New Milton Advertiser 9th Oct 2020

16 · Friday 9th October 2020

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Chiropractors’ colourful reward for NHS heroes

A LYMINGTON chiropractic firm has introduced a colourful way to reward the town’s un- sung coronavirus heroes. The team at Lymington Chi- ro have come up with Serendip- ity Stones – pebbles painted by chiropractor Colin Wellstead’s three pre-school children. The stones are available at the clinic’s window in Angel Courtyard to pick up and pass on to someone who went above and beyond for others during the coronavirus lockdown. The recipient can then call the clinic and book a treatment of their choice with 50% off. Colin said “It’s our way of showing our gratitude to all those who have donated time, effort and thought to support others during this difficult time – working tirelessly during lock- down and still working hard as we slowly return to some sem- blance of normality. “The Lymington Serendip- ity Stones are our way of hon- ouring our caring Lymington A BUSINESS loyalty card has launched in the New Forest promising to save shoppers cash and support the high street. My VIP Card, which launched in 2017, has been brought to the area by Jo Cooke-Best. She said: “I am extremely proud and excited to be launching My VIP Card in the New Forest. “It has never been more im- portant for all of us to support our local community and busi- nesses and our membership will allow shoppers to benefit from thousands of discounts whilst promoting local shops. “This will not only strength- en our community locally but will also promote our amazing shops to the national network

Adrian Charsley is behind the Eco-crete brand

Adrian makes concrete plans for the future

community spirit and paying it forward. “If you know someone who has gone above and beyond, working tirelessly during lock- down to help others, whether it’s collecting/delivering gro- ceries, prescriptions, providing physical support and care or just checking in, now’s the time to say thank you.” For more information visit www.lymingtonchiro.co.uk The stones can be picked up at Lymington Chiro’s window

A LYMINGTON man has made a solid start to his new venture – making household items from concrete and steel. Adrian Charsley has launched Eco-crete, a brand boasting objects such as bar- becues, pizza ovens, chairs, worktops and benches, as well as a bespoke service to design and build whatever is required. The father-of-three threw himself into the idea after spending 25 years in the events industry which “fell off a cliff” thanks to the corona- virus pandemic. Adrian describes Eco-crete as “green concrete” as it con- tains up to 80% recycled con- tent. “It’s a by-product of the steel industry with up to 60% lower carbon footprint than OPC or ordinary Portland ce- ment. “But the longevity is the real selling point, it doesn’t rust, and at the end of its life just break it up and go again.” He graduated as an indus- trial designer and was work- ing on ideas for concrete

speakers before “getting side- tracked” in events, alongside companies such as Rolls- Royce, Toshiba and the BBC. However, the pandemic put paid to that. “That gave me the oppor- tunity to pursue my lifelong passion developing feelgood products and furniture,” he said. “I’m really excited about this new project – 2020 has brought some challenges, sure, but I see this as a posi- tive opportunity.” Adrian, who has lived in Lymington for 12 years and was an RNLI lifeboat helms- man, said his aim was to “de- sign and develop products that put a smile on the face of the user with minimum im- pact on our shared resourc- es”. He’s also looking ahead to expanding the operation. “I’d love to have a small manufacturing facility here in Lymington, employing lo- cal, skilled people of all ages. It’s only week two, but you have to dream, no man is an island!” Visit www.eco-crete.com

Business has been ‘crazy’ for Boat, Beds and Charter, said its owner

Staying afloat with boat breaks

Loyalty card to save Forest shoppers

Forest firm buoyant amid boom for moored-up holidays

commodation by offering lux- ury stays on board a yacht moored at Lymington. She said: “Guests get to stay on a fabulous boat that is fully equipped, much like booking a holiday cottage but far more ex- citing. After having previously run two successful holiday lets in the New Forest, I spotted a gap in the market – no one was offering this type of accommo- dation. “We have absolutely noticed a trend in more people wanting to take boating holidays. When we first started, it went crazy! “Initially we struggled with booking during the winter months but now we have guests all year round. In fact, we have since sold our first boat and up- graded to a much larger yacht that sleeps up to seven. “You can of course hire the boat and stay in one place – but we also offer charters which

cost between £1,000 and £1,500 per day. Guests are often blown away with the accommoda- tion and if they add a charter to the stay, we always get incredi- ble feedback.” The poll of 1,000 consumers showed two-thirds were looking for “a more unusual experience this year”, due to the upheaval caused by recent travel restric- tions, while a further 57% were bored of “normal” accommoda- tion. Four in 10 said they had al- ways wanted to stay on board a boat but hadn’t got around to it, while more than a quar- ter said they had a newfound appreciation for UK waterways since lockdown. More than 752 boat owners were also questioned in the survey, and one in 10 said they would be “very interested” in listing their boat as accommo- dation on rental sites. RINGWOOD data analyst Ti- ger has bared its teeth with a rebrand and “substantial” ex- pansion. The firm, formally known as Tiger Communications, said it was set to hit its growth targets by the end of 2020, with a 15% increase, despite the pandemic. It follows former Block Solu- tions CEO, Jon Pickering, tak- ing the helm in February 2020 – a move which he described as “a baptism of fire”. “Joining a new firm right be- fore lockdown has been im- mensely challenging, but I’ve been incredibly impressed with the team’s focus and how much customers value our technolo- gy,” he said. Tiger has a turnover of £4.2m and helps customers make sense of more than three tril- lion pieces of call data per year. It recorded a 25% uplift in its subscription-based business- es during the global crisis, and expanded its 600-strong client portfolio in sectors including financial services, legal, manu- facturing, and public sector, in- cluding the NHS. The company also invested LOCAL firms are among the small companies to have ben- efitted from a business group’s coronavirus match-funding. Crowdfund Dorset Business, set up by Dorset Local Enter- prise Partnership (LEP), is pro- viding businesses with up to £5,000 of match-funding. Dorset LEP has committed just over £29,000 to seven small businesses across the county, with a total of £17,811 already issued to organisations. Sharon New, founder of Term Footwear based in Parley, said the funds came at the perfect time: “We were a 90% wholesale business prior to Covid-19 and have had to pivot quickly to sell directly to customers online . “Our successful Crowdfund campaign and the match-fund- ing from Dorset LEP helped make this possible at the per- fect time, just as the ‘back to school’ season began, allowing us to upgrade our website for online shoppers and deliver

and encourage more shoppers to visit our high streets.” The card was the brainchild of Maddy Alexander-Grout and offers a network of dis- counts to shoppers around the UK. She said: “I created My VIP Card to help the local high street also give back to the communi- ty, and our unique membership scheme has proven to do this. It supports local businesses by raising awareness and actively encourages shoppers to benefit from local discounts. “We are delighted to be ex- panding our offering in the New Forest and look forward to helping even more businesses in the local community.” Visit www.myvipcard.co.uk

BY LYNDON HOGG

A LYMINGTON boat hire firm has described business as “cra- zy” during a nationwide boom for holidays afloat. With a 28% rise in searches for boating holidays over the past five years, a survey conducted by insurance specialists Insure- 4Boats revealed nearly two- thirds of young professionals would consider spending their time off on a yacht, sailing boat or narrowboat. One in four fam- ilies and couples were also keen to try it. Melissa Loveridge, of Boat, Beds and Charter, has branched out from traditional B&B ac-

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Tiger roars into rebrand as it hits growth targets

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Range of Lighting Kit

Jon Pickering joined Tiger as CEO in February

£2m to re-engineer its report- ing and analytics software tool, Tiger Prism, and is set to inte- grate Microsoft Teams capabil- ity. Jon said: “There is a real pas- sion for data and how we can present it in a meaningful way – to help solve big issues for cli- ents and improve their perfor- mance.”

On Tiger’s new branding, Jon added: “We recognised an im- mediate need to evolve Tiger’s brand identity to accurately re- flect our capabilities, solutions and role in the market. This development complements our plans to significantly increase our revenues. It also clearly communicates our value to cli- ents and partners.”

On-site Parking 1GB Broadband

Firms awarded cash from LEP’s match-funding

Make-up & Dressing Room Disabled Access & Facilities Kitchen Area - Free Tea & Coffee

these wonderful new school shoes, designed to keep young feet healthy. “The support, encourage- ment and community spirit we received from the campaign has been a revelation and we are glad we put ourselves out there.” A further £12,000 has been committed to ongoing Crowd- fund campaigns including the Coda Music Trust , based in Walk- ford. Coda teaches music and pro- vides instruments to people across the area from all back- grounds, abilities and ages as therapy and for personal devel- opment. The trust recently met its crowdfund target, and hopes to resume in the coming weeks. Finn Morgan of Dorset LEP said feedback early in the pan- demic highlighted cash flow issues for small, micro and self-employed businesses. “Small businesses have the potential to bring social and

economic benefits to commu- nities across the county and our investment in Crowdfund Dorset Business was designed to support SMEs to take imme- diate and effective action in or- der to continue to operate,” he said. “Tourism, hospitality and re- tail are incredibly important for Dorset’s economy, so it’s of little surprise that the majority of our applications so far have been from businesses in these areas. “We’re keen to support any SME struggling with the im- pact of the coronavirus and will consider applications from any small business seeking support as they find ways to adapt.” The Crowdfund Dorset Busi- ness campaign is still open for applications and Dorset LEP hopes to have issued the full amount by the end of the year. Visit crowdfunder.co.uk/ funds/crowdfund-dorset-busi ness

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