from Play�RealLin Sagovsky has spent years watching business people perform badly in presentations and meetings – then coaching them in simple techniques that make all the difference. Using her theatre background, Lin founded Play4Real in 2005, a consultancy that works with every type and size of business organisation. This year, that’s ranged from the entire Mars Petcare senior team in Mexico City to the youngest new recruits at Data Intelligence, a fast-growing SME in Slough.

For every client, Lin creates an interactive programme in which people have fun, learn new skills – and find their own answers. Now she’s published some observations about what those answers need to address in this e-book:

In it, you’ll find absolutely indispensable tips about stuff that lots of business people are... well, complete pants at (not you, of course).

Learn how NOT to deliver presentations, run meetings, conduct a negotiation, or schmooze at a networking event. For a mere £1.99,

you can download it to your e-reader - then sit back and indulge in feeling smug. After all, these handy hints are so obvious that it would be unthinkable for you to be making such silly mistakes… wouldn’t it?

So have a read just for the fun of it – and to enjoy some hilarious cartoons by the award winning Alexander Matthews. After that, you could...

Post a reviewTweet about itHave a look at the newly-revamped Play4Real website at www.play4real.co.uk

…especially the articles Lin will be posting there regularly. Building on the wisdom of How to Fulfil…, these will bring you even more insights and tips about coming across to others in ways that create the best possible impact for the best possible business relationships. (With lots more great cartoons too!)

Find out more at: www.play4real.co.uk Email: [email protected]: @sagovsky

•••

Work experience for young people with disabilitiesGSK is the first private sector organisation in the UK to run Project SEARCH – a supported work-based programme for young people with learning disabilities.

Project SEARCH successfully runs in public sector organisations, where the skills of these individuals have really shone through. GSK hopes to be the first of many private sector businesses to tap into their talent and realise their tremendous abilities.

GSK takes on 12 students every year who are supported by a full-time tutor from West Thames College and a full-time job coach from Hammersmith and Fulham Action

on Disability (HAFAD). The students gain work experience in a range of departments with support from a mentor within that team; providing them with the skills to transition from education to the business environment. In addition to their work placements, the students study for a City & Guilds in Employability and Personal Development.

GSK’s objective is for 100% of participants in the programme to find employment after their placements – an ambitious target when only 7% of UK adults with a learning disability are employed nationally.

GSK staff have been blown away by the talents and skills the students have brought to their teams. So much so that three of last year’s students now have roles at GSK. Ian Friel joined the conference room booking team following his successful work placement.

Ian’s manager Belen Jones commented, “From the beginning of his work placement Ian showed enthusiasm and commitment. It was very clear that if a vacancy opened, Ian would be the perfect candidate. Ian has been working with us for just over three months and continues to show dedication and flexibility. It’s

been amazing to see him grow and develop in his role.”

GSK welcomed its second intake of students in September 2013 and they have just started their first work placement.

Sam’s Wins Imbibe’s Neighbourhood Restaurant Wine List of the Year 2013/201�

Pictured: General Manager, Dorota Kulakowska (second left) & Marketing Manager, Fiona Waite (right)

continued overleaf

12

Christmas 2013

PAST EVENTSSam Harrison said: “I am utterly thrilled that we have recently won this award - it is a really lovely pat on the back for all the work my team and I do on our wine list.

I say work, but it has always been a great passion of mine. I love sourcing the wines and then putting together a list that I think people will enjoy drinking. I get great pleasure from when I travel abroad, actually meet the winemakers and then are able to list their wines in the restaurants - it makes it so much more personal.

I was so pleased that the judging panel recognised the value our list offers, the range and interest of wines. I have always believed that wine should be sensibly priced so that people will order and enjoy. We really hope you find something new to try or an old favourite. If you have any ideas for the list then please let us know.”

For more info on the awards visit Imbibe’s website.

Painting Architecture for Human RightsA painting by Chamber member Paul Vick was exhibited at the 10 x 10 exhibition at the new Central St. Martin’s building: The Crossing, 1 Granary Square in November 2013.

Each year, parts of London are divided into a grid of 10x10 with the resulting squares being allocated to 100 prominent architects, designers and artists. The artwork in the annual exhibition is auctioned for charity Article 25. This year, the East End was divided.

Paul Vick’s After the Party shows the aftermath of the street festival in Whitecross. In his own words:

“The Whitecross Festival on Whitecross Street, which hosts diverse street art, had finished the day before I arrived. Workmen dismantling the art, gallery staff, passersby and shopkeepers shared jokes in the happy afterglow of the festival and its artistic endeavour. The remaining artworks, some even dislocated from their intended place, took on a life of their own against a variety of architecture, such is the power of art and architecture to enrich our experience, and this is what I was interested in capturing.”

Article 25, the charity managing sustainable architectural projects in areas of extreme poverty or disaster, is based on UN Charter on Human Rights 25.1.everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing…’

£90,000 was raised for Article 25 from the two week’s exhibition.

Barclays Business celebrates DiwaliThe Barclays branch and Business teams in Southall joined members of the local community to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.

The branch on the Broadway opened for the evening on 31st October and the 150 guests met to celebrate the festival. The guests included Ashok Vaswani, Chief Executive of Barclays retail bank, the mayor of Ealing Councillor Kamaljit Dhindsa and MP for Southall Virendra Sharma.

A charity raffle took place in the week running up to the event with a range of prizes generously donated by local businesses.

Business Manager Raj Patel said: “This was an excellent event and a great opportunity to celebrate the Festival of Diwali and to thank our customers for their loyalty at the same time. We are very grateful for the generosity of local businesses in providing prizes for the raffle and also to everyone who bought tickets. As a result a total of £1,105 was raised and Barclays has agreed to match the total so £2,210 will be donated to the Uttarkharand Flood Relief Fund.”

Visitors at the event enjoyed a buffet meal which was supplied by local

business K K catering. They were also offered an opportunity to experience the various free technology solutions available to customers to make their lives easier.

Virendra Sharma MP spoke to visitors at the branch he said: “The Diwali Celebrations at Barclays Southall were a great opportunity to celebrate this festival which honours trust, love and justice with the community.

Area Manager Simon Robertson, said: “We were very grateful to everyone who joined us on the day and in particular local MP Virendra Sharma and the Mayor of Ealing who helped make the event very special. We are determined to be at the heart of the community and this is just one of many events that we have held and we plan to hold to serve our many valued and diverse range of customers .”

Our Big Yellow Summer EventThe summer event for Hounslow Chamber was held at Big Yellow Self Storage in Chiswick for those of us not on holiday in August. It was well attended with generous donations of wine from by Pernod Ricard, a firkin of London Pride from Fullers and the delicious buffet from Big Yellow. If you would like a tour of this ‘green’ building please contact Ali. It is fascinating with a living roof and state of the art systems.

Guests meeting Ashok Vaswani


PAST EVENTS

Some 60 firms joined for dinner last night at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum as part of Hounslow Chamber of Commerce’s celebration of all things “Made In Hounslow”.

The Dinner, sponsored by CP Cases, Ormiston Wire, Brompton Bicycle and Pernod Ricard was hosted by the Brentford based Steam Museum.

Mark Ormiston from Ormiston Wire spoke of the proud history of manufacturing in the Borough and Nigel Mainwaring from Russell Finex explained how delighted his company was to win the coveted Best SME Award at the recent Hounslow Business Awards. Nigel went on to explain how Russell Finex employed locally but sold internationally and how they had developed an employee share ownership scheme for the business.

Justin Urquart Stewart was the guest speaker and used his great knowledge of economics, broadcasting and international trade to inform and entertain through the meal provided by Charisma Catering of Hounslow.

Sally Smith COO of the Chamber of Commerce said:

“We were delighted and proud to have Justin as our guest speaker as the calibre of his remarks about UK Manufacturing were reflected in the wonderful surroundings of Kew Bridge Steam Museum which is a testament to British ingenuity and manufacturing prowess.”

Manufacturers Celebrate All Things “Made In Hounslow”

Mark Ormiston – Ormiston Wire Justin Urquart Stewart

The event is part of Hounslow Chamber of Commerce’s celebration of local business and local genius. The events schedule for 2014 will provide more opportunities to meet and discover more successes of Hounslow’s industrious presence in the regional and global economy.

Ray Singh from Russell Finex

1�

Christmas 2013

Arora Hotel Heathrow - an independently owned and operated hotel. All our 350 rooms in this 4* hotel were designed with peace and comfort in mind. It doesn’t stop there, with 7 highly functional meeting rooms, including our unique rooftop Executive Boardroom, with unrivalled views of the hustle and bustle of Heathrow, complete with its own outdoor putting green! There is now no better place at the airport to host your meeting!Arora Hotel Heathrow, The Grove, Bath Road, West Drayton, UB7 0DG T: (0)208 757 7604 E: [email protected]

Big Yellow Storage - storing with Big Yellow is like having extra business premises around the corner. We have individual storage space ranging from 10 sq ft to 5000 sq ft. You choose which storage room size suits you best and how long you need storage. And if you suddenly need more space, or even less space, you can change room size whenever you like and without penalty. Contact Details: Ali Velayat on 0208 232 1600Website: www.bigyellow.co.uk [email protected] Big Yellow Storage stores across west London are part of Hounslow Chamber. They include: Chiswick, Ealing, Hounslow, Richmond, Sheen and Twickenham

Dhaba Tandoori & Curry Restaurant: 481 London Road, Isleworth, TW7 4BX tel.020 8568 5959 The only Traditional Indian Village Style Restaurant, which gives the true taste of Village style dining. All furniture s is pecially designed and hand made by trained Indian craftsman in India. We cater for all indoor/outdoor parties (pure veg/non veg) Over 40 years in Restaurants & Catering Business.

ECS - based in Brentford for more than 20 years, ECS offers Accounting, Taxation, Bookkeeping, Company Secretarial, and Payroll and CIS Bureau services to smaller and medium-sized businesses and charities. We specialise in Sage Accounting software. Please contact Tim Luckett on 07973 503213 to arrange a meeting to discuss how we might help you – the first meeting is free of charge.

FMA Accountants - Contractor, Freelancer or Small Business? FMA Accountants are a Chartered Certified accountancy practice based in Chiswick offering a range of accountancy services specifically aimed at providing you with a professionally delivered

bespoke service. We strive to provide you with an exceptional service at a competitive rate. Sign up with FMA Accountants before 15th January 2014 and get your first TWO MONTHS of accountancy service FREE. Call us on 020 8569 7858 or Email: [email protected] quoting 3FMAXZ to claim your FREE Two Months

Heston Community School is a successful, vibrant and specialist 11 -18 Visual Arts Academy at the heart of its community. We are keen to work with partners who share our passion for learning in our community and want to help us change the lives of all our community through the educational and sports provision we offer.

For more information, to become part of our learning community, hire our facilities, join us in our mission or organise a fact finding visit to the School, please visit our website:www.hestoncommunityschool.co.uk or contact us on 020 8572 1931.

Ilex Content Strategies provides content and integrated marketing services for local UK charities and international businesses. We help our clients to set their marketing strategy, create online and offline content and explain their products and services to their target audiences. Please contact: Matthew Whalley on 07824 425 729 or [email protected]

Interlinking Transit Solutions - an independent group of engineers who have designed an elevated light rapid transit railway (London Air Rail Transit system – LARTs) alongside the M25 to connect the railway lines crossing the M25 with each other and with the airports using spur lines along the M23, M1 and M11, in order to provide a solution to aviation capacity and railway connectivity. Please contact Michael Buckle on 020 8996 2969 / 0783 815 5739

LazyLawn, the UK’s largest artificial grass brand, has landed in London. Loved by Amanda Holden and Alan Titchmarsh, it’s the latest must-have for those who want a no mess, low maintenance lawn that looks good all year round. Call 020 8994 7120 for more information or go to www.lazylawn.co.uk.

M.I.T. Skills, based in Byfleet, was named as one of the top training providers for apprentice training in the country, by the government body responsible for the quality of education and training for adults and young people. M.I.T. skills offer industry specific training to employers, schools and young adults. Delivering apprenticeship training on behalf of the government bodies in employer premises and in

M.I.T. skills training centres. The following is offered: Motor Vehicle Studies, Construction Multi Trade Skills (Plumbing, Electrical Installation, Tiling, Carpentry, Painting & Decorating). Please contact: Keithly Brandy, Business Development on [email protected] or visit www.mitskills.com

Phoenix Terminals Ltd is an independent supplier of a range of credit card terminals based in Woking, Surrey. We can offer short or long term contracts for terminals using either a telephone line or the mobile network. Purchase options are also available. Please call us on 01483 480008 for further details.

Regus is the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces. Over a million customers a day benefit from our locations spread across 100 countries. With our ever-expanding range of innovative products and services, we enable people to work their way - whether it’s from home, on the road or from an office. www.regus.co.uk 0845 300 3585

Sofie Sandell is an international speaker, trainer and author based in Chiswick. She helps and inspires businesses to make the most of digital marketing and social media. In 2013 Sofie published her book ‘Digital Leadership’. Her work is based around leadership, creativity and social media impact and how you can use it for your business. Contact Sofie at [email protected]

Sofitel London Heathrow, the only hotel with direct access via covered walkway to Terminal 5 & only 22 minutes from Central London. The hotel boasts 605 bedrooms, including 27 suites, 45 meetings rooms, 2 restaurants, 2 bars and a Tea Salon, an award winning Health Spa and Gym. Please contact: [email protected] or 0208 757 7770

Sparkling Performance, help “people” to navigate through the maze of change and transition to achieve high performance state. They help both Organizations and Individuals. They are launching a social enterprise project to help local startups to learn how to start an enterprise that is sustainable and profitable – Online mentoring and E-learning program. Contact: Tibisay Vera. T: +44 203 5040027www.sparklingperformance.com

Urban Planters London designs, supplies and cares for professional grade interior and exterior tropical plant displays for offices and Hotels. We operate in the Heathrow, West and Central London area. We offer a highly personal service for the best

value price and have years of award winning design experience using interesting and beautiful living plants. Contact us for a free design for your offices 0208 572 9708 or [email protected].

West London Associates Limited is an independent consultancy firm based specialising in delivering measurable business benefits through management consultancy. If your business is losing strategic edge over the competitors or your organisation is facing functionality issues then West London Associates can help you by providing quality services based on extensive knowledge. Please call Sukhdeep Singh/ Malwinder Singh Mann on 078 6544 1022 / 069 4646 7279

As part of Fusion’s membership all the leisure centre across the borough are now members of Hounslow Chamber:Brentford Leisure CentreHanworth Air Park Leisure CentreHeston PoolIsleworth Leisure CentreLampton Sports CentreNew Chiswick PoolOsterley Sports & Athletics Centre

The same applies to The Centre, Feltham – all the retail units within the Centre are now members of Hounslow Chamber.

More New MembersAccess2Consultancy Ltd – Direct Selling – [email protected] to Omega Business Solutions Ltd – Trusts and Tax – [email protected] Punjab Ltd – international trade with India – www.anglopunjab.comAsghar & Co, solicitors – www.ashgharandco.comLa Crepe des Delices – mobile crepes – www.lacrepedesdelices.comMiddlesex Financial Services Ltd – estate agents, mortgage brokers & insurance brokers – www.mfs-group.comPassman Leonard Partnership – account, business & tax advice – www.passmanleonard-partnership.co.ukPCS (24/7) – supplier of commercial spare partsState Bank of India – www.sbiuk.comTravel Option Ltd – www.traveloptionltd.co.uk

NEW MEMBERS

1�Contact: Sally Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Tel. 020 8326 6416, Fax 020 8569 9670, Email: [email protected]

Mailer_Rapid_Response_printing_Layout 1 16/09/2013 16:48 Page 1

As deadlines get shorter more companies are turning to Kall Kwik Chiswick to handle their urgent print requirements, where they know they won’t be let down. We treat every job as if our business depends upon it. We’ve invested significantly in technology to keep us at the forefront of the digital age. So the next time you’re up against a tight deadline and don’t know who to turn to call Kall Kwik Chiswick on 020 8753 7710 or email us at [email protected]

…rapid response printing

Please contact Sally Smith on 020 8326 6416 or [email protected]

Christmas 2013

The Hounslow Chamber of Commerce newsletter - designed courtesy of kdesigngroup chiswick. 020 8753 7711. Printed courtesy of Kall Kwik Chiswick. 020 8753 7710.

Future Events(events are being added constantly so please keep an eye on the website)

20th Dec Business Biscotti Heathrow

10.00 am - 12.00 noon

Park Inn Heathrow, Bath Road, UB7 ODU £3 for coffee and cake

8th Jan Hounslow Business Lunch

12.45 pm Charisma, 10 Spring Grove Road, Hounslow TW3 4BJ Free Lunch sponsored by Hounslow Council

15th Jan The Real Business Club: Companies House presentation followed by a Q&A session

10.00 am - 12.30 pm

Big Yellow Storage, 961 Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 9FX £49 per place

17th Jan Business Biscotti Twickenham

9.30 am - 11.30 am

Twickenham Marriott, 198 Whitton Road, Twickenham TW2 7BA £3.50 for coffee

21st Jan Marketing on a Shoestring led by Robin Banerji

8.00 am - 12.00 pm


23rd Jan iBurbia Studios Networking with Ealing Chamber

6.30 pm - 9.00 pm

Iburbia Studios, 3 Heathfield Terrace, Chiswick, London, W4 4JE £15 per Chamber member, £30 for non-members

23rd Jan Hounslow Business Forum: ‘Business Planning for Start-ups’ led by Glenda Shawley

8.30 am - 10.30 am

Regus Chiswick £35 per place

24th Jan Business Biscotti Heathrow

10.00 am - 12.00 noon


29th Jan 4 Networking – Brentford & Isleworth

8.00 am - 10.00 am

The Coach & Horses, 183 London Road, Isleworth TW7 5BQ £12 per place. Please contact: Gordon Hewett on 0845 123 4444

29th Jan Chiswick Business Lunch

12.45 pm Chiswick Moran Hotel, 626 Chiswick High Road W4 5RY Free Lunch sponsored by Hounslow Council

11th Feb The Real Business Club- Statutory Payments

10.00 am - 12.30 pm


12th Feb 4 Networking – Brentford & Isleworth

8.00 am - 10.00 am


12th Feb Hounslow Business Lunch

12.45 pm Charisma, 10 Spring Grove Road, Hounslow TW3 4BJ Free Lunch sponsored by Colin Bibra

14th Feb Business Biscotti Twickenham

9.30 am - 11.30 am

Twickenham Marriott, 198 Whitton Road, Twickenham TW2 7BA £3.50 for coffee

20th Feb Hounslow Business Forum: ‘Retaining Customer Loyalty’ led by Veronika Weisweiller

8.30 am - 10.30 am

Regus Longford, 450 Bath Road, Longford UB7 0EB £35 per place

21st Feb Business Biscotti Heathrow

10.00 am - 12.00 noon


26th Feb 4 Networking – Brentford & Isleworth

8.00 am - 10.00 am


26th Feb Chiswick Business Lunch

12.45 pm Chiswick Moran Hotel, 626 Chiswick High Road W4 5RY Free Lunch

Documents

Christmas 2013 - Hounslow Chamber€¦ · Brompton Bicycle Limited It was a chance meeting in 1975 with a backer of the fledgling Bickerton folding bicycle which inspired Andrew Ritchie