Date: February 20, 2012
Time: 9:05 am
Mentoring start-ups will teach you a thing or two says Granby Marketing Services’
chief executive Stephen Bentley.
“Any business owner who has been lucky enough to receive advice and guidance from more experienced entrepreneurs during the transitional phases of their business’s development will appreciate just how influential and important mentoring can be.
Having had the good fortune myself to call upon three mentors throughout my business career and knowing what it’s like to be in a position of uncertainty, I decided to volunteer for the government’s New Enterprise Allowance scheme, managed locally by the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, and wholeheartedly recommend that every business owner and entrepreneur in the region gives it some serious consideration too.
The NEA gives extra help to unemployed people who want to start their own business. Participants get access to a volunteer business mentor who provides guidance and support as they develop their business plan and through early trading.
Anyone who has ever set up their own business will know how challenging and daunting the first months are, but when you lack the relevant business skills and experience, even the smallest molehills have the potential to turn into mountains.
Starting your own business is a massive undertaking and not for the faint-hearted – sleepless nights and anxiety are pretty much a given. But having the ambition and guts to take that step and turning the idea into a sustainable and profitable business are two very different things.
Providing mentorship to others at the beginning gives you the opportunity to install good business practice from the outset and set them on the right track. Not having a robust business plan and an inability to manage cash-flows are arguably two of the most common failings for new businesses and the area where mentors can add the most value. Read More »
Date: February 10, 2012
Time: 5:30 pm
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is currently inviting tenders for the provision of Licensed Door Staff and Security Services to the King George’s Hall complex, Northgate Blackburn
Contract value: £135,000
Contract type: Open
Description: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is currently inviting tenders for the provision of Licensed Door Staff and Security Services to the King George’s Hall complex, Northgate Blackburn
Contract period: 3 years, with an option to extend for one year. It is anticpated the Contract will commence on 1st July 2012
Contact Name: Anne Macsmith, Regeneration Department
Contact Telephone No: 01254 582579 ext 210
Contact Email Address: anne.macksmith@blackburn.gov.uk
Postal Address: Head of Culture and Entertainment, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, 4th Floor Town Hall, Blackburn, BB1 7DY Read More »
Date: February 10, 2012
Time: 4:35 pm
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council (BwDBC) is looking to award a Contract for the supply of Dog Control Officer Services for all areas within the boundary of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Applications: invited from suitably qualified and experienced organisations to provide Dog Control Officer Services (dog warden service and dog fouling surveillance and enforcement) which meets the relevant standards to which the Council subscribes
The Service: currently operates Monday – Sunday 9am to 5pm
Contract period: 2 years with 2 further 1 year extension options (on a 1 + 1 basis)
Contact Name: Maxine Philbin
Contact Telephone No: 01254 585120
Contact Email Address: maxine.philbin@blackburn.gov.uk
Postal address: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Strategic Procurement Team, E Floor, Town Hall, King William Street, Blackburn BB1 7DY
Read More »
Date: February 2, 2012
Time: 5:11 pm
The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 require that any machinery:
- Is safe (free from risk to safety and health) when supplied
- Is CE marked and
- Comes with a declaration of conformity and user instructions in English
Manufacturers of machinery have responsibilities to meet these standards and requirements when machinery is first placed on the European market.
Suppliers must supply safe machinery in accordance with the requirements of Section 6 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (In part “1 (a) to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable that the article is so designed and constructed as to be safe and without risk when properly used”).
Read More »
Date: February 2, 2012
Time: 1:11 pm
Pendle based Barnfield Construction is ensuring a safe new start to the year with their new Health & Safety Manager, David Shaw.
David joined the team last month from from Holme Park, Lancashire developers and having trained under Ken Slater Construction as a general builder in the nineties, David progressed through management with Holme Park and spent over ten years as health and safety manager helping to build one of the most highly trained core teams in the North West.
Following successful examination by the Association for Project Safety, David was appointed as the company’s CDM Co-Ordinator and included in the national CDM-C register, responsible for ensuring compliance on housing projects up to £4.5 million.
David commented “When the position of health and safety manager at Barnfield came up due to retirement, the job description sounded perfect for me. Barnfield are a well-respected company that I have been aware of for many years, so I leapt at the opportunity.”
Read More »
