WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2006
The success of women in our society has often gone unrecognised and, with this in mind, the Women of Achievement Awards were created three years ago to capture the achievements of women from all walks of life throughout Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Nominations for the 2006 Women of Achievement Awards will close on January 13th and the judges will then begin the lengthy process of drawing up a shortlist of finalists ready for the Gala Dinner Awards Presentation Evening in March.
Over 350 people from the local community and the world of business attended last years awards evening to find out who the winners of each category were, to enjoy a delicious meal, network and be entertained by the event compere Rosemary Conley and guest speaker Sally Gunnell.
At the 2006 event, which will once again be compered by Rosemary Conley, the guest speaker will be Toyah Willcox, one of Britain's largest box office names with a showbiz career spanning 29 years and including 17 solo albums, 10 movies and 40 stage plays.
The Women of Achievement award categories are:
- Business Woman of the Year, sponsored by The Leicester Mercury
- Woman in the Community, sponsored by the Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland Community Foundation
- Woman of the Year, sponsored by O2
- Young Achiever of the Year, sponsored by Leicester YMCA
- Rural Business Woman of the Year, sponsored by Leicestershire County Council
- Woman with Determination, sponsored by Jobcentre Plus
Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, who are organising the 2006 event in conjunction with Headstorm Marketing and with the support of Maz Photography, are encouraging local businesses to get involved and support the awards and bookings are now being taken to attend the gala dinner and presentation evening at Leicester City Football Club on March 3rd.
For more details or to make a booking please contact Kam Atker on 0116 204 6614 or email: atker.k@chamberofcommerce.co.uk
BE ONE OF THE FIRST IN 2006
Whether you want to promote your company in general or start a New Year sales push for a particular campaign or offer you can get your message out to 1600 Chamber members for less than the cost per company of a 1st class stamp.
Pay just £300 +vat for a single sheet A4 flyer insert in our February Chamber News newsletter and we will mail 1600 of your flyers out for you- that works out at less than 19p per flyer- cheaper than a first class stamp plus you're saving on envelope costs and staff time too!
To reserve your space please call Suzanne on Tel: 0116 204 6609 or email: farmer.s@chamberofcommerce.co.uk.
NEW CHAMBER MARKETING DATABASE
Are you looking for a list of businesses? The Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce has recently subscribed to a new service providing details on nearly two million UK companies for marketing purposes. Supplied in electronic format, the information comes with contact name and address, telephone and fax, sales turnover and employee size, as well as a description of the company's business activity. You specify the location, size of company (by turnover or employee size), or in which business sector you want to search and we will supply the quotation. For more information on this service call Danny Whitehead, Information Services Manager on 0116 204 6613 or email leics@chamberofcommerce.co.uk.
GET SET TO CONNECT!
Ever wished you could have the benefit and support of your local Chamber of Commerce wherever you are in the UK?
Now, through the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), we can offer you all of these additional benefits with the new and unique and totally free Chamber Connect Membership Card.
The initial Chamber Connect Membership Card can give you:
- Access to increased business contacts and nationwide networking
- Access to discounted business facilities across the BCC Network
- Access to discounted local hotel and restaurant rates via participating
accredited Chambers across the UK. - Discounted access to Servisair Executive Lounges at all the major UK airports.
- Discounted Priority Pass Membership for access to 450 executive lounges all around the world.
Through Chamber Connect you have access to benefits at all five of the East Midlands Chambers: Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.
For more information on the Chamber Connect website - www.chamberconnect.info
To obtain further information or your Chamber Connect Membership Card, please contact your membership team on 0116 2471800 or email leics@chamberofcommerce.co.uk
DON'T PAY THE PRICE OF ENERGY LOCK-IN WARNS CHAMBER
With rocketing energy prices, most businesses will want to shop around for the best deal when their contract renewal is due but some could find themselves locked into uncompetitive contracts.
Stephen Woolfe, President of Leicestershire Chamber, commented: "Companies who are facing April renewals for their gas or electricity need to act now. Suppliers require between 30 to 90 days customer termination notice to switch contract and many businesses don't realise this and are leaving it too late to find a more competitive alternative. Energy prices have virtually doubled in the past two years so there is a clear financial imperative to test the market in an attempt to mitigate the cost increases."
"Some Chamber members are panicked by the prospect of terminating their contract in the belief that their supply will be prematurely cut off. We would advise them to serve notice while they consider their options, even if the best deal at the end of the day is to re-contract with their existing supplier. At least this gives them the time to test the market without fear of being locked into an uncompetitive contract".
The Chamber Utilities™ service, provided in partnership with Utility Auditing Ltd, offers members a free energy assessment to identify the most cost effective solutions for energy and gas and provides guidance on the right tariffs and supply capacity to suit a company's precise needs.
With its national purchasing power, Chamber Utilities™ can negotiate the best prices available in the UK and help companies mitigate the price rises they face. Eligible companies can also access government funded Carbon Trust surveys to help cut costs through improved energy efficiency. Chamber members can benefit from the Chamber Utilities™ service as part of their Chamber membership entitlement.
For help and advice, contact Sharon Jeffrey at Leicestershire Chamber on Tel: 0116 204 6618 or email: Jeffrey.s@chamberofcommerce.co.uk
The Retail World: Tour of Selfridges
Date: 18th January
Time:2pm-8pm
Venue: Selfridges Store,Birmingham
Cost: £22.50 (travel not included). Option to travel by train at additional cost.
Integra, in conjunction with Selfridges inBirmingham, is offering this unique opportunity to see behind the scenes at this most impressive new store. The event includes a tour by the store’s Head of Facilities followed by a buffet and networking.
Network Leicestershire...over lunch
Date: 24th January
Time:12 noon-2.30pm
Venue: The Noel Gastro Pub, Whitwell Hotel & Conference Centre, Oakham
Cost: £25 Chamber Members / £35 Standard
Hosted by Whitwell Hotel & Conference Centre in the newly refurbished gastro pub The Noel, this lunchtime event gives Chamber members an opportunity to exchange company literature over a glass of wine whilst gaining an insight into the excellent facilities the venue has to offer.
Export Foundation Course
Date: 25th January
Time:9am– 4pm
Venue: Chamber Offices, New Walk,Leicester
Cost: £160 + vat for Chamber Members / £200 + vat Standard. Price includes buffet lunch.
Beginners course to give overview of export documentation procedures and practices.
Export Documentation Course
Date: 1st February
Time:9am-4pm
Venue: Chamber Offices, New Walk,Leicester
Cost: £160 + vat for Chamber Members / £200 + vat Standard. Price includes buffet lunch.
A course covering the preparation of export paperwork, including transport documents, methods of payment and banking.
Business Women's Link Evening with Tina Bettison
Date: 1st February
Time:6pm-8pm
Venue: Holiday Inn Leicester,St Nicholas Circle, Leicester
Cost: £17.63
Tina Bettison, founder of the new Diva Club and equestrian coach and author, will be telling us how she came to be Chief Diva of such an organisation and how she aims to positively affect the lives of British women.
Ebusiness Club: Business Transformation and Wealth Creation
Date: 9th February
Time:8.30am-12.30pm
Venue: The National Space Centre,Leicester
Cost: Free of charge
This event will cover a range of topics to help Business Transformation and Wealth Creation and will be made up of four sessions to include the following: Solid Foundation For Fast Growth, Get Personal With In-House Marketing, Professional Business In The Broadband Age, New Age Marketing For Sales & Profits.
For more details or to make a booking contact Kam Atker at Leicestershire Chamber on Tel: 0116 204 6614, email: atker.k@chamberofcommerce.co.uk or visit our website at: www.chamberofcommerce.co.uk
Growing interest in establishing successful businesses
There is increasing interest in a scheme that recognises and supports new businesses with real growth potential. In the last few months the ‘Hi Growth’ scheme has supported 40 Leicestershire companies helping them to achieve a turnover of £1 million within the first three years.
During that time companies are offered one-to-one support from specialist advisers, structured networking opportunities and a small grant for equipment such as ICT. Following a successful pilot the ‘Hi Growth’ scheme was formally launched in October 2005 and the Leicester Shire Economic Partnership (LSEP) has made available more than £200 000.
“Anyone with a sound business idea is eligible for Hi Growth and after an assessment we will then offer specialist support to help develop the idea,” said Martin Traynor, Group Managing Director of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce and Deputy Chairman of LSEP.
“These businesses are likely to be the big employers of the future and they need to be nurtured. This is a unique scheme to assist new businesses with the highest potential and it aims to ensure local businesses aren’t denied a good chance of success.”
Businesses interested in Hi Growth are asked to call 0845 070 0086
Further European funding released for business support
The East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has released additional European funding to further stimulate the development of programmes to support small and medium sized companies in the region.
This follows on from the first bidding round under the new European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Action Plan launched in June to develop the business support strategy.
Three key themes have been identified for the use of the funds:
- Anticipating changing business support requirements
- Development and testing of new/improved business support services
- Increasing market penetration
Organisations interested in designing and developing business support initiatives in line with the three key themes in the 1.3 ERDF Action Plan should request an Expression of Interest form from Jodie Hibbard on 0115-988-8417 or www.emda.org.uk/erdf . These should be submitted by 24th January 2006. Organisations invited to submit fully-costed ERDF applications will be informed by 1st February 2006. A closing date for the receipt of full applications has been set for 22nd February 2006.
ROADWORKS ANNOUNCEMENT
Resurfacing on both carriageways of the M1 north of Junction 20 at Lutterworth commenced on4th Jan 2006. The works are planned to take 12 weeks to complete and will cover a 4km length of the motorway north from junction 20.
During the works a 3 x 3 narrow lane contraflow will operate 24hrs a day with vehicles over 3m wide diverted along the M6 and M69. A 40 mph speed limit will operate and will be enforced by the SPECS average speed camera system.
Further information will be posted on the Highways Agency web site in due course - www.highways.gov.uk
TACKLING GENDER BIAS RAISING ASPIRATIONS - A COURSE FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN - 8TH FEBRUARY 2006
Venue: TBC
This course will enable participants to develop a general understanding of gender issues, identify gender inequalities and help them to aspire towards their personal development goals both in work and/or in private life. This course is useful for all staff, from front line employees to those in senior positions. It is also ideal for organisational management committee and board members. The course will cover both employment and service issues. The morning session will focus mainly on giving participants an overview of gender issues whilst the afternoon session will concentrate on personal development issues of individual participants.
For more information contact Madhu at the Equality & Diversity Support Services
by telephone: 0116 285 9440 or Email: madhu@edss.co.uk
DIVISIONAL BOARD VACANCY WITH RIVERSIDE MIDLANDS
Riverside Midlands has an exciting opportunity for a volunteer to join its Divisional Board and become involved in housing and regeneration within their community at a strategic level.
For more information visit www.riverside.org.uk or email chris_Flynn@riverside.org.uk
TRADE VISIT TO SWEDEN PLANNED
UK Trade & Investment is organising a Market Visit toSwedenfrom 19-22 March especially for clothing companies.Swedenis one of the best starter markets in the world forUKcompanies and there are opportunities in design oriented niche ranges, fashion wear and other sub-sectors, including accessories. The visit will provide an opportunity for companies to explore the market and develop business with retail buyers, wholesalers and partners. Tailored research for companies can also be carried out by the British Consulate. A subsidy of 50% can be provided towards travel and accommodation (B&B) costs for eligible companies.
For further information, please contact Suzy Bolton on Tel. 0116 2587 314 or by email: sbolton.ukti@blleics.co.uk . The deadline for applications is 1 February.