More change on the Covid front, with the government’s new Rule of Six (max number of people in groups) together with an updated and simpler message, “Hands–Face–Space”! It’s up to all of us to try and keep safe ourselves, and to keep others safe in whatever we are doing.
Kickstart grants, to encourage the employment of 16-24-year olds and Apprenticeships, are now available. For more details please click here. The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create new 6-month job placements for young people who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. Funding will cover, for each job placement:100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week; the associated employer National Insurance contributions; and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions. Please let the Chamber know if you do apply and with what result, so that we have a handle on the response to this locally.
Wednesday’s Virtual Coffee event Restart Your Business Session 14: More Quick Wins with Microsoft Office with Clare Batchelor from Mouse Literate provided an excellent session, starting with tips on line and paragraph spacing in Word, and how to quickly and easily make text look consistently the same. She then moved on to looking at formulas in Excel, starting with a simple addition formula and building up to doing simple formulas between two worksheets. NB: Clare also offered help over the telephone or similar with any issues or documents which Members are having problems with. The video of this presentation and the Q&A session is on our YouTube channel.
On Wednesday 16 September our Virtual Breakfast will take the form of a panel discussion and Q&A: “Where do we go from here?”, about how Mole Valley as a community goes forward in terms of its Covid-19 Recovery Plan and how the experience of the pandemic might change some of the thinking behind a potentially new or altered version of the Local Plan. We are encouraging attendance from local RAs, some Parish Councils and MVDC and Surrey Councillors, so please book your place to share your views and take part in the discussions. We are keen to have a wide geographical spread of Members and other businesses taking part, so please spread the word also!
Wednesday 23 September sees Re-start Your Business Session 15: 'Making a Return on Life'. Led by Chris Webb of Corfe Wealth Management Ltd who will suggest that we start from the question, ‘What Return on Life do I want?’. ROL is defined as: ‘How well you are doing in living the life you want; with the money you have’.
With five Wednesdays again in this month our final session will be on 30 September, Time to Reflect and Move Forward. A brief look at what your Chamber has been doing, and an opportunity to discuss what you would like it to be doing moving forward! This will include 15 minutes or so on a virtual stripped-down AGM including votes on the Board and Accounts. Information has already been circulated to members by email.
NB We are currently looking for a number of new Directors to join the Chamber Board and to represent businesses and disciplines across the MVDC area. If you would like to find out more about this please call me! We are also still looking for suggestions for further topics, and volunteers or nominations to lead on them! A Member survey will also be sent out shortly to canvas opinion on activity going forward.
Everyone is reminded that some of the many benefits of Chamber Membership include the ability for Members to promote their business events, news, other items of interest, situations vacant and Members Offers & Discounts via the Chamber’s Website and Weekly Update Emails – so Members, please do send details to Melodie Hunt at the Chamber office.
There are some great offers currently on the Members Offers & Discounts page on our website. Surrey Hills Community Radio has an excellent free offer for advertising at the moment, and is open to interviews with our Members too! JP Leadership Coaching is promoting an excellent group coaching programme which offers extraordinary value for a small group as opposed to individual coaching.
Finally, please do promote the benefits of joining the Chamber to your business colleagues and customers. If you have a window which needs one of our posters and a membership sticker do let us know, and we have flyers as well for anyone in a position to deliver some.
