News from Newark Business Club – January 2012 Jan 8 2012
Newark Business Club Diary - January 2012 meeting
Sensible stuff
If there’s one business name that few people would take issue with it must be Making Money Makes Sense, whose Martin Chapman was sponsor of Newark Business Club’s first meeting of 2012.
Martin made the startling statement that the child has already been born who will live to 150. Fortunately no children were present to start worrying about financing 80-odd years of retirement, but with state pensions as low as they are it was a timely reminder to maximise pension pots and take the tax breaks while we may.
May days
Talking of May, when the microphone toured the room for attendees to give their name and business, Peter Duncan got a crafty quick plug in for this year’s Jazz et Vin event, to be held again in May after its very successful debut last year. Something to look forward to as the chill winds howl.
Brand Newark
Action Committee chair Tim Shaw introduced an exercise to get every table to contribute data to ‘Brand Newark’, the campaign to promote Newark’s attractions to companies who may bring in new investment and jobs.
Tim had just heard Grantham MP Nicholas Boles on local radio saying Grantham needed to be more go-ahead, like Newark, and Action Group members on every table asked attendees what made them choose to locate here.
Funnily enough, 20 years ago I was looking to re-locate from St. Albans before narrowing the destination down to Grantham or Newark. We did admittedly view Grantham on a soggy, rain-lashed Sunday, but I’ve never doubted that we made the right choice.
Roaming Panther
Not sure how big a territory panthers usually patrol but Rachel Panther of Oxford Innovation came from Northampton to tell the meeting of a coming Business Plan Competition with meaty prizes for anyone with a bright idea for a new business and the drive to prepare a plan for it.
Rachel’s East Midlands territory includes the three Nottinghamshire Business Innovation centres managed by Oxford Innovation, including Newark Beacon.
She was hunting down potential sponsors, judges and competitors for the competition as well as publicising it. Top prize will include a year’s free office space, four days of business coaching and a year’s free accounting.
A media launch for the contest comes in March followed by a planning workshop in April, shortlisting in May and a Dragon’s Den-style final selection plus an awards evening in June.
Holiday hot spot?
The attractions of Newark Showground are many but as a place to spend your holiday, especially at 7am on a wind-blasted January morning, it’s perhaps not top of your list.
Nevertheless that’s where Tom Rawsterne of Notts County Council spent some of his hols as Tom interrupted them to tell the assembly about Invest In Nottingham, a Nottingham City initiative now broadened to include the whole county and aimed, like Brand Newark, at attracting inward investment.
If you look at www.investinnottingham.com you may find it hard to spot any mention of Newark, but Tom assures us this is changing, with a ‘Focus On Newark’ section due soon, pointing up the development opportunities that will come with Newark’s projected growth.
Rural raids
Rural crime was high on MP Patrick Mercer’s agenda when he delivered the meeting’s finale. It seems rural crime raises the blood pressure of local farmers more than anything else.
One possible solution to much of it would be legislation to regulate the scrap industry, said Patrick. That can’t come soon enough – metal theft has become a massive problem, for churches and industry as well as for farmers.
- Next meeting – February 17, 7am Newark Showground.
Graham Keal - Newark Business Club Press Officer