Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber

Thanet & East Kent Insider

25^th June 2013  Issue No.: 203

1. Get a Share of £1.5 million

Chamber members were invited to attend the recent “Get A Share of £1.5 Million” business breakfast to hear Cassie Ellins, the Principal of the Marlowe Academy explain her policy of buying products and services from Chamber members whenever possible. After a splendid breakfast served at table with professional expertise by Marlowe Academy students, Chamber members were delighted to hear that the Academy has such a strong commitment to the local business community. Flanked by her business manager Sam West, Vice Principal Will Pemberton and Corporate Business Director Caroline O’Conner, Cassie gave a fascinating account of the role of secondary schools today and how the Marlowe Academy is responding to the challenges. After a brief look at Robert Donat’s performance in the 1939 film Goodbye Mr Chips, Cassie asked her eager audience if they felt comfortable in answering a GCSE maths question . Given the function f(x) = 2x2+3, find the value of f(x) when x-0 and find the value of f(x) when x-10. A resounding silence and some slightly embarrassed wriggling suggested that the comfortable seats in the splendid Marlowe Academy theatre were suddenly not quite so comfy. Some of the finance directors made a gesture towards their expensive technological aids before Cassie relieved the anxiety with the answers that her 15 and 16 year olds are expected to provide, 0 and 10. She then outlined the targets at GCSE level in speaking, listening, reading and writing. These are the measures against which Marlowe Academy pupils are judged.

2. Are Our Schools Businesses Then?

The Marlowe Academy receives around £5,000 for each pupil. With a neat simplicity of which any Managing Director of a large company would have been proud, Cassie summarised her “Controllables” which include staff selection, uniform and discretionary spending. The “Uncontrollables” include national pay and conditions, the composition of league tables, the expertise or otherwise of successive Education Ministers, selective education policies and the quality of the raw product. The Marlowe Academy is much more than a human factory that processes students. Cassie and her team have a steely determination to ensure that their charges “develop a moral code which ensures pride in selves and in the community”. Chamber members were pleased to hear the unambiguous aim that “youngsters are equipped with skills for employment”

3. What’s In It For Me?

Every Chamber company from A to Z has a commercial interest in recruiting the Marlowe Academy as a customer. From Ambassador Electrical Services, BP Drains South East, CPS Heating, Dave Mannings Painting to WW Martin, Your Toastmasters and Zero Trace Procurement, there are opportunities for Chamber members to make sales. As an integral part of a federation of academies, the Marlowe Academy manages directly just under a third of the annual turnover of £20 million but can bring its influence to bear as a satisfied customer in all purchasing decisions. When the head of this publicly funded organisation says: “We should purchase locally”, you can believe her.  

4. Surely This Is Too Good To Be True?

Chamber members were told: “As part of the Chamber, we should support other Chamber members as we expect those Chamber members to support us”.  There is clearly a benefit to the Marlowe Academy in establishing links with reputable local companies. But if ever there was a “win-win situation”, this is surely it. The whole of the East Kent costal business community will find many advantages in working positively with their local schools and not just as a seller. Chamber members at the breakfast meeting were unanimous in wanting to support the Marlowe Academy through a range of initiatives including Work Experience placements, company visits and class initiatives. Rather than complain that schools no longer produce students with the skills for the workplace, employers at the Chamber breakfast meeting were keen to cooperate with Cassie Ellins and her team in working together to promote mutually supportive links between suppliers, customers and supporters. Chamber members and businesses can fly high if they work together as the new Marlowe Academy motto states: Alter Alatis Patent/The sky is open to those who have wings.

5. Chamber Business Networking Breakfast

The educational theme will be continued at our next Chamber business networking breakfast in Sandwich on Friday, 12^th July 2013. Entitled “Their Education, Our Future”, Chamber members will hear from the key decision-makers at St George’s School Broadstairs, Charles Dickens School Ramsgate and Hartsdown Academy. There will be an opportunity to present your products and services and to learn how you can be a supplier to these East Kent educational establishments. There will be ample time for networking. Booking is essential. The price of £12 for Chamber members includes a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Their Education, Our Future”. Full details will follow with confirmation. The event will start at 0730 hrs and finish at 0855 hrs.

6. 2013 Thanet Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair

Chamber members have been invited to take a free stand at the 2013 Thanet Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair scheduled to take place at the Winter Gardens in Margate on 2^nd July 2013. Hosted by the Chamber Co-Presidents, Sir Roger Gale MP and Laura Sandys MP, the fair follows the successful format of last year which attracted over 3,000 visitors with 600 jobs on offer. The Minister of State for employment, Mark Hiban MP, will start proceedings at 1000 hrsand the doors will remain open until 1500 hrs. The Discovery Park, Flambeau Europlast, London Array and East Kent College will be joining the Thanet & East Kent Chamber and other Chamber members on the day. For more details, see http://thanetjobsfair.telllaura.org.uk/whats-on.html.

7. KLM Air France

The Chamber was the guest of KLM Air France at the Institute of Directors in London’s Pall Mall this week at an evening reception for the popular KLM Air France Manager for the UK & Ireland, Henri Hourcade, who is returning to Paris shortly. A well-known figure among senior airline executives in the UK, Henri has sat alongside Angus Barclay of Cathay Pacific, Bob Schumacher of United, Sian Foster of Virgin Atlantic and Clive Wratten of Etihad on the board of BARUK, the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK. Henri will be much missed among transport professionals in this country. He was one of the key figures in bringing the KLM flights to Manston and deserves much credit for the success of the launch last April. His replacement will be Warner Rootliep, a graduate of Erasmus University Rotterdam and the prestigious IMD Business School in Lausanne which was this year ranked by the Financial Times as “the No. 1 in open programs worldwide”.  A confirmed dog lover, Werner spent five years as a General Manager in Germany and three years in India. Having been born in Dhaka, he has seen first-hand the vast changes and considerable commercial opportunities in the Indian sub-continent over the last 30 years. We wish Warner every success and look forward to continuing the strong links with KLM Air France, the largest employer in the Chamber membership with over 31,000 employees.

8. Manston Airport & A380

Adam Wilton is the owner off English in Margate. As well as welcoming students from all over the world to his school, Adam now offers training to anyone contemplating teaching English to overseas students in the UK or abroad. Much prized by recent graduates looking to sustain themselves in foreign climates and for gap-year students, the four-week Trinity Cert TESOL course is one of only two teacher training courses recognised by the British Council as an entry qualification for a career teaching English to non-native speakers. The course content includes a detailed grounding in methodology, an outline of trends in language teaching and the opportunity to test new teaching skills on ‘authentic’ foreign students of varying ability levels during a timetabled programme. Training takes place at The Towers, 38 Hawley Square, Margate, the home of English in Margate, a language school for adults that has been in operation for 17 years. The year-round school is well-established and is usually full during the busy summer months. This will be the first time that this accredited course has been held in the area. Graduates of the course do not all go into classroom teaching. Some prefer to use their newly acquired skills in marketing, administration, arranging social programmes, inspection and language school management. For more information, see the website atwww.traintoteachenglish.com. Chamber members may prefer to contact Adam direct by email toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

10. East Kent Business Advice Clinic

In liaison with our good friends at the Dover District Chamber of Commerce, the Thanet & East Kent Chamber organises the East Kent Business Advice Clinic. Start-up companies as well as established firms of any size are invited to discuss their plans or ideas with a panel of experts on a completely confidential basis. The panellists are drawn from a select group of lawyers, chartered accountants, marketing specialists and business professionals who bring to you their collective experience of business. Delegates tend to find great comfort in hearing how the difficulties they are facing have been successfully mastered in the past. Formed following the demise of the Business Link regional advice service, EKBAC has welcomed 150 visitors to date, attracting widespread praise for this free service. For more details, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “EKAC 2013”.

11. How Are We Doing?

As regular readers of this bulletin will know, we often review the collective progress of the East Kent coastal business community. Of the three main economic indicators, the Exchange Rate, the Interest Rate and the Unemployment Rate, it is the latter alone which provides an authoritative guide to progress, even down to ward level. Ignoring monthly fluctuations, we usually look at the year-on-year changes to provide a useful snapshot of how we are faring. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics give much encouragement to those seeking to invest or expand in the area. Rising employment throughout the districts of East Kent illustrate a positive picture of annual change. The jobless total for Cliftonville West has at last fallen below 1,000 to 966, showing a year-on-year reduction of 7.3%. A similar scene emerges from the wards in the Dover District which have registered a collective annual fall of 7.6%. Although Tower Hamlets has gained a few unemployed, up 5.4% to 295, the Maxton, Elms Vale and Priory figures tell us that an extra 6.5% of this ward’s population have a reason to feel happier now than a year ago. The data on youth unemployment continues to give rise for concern, but not in Tunbridge Wells where just 2.2% of 18 to 24 year olds are registered as unemployed. Sharp differences between East Kent and the leafy lanes of mid Kent are reflected also in the figures for Sevenoaks, where just 3.2% of the district’s youth are registered as unemployed. Before you ask why Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells has so few youngsters on the dole, remember that someone has to polish Daddy’s limousines and it can be so tiresome to go all the way to register at the Job Centre when the swimming pool in the garden is looking so inviting.  

12. Give Us the Facts

Unemployment in East Kent districts

13. B2B In Canterbury

Best Business Events reminds us that their Business-To-Business event will take place in Canterbury on 10^th September 2013 in the splendid surroundings of Augustine House at Canterbury Christ Church University. Organised in cooperation with our good friends at Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, the day includes workshops, training, a host of speakers and an opportunity to market your products and services to the many visitors and companies expected to attend. Stands are available from £250.00. Lavender Blue Media is providing the video expertise and the event has received the official backing of the government’s UKTI department. Aimed squarely at s mall to medium-sized businesses, Best Business Events promises “Afantastic opportunity for business leaders to meet, network and collaborate”. For more details, see the website at www.kentb2b.co.uk and click on B2B East Kent or telephone 01732 758 530to speak to a genuine human being. Best Business events is also encouraging Kent companies looking for capital investment to compete for the opportunity to pitch their investment idea to Ariadne Capital and Taylor Wessing, the international law firm.   Full details of the Kent Business Pitch Competition 2013 are available on-line at www.thepitchingden.co.uk.

14. Hi-Speed Train

Chamber members with premises close to the High Speed Rail Link stations have a justifiable pride in their HS1 journey times to London St Pancras. Southeastern Railway states on its website “Travelling at up to 140mph, the journey time from Ashford International to London is now just 37 minutes”. In fact anyone travelling on the 08:13 train from Ashford can expect to arrive at London St Pancras at 08:49 which is a journey time of 36 minutes. Corporate understatement is not apparent with other stations in East Kent. Following widespread discussions with Chamber members, we measure the journey times on HS1 from East Kent for trains arriving at London St Pancras on weekdays between 0800 hrs and 0900 hrs. This seems to be the most popular outward schedule, but it is also the most expensive. If bought on-line, a standard day return ticket from Dover to London St Pancras currently costs £67.00 if leaving on the 07:58 train. However, if you spend a little longer at breakfast and leave on the 08:58, your ticket will cost just £37.00, a saving of £30 which is sufficient for a reasonable lunch and a drink on the way home. The same saving can be made if departing from Margate and proportionate reductions for later departures from other East Kent stations. If travelling by train, the message for local business people is surely to do your best to arrange for meetings anywhere in London to begin at or after 1130 hrs. You will certainly notice the difference in either your expense account or your waistline depending on what you spend the saving.

15. Fastest Weekday Journey Times On HS1

The times below are taken from the Southeastern Railway timetable for the period until 7^thDecember 2013 and represent the fastest journey times on the High Speed rail link for trains arriving at London St Pancras on weekdays between 0800 hrs and 0900 hrs.

16. Update On Thanet Earth

There may be political disputes in parliament about European cooperation, but no such worries have been allowed to impinge on the remarkably successful collaboration between the Fresca Group, Rainbow UK, A&A Growers and Kaaij UK. These are the investors in the latest addition to the greenhouses at Thanet Earth. This £17 million project was completed on time, on budget and on 20 acres of land near Birchington in East Kent, confirming Thanet Earth as the market leader in the sustainable production of tomatoes under glass. Named intriguingly Thanet Growers One or TG1 for short, the newest greenhouse is in fact the fourth on site and is already producing crops of six speciality tomatoes as well as hosting secret trials of some new varieties. We do know that TG1 will grow tomatoes for 52 weeks of the year and provide jobs for around 100 people, swelling the workforce to 600 employees. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs tells us in their Farming & Food bulletin for May 2013 that production in the UK agricultural industry in 2012 fell to its lowest level since 2004 and that the year-on-year decline “is the largest single year fall in total factor productivity since 1985.” A bleak future for UK food security is forecast in the statement that “The proportion of farms intending to make major investments in the next 12 months (22 per cent) is lower than investments made in the previous 12 months (43 per cent)”. In investing so consistently and so successfully in its East Kent glasshouse complex, Thanet Earth Marketing has shown that whatever the national trend, ambitious companies who understand the technologies required to assist them can thrive if the best managers are allowed to manage and the funding is made available. Thanet Earth Marketing’s Managing Director, Ian Craig, has pointed the way for local companies of all sizes. As a nation, we could all sleep a little more securely at night if we produced more of our own food.

17. Planning Success In Dover

In an email to the Chamber, the China Gateway Operations Director, Rob Prince, was delighted to confirm some good news. Dover District Council has approved the CGI planning application for Western Heights and Farthingloe. Subject to a few conditions and the usual final approval from the Secretary of State, this £200 million development is now poised to go ahead. Included in the scheme are a 130 bed hotel and conference centre, up to 40 residential units at the Western Heights, up to 521 residential units at Farthingloe, a 90 apartment retirement village, a health facility, a pub/restaurant, a shop, a farmhouse bed and breakfast and the provision of £5 million for improvements at the Drop Redoubt. Despite some limited local opposition, the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Cllr Fred Scales, “concluded that the economic and heritage benefits to Dover and East Kent outweighed other considerations that were raised regarding the application.” The leader of Dover District Council, Cllr Paul Watkins, labelled the decision as “a huge measure of confidence in Dover and East Kent”. Our sister organisation, the Dover District Chamber of Commerce, has supported this application from the beginning and in its most recent letter to the planning committee stated: “ Not only will the construction of the buildings provide much needed employment, but the resultant dwellings will offer quality accommodation for skilled workers and do much to encourage further inward investment.” Dover District Council has shown exemplary leadership in supporting the local economy with this development. We can expect more good news as inward investors note how the business-friendly local government officers and councillors in office in the council buildings at White Cliffs Business Park can back their regeneration projects in the district.

18. More About Tomatoes

We have our doubts about the veracity of the following story sent by a Chamber member living near Birchington, but we leave it to our distinguished and good-looking readers to judge for themselves.   “John was never a great student at school. He was always friendly enough to all those around him, but he knew in his heart of hearts that he would not find it easy to get a job. We used to make fun of him sometimes, because he was a little slow in class. We knew he would have a problem finding employment and indeed that proved to be the case. Remember that this was way back in 2005, before all the great changes at East Kent College and the new links some local schools have with local businesses. After leaving school when barely 17 years old, John suffered some six months of unemployment, but then managed to get an interview as a cleaner with a well-known national retailer. After faring rather well in a practical test with a mop and broom, he was brought before the store’s HR manager and made a positive impression with his good-natured replies. Finally, the manager said: ‘There are just a few more forms to be completed, but we can do this by email. As soon, as they are returned, you can begin work. Pay will be £3.00 an hour to start.’ John said: “Thank you very much. But I don’t have an email address. I don’t even have a computer’. At this the HR manager, said: ‘We have a strict policy here for all staff. No email, no job. Sorry and goodbye’. ‘But maybe if I could earn enough from the cleaning, I could buy a computer from your store,” remonstrated John hopefully. ‘Nice idea, but no’, said the stony-faced manager. ‘As far as we are concerned, if you have no computer, you do not exist’. Stunned beyond measure by this blunt and irreversible rejection, John left the plush office and made his way to the exit. As he was about to leave the store, he remembered that he had a £5 note in his pocket. Thinking that he might as well spend his last pennies to complete the disastrous day, a big box of tomatoes caught his eye. Still on the vine, the tomatoes were priced at £5 exactly. ‘Why not, my mum loves tomatoes and so do I’, he thought and struggled to the checkout with his prize. On the way home, he encountered some friends and passers-by. They stopped to admire his lovely fresh tomatoes on the vine, an innovation at the time, and offered to buy some from him. Before he reached home, he discovered that he had made a profit of over 100% and still had some tomatoes left to give to his mother for his lunch. For once in his life, he realized that he had won. With a Basil Fawlty-style screech of satisfaction, he returned to the store that afternoon and bought two more boxes. By the end of the week, he had bought his mother a new winter coat. By the end of the month, he was buying tomatoes direct from the supplier. By the end of the year, he was employing three staff. After 24 months of successful trading, his team consisted of 12 employees, including some of his former school mates who had left with much better qualifications than he had managed. I ran into John last week in the car park of a large shopping complex. A little thicker around the stomach than before and somewhat sterner in his demeanor, he nevertheless had the same cheerful smile on his face. After an exchange of greetings, I asked him where he was going. ‘Oh, I’m off to buy some insurance for the new depot we are going to open next month’. ‘You don’t need to do that’, I said, ‘You should go on the Internet and compare the best prices. You will get a much better deal’. ‘I prefer using local suppliers’, said John. ‘I find the service is much better. Anyway’, he added ruefully, ‘I don’t own a computer’.   Hardly able to believe my ears, I looked in my pocket for the keys to my 7 year-old Ford Fiesta and said to him brusquely: ‘You might be a millionaire now, but think how much more successful you could have been if you did own a computer’” John paused for moment and then said: ‘I know precisely where I would be now if I had a computer. I would be cleaning the floor of that store immediately behind you.’ John then got into his Bentley and drove away. Makes you think, doesn’t it?’

© David Foley 25^th June 2013

Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber

Thanet & East Kent Insider

12^th May 2013 Issue No.: 202

1. South East Air Show Breakfast

Our South East Air Show Chamber Business Networking Breakfast will take place in Sandwich on Friday 17^th May 2013.  Any company based in East Kent wishing to boost its turnover will have an interest in hearing how it can benefit from the huge number of visitors expected. If you want to know how to influence buyers attending the event, to meet key decision-makers, to promote your products or simply to enjoy the day as a spectator, you should register to attend the breakfast meeting next Friday morning from 0730 hrs to 0900 hrs.  Not only will you enjoy a full English breakfast in the company of like-minded managers and ambitious entrepreneurs, but you will hear from the Chamber member organising the event the latest news on the aeroplanes booked, the names of famous people attending and details of how you can access the wallets and credit cards of the 20,000 or so people expected to attend on the day. DAT1 of Westbrook, tel: 01843 835213, has already shown how an ambitious local company can make the most of this marvellous opportunity. If you are free on next Friday morning before the office opens, you can do the same. Booking is essential. The price of £12 for Chamber members includes a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “South East Air Show Breakfast 17 May 2013”. There is a limited number of places for non-members. Full details will follow with confirmation.

2. Get a Share of £1.5 Million

Chamber member the Marlowe Academy in Ramsgate is keen to spend its money with other Chamber members. The new dynamic head, Cassie Ellins, is keen to spend the Academy’s money with members of the Thanet & East Kent Chamber. As she put it at a recent meeting with the Chamber: “We need to be buying locally. We spend around £1.5 million a year on products and services and we want to spend that with local companies.”  With this very much in mind, the Chamber is organising a Meet The Buyer Chamber business breakfast on Friday, 31^st May 2013 when Chamber members will have the opportunity to hear how they can access this budget and become a supplier to the Marlowe Academy. The Marlowe Academy operates in close liaison with its sister schools and feeder primaries. Any successful supplier will also be eligible to increase their turnover by accessing the group spend of around £5 million per year. Too good to be true? Come to our business breakfast on 31^st May 2013 from 0730 hrs to 0900 hrs in Ramsgate and find out for yourself. Booking is essential. Full details will follow with confirmation. There will be plenty of time for networking. The price of £12 for Chamber members includes a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Get a Share of £1.5 million”.

3. Change to Win

On 26^th April 2013, the Chamber hosted a Change To Win business networking breakfast at the Walpole Bay Hotel, Cliftonville. Chamber members heard from two pioneering speakers. First on the podium was Mark Lumsdon-Taylor, Finance Director of Hadlow College. “My philosophy has always been not to think like everyone else and to break preconceptions”. These were qualities that were sorely needed in 2002 when he first looked at the books of Hadlow College. Faced with closure, police investigations for financial irregularities, a falling student roll and an IT department managed by a lecturer in fruit, Hadlow was on its last legs. Urgent action and successive 60 hour weeks prevented its immediate closure and Mark took a well-earned holiday to celebrate. On his return, he found that in his absence all the college’s reserves had disappeared. “Around £1 million in VAT and professional fees had been forgotten”.  Mark outlined to Chamber members the strict financial and cultural measures he introduced to stabilize and finally expand the business. From being one of the worst colleges in the country, in 2010 Hadlow achieved “outstanding” status in its Ofsted report. A £500,000 loss has been turned into a £500,000 surplus, acreage has increased 400%, reserves have risen to £13 million and annual turnover has soared to £17 million. Mark’s work has won numerous accolades including the prestigious Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales ‘Finance for the Future Award’ for 2012. Hadlow College certainly changed and it certainly won.

4. Who Was The Second Speaker?

Our second speaker was Neil Wiggins who is the Chairman and driving force behind Dover People’s Port Trust. Neil gave a brief history of the port of Dover and the likelihood three years ago of Britain’s busiest passenger port being sold to overseas interests with little regard for the economy of East Kent. The threat galvanized the community of Dover right across the political spectrum. For the first time since the Trust Ports Act of 1606, a port community has been brought together, confirmed by a 98% majority in a public poll, and taken the necessary measures to secure the funds to make a serious offer to the government for the ownership of its harbour and associated installations. Following a decision by the Secretary of State for Transport published on 20^th December 2012 which rejected outright the current management’s plan to flog the harbour on the open market, DPPT is now in prime position to meet the government’s stated objective of ensuring that a future owner will have “an enduring and significant level of community participation in the port.”  The government reached its decision having considered representations from a variety of bodies including DPPT and our sister Chamber, the Dover District Chamber of Commerce which has been monitoring port developments since 1850. Businesses in all sectors can learn from the examples of Hadlow and DPPT. However bleak the outlook, the right people can make the right changes for the benefit of the whole of the local economy.

5. Do You Look Beautiful?

Regular readers will know that images from selected events are available for viewing and purchase at www.photoboxgallery.co.uk/ddcc. Mark Proctor of new Chamber member Mark Proctor Photography attended our recent event at the Walpole Bay Hotel in Cliftonville and posted some images on his website at http://markproctorphotography.co.uk/blog/?p=398   Do you recognise the journalist with a beard? Mark tells the Chamber that: “I shoot weddings, portraits, families, kids and any other random projects that catch my eyes, here, there and everywhere.” More examples of Mark’s distinctive style can be seen at http://markproctorphotography.zenfolio.com/f790257241 

6. More About Marlowe Academy

You may not agree with old Etonian Tom Sykes’s claim that “The truth is that public schools are fertile grounds for drug use” and you may not believe his stories about drug-taking at Eton and Harrow, but faced with the evidence from Kent police, you have to agree that the Marlowe Academy is drug-free. That was the conclusion from an exercise undertaken at the academy as part of its recent Crime Awareness Week. With no previous warning to staff or students, Kent police undertook a training exercise there involving 20 police officers and 2 drugs dogs.  Principal Cassie Ellins reports that it all went very well and adds: “The real bonus is that no drugs were found on any of our students”. Keen to improve links between police and pupils, Cassie is determined to help pupils “steer their choices and develop a stronger sense of community responsibility.”

7. Life At Lakesview

Something is afoot at Lakesview International Business Park at Hersden, near Canterbury. The recent decision by 9 votes to 8 of Kent County Council’s planning committee to give the go ahead to allow a black bag rubbish dump to be created at Lakesview has produced a fierce backlash from the companies and investors on the estate.

8. Wasn’t There a Protest Meeting There Recently?

There certainly was. At a breakfast meeting convened by the Thanet & East Kent Chamber, company owners and neighbours expressed their frustration at the decision taken in Maidstone that seemingly took no account of the interests of the hard-working employees and householders in the area. Steve Snell who owns two units at Lakesview pointed to the “devastating effect” on the value of his investment. Tom Kennedy of UK Stone Imports has an office located just 3 metres from the projected boundary of the dump. He commented on the “hit and miss” farce of the planning committee’s decision which required a recount resulting in an alleged change of voting patterns. He was considering a judicial review of what in his opinion could have been a “seriously flawed process”.

9. What Do Other Companies There Think?

Paul and David Lawrence of Ale Business Machines thought that a close examination of the planning committee’s actions could reveal “something disgraceful going on” and thought that the “procedural comedy” may have led to a “complete stitch up” which they later defined as an example of “Carry on politics”. Peter Robin is the Managing Director of Robin’s Packaging, a company established by his grandfather in 1930. He is “extremely angry” at the planning decision. His supplies the food and pharmaceutical sector and has always enjoyed the highest possible rating for cleanliness and hygiene. He considers having a black bag rubbish dump in such close proximity will have an intolerable impact on his operations. 

10. What About Manual Workers and Manufacturers?

Painter and decorator Dave Mannings described the planning committee’s decision as “disgraceful”. Alan Barker of Premier Framework Displays which manufactures high quality signs and display material on site said that he had undergone a similar experience in North Kent when a rubbish dump had been opened next to a flourishing business park. “The number of tenants fell sharply from 42 to 2. It became like a ghost town”. He added that rats, seagulls and foxes are impossible to keep out no matter what preventative measures are tried.

11. What About Residents?

Jill Leith of OGC Maintenance endorsed everything said at the meeting. She said that she was horrified at the prospect of a rubbish dump so close to her house and to her businesses premises. She also lamented the awful effect on her neighbour’s food company.

12. What Harm Is There In A Little Dust And A Little Smell?

Charles Pearce of EKTRA said he was “extremely worried” as he operates a healthcare business that is an approved and preferred provider to GP practices. He would like the planning permission revoked as it clearly takes no account of the local perspective.  Cllr Georgina Glover who represents Marshside on Canterbury City Council said she was “very dissatisfied with KCC planning” and promised to do her best to get the decision overturned.

13. What About Future Investment At Lakesview?

George Wilson MBE of GW Holdings has invested in over 1 million sq ft of commercial property in Kent. He spoke against the waste dump proposal at the KCC Planning Committee hearing and was most concerned at the potentially damaging effect on property values in the area of Lakesview. Sham Darwish of Kent Independent Security said that he had just established a training facility at Lakesview and did not want to share it with vermin, smells and dust from a rubbish dump.

14. What Was The General Opinion?

There was unanimous agreement among all the companies represented that the passing of planning permission for a rubbish dump at Lakesview amounted to an attack on the small and medium enterprises in the area. Further discussion resulted in the conclusion that it might be convenient for councillors in the leafy suburbs of Mid and West Kent to consider it perfectly acceptable for rubbish to be dumped on the doorstep of East Kent companies, but it was manifestly unfair to the firms and families in and around Hersden.

15. Is There An Alternative?

There certainly is an alternative available close by. All those present were baffled by the lack of environmental concern shown by the KCC planning committee. It was agreed that East Kent is blessed with an industry-leading waste management facility at TW Services in nearby Richborough. Excellent road links,  advanced recycling processes capable of handling 750,000 tonnes of domestic and commercial waste every year and a ‘zero to landfill’ policy make the TW Services option a much better choice than a business park, especially as it is already fully compliant with ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001:2007 standards.

16. What Does The Chamber Think?

Chamber Chief Executive David Foley said: “At a time when small and medium enterprises are widely accepted as being the essential engines of growth in our economy, it is difficult to understand why the KCC planning committee has chosen to discourage start-up companies in Hersden, disaffect current companies at Lakesview and deter inward investors in this part of East Kent. The new regime at Kent County Council will surely wish to review this decision as a matter of urgency.”

17. A Banking Story

Regular readers will know that we receive regular reports of unusual incidents taking place in East Kent. The following tale is from a senior executive in financial services. We can make no claims about its truth or otherwise, but we leave it to the judgment of our wise and wonderful Chamber members to decide for themselves. “He was new to the banking world was young Jim but he was determined to make the best possible impression at his new job at a merchant bank in the City. For the first time in his young life, he decided that he should have a bespoke suit. Accordingly, he went to East Kent’s top tailor, chose an appropriate worsted material and returned for regular fittings. At the end of the afternoon after some four weeks of keen anticipation, the three-piece piece business suit was finally ready. Jim donned his new apparel and marvelled at its perfect fit; ‘No-one in Savile Row could do better,’ thought Jim as he explored the floating canvas in the jacket and the perfectly matched regulation four buttons on each sleeve. Aware of his father’s dictum that a gentleman never fastens the bottom button of his waistcoat, he admired himself at some length in the tailor’s long mirror. Awakened from his self-indulgent reverie by a discreet cough, he made the decision to wear the suit on his way home. Jim paid his large bill promptly and in good humour. Just as he was approaching the door to leave, he noticed that there were no pockets in his trousers. Hardly believing that this could be true, he checked again and sure enough, there were indeed no pockets there at all. ‘Excuse me’, he said tentatively to the master tailor, ‘This suit is all very splendid, but I can’t help but notice that there are no pockets in the trousers, none at all.’ ‘Ah just so,’ said the tailor, ‘but you did say that you were going to be a banker in the City, didn’t you, and whoever heard of a banker who put his hands in his own pockets?’”  We must admit, the tailor did have a point. 

Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber

Thanet & East Kent Insider

13^th April 2013 Issue No.: 201

1. Change to Win Breakfast 26 April 2013

Change To Win will be the theme for the Chamber Business Networking Breakfast scheduled for Friday, 26th April 2013. Delegates will hear how three organisations have embraced change with huge benefits to their customers, to their staff and to their profitability. This next Chamber event will be at the Walpole Bay Hotel which will celebrate its centenary next year. Despite its on-site museum, 1927 Otis trellis gated lift and old world charm, this hotel has not been afraid to use modern media to promote its restaurant and accommodation. Popular with directors of modelling shoots, the hotel has also featured in the BBC One’s Cash in the Attic, Channel 5’s Hotel Inspector and Sky Sports broadcasts with Paula Ratcliffe, Steve Cram and Tim Hutchins.  The speakers will each tell their story of how they have kept ahead of the competition and successfully implemented change with outstanding results. There will be ample time for networking.  The event will begin at 0730 hrs and will finish just before 0900 hrs. Booking is essential. Full details will follow with confirmation. The price of £12 for Chamber members includes a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Change to Win Breakfast 26 April 2013”. There is a limited number of places for non-members.

2. South East Air Show Breakfast 17 May 2013

A huge boost to East Kent business is expected from the South East Air Show at Manston. Companies in all sectors stand to benefit from the massive influx of visitors to Manston on 22nd June 2013. Our South East Air Show Chamber Business Networking Breakfast will take place at a venue near Manston on Friday 17th May 2013.  The main speaker will be the organiser of the Air Show, Angie Sutton of Chamber member AS Enterprises. A former senior officer in the RAF, Angie has battle experience as the director of airfield operations at Kandahar, Afghanistan. Praised unreservedly for her coolness under fire by her senior officer, Group Captain M F Baker, “during a very long a dangerous summer in a hostile theatre of war”, Angie is ideally qualified to make a success of the air show. She will speak about the opportunities for companies to promote their products and services at the event and explain how Chamber members can open the wallets of the thousands of visitors expected and meet the VIP decision-makers from leading companies in the South East. We have been waiting 20 years for the air show to return to Manston. If you want to boost the turnover of your company, meet commercial buyers and interface with thousands of potential customers, you should attend this Chamber business breakfast from 0730 hrs to 0900 hrs.  Booking is essential. Full details will follow with confirmation. There will be plenty of time for networking. The price of £12 for Chamber members includes a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “South East Air Show Breakfast 17 May 2013”. There is a limited number of places for non-members.

3. KLM Launch

The Chamber’s long-standing campaign to support Chamber member Manston Airport in attracting a national carrier to the home of Kent’s longest runway was fully vindicated earlier this month on 2nd April 2013 when KLM Air France launched its daily flights to and from Schiphol Amsterdam. National broadcasters and wide press coverage ensured that the news was brought to potential passengers from across the catchment area of the South East. David Johns of ITV Meridian gave a full account in his broadcast that evening, see http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2013-04-03/new-era-for-air-travel-in-south-east/   A distinguished group of Kent VIPs in attendance for the launch included Chamber Co-President Sir Roger Gale MP, Kent County Council Leader Paul Carter, Thanet District Council Leader Clive Hart,  Dover District Council Leader Paul Watkins and Henri Hourcade, the KLM Air France General Manager for UK & Ireland. With a smile broad enough to illuminate the departure lounge, Manston Airport Managing Director Charles Buchanan was justifiably proud of the new facilities available and the success of his staff in meeting a demanding schedule of works prior to the big day. Passengers from Manston can now connect at Schiphol to 190 cities worldwide. Manston is less than an hour from direct connections to the world; a huge boost for exporters, tourism managers and anyone with overseas contacts. It also means more jobs for locals, more customers for our shops and more business for our companies.

4. How Are We Doing?

As predicted in the Thanet & East Kent Insider, the latest unemployment figures have at last showed a year-on-year net increase in jobs across every district of Kent. For the first time in over four years, right across the county there are now more people employed than twelve months previously. Our joy does not remain unconfined. Youth unemployment remains a serious concern in the East Kent coastal business community. The Office for National Statistics reports that 13.4% of 18 to 24 year olds in Thanet are looking for work which again contrasts sharply with just 3.3% in Canterbury, the lowest rate in Kent. The picture in the Dover district is not much brighter at 9.4% nor is the climate sunnier in Shepway at 8.0%. The band of 18 to 24 year olds accounts for over a quarter of all the unemployed in Kent. Nonetheless, the overall trend for men and women in Kent aged 16 to 64 years old is decidedly positive and reveals a marked change from the outlook for the local economy in February 2009 when the Thanet & East Kent Insider edition no. 53 noted an annual growth in unemployment in Kent of over 90%.

5. Give Us The Facts

Unemployment

Data reproduced under the terms of the Click-use License no. C2010000980. All rights reserved.

6. Discovery Park

Chamber members attending our recent business breakfast at the Discovery Park were treated to a detailed account of the magnificent facilities available to prospective tenants at this former Pfizer site at Sandwich. Located in an officially designated Enterprise Zone, the Discovery Park sits within the district of Dover. Managing Director Paul Barber outlined the business support packages available and referred to the success enjoyed by the tenants of its sister business park in Billingham. Discovery Park’s parent company can rely on the experience gained from managing over £1 billion of assets in Europe and Asia. There is over 1.5 million square feet of high class accommodation available in Sandwich with excellent road, rail and ferry links to London and the continent. Due to the EZ status, incoming tenants can enjoy a subsidy on business rates of up to £275,000 on their first five years on site. Development Director Paul Weavers emphasized the flexibility of the accommodation available. With over 1,000 people now employed there, the Discovery Park is well on the way to achieving its long-term objective of attracting 6,000 employees. Chamber Co-President and Member of Parliament for the area, Laura Sandys, said that first-time visitors to the site are almost always amazed by the truly world-class laboratories and the range of hi-tech equipment available to Research & Development companies. She added that her government is fully supportive of the Discovery Park and would be making every effort to ensure that inward investors have the best possible chances of success.

7. Skanska UK

Chamber members attending our recent Skanska Lunch were treated to an invitation to work with the world’s 9th largest construction company on projects in Kent. Over 150 companies were represented at the meeting to hear Skanska’s senior staff explain in detail how firms based in East Kent can sell their products and services to Skanska subject to the high standards of quality and sustainability that the company promotes for itself and for all its suppliers. Over £23 million was spent by the company in Kent last year. With a bid in the pipeline to take over the facilities management of a substantial estate of publicly owned buildings in the county, turnover is expected to rise considerably. Registered Chamber members will be at the front of the queue to benefit. Any Chamber members who were not available to attend the event can find details of the scheme by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Skanska Opportunity”. Photographs from this and a selection of other recent Chamber events can be found on our image website at www.photoboxgallery.com/ddcc

8. East Kent Business Advice Clinic

The East Kent Business Advice Clinic is operated and administered by the Thanet & East Kent and the Dover District Chambers of Commerce. Conceived as a direct response to the withdrawal of the regional Business Link service, EKBAC has now welcomed over 140 established companies and would-be entrepreneurs to the monthly sessions. Around 60% of East Kent businesses fail within five years of their establishment [ONS, IDBR Mar 2012]. The EKBAC panel of bank managers, senior lawyers, Chief Executives, UK Business of the Year winner, chartered accountants, local entrepreneurs and other enlightened private sector professionals are able to predict and prevent a wide range of problems that start-ups and company owners face and advise on how changes to a business model or strategic direction might lead to increased profits and a healthier future for workers and shareholders alike. EKBAC operates without any public funding of any description. For more details on this free service, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “EKBAC”.

9. Business, Innovation & Skills in East Kent

The EKBAC session of 14th March 2013 was observed by the Regional Head of the government’s Department for Business, Innovation & Skills together with his assistant director. The Chamber also arranged a helicopter tour of East Kent, by courtesy of Chamber member Summit Aviation, which allowed our visitors a literal overview of Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, the London Array, Quex Park, Thanet Earth, Manston Airport, Margate, Ramsgate Harbour, the Discovery Park, the Port of Dover, Western Heights, Farthingloe and Lakeview International Business Park. As well as a detailed briefing on the local economy from the Chamber, the Secretary of State for BIS, Rt Hon Vince Cable, can expect to receive a digest of the views of a selection of Chamber members who gathered in Sandwich during the afternoon for a frank exchange of views on how their businesses could benefit from changes in national policies. The Rating (Empty Properties) Act 2007 received some withering criticism for its devastating effect on commercial property investment in East Kent. Equally baffling for Chamber members was the continued imposition on UK regional airports of Airport Passenger Duty which is the highest in Europe. A recent PwC study commissioned by Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, Ryanair and British Airways, reported that the UK economy would be £16 billion to the good if APD were scrapped by 2015. The Chamber has learned that the World Economic Forum now ranks the UK 134th out of a list of 138 countries as regards competitive aviation taxes and airport charges. It may be of some comfort to know that we outperform Chad, Mali, Senegal and Ivory Coast.

10. KLM Air France Chamber

Breakfast On 15th March 2013, over 150 companies were represented at a Chamber business breakfast in Sandwich prior to the launch of KLM Air France flights to Schiphol Amsterdam, see item 3 above, to hear direct from KLM’s UK General Manager Henri Hourcade and his super efficient colleague Victoria Williams on how local companies could benefit from the new investment in East Kent. The airline already has an established record of success in developing routes from 16 other UK regional airports and confidently expects Manston to enjoy similar growth to Norwich, Southampton, Leeds, Bristol and the rest. As Field Sales Manager for London and UK South, Victoria is unsurprisingly a superb communicator and briefed delegates on the time and cost savings they can expect from using the new Manston service. As an example, Victoria said that anyone living in East Kent wishing to travel to New York could board a KLM flight at Manston and be on their way to New York from Amsterdam in less time than it takes to drive to London Heathrow. If you have ever struggled with delays on the M25, high parking charges at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted or three-hour check-in times at capital city airports, you will appreciate just how easy it can be to start your journey from a congestion-free regional airport. Laura Sandys MP added her congratulations which she had summarized in a previous publicly released statement as: “This makes Thanet even better connected with the rest of the world and makes our area a more attractive place to invest. I am very much looking forward to supporting KLM to ensure that this route is a success”.

11. Port of Dover

As regular readers will be aware, Dover People’s Port Trust is bidding to take over the ownership and management of the Port of Dover. In an exclusive interview with the Chamber, DPPT Chairman Neil Wiggins said: “Three years ago, with the port of Dover on the brink of being sold off privately, the founders of DPPT came forward with an idea and concept for the future of the port which marked a radical departure from all that had gone before in the UK ports industry; that the port should be owned by and run for the benefit of its local community. Today we are still committed to achieving this aim and, having won the argument over privatisation, believe that success is within reach.” Membership of DPPT is open to any adult living or working in the district of Dover. For details of how you might be able to buy a share in DPPT for £10, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Dover People’s Port Application Form”. Background information on DPPT can be found on the website at http://www.peoplesport.org.uk .

12. Farthingloe & Western Heights

Planning application DOV/12/00440 promises to develop housing, a hotel and a care home on the outskirts of Dover. It is now to be considered at a Dover District Council planning committee meeting on 30th May 2013. This £200 million project is expected to provide a significant stimulus to the East Kent economy. Not only will the extensive building works provide a huge boost in the short and medium term to suppliers and job seekers, but the quality accommodation envisaged will serve to attract skilled workers and senior managers to the area who will in turn bring a long-term benefit to our retailers and service providers. In addition, the visitor centre at the Drop Redoubt will undoubtedly add to the tourism offer and provide a welcome neighbour to the proposed National War Memorial on Western Heights which itself should attract around 250,000 visitors a year.

13. Spires Academy

The £13.4 million Spires Academy in Starry was opened last November by Sir Mervyn King who said at the time: “The moment will come when Spires Academy produces its first Governor of the Bank of England and that is a realistic aspiration for this school to aim for”. Quick feet and considerable creativity may well be valuable assets for any banker wishing to manage the UK financial sector. They are also skills which will be manifest at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury on 25th and 26th April 2013 when the Spires Academy will be joined by other local schools to showcase young dancing talent in East Kent. If you would like to spot a budding Billy Elliot or a possible future member of Diversity street dance troupe or would just like to support youth talent from across the county, then you will get full value for your ticket costing just £3 plus any booking or postal charges. For more information, telephone 01227 787787 or see the website at http://www.marlowetheatre.com/page/3040/Spires-Academy-Dance-Showcase/440 .

14. Masala Gate Gets 5 Stars

Chamber member Masala Gate is best known for the dishes on offer at its restaurant and take-away in Duke Street, Margate. Anyone with concerns about food hygiene can rest assured that Masala Gate has achieved a clean bill of health with a 5 star rating from Thanet District Council Environmental Health Department. Owner and manager Mahbub Hossain looks forward to welcoming individuals and groups from local companies and promises that no customers of his will leave disappointed. Menu items start at 60p for a popadom and peak at £10.95 for Tandoori King Prawn Shaslik which, as all Asian cuisine gourmets may recognise, consists of giant prawns from the Bay of Bengal marinated in spices, mixed with yoghurt, threaded onto skewers with onions and capsicums and finally cooked in a clay oven. Feeling peckish? Have a look at Mahbub’s website at http://masala-gate.co.uk/margate or give him a call: 01843 228877.

15. Turner Lecture & Dinner

The Turner Lecture and Dinner on 25th April 25th 2013at the Turner Contemporary in Margate will feature a lecture from the art critic, historian, broadcaster and curator Richard Cork. The evening begins with a drinks reception at 1800 hrs. Richard Cork will entertain guests from 1845 hrs and dinner will be served at 2000 hrs. Tickets priced at £100 each or £700 for a table of eight are available on the website at www.turnercontemporary.org/whatson or by telephone to 01843 233000.

16. Bank Fined

Have you ever been fined for parking your car in the wrong place or exceeding a 30 mph limit in a built-up area? If so, you will probably have felt aggrieved that your overall contribution to society has not been taken into mitigation resulting in a reduced fine; £25 or less being more bearable. By contrast, the Royal Bank of Scotland has freely admitted its sin of fiddling the London Interbank Offered Rate, known as LIBOR, and has agreed to pay penalties of £87.5 million to the UK’s Financial Services Authority,  $325 million to the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission and $150 million to the United States Department of Justice. Does that make you feel better?

17. Advice On HS2

The HS1 fast rail link from London St Pancras to East Kent operated by Southeastern Railway has been a success for most local companies located near a station on the line, but has had a detrimental effect on the pre-existing ‘classic’ routes where journey times have lengthened, Anyone from Margate or Herne Bay needing to commute to the City of London has been particularly disfavoured. Chamber Co-President Sir Roger Gale has been a stern critic of the service available to passengers using the classic routes and directs our attention to the “Longer journey times, fewer and crowded trains, an unreliable service and much, much higher fares.” There are still some inexplicable anomalies which Southeastern Railway has yet to address successfully. Why does the HS1 train stop at two stations within one mile of each other at Folkestone West and Folkestone Central? This has a needlessly deleterious effect on stops further down the line. The sensible option of closing one of these stations seems to be beyond the management mechanisms currently in place. There is a heightened land value premium attached to any property near a station within the magic sixty minutes of London St Pancras. Freehold owners in Ashford and Canterbury have basked in self-contentment. With a few minor adjustments and a more considered timetable in Folkestone, residents and businesses in Dover could enjoy a warm glow of comfort from being within the golden hour of travel to the centre of power and influence in the UK.  One of the lessons to be learned from the design and construction phase of HS1 is that more attention should be given to simultaneous planning. We are now considering a parkway station at Manston airport. If this had been incorporated into the original HS1 scheme, it would have made our travel plans so much simpler. Similarly, it is not very clever for Southeastern Railway to open a station on the high speed line and then later to decide that it would be a good idea to have a car park nearby, which is what seems to have happened in the case of Dover Priory station. The designers of HS2 should take note.

18. Kerry Dixon At Bay Point Club

On Thursday 2nd May 2013, the BayPoint Club in Sandwich is hosting an evening with Kerry Dixon, the gifted English footballer renowned for his goal-scoring prowess in the 1980s and early 1990s. He netted 193 times for Chelsea and scored 4 goals in his 8 appearances for the national team. Less well-known is that early in his career when playing for Reading, he scored 4 goals in a Third Division encounter against Doncaster Rovers on 22nd September 1982, but ended on the losing side of a 7 – 5 result. This must have impressed him considerably because after his top level spells with Chelsea, Southampton, Luton, Millwall and Watford, he accepted an offer from Doncaster Chairman Ken Richardson to be a player/manager at the club and stayed for one year before leaving at the end of the 1996/97 season. Dixon is held in great affection by Doncaster supporters for his efforts during his brief stint with the South Yorkshire side. It will be interesting to hear his views on his then Chairman. Readers of this business bulletin will know that Doncaster Rovers has not always been blessed with the best management. Ken Richardson was described by detectives as “the type that would trample a two-year-old child to pick up a 2p bit”. He later appeared before Judge Peter Baker QC to receive a sentence of four years in jail for conspiracy to commit arson. It was revealed that Richardson had offered £10,000 to a former soldier to start a fire at the club’s Belle Vue ground. His partner in crime, Alan Kristiansen, did the deed but left his mobile telephone behind allowing the police to trace and arrest him swiftly. Kristiansen was subsequently invited to spend 12 months at Her Majesty’s pleasure. These pages have often commented on the waywardness of modern footballers. It will be interesting to hear of Dixon’s views on George Best, Kevin Keegan, Stan Bowles and other notable players of a bygone era before the Premier League inflated the salaries of players to the levels of merchant bankers. Whereas now a stable of Ferraris, Bentleys and Range Rovers has became the norm for professionals playing at the highest levels, in previous eras, players sought simpler pleasures. Seventies showman Stan Bowles was a genius of a footballer who was adored by his Queens Park Rangers fans but did not always invest his money wisely. One of his managers, Ernie Tagg, once remarked: “If Stan could pass a bookies as well as he passes a football, he’d be a very rich man.”  Tickets for the Meet Kerry Dixon evening on 2nd May 2013 can be obtained at £25 for members and £29.50 for non-members by telephone to 01304 613022 or by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  f The price includes a buffet meal and the opportunity to ask Dixon questions such as which club he found to be the more glamorous. Will it be Chelsea or Doncaster? For your information, Chelsea are the current champions of Europe as holders of the UEFA Champions League title. The team has won the First Division/Premier League five times, the FA Cup on seven occasions, the League Cup and FA Community Shield four times, the UEFA Cup twice and the European Super Cup once. Celebrity Chelsea fans include Raquel Welch, Sienna Miller, Michael Crawford, Bryan Adams, Jimmy Page, Danni Minogue, Lord Coe, Sir Stephen Redgrave, Joe Calzaghe, Sir John Major and Bill Clinton. Among the club’s sponsors are Adidas, Samsung, Audi, Thomas Cook and Dolce & Gabanna. On the other hand, Doncaster Rovers has won the Johnson’s Paint Trophy and is supported among others by its local Yorkshire Pie House, “Country pub pies. All served with home-made mash or fat cut chips”. To find out if Mr Kerry Dixon prefers Sienna Miller to fat cut chips you have to be there on 2nd May 2013.

© David Foley 13th April 2013

Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber

Thanet & East Kent Insider

20^th January 2013  Issue No.: 200

1. Opportunity Knocks for East Kent Companies

Chamber members will recall from previous editions of this business bulletin that the 297-acre Discovery Park is now under new ownership with the promise of a minimum of 3,000 jobs in the next four years. With the final total to be possibly double that figure, there are clearly opportunities for East Kent companies to market their products and services to the owners and tenants on site. The Thanet & East Kent Chamber and its sister body the Dover District Chamber of Commerce have reached an official agreement with the senior management of the Discovery Park to promote liaison with the East Kent business community. With this in mind, the Discovery Park has joined the Chambers. As a result, local companies are invited to meet key decision-makers and buyers of Discovery Park Ltd at a special Chamber Business Networking Breakfast next month.

2. Sounds Wonderful, How Do I Book?

February 2013. The session will include a briefing on the latest plans and objectives of the Discovery Park together with an introduction to its purchasing plans and the potential benefits for local companies. There will be ample time for networking and questions. The event will take place in Sandwich beginning at 0730 hrs and will finish just before 0900 hrs. Booking is essential. The price of £12 for Chamber members includes a full English breakfast with a vegetarian option. To reserve your place, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Discovery Park Breakfast 15 February 2013”. There are a limited number of places for non-members.

3. More Details Please

Readers of issue no. 191 of the Thanet & East Kent Insider of 5^th August 2012 will be aware that the owners of the Discovery Park have an impressive record of regenerating commercial property sites having transformed the former Samsung site in Billingham. Local companies there are currently enjoying a boom time which has seen the area transformed from the misery of 450 jobs lost when Samsung closed its operations to the current state of rude health. Trading as Wynyard Park, the Billingham site now has over 60 companies taking advantage of the modern facilities billed as “An ideal location offering fantastic opportunities for businesses of all sizes” and “in a prime location with excellent transport links”. If Billingham is ideal, then the Discovery Park must surely rank one level higher; being closer to the EU, closer to London, at the end of the UK’s fastest rail service and within a few miles of Manston Airport and the Dover and Ramsgate ferries. Support from officialdom suggests that there will be relatively few bureaucratic hurdles awaiting inward investors. Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District Council, has already stated publicly: “ We welcome the commitment that Discovery Park Limited has made to the long term future of the site.” Similarly, Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council, has every confidence in the Discovery Park directors: “I expect them to be successful in meeting their target for creating 3,000 new jobs at Discovery Park, in East Kent.” Although the site is located just over its border, Thanet District Council fully appreciates the advantages a successful regeneration of the former Pfizer site could bring to Thanet. The Draft Economic Strategy for Thanet notes the excellent road and rail links available and adds authoritatively: “The facilities at Discovery Park in Sandwich provide research and development infrastructure that is second to none”.   Chamber Co-President, Sir Roger Gale MP, paid a handsome tribute to his fellow Chamber Co-President, Laura Sandys MP, in praising her successful efforts to secure Enterprise Zone status for the site. As he put it: “Faced with the loss of thousands of Pfizer-based and dependent jobs in her constituency as a result of the firm`s decision to re-locate most of its business, Laura has harnessed a huge amount of effort and political goodwill in her successful endeavour to persuade the Government that East Kent should host one of relatively few Enterprise Zones.”

4. Media Watch

The Chamber featured in a BBC Radio Kent broadcast of yesterday which focussed on a remarkable campaign to build an Ice Rink in Thanet. Within 24 hrs of launching her Facebook page, organiser Rachel Harvey received over 1,000 messages of support. The current total is now over 9,000. The Chamber has already received some expressions of interest in building such an all-year round tourist facility and we will be happy to contribute to a business plan that might attract a suitable investor, help to locate the land and assist in finding the appropriate operator. Our good friends at BBC Radio Kent will keep the broadcast online until 25 ^th January 2013, click on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p013gf79and fast forward to 2:22:20.  The Chamber’s contribution starts at 2:25:40 with mentions for Chamber members Discovery Park, Turner Centre, Shepherd Neame and Manston Airport.   The optimistic outlook for the Thanet District is reflected in some recent goods news in the neighbouring Dover district which encompasses Sandwich and Deal. The Dover Express carried a positive story about business start-ups, see http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Hundreds-firms-start-Dover/story-17816348-detail/story.html The increased number of start-up companies in the district recorded by the National Office for Statistics must be music to the ears of the Dover District Chamber of Commerce President, Charlie Elphicke MP. It certainly echoes reports from the East Kent Business Advice Clinics which the Dover and Thanet Chambers host. The Dover District Chamber of Commerce was established in 1850 and is therefore well-qualified to take a long-term view of developments in the local economy. It is thus with an historical perspective on recoveries following previous recessions that the Dover Chamber Chief Executive is quoted as saying: “As confidence returns we will expect more people to consider starting up a company in the area."

5. More Sag Aloo Please

One start-up that is confident of its investment is the Masala Gate restaurant at 10 Duke Street in Margate CT9 1EP. A six-figure sum was spent on the refurbishment of the building and this is immediately evident in the restored plaster work that adorns the ceiling and walls of the dining area. Owner and Manager Mahbub Hossain is so confident of the long-term success of the restaurant that he is offering a 50% discount on food to Chamber members eating there before 28^th February 2013. To book your table, telephone 01843 228877. Please bring with you your 2013 Chamber Diary or a copy of this business bulletin. Mabub tells us that the ingredients in his curries bring some serious health benefits. “ Turmeric has been found to reduce the risk of developing prostate, breast, skin and colorectal cancer, possibly because of its antioxidant properties.” He adds: “Another benefit of the turmeric in curry is a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.” Mahbud emphasises how you can feel and look healthier after a regular intake of Indian dishes as they are “rich in antioxidants, which can help improve the appearance of your skin and help prevent the negative cosmetic effects of long-term exposure to pollutants or smoke".

6. It’s Snowing; Must I Pay My Absent Staff?

We are advised by ACAS that “Employees are not automatically entitled to pay if unable to get to work because of bad weather”. Of course, good employers will take into account the particular circumstances of their staff and the benefits of being understanding in extreme weather conditions. ACAS gives some useful advice on its website at

www.acas.org.uk

For more detailed guidance on your legal position, contact one of the following specialist firm of solicitors who will give you chapter and verse on what the law allows you to do and how you might avoid the time, trouble and tribulations of the dreaded Employment Tribunal: Barnes Marsland of Margate tel: 01843 221466; Boys & Maughan of Birchington, Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate tel: 01843 234000; Gardner Croft of Canterbury tel: 01227 813400; Girlings of Ashford, Canterbury, Herne Bay and Margate tel: 01843 220274; Macalister White of Ramsgate tel: 01843 572789; Mowll & Mowll of Dover tel: 01304 873344.

7. Problems With Wheatbags

If you have never had a problem with a wheatbag, you should count your blessings. Kent Fire & Rescue Service has contacted the Chamber with a warning following an incident in Maidstone. We learn that: “A resident at Crispin Court, Coxheath near Maidstone, mistakenly overheated his wheatbag, leading to charring and large quantities of smoke which set off his smoke alarm.” According to the local Fire Station Manager Paul Ramsden: “While the gentleman was not injured and there was no damage to the microwave, it doesn't take much to see how a far more serious fire could have developed.” Apart from the momentary thrill of being called a gentleman, the individual concerned must have been relieved at his narrow escape. Similar incidents have occurred in Surrey and Sussex. Paul recommends “Do not use your wheat bag as a bed warmer.” Kent Standards has circulated details of a product recall notice for a Morphy Richards electric blanket model number 75312. It seems that these days a good old-fashioned hot water bottle or a good old-fashioned spouse is a preferable companion at night. Anyone who doubts the wisdom of this conclusion is welcome to seek confirmation from the Fire Service itself which can be found on the website at http://www.kent.fire-uk.org/default.aspx?page=1391 where you can also hear an account of a fire in Broadstairs and a father saying: “My son is only alive because of the smoke alarms”. It makes you think, doesn’t it?

8. Ecobuild 2013

Building companies, estate agents, surveyors, architects and anyone involved in the green economy might have an interest in the Ecobuild exhibition scheduled to run for three days from 5^th March 2013 at ExCel London. As well as showcasing green products and services for the construction sector, the event hosts a conference with a programme sanctioned by advisors from the UK Green Building Council, Marks & Spencer, Skanska, CPA, KPMG, Deloitte, Reading University and Quintain. For more information and a free entry ticket, see http://www.ecobuild.co.uk.

9. Children’s Centres

Children’s Centres and their future in Thanet will be the subject of a workshop to take place in Margate on the afternoon of 13^th February 2013. We are grateful for the update to Kent County Council’s Debee Beale who bears the title of Thanet District Children's Centres Manager. Anyone with a professional or personal interest in Children’s Centres will be welcome to attend to give an opinion on local solutions and choices for Thanet. Debee can be reached by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by telephone to 0300 333 5627. More information is available on the website at http://www.kent.gov.uk/education_and_learning/childcare_and_early_education/childrens_centres/future_service_options_program.aspx

7. Developing Your Business

Martin White of Empowered Business has contacted the Chamber with news of his services to SMEs. He writes: “From identifying your business strengths to understanding your customers and creating the right business strategy to meet your objectives, Empowered Business uses proven business process to work with you to create bespoke business development solutions that drive your business forward in the marketplace. ”  Martin looks forward to meeting fellow Chamber members at the Chamber Business Networking Breakfast planned for 15^th February 2013 but welcomes enquiries before then by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or direct to his mobile, tel: 0776 826 7515.

8. Change of Fire Alarm Policy

We are grateful to Sacha Taylor for informing the Chamber of important changes from next April to the response policy of Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) regarding Automatic Fire Alarms. We are advised that: “From April 2013, any premises reporting an alarm sounding will be required to confirm to 999 staff that there is a fire, or signs of fire, before any firefighting response is sent.” There are some exceptions for alarms in sheltered accommodation. We have learned that in the nine months to December 2012, “The service has seen a significant reduction in the number of false alarms since it introduced the first phase of the change in April 2012, which affected calls to AFAs activated during daytime hours (6 am to 6pm). A third of the total number of calls the service received were previously from automatic systems and over 98% of these were false alarms.  Since we stopped attending these alarms during the day, on nearly 1400 occasions, fire engines were available for genuine emergencies rather than being out dealing with false alarms”. More information is available direct from KFRS, tel: 01622 692121.

9. Alzheimer’s Breakthrough

Chamber member Dr Fiona Sherriff informs us of a breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. A group of researchers from Université Laval, CHU de Québec and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKlinehas discovered a way to stimulate the brain's natural defence mechanisms in people with Alzheimer's disease. It is expected that this breakthrough will lead to the development of a vaccine to prevent the illness.   As well as being a distinguished researcher herself into the operation of the brain, Fiona owns and manages The Property Tree, a company specialising in the leasing, rental and sales of residential and commercial property in Thanet. Fiona welcomes enquiries by telephone direct to her Margate office, tel: 01843 230786.

10. Digital Marketing

We are grateful to Rachel Knight of Chamber member Maxim, tel: 01892 513033, for sending us the text of an article by her colleague, Delphine Houlton, which analyses responses to digital marketing and finds some surprising data. Delphine concludes that “According to recent research by fast.MAP, brands concentrating on social media to get their messages across may well do better focusing on more traditional means of communication.”   Many Chamber members will be reassured that traditional marketing techniques may still have a use due to increasing resistance to more modern approaches. Delphine writes: “An increasing percentage of consumers are actively avoiding contact by digital routes with 79% of us closing website pop-ups unread. Three in five people ignore ‘friending’ requests on social media and 63% of consumers delete emails they receive from companies they have not heard of. When it comes to companies they have previously dealt with, however, consumers generally prefer email communication (57%) with direct mail coming in at 40%. Only 4% are happy to receive calls on their mobiles or messages via social media such as Twitter.” Delphine adds that at the heart of successful marketing, there “has always been communicating with potential customers directly, engaging with their personal interests and at the right pace.”

11. Commercial Energy Costs

We are again grateful to Martyn Young of Zero Trace Procurement, tel: 01227 475506, for his expert commentary on power and gas prices. In a detailed email to the Chamber at the beginning of the month, he wrote of: “the impact of the US postponing the fiscal cliff, which had a bullish impact on energy contracts due to the subsequent rise in the oil price and the belief that the US will start to recover.” Martyn’s prophecy seems to be coming to pass with some clear signs of recovery in the US. For instance, General Electric has just reported a 22% rise in revenue from its units selling jet engines and a 14% increase in sales of oil and gas equipment. Rising energy costs have constituted a heavy burden for East Kent companies in recent years. The January 2013 Energy Report from our good friends at E.On points to high rises in year-on-year energy costs for commercial electricity and gas but a more encouraging fall from the previous month across the board.

12.The Facts About Energy Costs

13. A Bigger Circulation

A tour guide from Folkestone has contacted the Chamber with a tale relating to a recent visit to the town by some professors from Poland. We have our doubts about this story, but we leave it to our readers to judge for themselves. While our tour guide was escorting these distinguished academics along the Leas with its splendid lawns and views of the English Channel, he stopped in front of a statue and announced proudly: “This is William Harvey, Folkestone’s most celebrated son. We have a hospital and a school named after him. He was born and went to school in Folkestone before training to become a physician. Nearly 400 years ago, he revolutionised medicine forever when he discovered the circulation of the blood. So, ladies and gentlemen, if you wake up tomorrow morning and find that the blood is still going around your body, you must say a quick ‘Thank you William Harvey’.”. On hearing these words, the senior professor of the party remarked: “Just a moment young man. I am from Toruń in Poland. It is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, Toruń’s most famous son. We have a university and a street named after him. He went to school in Toruń. Nearly 500 years ago, before your William Harvey, he revolutionised science forever when he discovered the true motion of the planets. So, Ladies and gentlemen, if you wake up tomorrow morning and find that the earth is still going around the sun, you must say a quick ‘Thank you, N icolaus Copernicus’.” Each to their own, but on balance we think that the Polish professor may have got the better of this exchange.

© David Foley 20^th January 2013

Your Business Bulletin from Thanet & East Kent Chamber  

Thanet & East Kent Insider

16^th December 2012  Issue No.: 199

1. Working With Thanet District Council

The Thanet & East Kent Chamber welcomes a new understanding with Thanet District Council (TDC) following the signing of a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ that signals a strong commitment to supporting local business. It will run for three years and gives council recognition that TEKC is the largest representative of local business. Underpinned by the MoU are mutual interests such as the growth of the local economy, inward investment and job creation. Details laid down include a council undertaking to consult with TEKC when developing policies and major initiatives that seek to promote the area’s growth. In response to this, TEKC has agreed to provide the council with regular feedback on commercial issues and to give its backing to jointly agreed policies and initiatives. Both parties have pledged to liaise over initiatives to encourage new businesses and to back existing firms operating within the district. TEKC will give public endorsement to council measures designed to promote the business community. In an extra boost to the local economy, the MoU commits the council and TEKC to supporting activity that provides advice to commercial organisations. The document also heralds joint working on promoting the area to inward investors and encouraging start-up businesses. Regular contact between the council and TEKC will strengthen all the aims and objectives of the two organisations as they work towards helping the local business community. Leader of Thanet District Council, Cllr Clive Hart, said: “The council and TEKC are both dedicated to supporting the local economy through job creation, business promotion and attracting inward investment. As the largest business support agency in Thanet, TEKC has an intimate knowledge of the needs of the local private sector, and we’re very happy to have forged such a strong and effective relationship. The Memorandum of Understanding represents a tangible and auspicious pledge to the local economy and the people of Thanet.” TEKC Chief Executive David Foley said: “This agreement marks a significant step forward in strengthening the links between the democratically elected local government body representing the district and the largest business support organisation. We look forward to working together to promote local companies, to ease the growing pains of start-ups and to attract inward investment for the benefit of all companies, workers and residents.”

2. Thanet Skills Studio

The Chamber was happy to be represented at the opening of the newly refurbished Thanet Skills Studio (TSS) at Westwood, near Margate earlier this month. Kent County Council Leader Paul Carter, a noted classic car and race enthusiast, was a picture of unconcealed delight as he cast an expert eye over the brand new Caterham sports car available to engineering students studying at TSS. In a short speech before the official opening ceremony, Cllr Carter emphasized the need to align vocational education closely with the practical skills that businesses require. As he put it: “ The more we do to link the business, education and public sectors, the better.” Hartsdown Academy is the lead partner in the project and executive head Andy Summers was clear and concise about the main objective of TSS. He said: “Thanet Skills Studio is all about one simple, clear and very important ideal – developing real skills for real jobs.” There is no doubt that TSS is a splendid project that bridges the gap between school and the world of work which is essential if we are to support a vibrant economy in East Kent. Chamber members with an interest in visiting TSS to see this excellent initiative for themselves are invited to telephone 01843 233130 or to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to arrange a visit.

3. Not Just Pens & Key Rings

New Chamber member DAT1 is offering free delivery on orders over £500 from a range of over 20,000 promotional products which include standard items such as mouse mats, key rings and printed pens but also extend to 5,000 brandable garments, 3D glasses, watches and an intriguing category of ‘relaxation sets’. Based in Westbrook Kent, the birthplace of the late but much lamented Kent cricketer Richard Davies, DAT1 delivers nationwide and welcomes enquiries to its sales office by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by telephone to 01843 835213.

4. East Kent Business Advice Clinic

A full list of delegates attended December’s East Kent Business Advice Clinic (EKBAC). Established in March 2011 to replace the defunct regional programme of Business Link, EKBAC has now welcomed nearly 130 people to its monthly sessions in Broadstairs and Dover. Offering advice from senior lawyers, chartered accountants, bank managers and seasoned industry professionals, the clinics allow any company trading in East Kent to receive bespoke guidance in complete confidence and without charge. Unlike the Dragon’s Den format, the panel of advisors are not in the business of boosting their own bank balances or proving to the world now clever and successful they are. The EKBAC panellists have all been eminently successful in their own careers and are now happy to support the economy that has nourished them so well. Appointments can be made by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “East Kent Business Advice Clinic”.

5. Labradors Wanted

A Chamber member is anxious to find nine Labradors aged six months to two years for training as working dogs. A successful transaction could lead to further orders on a larger scale with associated business opportunities. Please send any offers by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Labrador dogs”.

6. Airlines Banned in EU

We are grateful to Paul Twyman, Chairman of Kent International Airport Consultative Committee, for an update on airlines banned from flying in EU airspace. Subject to a disclaimer that states that absence from the list does not imply acceptable safety standards since “ it is not possible to check all aircraft that land at each Community airport”, Chamber members might like to take into account the names of the airlines listed when they book their next holiday or business trip. The European air safety list was updated earlier this month and includes all carriers certified in countries whose operations are fully banned in the European Union. The airlines banned are based in Afghanistan, Angola, Benin, Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Mozambique, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Swaziland and Zambia. All but six carriers in Indonesia are banned, as are all but three in Gabon and all but one in Kazakhstan. If you enjoy wading through European legislation or simply have difficulty in getting to sleep at night, the official journal of the European Union dated 5 ^th December 2012 will interest you, particularly “Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1146/2012 of 3 December 2012 amending Regulation (EC) No 474/2006”. For the rest of us, a handy list is available on-line at  http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/air-ban/index_en.htm. It remains a mystery why one airline in Mozambique chose to call itself ETA Air Charter. Regular readers will know that companies with international aspirations have to be careful not to select company or product names with pejorative connotations. An airline that shares its name with a proscribed Basque paramilitary group might be at something of a disadvantage when marketing its services in Madrid and Paris.

7. Thanet & Dover Surcharge

For nearly five years, the Thanet & East Kent Chamber has monitored the surcharge levied on fuel sold in Thanet. The price difference between Tesco Extra in Broadstairs and Asda in Canterbury has now widened to a record 4.2p on a litre of unleaded petrol. Motorists buying fuel at Asda Canterbury pay 128.7p a litre whereas Tesco Extra in Broadstairs charges 133.9p.   The deal for motorists near Dover is not much better with the cheapest unleaded petrol available costing 132.9 a litre. Businesses will consider this surcharge to be an unwelcome addition to their costs at a time when East Kent firms are recovering from recession. Our Chamber members would rather spend the money on employing more staff than adding to the profits of rich oil companies and well-resourced supermarket chains. “You get what you pay for” may be true in many commercial transactions, but when it comes to petrol in the Thanet & Dover districts it appears that you get between 3% and 4% less for your hard-earned money.

8. Governors Resigned

One Kent school was in the news last week when it might have preferred to have been mentioned in dispatches for its nativity play, successes on the sports field or closure due to icy conditions. The inclement weather surrounding Sherwood Park Community Primary School in Tunbridge Wells resulted from the resignation of all the governors, including Chairman Reverend Brian Stephen Senior, following the revelation that £6,000 had been spent on a leaving party for the outgoing headteacher. Many readers will sympathize with Kent County Councillor James Tansley’s criticism of the school for allegedly frivolous spending when budgets for teaching materials and essential maintenance are under such pressure. But, we must remember that school and college governors are in the main some of the most community minded individuals in our society. They offer their free time, skills and experience without reward for the benefit of young people in their area. It is quite right that the governors should be held to account for the bodies over which they preside, but we must be careful not to make these voluntary posts so uncomfortable that suitable candidates will not come forward to fill the many vacancies available. There is a case for business expertise to be better represented and for governors to receive more training in exercising scrutiny, but this Chamber believes that it would be quite wrong to vilify any governing body for mistakes of judgment honestly made and openly accepted. Kent County Council has fulfilled its duty in highlighting an unacceptable situation and the governors in question have made the honourable decision to resign; good decision-making on both counts. As for the future, it might well be the case that these chastised governors are now better informed, more enlightened and potentially more useful than was previously the case. The private sector tends to recognise experience gained from past error when it can add significant value to future decision-making, as Richard Branson and James Caan would undoubtedly verify. Of course, such scandals and criticisms are off the menu as we celebrate the business-minded practices and good financial management of the following schools and colleges in East Kent:   Astor College, Barton Junior School, Cliftonville Primary School, Dover College, Dover Federation for the Arts, Dover Grammar School for Boys, Dover Grammar School for Girls, East Kent College, Hartsdown Technology College, Marlowe Academy, Ripplevale School Ltd, Shatterlocks Nursery and Infant School, Saint Lawrence College and White Cliffs Primary College for the Arts.

9. Seven Oak Dragons

The provision of a Park & Ride facility at Manston Airport to take shoppers to Westwood Cross Shopping Centre should help to relieve some of the congestion as we approach the busiest season for retailers. Among the crowds looking for presents at WH Smith, Primark, Marks & Spencer and other blue-chip brand outlets will be a temporary stall selling books about the adventures of two young dragons; Oak who loves balloons and Acorn who loves football. Local writer Richard Hill has created some delightful tales in the best traditions of children’s literature. Young minds will delight at the characters, gentle story lines and beautiful illustrations. There is not a mention of X-Factor, Strictly Come Dancing or the National Lottery, but Ramsgate and Broadstairs harbour do feature as Oak and Acorn are joined by the green dragon Kelpy who loves to recycle and Nano who is unique as a skateboarding dragon. Let’s admit it; you don’t see many skateboarding dragons these days. Signed first editions will be available at Westwood Cross Christmas Market from 17 ^th to 24^th December 2012.

10. Thanet Air Show

June 2013.  Organised and administered by Chamber member AS Enterprises, the show will present prime opportunities to showcase local companies before an audience of key corporate decision-makers as well as the general public. With up to 18,000 visitors expected, promotional packages cover a wide variety of budgets from a mention in one of the many booklets and brochures to prime location banners and the possibility of sponsoring the Red Arrows or the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The Chamber has already received enquiries from the owners of Messerschmitts keen to provide a display on the day. We will update Chamber members on developments but all readers are invited to contact Managing Director Angela Sutton direct by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Anyone who doubts Angela’s ability to manage such a large scale event should take note of the words of her former colleague in the RAF, Wing Commander Shaw, who states: “ Angie is a superb event and project manager and able to work within a complicated multi-stakeholder environment. Ever the consummate professional, her attention to detail, communication skills and work ethic enhances any venture she is associated with.”  It doesn’t get much better than that.

11. How Are We Doing?

The latest unemployment statistics show a significant improvement in Kent and Medway as a whole with just the districts of Ashford and Thanet showing a growth in unemployment since November last year. The star performer in job creation over the past twelve months is Tunbridge Wells where the jobless total has fallen by 11.5%. Although just two fewer people in Sevenoaks have registered as unemployed since last month, the annual decline in unemployment of 8.5% must be encouraging news for the butlers, chauffeurs and posh people in the leafy lanes of one of the South East’s more wealthy areas. It can be argued that the economy of East Kent is heading in the right direction. The rate of annual increase in unemployment in Thanet has halved from the +9.8% revealed in the figures for August 2012 to the present +4.8% just 3 months later. In the same period, the Dover District has shown some remarkable gains from an annual increase of a whopping +10.8% to a decline registered for November 2012 of 0.8%, Exactly 100 more people in Dover, Deal, Sandwich and the surrounding villages are going home now with a wage packet than was the case last August. For East Kent, the figures show that compared to three months previously, 390 more adults in Canterbury, Dover, Shepway and Thanet are facing tidings of comfort and joy this Christmas with a job. If the current trend continues, then it is likely that early in the New Year the official employment figures for Kent should show significant annual job gains in every district in the county.

12. Give Us The Facts

Unemployment in East Kent

Data reproduced under the terms of the Click-use License no. C2010000980. All rights reserved.

13. My First Home

Our good friends at the Thanet Gazette are looking for candidates to take part in their My First Home feature. Chamber members accepting the invitation will have the opportunity to mention their business and perhaps generate some publicity for their company as well as for their judicious choice of a home. If you would like to take part, you will need to send a few sentences about your first home describing when you moved in, the price of the property, what is your dream home and so on. Shy retiring wall flowers who prefer to read newspapers rather than be in them may not have the same enthusiasm as others who will relish the opportunity to see themselves in print. For more details, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Mt First Home”. If you prefer to telephone, call 01843 578150.

14. EuroKent Office To Let

New Chamber member Marine Software Ltd has a small office to let at EuroKent Business Park. Operations Manager Mark Jennings informs us that: “ It is important to highlight that as this office is under a rateable value of £6,000, the 2012/2013 business rates are zero and I believe the government also extended in the Autumn statement the zero extension for business rates the 2013/2014 tax year.” Located at 3 Ozengell Place CT12 6PB, this modern ground floor office of 625 square feet is available for an annual rent of £7,500 plus a management charge of £825. All prices are subject to VAT. There is parking on site with easy access for vehicles of all sizes. The property is rated for use as an office, for light industry and for storage, i.e. B1, B2 and B8 respectively. For more information, contact Mark direct by telephone to 01304 840009 or by email to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Office at EuroKent”.

15. The Power Of Senior Management

The demise of Comet last month with the potential loss of over 6,000 jobs has thrown into sharp perspective the issue of gift vouchers, guarantees and customer rights: all of which are pertinent to the account recently received from one Chamber member. We have our doubts about this story, but we leave it to readers to judge for themselves. As our venerable company owner put it: “It was my wife’s idea or ‘senior management’, as I call her. She said we needed a new toaster. She was very specific. ‘I want a good quality one, mind and not one of those cheap, flimsy jobs that don’t last five minutes’. Wishing to preserve domestic harmony and mindful that my future breakfasts could be in jeopardy, I was determined to get the best one I could find. Accordingly, somewhat frazzled, I went to the posh department store. I asked for the best one in stock and was directed towards their highest price toaster on display. When I asked the store manager if it was genuinely of the quality required, he told me: ‘It should be, sir. We can offer you a lifetime guarantee’. Reassured, I parted with my £125 and took it home to my grateful wife who then kept me in toast for the next six months. Then disaster struck. The toaster gave up the ghost with a spectacular flash that menaced the marmalade and could have burnt the house to cinders. Before my dearest could say the word, I flew out of the house with the offending article and receipt and took it directly to the store. The same manager was on duty. Indignant at the failure, I said to him. ‘Look, I paid £125 for this toaster and now it has failed after just a few months. It’s just not good enough’. ‘He looked at me for a moment and then said: ’Ah yes, I remember. It was last January, wasn’t it?’ ‘Yes it was,’ I said, ‘perhaps a little more than six months, but you told me that it had a lifetime guarantee’. He replied slowly and calmly: ‘Ah yes sir, but on the day you bought it, you did look terribly sick.’”

© David Foley 16^th December 2012