In summary
In our news this month; Owen's Law are looking for input on food allergy advice, Workwell have health support for workers, Hale Events celebrate a staff members’ 25th anniversary and we have our last skills forum event of 2024 on 10th December at Cornwall College, where more new facilities will be unveiled. Finally, as Christmas and the run up is so vital for many businesses, we wish you a happy, prosperous and healthy time!
Featured news and events
WorkWell Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
WorkWell Cornwall and Isles of Scilly is one of 15 pilots across the UK. Running initially until end of March 2025 the service pilot will also inform the wider work and health strategy and resultant investment and commissioning beyond then. WorkWell is an early intervention and support service offering participants an expert assessment of their health-related barriers to work along with a tailored plan to address these and will serve as a pathway to other local services to help people get the support they need. WorkWell can also provide advice and support to employers where appropriate; triage, signposting and referrals to clinical and non-clinical support including wider community provision, for example, financial advice.
Individuals can be referred to WorkWell through their employer, local services within their area, Jobcentre Plus and primary care network neighbourhood teams such as GPs, social prescribing workers, health and wellbeing workers, and themselves through self-referral. To be eligible for WorkWell people must be aged over 16; with the right to work in the UK; a CIOS address for either their home, their GP, or their local job centre; and a health-related barrier to work which means that they are either:
- In-work, and either off sick or struggling in the workplace due to a health condition; or
- Recently out-of-work and requiring health related support to move into sustainable employment.
A ‘health related barrier’ includes anyone with a health condition or disability, including mental health conditions.
Referrals can be via email [email protected]. Telephone (8am – 8pm every day): 01872 266383. Or via a web link.
The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly 4th LSIP Quarterly Forum
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly LSIP Leadership Panel are pleased to invite you to the fourth of our LSIP Quarterly Forum events for 2024 taking place on Tuesday 10 December from 10am-1pm at Cornwall College, Camborne.
You will have a chance to speak other businesses, decision makers, business leaders and skills professionals both in round table and informal networking lunch formats.
A free buffet lunch is on offer. Book your place here.
In other news
Hale Events’ Sales Manager celebrates 25 years!
Paul Thomas joined Axbridge based exhibition organisers, Hale Events, in 1999. He has sold stands at Hale’s portfolio of South West trade shows ever since then. “What an asset to the company” enthused MD Mike Anderson. “Paul has brought fun, hard work and great skill to his role, progressing from stand sales to managing and driving our sales department”. In today’s fast-moving world, where people often move around, the Hale Events team feel very lucky to have such long standing employees, like Paul, who bring trust, knowledge, and integrity to their role. “I’m not sure I’ll manage another 25 years” joked Paul “But I hope to be here for a good few more.” Hale Events organise specialist exhibitions and trade shows across the South West. Currently they organise Giving & Living, the Source trade show, and Expowest Cornwall (where you can come and also meet the FSB Cornwall Team on our stand on 4&5 March at the Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge). They also deliver the bi-weekly South West hospitality & catering e-newsletter, Rise & Shine. For more details, visit www.hale-events.com.
Owen's Family Need Your Help
Owen was from East Cornwall and just 18 when he sadly died on a trip to London caused by a food allergy. Owen’s family, want to see a change in the law that compels restaurants to state the 14 major allergens prescribed by EU law in their dishes in writing at the point of ordering and without the customer having to ask. This simple change would eliminate the risk that exists at the point of order when perhaps staff are not aware of the serious consequences of not checking food safety and suitability. This campaign will also help businesses to keep their customers safe and prevent the business getting embroiled in a tragic and damaging issue.
With their campaign for Owen’s Law now supported by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), it is hoped that the Government can be persuaded to change the law. To do this Owen’s family want to build on Natasha’s Law, which dealt with the ingredients and allergy listings on pre-packaged takeaway food. Natasha’s Law showed that the UK’s allergen laws were flawed and outdated, and needed reform, but it left an uneven situation where people taking away pe-packaged food have more protection than those eating in restaurants. The FSA are in agreement that to make such changes are of little cost, but immeasurable benefit to those whose lives are blighted by allergies and anaphylaxis.
So if you own or work at a business who offer dining to customers, or maybe you have catering at your office, school or university Owen's Law would love to work with catering managers to support them making positive changes to how they deliver allergen information. Please get in touch directly, pass on the contact details of the relevant managers within your company, or ask them to make contact. They’d also love to hear from companies already implementing Owen’s Law to discuss any challenges or successes you’ve experienced. They look forward to working together to make dining experiences safe for everyone.
Still in the news
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting on-call firefighters
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting on-call firefighters at 26 stations across the Duchy. Cornwall’s on-call firefighters come from all walks of life. They include homemakers, shopkeepers, builders, farmers, office workers and directors of companies, as well as people who are not in work. When the call comes, they drop everything and are trained to deal with a range of emergencies such as rescues, floods, crashes and chemical spills.
Applicants must be 18 or above and will need to apply for a station that is five minutes from where they live or work. There is no upper age limit. Pay for on-call firefighters varies depending on the individual’s availability and the station's activity rate. They receive additional pay for training nights and courses.
Kathryn Billing, Chief Fire Officer at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Our on-call firefighters make-up 75% of our crews across Cornwall and they play such an important role in keeping our communities safe and dealing with all types of incidents.
You can find out more about the role and the application process on the Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service website.
Cornish marine engineering firm set to assist ambitious UK green targets
Penryn-based offshore engineer, MintMech, celebrates its sixth anniversary this year and is ready to assist in UK’s ambitious green energy targets. Now, as Cornwall is set to become a renewable energy hub, the company looks at the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Most of the team at MintMech have spent years working offshore on projects ranging from building bridges and installing offshore wind turbines to analysing the seabed a mile underwater. After working with some of the industry’s biggest firms and travelling the world, directors Laurie Thornton and Jack Berryman brought their expertise back to Cornwall and MintMech has grown to a team of 12 engineers.
“Our clients appreciate our culture and approachable nature as well as the quality of our engineering work,” says engineer and director, Jack Berryman. “I’m so proud of our team. Engineering isn’t all numbers; people are at the heart of it and we’re always on the lookout for engineers who hold the same values.
From getting crew aboard a vessel safely in rough weather to delicately manipulating tools thousands of meters below the surface, MintMech has created several inventive solutions to offshore exploration and marine construction. The Government aims to quadruple offshore wind in the next five years and MintMech wants to help achieve that, potentially making Cornwall the offshore wind capital of the UK.
MintMech specialises in the design, manufacture and operation of geotechnical drilling, large diameter drilling, marine construction and offshore handling equipment. If you want to find out more the team at MintMech are based at Jubilee Wharf, Penryn, for more information visit www.MintMech.com.
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Your FSB Development Manager for Devon is Ann Vandermeulen. If you'd like more information about the topics above, or if you have news about this area that you'd like to share, please get in touch.
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