"What a great resource the Hounslow Chamber is!" - Tony Ryan, Branduin Business Support

"It was a great webinar." - KB Rafique, ALBAL Limited
Hounslow Chamber in conjunction with Chiswickbuzz webinars
All are free, run for 60 minutes and start at 10:00 am:


Managing Debt - 6 th August
Open for business – With lockdown lifting, what’s next for business finance?

With SMEs taking on debt at record levels, the need for trusted advice is increasing. Over the coming months, businesses may need help and advice on how to manage their working capital, what the best options are for cash deposits, where to turn to get more funding, etc.

We will be discussing funding to pay suppliers and staff, how to fund marketing and promotion activity and get finance to help with the process of re-opening businesses and re-start trading activity. We want to hear from businesses that are looking at investments in technology. This can be technology to use internally amongst staff members to make remote working easier, or to improve the website and e-commerce capability to reach more customers online.

We are aware that through Government-backed lending schemes many businesses have taken on debt and some of them for the first time. If there is any support you need before or after the webinar, please consider exploring your options using the Hounslow Business Finance Finder: https://hounslowchamber.org.uk/business-finance-finder  - the service is available 24/7 and a team of finance experts can help you navigate your options, to help you find the best deal for your business.

Panellists include:
  • Marcus Gruenwald, Finpoint
  • Tony Ryan, Branduin Business Support
  • Nick Woolf, Nicholas Woolf Solicitors
  • Mukesh Malhtora, Thamesbank Credit Union
  • Alan Rides, Hounslow Chamber


Re-boot, Recover & Grow – with an Ealing bias - 27 th August

Panellists to be announced.


If you have missed our webinars, you can watch them now:  https://hounslowchamber.org.uk/10015


Re-boot Business Breakfast - 12 th August at 9:30am - 11:00am
Venture X, Building 7, Chiswick Park,566 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5YG

We are so pleased to be able to hold another face to face networking event. The last time we were all together was 10th March!
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme updates (courtesy of HMRC)

From 1 August there will be changes affecting the grant employers can claim through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Employers will be asked to pay National Insurance (NI) and pension contributions for furloughed employees. Make sure you have the latest information by joining the live webinar:

Extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and flexible furloughing

We’ll provide an overview of the scheme, including flexible furloughing, examples of how to work out the amount you can claim, and the changes due in September and October.


If you haven’t been able to join our popular webinar about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme , more dates have now been added. Get the latest information on:

  • who can claim
  • who you can claim for
  • how to make a claim
  • what you may be entitled to, and more.


You can ask questions during all our live webinars using the on-screen text box.

Our webinars are constantly updated to provide the latest government guidance on changes as they develop.
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme updates (courtesy of Cabinet Office)

The government has launched a new calculator to help employers with their next CJRS claims. 
 
Employers can use the calculator to work out how much they have to pay their furloughed and flexibly furloughed employees, how much they can claim for employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions and how much they can claim back.
 
You can access the new job retention calculator here:  https://bit.ly/CJRSCalculator
 
Please note that the calculator will be updated to reflect changes to the scheme over the coming months. 
 
In addition, employers can now also download a template if you're claiming for 100 or more employees through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (for claims on or after 1 July 2020).
 
You can download the new template here:  https://bit.ly/CJRSTemplate
 
Better Health campaign

Public Health England has today (27 July) launched the Better Health campaign to support people to live healthier lives and reduce their risk of serious illness, including COVID-19.
The campaign – unveiled as part of the government’s new Obesity Strategy - calls on people to embrace a healthier lifestyle and to lose weight if they need to, supported by a range of evidence-based tools and apps providing advice on how to lose weight.
 
Measures in the plan include:

  • Banning unhealthy food adverts before 9pm;
  • Ending ‘buy one get one free’ offers on foods high in fats and or sugars;
  • Calorie labelling on food sold in large restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 employees; 
  • Calorie labelling on alcohol; 
  • Expanding NHS weight management services so more people get the support they need to lose weight; and 
  • Launching a new consultation to gather views and evidence on the current ‘traffic light’ labelling system to learn more about how this is being used by consumers and industry, compared to international examples
 
Full details on the campaign can be found here -  https://bit.ly/BetterHealthCampaign  

As our pubs and restaurants start to open they are required to ask for, and store personal data to allow contact tracing of the COVID disease .
Ealing Council Discretionary business grant scheme – Round 2

Applications are now being accepted for the second round of Ealing Council’s Discretionary Payment Scheme for small businesses affected financially by COVID-19.  Eligible businesses will receive grants of up to £10,000.
The second round is open to small businesses:

  • with a minimum turnover of £50,000 
  • with ongoing fixed building-related costs
  • which can demonstrate that they have suffered a significant fall in income due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis
  • that were trading on 11 March 2020.

Find out more about the second discretionary grant application round, check if your business is eligible and apply by 11pm Thursday, 6 August. 
CLES (the Centre for Local Economic Strategies) are currently carrying out a review of Hounslow Council’s approach to community engagement within the borough. As part of this review, they are organising a focus group to speak with residents who are active in their community and resident-led and grassroots groups to hear their views on how the community can help shape Hounslow’s recovery following the pandemic. This group will be for roughly one and a half hours, and is pencilled in for the afternoon of Tuesday 4 th of August but may change depending on attendees’ availability. There are limited spaces, and the deadline for expressions of interest was Tuesday 28 th at 5pm but if you would be interested in attending please get in touch with them this morning (Wednesday 29 th) as they are determining the shortlist for the group this afternoon.
 
If you are interested, or would like to know more, please get in touch with Ellie Radcliffe at eleanorradcliffe@cles.org.uk or 07860 948032.
Don't miss out on additional grants!

The government has announced additional grants for every new apprentice you hire between August 2020 & January 2021.
 
Levy paying employer? We help you to maximise your levy.
 
Recruit a talent pool to create technical experts or upskill current staff to bridge the emerging skills gaps for the future. 

Work with Harrow College and Uxbridge College to get started.
Oasis is proud to announce that we are now FCSA Accredited for Accounting & Umbrella Services.


Chiswick Flower Market July Update 2

We are getting ready for
Sunday 6th September 9:30am - 3pm
We’re signing up fantastic traders, working out the stall locations, designing striking posters and banners, scratching our heads over social distancing measures, recruiting volunteer cycle couriers to deliver your plants home and all the 101 things that have to be sorted before the Chiswick Flower Market finally launches at the end of summer. There’s a steep learning curve to be climbed, but a super enthusiastic team roped up and tackling the slopes.

We need help!
The Chiswick Flower Market is really happening! So now we need your help on the day. This is your chance to shine as a Chiswick Flower Market marshal. You will be directing the unloading vans, helping visitors, offering information about the market and Chiswick, making sure the visitors maintain social distance, helping clear up afterwards. Hopefully if enough of you volunteer we are asking for a 2-3 hour commitment from you on the first Sunday of the month. We're focussing on our first one first, so you don't have to commit to more than that at this point!

You need to be available on Sunday 6th September (and thereafter we will also need marshals for the first Sundays in each month - 4th October, 1st November, 6th December). Training will be provided.

If you would like to join our team of dazzlingly accomplished, strikingly enthusiastic, completely unpaid marshals for a hugely fun day, please email: info@chiswickflowermarket.com  
We visited Colombia Road last weekend to talk to our traders and get ideas and inspiration for Chiswick Flower Market.
Hounslow Chamber members receive a 20% discount on masks. They have plenty in stock and can get them to you within 24 hours if necessary. Please quote: 20%OFFHOUNSLOW

Click here for more details  
Good News:
2020 continues to be a challenging year and some may question Business Awards going ahead. After much reflection we feel there are reasons to be optimistic. Please enter the Awards, based on your activity in 2019, using it as a means to celebrate the past, to mark the end of 2020, and to give you and your team a wonderful night out on 15th October 2020, to move into the Christmas season and to start 2021 in an upbeat frame of mind.

Please be assured that we will be adhering to Government guidelines to ensure we are all safe.

Click here  to see the safety measures now in place at Clayton Hotel Chiswick.

The Business Awards are open to ALL businesses in the London Boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Hounslow and ALL our Chamber members, wherever you are based.


There are 19 award categories which you can enter now, just click the link to enter, fill out the form and submit. The deadline date for entries is 22 nd August 2020.
West London Local Chambers & Hounslow Chamber of Commerce are the primary support, networking, and representation organisation in west London for SMEs.

We support the interests, the commercial aspirations and the investment from businesses in Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham - the Chamber is the voice for all businesses located in the borough