Arun joins the Greater Brighton success story

Arun joins the Greater Brighton success story

More than 5,300 businesses and 54,000 jobs have been brought into Greater Brighton after Arun District Council was welcomed as a member of the region.

The Council joins six other local authorities, influential business partnerships, two universities, Gatwick Airport and the South Downs National Park in forming a powerful collective aiming to increase investment and make its voice heard in Government.

The Greater Brighton Economic Board has now voted to have Arun join bringing another 159,000 people under its umbrella.

Leader of Arun District Council, Cllr Dr James Walsh, said: "We are delighted to become part of the Greater Brighton region and help contribute to the growing success it has had in bringing in funding for major projects and helping to create jobs and prosperity.

"Arun has plans for 20,000 new homes, 74 hectares of employment space and a good track record of delivery. We have a progressive approach to development and pipeline projects and firmly believe we can make a significant contribution to the economy of the city region."

Stretching for 86 square miles Arun includes the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton with key employment sectors including tourism, advanced manufacturing and horticulture. Companies in Arun include Rolls Royce, Body Shop and Butlins.

The addition of Arun increases the number of jobs in Greater Brighton by 12 per cent to around 529,000. However Arun has some development needs that being part of a city region can help such as low wages and low employment rates. More than 40 per cent of its workforce travels outside the district for work.

Greater Brighton works to attract investment for the entire region offering investors a wide range of opportunities, work skills and lifestyles. It has brought in £160m of funding for projects across the region.

The chairman of Greater Brighton, Cllr Daniel Humphreys, said: "I’m delighted to welcome Arun District Council to the city region. The Council was keen to join because they, like we, see the benefits of working together to improve the economies of our places because investment doesn’t recognise council boundaries.

"The addition of Arun adds to the offer we can make as a city region but we also have a lot in common with our mix of economies and our ambitions to create even greater opportunities for our residents to thrive. Greater Brighton has just got a lot stronger with an even more powerful voice."

Arun is just the latest organisation to join Greater Brighton following on from Crawley Borough Council and Gatwick Airport last year.

First Virtual Summit for Digital Transformation

First Virtual Summit for Digital Transformation

The organisation behind Digital Leaders Week, Digital Leaders has today launched the first virtual 5-day summit - Insight Live Week. In the first week of November users will be able to access over 50 expert live talks ranging on topics from artificial intelligence to tech for good - all from the comfort of their own desk!

Unlike physical conferences where you can end up sitting through content you just don't need, Insight Live Week is delivered entirely online.

3 September 2019 London, UK. Digital Leaders - The platform and programme for professional digital leaders promoting digital transformation and building the UK’s digital confidence across all sectors, is proud to announce the first virtual summit covering digital transformation and leadership - Insight Live Week

The week will give leaders the skills and strategies through experts talks on a wide range of topics under the digital transformation banner, across all sectors.

Accessible to anyone with an internet connection, from the 4th to 8th of November, over 50 webinars will offer 100,000 leaders free access to best practice; allowing them to build stronger networks and provide a better understanding of the need to adopt new thinking and embrace innovation.

Digital Transformation is essential for the future of the UK economy and especially crucial outside of a changed relationship with our European neighbours and in the context of a changing trading relationship with the rest of the world. The linchpin of this new world will be the quality of the nation's Digital Leadership and how these leaders drive outcomes inside government, enterprise, SMEs and of course, within the third sector.

Digital Leaders know that unless they were born in the 1990s, they are likely to be a 'digital immigrant' - someone whose ability to use a smartphone, tablet and interact via social media networks does not come as naturally as it does for 'digital natives'. As with any immigrant into a foreign culture, there are new languages, attitudes and mind-sets that must be learned.

Russell Haworth, Chair of Digital Leaders said, “It’s important to have an Online Week that reminds us all that Digital Transformation remains essential for a positive future for the UK economy and our transformation of government services. Digital Leadership and how our leaders drive outcomes inside government, enterprise and the third sector is an essential ingredient of success.”

Robin Knowles CEO of Digital Leaders added, “We are so pleased to be the first Digital Transformation Community to be using this latest technology that makes a virtual conference possible allowing our members free access to 50 talks, just like a large conference , but from the comfort of their desk.

For more information go to https://insightlive.digileaders.com/

Hear first-hand the stories that will inspire digital change through people, outcomes and personal accountability.

#digileaders #insightlive #insightliveweek

Up to £20,000 worth of funding for small voluntary and community sector organisations

The Education and Skills Funding Agency has contracted with London Learning Consortium to act as a managing agent and to make ESF Community Grants available in the form of small grants (up to £20,000) to third sector and other small organisations for the purpose of mobilising disadvantaged or excluded unemployed and inactive people to enable their progress towards employment. Organisations that access grants need to be well placed to reach excluded individuals facing barriers, which hinder their access to mainstream provision Grants will:

o engage with marginalised individuals and support them to re-engage with education, training, or employment;

o will support a range of activities aimed at assisting the disadvantaged or excluded to move closer to the labour market by improving their access to mainstream ESF and domestic employment and skills provision; and

o will provide support to the hardest to reach communities and individuals, especially those from deprived communities, to access employment or further learning and training.

To be successful in applying for a Community Grant you must be a Third Sector Organisation (any size which operates within the Third Sector) or Small Organisation (Employ fewer than 49 full time equivalent staff and have an annual turnover or balance sheet equal to or below EUR 10 million).

You must also work with some of the following 16+ participants:

o Participants over 50 years of age

o Participants with disabilities

o Participants from an ethnic minority

o Participants who are Women

o Parents/mothers

o Carers

o Groups with low labour market participation

o Migrants and refugees

o Homeless

o Ex-offenders

All participants must be either of the following:

o Inactive = Not in employment and not registered as unemployed.

o Unemployed = Persons who are without work, available for work and actively seeking work.

You must deliver services in one or more of the following Local Authorities:

There are 17 Local Authorities within the Coast to Capital area made up of county councils, district and borough councils and a national park authority:

o Adur District Council

o Arun District Council

o Brighton & Hove City Council

o Chichester District Council

o Crawley Borough Council

o Croydon Council

o Epsom & Ewell Borough Council

o Horsham District Council

o Lewes District Council

o Mid Sussex District Council

o Mole Valley District Council

o Reigate & Banstead Borough Council

o South Downs National Park

o Surrey County Council

o Tandridge District Council

o West Sussex County Council

o Worthing Borough Council

You must also offer some of the following types of activities for your service users:

o First contact engagement activities, e.g. activities that benefit Participants who are not normally in contact with official organisations for example but not exclusively DWP, FE Colleges, for example by arranging events or training in places that Participants feel comfortable to visit.

o Projects to improve confidence, motivation and social integration such as sport, gardening, music, art and other creative activities.

o Developing local networks and groups to support people to get a job or access learning e.g. Job Clubs or Learning Champion type activity.

o Softer skills development e.g. assertiveness, anger management and motivation.

• Innovative approaches to attract under-represented Participant groups into learning.

If your organisation is eligible to apply for ESF Community Grants funding under Coast to Capital’s Community Grants Programme, please contact London Learning Consortium to find out more.

London Learning Consortium (LLC) has a track record of demonstrating the strategic and local impact of community projects and grant funding on the communities and lives of those living in the Coast to Capital region and as a part of this LLC has been awarded a contract to manage ESF Community Grant funding for Coast to Capital.

The closing date for Coast to Capital Expression of Interest (EOI) to be submitted is the 8th of November 2019 at 23.59pm.

You can download the Coast to Capital EOI here: ESF Grants – Coast to Capital – Expression of Interest

If you would like to find out more then please contact LLC via the following details:

LLC Community Grants Project Manager

Tel: 0208 774 4040

Email: community.grants@londonlc.org.uk

Website: www.londonlc.org.uk

Greater Brighton business survey reveals congestion concerns

Greater Brighton business survey reveals congestion concerns

More than 80 per cent of businesses in Greater Brighton are concerned about the state of local transport with congestion and lack of parking high on the agenda, according to a new survey.

And more than 25 per cent believe the issues are affecting recruitment and business growth the survey finds.

While concerns about the over-congested South Coast are long standing the survey reveals the full extent of the impact on the economy of choked roads and densely-packed communities.

More than 1,500 businesses, either solely based or with national headquarters here or elsewhere, were questioned for the survey carried out on behalf of the Greater Brighton region. The aim is to build a comprehensive picture of business need now and in the future so that the region can aid growth and the creation of jobs.

The picture painted of the business community reveals that 86 per cent of companies employ ten or fewer people while 44 per cent of the entire workforce is employed by just three per cent of businesses.

The report, produced by BMG Research in partnership with the locally-based Institute for Employment Studies, points out this makes for a diverse base but stresses the need to help larger employers drive for growth through innovation as a way of creating more jobs.

The survey highlighted that firms remain optimistic about growth with 35 per cent expecting growth and only 11 per cent decline. About 19 per cent of companies export which is in line with national trends.

Virtually all respondents felt that being in Greater Brighton had benefits including the attractiveness of the area and lifestyle, good market access and digital connectivity. Most firms said they were happy to stay in the area.

Chairman of Greater Brighton, Cllr Daniel Humphreys, said: “This survey is enormously helpful to the Region helping us understand how we can help our businesses. It will help shape the future support with are able to give them.

“We know transport and congestion in particular remains a major concern for businesses, and armed with these findings we will continue to press government and Highways England for action. However it is also good to know that we are still playing to our strengths, giving businesses a great location to go about their work, good connectivity, a great place to live.”

Gatwick Diamond Business Awards 2020: Now open for entries from Brighton & Hove businesses!

Gatwick Diamond Business Awards 2020: Now open for entries from Brighton & Hove businesses!

Entering the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards is free and open to any business based or operating in the Gatwick Diamond region, including Brighton & Hove.

Why enter?

We have designed our Awards so that the process of entering is in itself worthwhile. The feedback we get shows, for example, that it is an excellent opportunity to engage staff in identifying what makes you stand out as a business and how to get this across to others. Winning one of the most prestigious awards in the south east is of course the icing on the cake!

How to enter

Simple – visit our website for full information on the award categories, entry forms and process. You can also follow us on Twitter @gdbizawards for Top Tips and live updates. The closing date for entries is 22nd November 2019.

How to win!

To help you create an 'Award-Winning' entry, we will be delivering our "How to Win Awards" Seminars which are free to attend – details on our website.

If you have any questions, please contact Gabriella Tricarico - Gabriella@gatwickdiamondbusiness.com or ring us on 01293 440088

www.gatwickdiamondbusinessawards.com

enter@gatwickdiamondbusinessawards.com

Brighton Summit 2019 brings together record numbers of Brighton’s businesses, charities and entrepreneurs

Brighton Summit 2019 brings together record numbers of Brighton’s businesses, charities and entrepreneurs

A record number of Brighton’s businesses, charities and entrepreneurs came together on Friday 11 October for the 2019 Brighton Summit: Crack on.

Nearly 400 attendees took part in a fully-immersive day of learning and networking, making it the biggest Brighton Summit in the seven years since it began.

The packed line up featured an opening keynote speech from Hannah Dawson who shared her business journey, about resilience, the barriers of pride and fear and the importance of a learning mind-set.

The second keynote speaker Kamal Ahmed, Editorial Director of BBC News was interviewed by Master of Ceremonies, James Dempster. Kamal shared his experience of being the ‘other’ growing up as a mix-raced boy in the 70s as well as his vision of reinventing the audience-corporation dynamic in his role at the BBC.

Gina Miller, businesswoman and campaigner, closed the Summit with an uplifting and inspirational keynote talk about the lessons she has learnt throughout her life, how she navigated upheaval, trauma and hardship, and reflecting on the choices she made to become who she is today. The audience rose to its feet as she finished her talk.

Attendees chose from four additional speaker sessions where local business leaders including Justin Francis from Responsible Travel and Jason Kirk from Kirk & Kirk shared their business story. There were five interactive workshops led by experts designed to help business crack on and ten Engine Hours including sewing, an escape room and a food tour and many more activities all designed to inspire and recharge for the afternoon.

In the buzzing foyer attendees were busy networking, connecting with new contacts and catching up with existing connections. Much needed energy and sustenance came from local food and drink suppliers throughout the day including Sugardough, Bird & Blend, Redroaster, Higgidy Pies, Youjuice, Spade and Spoon, Brighton Cakes, Happy Maki, Loud Shirt Brewery and Fin & Farm.

You can see what happened on the day here

For more Brighton Chamber events see here

Environmental bus tour shows what zero emissions in Brighton & Hove’s city centre feels like

Environmental bus tour shows what zero emissions in Brighton & Hove’s city centre feels like

Around 60 people boarded one of Brighton & Hove’s newest buses yesterday (Tuesday) to experience firsthand the UK’s first fleet of buses that can operate in zero-emissions mode whenever they travel through the city centre.

Brighton & Hove Buses has invested almost £10 million in 30 next generation extended range electric buses for the city’s popular route 5, which have been set to run in zero-emissions mode throughout the city’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).

Guests, including environmental groups, local councillors, schoolchildren and journalists, embarked on an environment-themed tour of the city on the new bus.

They visited Dorothy Stringer School’s Eco School project and Moulsecoomb Forest Garden, which runs outdoor activities for people with learning disabilities and for kids struggling in conventional classrooms.

Dr Dan Danahar spoke about Dorothy Stringer’s environmental management schemes and butterflies while Warren Carter talked about how forest garden workdays could be therapeutic and bind communities together.

Brighton & Hove Buses’ Managing Director Martin Harris said: “The tour marks the launch of our fleet of new buses and recognises the amazing environmental work happening in our city. It’s also about acknowledging that we’ll only be able to deal with this climate emergency if we work together.”

Martin explained that the new buses were the best choice for the city because they could cope with high daily mileage, large numbers of passengers and challenging operating conditions without needing to spend time recharging.

“This is not a small investment or a token gesture. It’s a big statement and a big commitment to reaching our goal of being zero emissions in the city centre by 2030,” Martin said.

“What we’re investing in is the future of our city and the people who live here, work here and visit. We want our environment to be cleaner than the one we grew up in.”

The buses are fully electric – an electric motor drives the bus at all times – but they use a small on-board Euro 6 diesel generator for recharging the buses’ batteries, when needed, fuelled additionally by regenerative braking.

The buses will be rolled out by the end of October.

First Wired Certified Platinum workspace in Brighton offers first world class digital connectivity in city

First Wired Certified Platinum workspace in Brighton offers first world class digital connectivity in city

Plus X Brighton, the new innovation hub opening at Preston Barracks in January, will be the first work space to open in Brighton & Hove that has achieved a Platinum Wired Certification, offering the best connectivity in the city.

Wired Certification is the global rating scheme for digital connectivity in real estate delivered by WiredScore. Plus X Brighton will have the same rating as The Shard in London and The Empire State Building in New York.

Mat Hunter, co-CEO of Plus X said, “Fast and reliable internet connectivity is one of the top three most important factors for tenants who are searching for office space, alongside cost and location.

“We are proud to have built the fastest, most reliable internet connection into the design of our stunning new building – and what’s more, our new members won’t have to wait for the usual lead-in period, they’ll be able to access it right away.”

William Newton, President and Managing Director of WiredScore, said: “Digital connectivity is a crucial priority for companies in their workplace and Plus X Brighton has demonstrated a clear commitment to investing in the right digital infrastructure for its new innovation hub.

“The members of Plus X Brighton will benefit from a level of connectivity able to support the highest technology requirements and their business needs and ensure the building is future-proofed for years to come.”

Plus X Brighton commissioned Backbone Connect to install world leading internet connectivity into the building. Backbone Connect installed two high capacity fibre lines and a radio dish, using three separate suppliers, meaning triple resiliency with no single point of failure anywhere on the network.

Michael Swain, Senior Business Development Manager from Backbone Connect, said, “If you’re committing to an office move, you don’t want to then be told that you’ll have to wait for three months to get the internet up and running.

“Backbone Connect has installed ‘bullet proof’ internet connectivity at Plus X Brighton which allows members to have immediate internet access that will always be on.”

“It’s about creating world class connectivity; having everything enabled or as streamlined as possible,” explained Mat Hunter.

“Super fast connectivity at Plus X Brighton enables global collaboration opportunities, helping our members and partners achieve faster growth and bigger ambitions.”

Free courses for your team

We Find Any Learner have a wide range of free courses that might suit you, or your employees/volunteers. The courses available are all Level 2 NCFE/CACHE accredited and delivered on a distance learning platform. All courses can be completed paper based or digitally and take around 20 – 30 hours to complete.

The most popular courses this month are:

• Understanding Autism

• Mental Health Problems

• Children and Young People’s Mental Health

• Behaviour that Challenges

• Team Leading

Click Here to view all available courses.

Funded places are limited and are delivered on a first come first serve basis. To book, click here.

£2 million European Social Fund in Coast to Capital for Digital Skills

£2 million European Social Fund in Coast to Capital for Digital Skills

A direct Call has been published by the Department of Work and Pensions in the Coast to Capital area worth £2 million of European Social Fund (ESF) for Digital Skills.

Under this Call C2C aim to fund projects that will support SME’s to identify digital training needs, and provide training for employees to develop their digital skills. The full Call specification can be downloaded here.

Another direct Call for Skills for the Mature Workforce is scheduled to be published next week, again worth £2 million ESF.

C2C is holding a launch event for both of these Calls next Wednesday 16 October at Crawley College. The event will be an opportunity for you to hear more about the Calls, ask eligibility and match funding questions, make contact with potential partners and develop project ideas.

If you would like to attend and have not done so already, please register here. Registration will close at 5pm on Monday.

Education and Skills Funding Agency - new Apprenticeship Service autumn webinar programme

Education and Skills Funding Agency - new Apprenticeship Service autumn webinar programme

We are pleased to announce a new autumn webinar programme for October to December 2019. All webinars are hosted by subject matter experts to help service users to understand more about the apprenticeship service and new service developments.

These webinars are aimed at employers and any organisations or individuals with an interest in the apprenticeship service.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask experts questions in a live Q&A and take part in interactive polls.

Oct 30 - to register, click here

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM BST

Employers: Apprenticeship service update

Nov 19 - to register, click here

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM BST

Employers: What you need to know about end-point

Dec 12 - to register, click here

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM BST

Employers and providers: Apprenticeship Eligibility – who can be funded

Employers

Employer guide to apprenticeships - this guide gives employers the information and benefits of recruiting apprentices to their business.

A Guide to achieving the benefits of apprenticeships –includes inspiring stories from employers on the benefits of apprenticeships and differences apprentices can make to business.

Guide for employers supporting young apprentices – contains advice and resources to help employers in all sectors provide effective support for apprentices aged 16-24. This includes guidance on recruitment, on-the-job support and sources of additional funding to support young apprentices.

Brighton’s Crunch wins two national awards

Brighton’s Crunch wins two national awards

Brighton-based online accountancy firm Crunch has won two national industry awards. The business was awarded Large Firm of the Year award at the Accounting Excellence Awards earlier this month, in addition to Mid-Tier Firm of the Year (Turnover between £10m - £25m) at the British Accountancy awards days later.

The Accounting Excellence and the British Accountancy award ceremonies, landmark events in the accounting calendar and now both in their ninth year, aim to celebrate the firms and individuals in the British accounting profession that are championing and pushing the industry to new heights. Crunch beat four other firms in the category to win the title as Large Firm of the Year, whilst beating another five to be named Mid-Tier Firm of the Year.

Crunch was founded in Brighton by Darren Fell in 2009. Over the past ten years, the company has evolved from the UK’s first online accountancy firm to an all-encompassing software and service platform for freelancers, contractors and small businesses, with over 200 staff and over 11,000 national customers. The company also announced the launch of its new operation, the Crunch Bookkeeper Network, earlier this year which offers additional bookkeeping services to its clients from remote working book keepers.

On winning the awards, CEO and founder Darren Fell said: “In the past year we’ve been working incredibly hard on innovating Crunch and building the business beyond our four walls to deliver faster growth. We are now exceeding £10m turnover and are on schedule to scale the business by 20% year on year from 2020. It’s incredibly rewarding to have this hard work recognised by these two prestigious accounting awards and is testament that our unique software and services platform has been now fully embraced by the accountancy industry.”

Tech Nation Announce No-deal Brexit readiness business guide

While it can be tricky to keep track of the UK’s continuously evolving political situation, what we do know is that as it stands the UK is due to leave the European Union on 31st October. With not too much time left before that deadline, it’s worth getting to grips with how Brexit will affect your business, and to start getting prepared.

We’ve teamed up with The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec) and the UK Tech Cluster Group, to try and disseminate for tech startups and scaleups, what they need to do to get ready for a potential “no-deal” Brexit.

Explore the guidance

Starter for 10

Unsurprisingly, there’s an awful lot of legislation to trawl through, so our friends at Coadec have done some of the hard work for you. They’ve put together the top 10 topics you need to consider when getting your business ready for a potential no-deal Brexit. And what’s more their guidance for each section has been boiled down to a 1-pager (or thereabouts).

The topics covered in chapters of the guidance include:

Data protection and data flows

Employment, immigration and visas

Taxation and VAT

The e-Commerce Directive

The Digital Single Market Framework

EU Legislation in Limbo

Domain names

Harmful, illegal, and terrorist content

Geoblocking and cross-border content

Horizon 2020 and R&D funding

Who it’s for

With lots of uncertainty, and the default option of a no-deal Brexit potentially less than six weeks away, it’s important to get any necessary ducks in a row. It’s worth taking a closer look at the guidance if your company receives personal data from the EU or EEA, if you employ any EU citizens in the UK or any UK citizens in the EU, if you sell digital content in the EU or if your users create public-facing content. You should take a look at the Digital Single Market Framework details if you are doing business with European users or consumers. The guidance also covers what to do if you have or use a .eu domain, run platforms or services which host and share user-generated content (including user comments or reviews), or if you have received funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 scheme (directly or indirectly). And if in doubt, just take a look at the guidance as a bit of bedtime reading. A number of the implications of changes could mean that your business will be in breach of the law if you’d don’t act now, so better safe than sorry.

Keeping it as simple as possible, the guidance offers a 1-pager on each of the topics covering:

What’s actually changing

What to do about it

Links to additional resources

Explore the guidance

Coast to Capital ESF Call Launch Event - Wednesday 16 October

Invitation: Coast to Capital ESF Call Launch Event - Wednesday 16 October

Coast to Capital LEP are hosting an event to launch two new ESF Direct calls, worth a total £4 million ESF on Wednesday 16 October between 10.00am and 1.00pm at Longley Building, Crawley College, College Road, Crawley RH10 1NR.

Digital Skills

• £2 million ESF, Investment Priorities 2.1 and 2.2

• Under this Call we aim to fund projects that will support SME’s to identify digital training needs, and provide training for employees to develop their digital skills.

• More details on the Call will be available in the Call specification, which is due to be published w/c 7 October 2019.

Skills for the Mature Workforce

• £2 million ESF, Investment Priority 2.1

• Under this Call we aim to fund projects that will support the careers of older workers in Coast to Capital through a variety of activities and provision.

• More details on the Call will be available in the Call specification, which is due to be published w/c 14 October 2019.

More information can be found on the Coast to Capital website, where links to the Call specifications will be available once published.

The event will be an opportunity for prospective applicants to hear more about the Direct Calls, ask eligibility and match funding questions, make contact with potential partners and develop project ideas.

An agenda for the day will be circulated to all confirmed delegates closer to the event date.

To register, please click here.

First HIV-themed bus for Brighton & Hove

First HIV-themed bus for Brighton & Hove

One of only a handful of HIV-themed public buses in the world, and the only one in Brighton & Hove, will be launched this weekend (Saturday 5 October).

Brighton & Hove Buses, the city’s Martin Fisher Foundation and local illustrator Daniel Locke worked together to design and wrap a bus to encourage people to have an HIV test and get treatment if they need it, while tackling some of the myths and stigma that still surround HIV.

The bus is named after Professor Martin Fisher, an outstanding international leader in the field of HIV research and patient care, who built a world-class service in Brighton and was widely loved and respected. Martin sadly died in 2015.

The panels inside the bus talk about Martin’s life, recent advances in HIV treatment and the Foundation’s campaign to boost HIV testing rates and decrease stigma. The bus is emblazoned with purple Queen of the Night tulips, Martin’s favourite flower.

Martin Fisher Foundation Trustee Dr Gill Dean said: “This bus will ensure positive messages about HIV are seen by all, every day throughout Brighton & Hove. This bus is an eye-catching public message with the aim of stopping the stigma surrounding people living with HIV, as well as encouraging people to get tested. What we really want to get across to people is that HIV isn’t scary anymore!”

It’s a message close to Brighton & Hove Buses’ Managing Director Martin Harris’ heart. In 1988 he broke new ground when he wrote one of the first myth-busting AIDS and HIV factsheets in the transport industry to counter the misinformation being spread by the national press at the time.

Martin said the new bus was a continuation of this effort to highlight inaccurate information still out there around HIV, while acknowledging the significant progress made in patient care and treatment.

Martin said: “This new bus is testament to Martin Fisher’s amazing determination and his incredible success in transforming patient care for people living with HIV. I know the people he helped remember him as someone that kept on fighting for them, even when they were too exhausted to fight for themselves.

“We’re proud to be part of the Martin Fisher Foundation’s campaign to encourage people to get tested, get treated and live well. Nobody should feel marginalised or alone with HIV.”

You’re invited to the Professor Martin Fisher bus launch

When: 1pm to 3pm on Saturday 5 October at The Plaza, by the Peace Statue, Hove Lawns

1-2pm: Join us and other local HIV charities

2pm: First bus tour leaves the Peace Statue and sets off on a short seafront tour, guided by artist Dan Locke

2.45pm: Second bus tour leaves the Peace Statue and follows the same route

The Martin Fisher Foundation was founded in 2015 to take forward Martin’s work by promoting his ethos of treating people living with HIV with dignity, compassion and respect. The charity’s vision is to eliminate new HIV cases within a generation, by increasing HIV testing, improving knowledge of HIV, increasing availability PrEP and reducing HIV stigma in Brighton and Hove.

For further information, or to book a place on the bus, please contact Sarah Evans sarah@themartinfisherfoundation.org or 07792 389 157

Small Business Saturday - Brighton Exhibition on Thurs 28th November - exhibition stalls available

Small Business Saturday Bus comes to Brighton

28th November - exhibition stalls available

Thursday 28th November sees the return of the Small Business Saturday bus, only this year it will be pitched up outside the Jubilee Library. The Council are offering 15 exhibition tables that accompany the bus, for businesses to come and promote themselves on the Thursday between 10am – 2pm.

The bus has moved to the Library this year to help support the launch of its new Business & IP Centre for start-up entrepreneurs and small business, in early 2020. This initiative will support entrepreneurs, sole traders and small and medium sized enterprises in the area.

The British Library Business & IP Centre (BIPC) National Network provides entrepreneurs and SMEs with free access to databases, market research and journals worth thousands of pounds. The new centre will be based on the Upper Floor of Jubilee Library. Working with the Council’s Economic Development team and local business support organisations, the centre will offer a programme of free and low-cost workshops on a range of business topics.

If you would like to apply for a stall, there will be no charge but the stall must be manned between 10am to 2pm, then email Economic.Development@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Simon Cowell named patron of Design Brighton

Simon Cowell named patron of Design Brighton

Simon Cowell has been appointed as Founding Patron of Design Brighton, a festival aiming to celebrate urban design and play a positive part in the rejuvenation of the region.

It may sound rather different to life on the BGT or X Factor set but, in fact, property is close to the Cowell family’s heart, and they hail from the Sussex village of Ovingdean, part of the city of Brighton & Hove.

Simon’s brother John is co-founder of Design Brighton alongside Sophie Law-Smith, while his father Eric was involved in the original development of Brighton Marina, which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year.

Simon said: “Brighton holds a very important place within our family because of my Mum and Dad and the time they lived in Brighton. It has always been a special place for me and my family as they absolutely loved living here! So, I’m obviously thrilled to be involved with Design Brighton.”

Design Brighton will take place from 1-4 April 2020 and is billed as more than just a festival.

It will bring together experts, enthusiasts, educationalists, professionals and businesses who all play a vital role in the design of the urban environment.

With support from the Brighton and Hove City Council and the University of Brighton, it has also launched a partnership scheme with events throughout the year.

Co-founder John Cowell added: “It’s fantastic to have Simon on board, which will really boost the profile of the festival.

“As a family we’ve always been involved in property development and design – and I’m not just talking about judge’s houses!

“Design Brighton is a chance to put something back into an area which means a lot to us all.

“Brighton is a special place with so much potential. Our vision is to create a leading design week celebrating the built environment of the region and to promote its global reputation as a city which has design and diversity at its core.”

Brighton & Hove business and coworking community wins two national awards

Brighton & Hove business and coworking community wins two national awards

Brighton & Hove’s largest independent business and coworking community, PLATF9RM, has won two national awards at the Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC).

PLATF9RM won the top award for Best Community Programme, while Best Designed Coworking Space under 10,000 sq ft went to its newly opened ground floor venue in Hove Town Hall.

Announcing the Community Programme award the judges praised PLATF9RM for creating a community that reaches beyond its walls, as well as supporting its members. For example co-creating events with art, culture, education and third sector communities within the city, as well as the more obvious but vital business networks. In recent months these events have been as diverse as workshops with Channel 4 commissioners, fine dining pop-ups and parenting support groups, while last weekend PLATF9RM hosted a conference including a talk from the VP of Twitter Bruce Daisley.

With more than 800 members and two sites across the city - one in Tower Point and one in Hove Town Hall - many of PLATF9RM's events are open to the public as well as members.

In keeping with PLATF9RM’s commitment to bringing unused or unloved buildings back to life, its renovation of the undercroft below Hove Town Hall which opened this Spring won the under 10,000 sq. foot design award. In collaboration with We Like Today, PLATF9RM’s adaptive reuse of the space was recognised for reviving the grandeur and soft-brutalist features of the original building’s 1970s design. Renovations included ripping out false ceilings to expose the original shuttered concrete and lifting the ceilings back to double height. This is contrasted against modern fixtures and bold colour combinations.

This previously vacant area of Hove Town Hall opened its doors in March 2019 and is now the company’s first venue with areas open to the public including a cafe and bar.

Accepting the two awards, CEO and Founder of PLATF9RM Seb Royle said:

“When we started out, it was important to me that we embedded ourselves into the existing community, rather than just creating our own. Before designing anything we met with all sorts of people and everything we’ve built reflects this understanding of our city. We’ve worked so hard to build the PLATF9RM community, so it’s amazing to be recognised for this by the best in the industry. None of this could have been achieved without our incredible team, and of course the members that make PLATF9RM what it is, so a huge thank you to all of them. We’re very lucky to be part of something that continues to grow and take on a life of its own.”

Tim Devitt, Producer of GCUC UK commented:

“PLATF9RM’s entries stood out for the commitment they have made to creating an environment and community that benefits member’s day to day lives and reflects the needs of the surrounding area. PLATF9RM has also made fantastic use of an old unloved building and brought it back to life which came up in the Judges discussion.

“Co-working communities are thriving across the country and it’s great to see independent businesses like PLATF9RM raising standards and ultimately improving people’s working lives.”

The 2020 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards are open for nominations

A Decade of Celebrating the Achievements of Women in Technology

The 2020 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards are open for nominations

Now in their tenth year, the annual FDM everywoman in Technology Awards have opened for nominations for 2020. This year’s awards will support FDM’s and everywoman’s mission to “Achieve, Elevate and Inspire”, by shining a spotlight on the tech industry’s most exceptional talent, from the UK and beyond. The awards provide an opportunity for companies and individuals to put forward candidates for categories celebrating all stages of the career journey and entries are open until 7 October 2019.

Over the 10 years, 350 incredible women in the tech industry from school students to CEO level have been recognised, by everywoman for their performance in this constantly evolving sector, from companies such as American Express, IBM and Google.

Currently only 7% of female students take computer science A-level, just half of girls that study IT & Tech subjects go on to a work in the field1 and only 16% of females have had technology suggested to them as a career2. Further research carried out by everywoman found that a lack of role models for young girls is a significant factor in the gender imbalance in the technology industry3. In 2018 women only made up 12.6% of board members in the tech sector, compared to a 30% female representation achieved by FTSE 100 businesses4. These findings demonstrate how the role that the awards play inpromoting the tech industry as a whole and the individual achievements of women within the sector is more important than ever before.

The FDM everywoman in Technology Awards, will showcase the successes of women at all stages in the industry, both inspiring the next generation of young female talent, and recognising the work of the women who have dedicated their careers to tech. Previous winners have included women creating lifesaving technology, as well as those designing programmes to develop the digital and coding skills of children. These include Mahek Vara, Founder and CEO at Code Camp, Emily Brooke, Founder and CEO at Blaze and Eleni Antoniadouu, Co-Founder of Transplants without Donors.

Entries are open to entrepreneurs, new industry entrants and senior leaders. Entries are free and can be completed here.

The 2020 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards are free to enter and the categories are:

• Academic Award - sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group - This is awarded to a woman inacademia who has made an outstanding contribution to technology and science and whose work has made or has the potential to make a significant long-term impact in STEM. This could include using technology to enhance and support research and teaching, achieving technological breakthroughs or leveraging one’s position to significantly encourage more talent into stem subjects

• One to Watch Award - sponsored by Computacenter - This is awarded to a girl aged 11-18 who is actively encouraging girls to study STEM subjects at school-level or making waves in the tech space. This award seeks to identify young game-changers and is open to inspirational students

• Apprentice Award - This is awarded to a young woman apprentice who is a game-changer and is excelling in her early career

• Rising Star Award - sponsored by T-Systems - This is awarded to a woman aged 26 or under who is excelling in her technology career, making a valuable contribution to her organisation

• Digital Star - sponsored by CGI - This is awarded to a woman who is excelling in a digital role. This could include innovative digital content, social media, web development or developing online solutions

• Software Engineer Award - sponsored by RBS - Awarded to a woman who has made a significant difference to the art of software engineering. She has built something new, shifted the art of the possible and is moving the profession forward

• Team Leader Award – sponsored by American Express - This is awarded to a woman whose team leadership has greatly contributed to the organisation’s success. She is leading a team of up to 100 employees

• Entrepreneur Award - This is awarded to an owner/operator of a technology business whose vision and talent will inspire others to start their own technology-related venture (trading for a minimum of 24 months)

• Innovator Award - This is awarded to a woman designing, developing, researching, implementing or being exceptionally creative with technology in an unconventional and innovative way

• Leader Award - sponsored by BP - This will be awarded to the woman operating in a senior technology role within her organisation. She will be making a contribution to the strategic direction of the business. She is leading a team of over 100 employees

• International Inspiration Award - This is awarded to an individual, male or female, for their active commitment to encouraging, advancing, sponsoring or championing the progress of women working in technology. They are based outside of the UK

• Male Agent of Change Award - This is awarded to a male agent of change for their active commitment to encouraging, advancing, sponsoring or championing the progress of women working in technology

The 2020 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards ceremony will take place on 4 March 2020.

Maxine Benson MBE, Co-Founder of everywoman comments: “We are very excited to launch the tenth everywoman in Technology Awards and looking back at the winners we’ve seen over the past decade is something everywoman feels very proud of. The partnership between FDM and everywoman continues to engage, advance and retain exceptional female talent in tech. The fast growth of this sector offers extraordinary and exciting opportunities for women and these Awards should be used as a platform to leverage the role models that are needed to attract the finest female talent of the future.”

Sheila Flavell, Chief Operating Officer of FDM Group comments: “It’s incredibly exciting to celebrate the 10th anniversary of these important awards which celebrate the achievements of women in the technology sector. This milestone underlines the hard work and persistence of so many people in the IT industry and sets a great example for the next generation of female talent. We are very proud to support this important event and provide a platform for the female tech innovators and entrepreneurs who have gone above and beyond in their respective organisations.”

11th October: Start-Up Day at Business & IP Centre Brighton & Hove