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POP-UP INNOVATION IN ST AUSTELL
The latest Pop-up Innovation Centre is ready for business.
Opened by Councillor Andrea Laxon, Mayor of St Austell, the St Austell Pop-up Innovation Centre is the latest fully-funded centre delivered by Acceleration Through Innovation 2 and the University of Plymouth to open for the business community.
Located within the White River Place complex, the facility is available for hot desking and business support, and will be open until the end of the year.
ATI2 programme manager, Jo Hancock, said: “We aim to support business owners and entrepreneurs who are wanting to work and connect to help spark new ideas and grow their business in Cornwall and beyond. The centre moves around the county and St Austell is our 12th opening since the programme began.” Stephens Scown LLP and Coodes Solicitors both received glowing praise from industry guide, The Legal 500.
In addition to receiving the highest possible ranking for commercial litigation, employment and family law, the latest Legal 500 guide ranks Stephens Scown in a total of 18 sections based on the feedback of clients and peers. On top of this, 13 of the
LEGAL 500 PRAISE
firm’s legal advisers are singled out for praise, from rising stars to leading individuals.
Coodes’ personal injury and clinical negligence, agriculture and estates and contentious trusts and probate teams were underscored as “brilliant lawyers” in the directory.
Legal 500 says: “It has honed a deserved reputation in the region as worthy competition, with brilliant lawyers, a growing practice and a very longstanding pedigree of quality work.”
A luxury boat built by a Cornish company has been starring in a high-profile promotional campaign for fashion brand Michael Kors.
Cockwells Modern & Classic Boatbuilding’s Titian Tender can be seen speeding along the River Thames in London as part of a campaign for Michael Kors’ Fall 2022 collection.
The advertising campaign - titled ‘The Thrill of the Chase’ – shows “ultimate jet-setter, Bella Hadid leading Alton Mason to new heights in a case of mistaken identity”.
COCKWELLS ON THE CATWALK
Cockwells founder and MD, Dave Cockwell, said: “When Michael Kors contacted us to ask if they could hire the Titian Tender for their latest ad campaign, we relished the opportunity of partnering with such a prestigious luxury brand and are delighted with the result.”
ADVERTORIAL PATENTS, ARE THEY WORTH IT?
By Frederick Noble, British and European Patent Attorney at Albright IP.
“Why bother getting a patent? I’ll never be able to afford to take anyone to court over it.” It’s something we hear quite a lot, and it’s perfectly understandable that clients are concerned about the cost of enforcing rights. It is true that litigation is expensive – but not
AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR CLEANER SEAS
Bude-based Cleaner Seas Group has secured nearly £1 million investment from business angels, institutional investors and high net worth individuals to help further develop its innovative washing machine technology, designed to significantly reduce microplastic pollution.
This latest investment exceeds Cleaner Seas’ initial target of £700K. The company has now launched a crowdfunding campaign seeking to raise a further £460K from members of the public who share its ambition to tackle the harmful level of microplastics going into the world’s oceans.
There are an estimated 1.4 million trillion plastic microfibres in our oceans, which is devastating marine life and also impacting human health and wellbeing. Earlier this year microplastics were discovered for the first time in human blood and lungs.
The Cleaner Seas-designed retro-fit and integrated filter, which is compatible with all washing machines, captures and recycles microfibres as small as one micron.
The self-generated filter requires no mains power and includes a recyclable cartridge which prevents up to 700,000 harmful microfibres from being released into the environment every time a washing machine is used.
CEO Dave Miller said: “We’re very excited with the success of our last investment round and we hope to carry this momentum forward in our current crowdfunding campaign.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
Local entrepreneur, Sam Downing, has received a £15k Start Up Loan to develop his running apparel business, Ponnek Ltd. The funding will help secure an ethical supply chain and purchase initial stock. Downing is currently the sole employee at Ponnek, however, he plans to take on a part-time employee within the first 12 months of trading.
Seasalt Cornwall has launched a major campaign in support of the mental health charity Mind. All profits from sales of its Between The Lines Sailor Shirt, incorporating Mind’s signature blue against white, will go to the charity with the aim of raising £45k to provide help to anyone experiencing poor mental health.
The Alverton Hotel in Truro has named a new head chef. Ollie Wyatt joins the two AA Rosette restaurant from Michael Caines’ The Cove, where he was sous chef.
The Retail Fixers, run by retail specialist Michèle Poynter and offering specialist advice for retailers, has launched a new website. theretailfixers.co.uk offers a clean modern design, with improved functionality for easy navigation, that is user friendly.
Tickets are now on sale for the Cornwall Christmas Fair, which returns to the Eden Project on November 24, with a preview and shopping evening the day before. There will be more than 70 gift and craft stalls, with fundraising in aid of the Cornwall Community Foundation.
understanding the full range of options and benefits can lead to businesses, especially small ones, missing out.
Firstly, a patent can bring financial benefits just by being granted – the Patent Box tax relief applies a reduced rate of corporation tax to profits which are attributable to a patented invention. For a profitable company selling products, the annual benefit from this tax relief can work out at many times the cost of getting the patent in the first place.
Next, if you do need to enforce your patent, there are now a range of ways in which IP litigation can be funded. Insurance is an option well worth considering, and for smaller businesses a range of “off-the-shelf” policies are available.
An annual premium is paid to keep the insurance in place, and as long as the policy is kept up, it will pay out in the event that you need to take legal action to enforce your patent. Importantly, policies are also available to pay your legal costs if an allegation of IP infringement is made against you.
A patent provides a deterrent, and our experience is that the deterrent works. For every patent infringement case we have been involved with in court, we have settled dozens of them without ever issuing a claim. That includes cases where we have acted for an individual or small business against a large, sometimes multinational, company.
The sheer size of an adversary can sometimes seem overwhelming, but a strong patent for a strong invention can be a powerful tool in anyone’s hands.
Albright IP, Pool Innovation Centre, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 3PL fnoble@albright-ip.co.uk +44 (0)1209 316161
COSMIC GIRL LANDS IN CORNWALL
The converted Boeing 747 that will be used for the first-ever satellite launch from the UK has touched down at Cornwall Airport Newquay.
Cosmic Girl will carry seven payloads into lower Earth orbit from Cornwall via the LauncherOne rocket on the aptly named ‘Start Me Up’ mission, Virgin Orbit’s first international launch. It will now take part in a series of dress rehearsals in the run up to launch day, which is anticipated to be later this month.
Onboard Cosmic Girl was flight lieutenant Mathew Stannard, who will pilot the inaugural mission from Spaceport Cornwall.
He said: “It feels amazing to bring Cosmic Girl home to the UK. We are weeks away now from the first UK launch at Spaceport Cornwall so it’s all very real, I’m really excited to be here with the Virgin Orbit team.”
Melissa Thorpe, head of Spaceport Cornwall, welcomed Cosmic Girl to Spaceport Cornwall. She commented: “This is the moment we have been waiting eight years for and my team could not be more excited to welcome Cosmic Girl to the UK. “A converted 747 using a converted airport to get to space is a perfect example of what we are working to achieve at Spaceport Cornwall. By making use of existing assets we want to set the bar for responsible launch - Starting Up launch in the UK with ‘Space For Good’ at its core.”
Mark Duddridge, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, added: “We’ve backed Spaceport Cornwall from the beginning, promoting Newquay as an ideal location and investing £2 million in new facilities. The arrival of Cosmic Girl marks an historic chapter for Cornwall’s space ambitions and we look forward to seeing the first satellites launched from UK soil.”
ADVERTORIAL
PHOTO: OLIVER TURRELL
FSB MEMBERS WAVE GOODBYE TO TAX ENQUIRY WORRIES
By Ann Vandermeulen, development manager Cornwall
Whether you’re a sole trader, contractor or limited company, a letter from HMRC can fill you with dread - but it doesn’t have to.
With essential tax advice, protection against the cost of professional fees and expert representation, FSB will cover you for up to £100k as part of your membership.
Why me? Well it can be triggered by an error, something unusual or inconsistent or late payments. Around 7% are random
WES INVESTING IN GROWTH
WES Engineering Solutions has invested over £420k in a new top of the range CNC milling machine as a consequence of new market growth, expanding its 24/7 machine running capabilities by 200%.
Group commercial director, James Gazzard, said: “2021 was a huge success for us. We grew our client base by 20%, developed new products and expanded our order book by 50%. With a forecasted 43% growth across the group for 2022/23, this latest investment is in direct response to customer demand.”
In the past year, the Redruth-based precision engineering firm has fought against the weakening automotive sector - which has been historically core to its product line - and strategically focused on expansions in the subsea, nuclear, oil and gas markets.
The company says this has not only delivered greater sector infiltration in these markets but also led to an evolvement of the company’s manufacturing strategy as it migrates more into the ‘big batch’ engineering field.
OLTCO REACHES LANDMARK
Newquay-based resin bound surface specialist, Oltco, continues to enjoy rapid growth having signed up its 50th franchise.
Oltco launched its first franchise business in 2019 and in its first year saw the network grow by 450%. In just three years, Oltco now has 50 franchised areas across the UK and Channel Islands and is looking to expand further.
Hall for Cornwall has officially opened its new public and enterprise spaces.
The ‘Ope’ connects two popular Truro shopping streets via a walkway to the rear of the Cornwall Playhouse giving visitors a rare behind-the-scenes look at a working theatre.
And elsewhere within Truro’s creative hub, new workspaces have been unveiled to support emerging artists and the creative industries through Hall for Cornwall’s Husa brand. Commenting on the latest addition, which covers Harrow, Ruislip and Hayes, codirector Johnny Pearce said: “Launching our 50th franchise area after three years is a huge business highlight. We aren’t stopping here as we look to continue our expansion across the UK and internationally.”
HUSA WORKSPACE OPENS
Husa was officially opened by Chris Pomfret OBE, honorary vice president of Hall for Cornwall, and Mark Duddridge, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which helped fund the project with support from the Government’s Local Growth Fund and Getting Building Fund. Husa has also received support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Programme.
“The official opening of our new Ope and Husa workspace is a culmination of the spirit and vision that has guided the transformation of Hall for Cornwall,” said Julien Boast, CEO and creative director at Hall for Cornwall.
but you must respond and you should have support to do this. It can take 3 to 6 months for simple cases and 18 months plus for anything really tricky and that can be costly.
Did you know that if it is found that a careless error has arisen, HMRC can go back six years and if the error was deliberate then HMRC is able to go back 20 years! Real potential for significant liabilities including statutory interest and much harsher penalties.
FSB have a team of experienced professionals who are all former tax inspectors. We don’t cover using your own accountant. However, where we require assistance from your accountant, any reasonable fees agreed in advance will be met.
If the enquiry starts by looking into your business accounts and then HMRC decide to look at your personal finances, our tax investigations service will even cover that. We don’t cover personal finances only but in certain instances we have been able to assist in cases where there is a business connection.
You can also call our tax line for general advice and guidance at any time, investigation or not.
