Tag: small business

Sunderland Brands Join Forces For 2016 Air Show

By on 15th April 2016in Local Biz

Two of Sunderland’s biggest brands are joining forces to cater for visitors at one of the city’s most popular events…

1879 Events Management, part of the SoL hospitality brand, has been awarded a new contract to provide a wide range of services at the Sunderland International Airshow 2016.

The event, which annually attracts close to a million visitors, returns for its 28th year from Friday July 22, with a host of airborne acrobatics, air displays and entertainment at Roker and Seaburn seafront.

As part of the event, organised by Sunderland Live, 1879 Events Management will now be operating a world food and drink village in the former amusement park overlooking Seaburn beach and providing new hospitality packages for VIP guests throughout the weekend, as well as a family zone.

Sue Stanhope, Airshow Director, said: “The Sunderland International Airshow is one of the North East’s biggest events, not just in terms of visitor numbers but in the positive impact it has on the economy too.

“This year we’ve got another exciting line up and we are delighted that 1879 Events Management have come on board to add a new dimension to the weekend’s food offering and help enhance the overall visitor experience.”

1879 Events Management, which currently runs catering and events operations at the Stadium of Light and National Glass Centre, Sunderland, has successfully managed a wide range of high profile events since launching in 2012, including concerts, weddings, business dinners and festivals.

It was recently awarded an extended five year contract to provide catering for leading LGBT festival, Newcastle Pride, which also takes place in July.

Gary Hutchinson, Commercial Director for SAFC and 1879 Events Management, said: “It’s been a real privilege to be involved in some of the North East’s biggest events over the past four years and we are thrilled to now be lending the same expertise to such an amazing occasion in our home city of Sunderland.

“With the Sunderland International Airshow and Newcastle Pride both taking place in July and Beyonce’s concert at the Stadium of Light to look forward to in June, it looks set to be another busy summer for 1879 Events Management and our partners.”

Full details for 1879 Event Management’s food village and hospitality packages for the Sunderland International Airshow will be released in due course via www.1879events.com or @1879Events on Twitter.

To enquire, or for more details, please contact airshow2016@1879events.com

More information about the event itself can also be found at www.sunderlandinternationalairshow.co.uk

Can I Avoid Selling The Family Home To Pay For Long Term Care Fees?

By on 13th April 2016in Local Biz

With no prospect of a Government cap on long term care costs, and annual fees for care homes exceeding £30,000, having to sell the family home to pay for a place in a care home is a major worry for many older people.

But is it possible to protect the family home and other assets from the impact of long term care fees, asks Andrew Simpson, Lead Panel Solicitor with legal and financial planning specialist Ensure Inheritance.

Legal trusts, often known as Wealth Preservation Trusts, when used for estate planning purposes can have the useful side effect of protecting assets from the impact of long term care fees, but they cannot be used specifically to avoid care fees.

Many people do not realise that current legislation demands that anyone owning assets valued in excess of £23,250 is required to make a 100% contribution towards the cost of their care. However, anyone requiring care with assets worth less than £14,250 is not required to make any contribution from their capital.

The legislation also prevents people from deliberately moving their assets in order to avoid paying care fees. But it does not prevent anyone in relatively good health, who is not presently intending going into long term care, from estate planning and establishing a Wealth Preservation Trust.

By placing assets in a Wealth Preservation Trust, you are no longer (technically) the owner of the assets, but rather the principal beneficiary of the trust. So it can fully protect your assets for your children, provided the local authority cannot prove that at the time the trust was set up it was reasonably foreseeable you would enter long term care.

Using a Wealth Preservation Trust to plan your estate is a powerful means of achieving total control over what happens to your assets, who benefits from them, and who controls them.

Wealth Preservation Trusts can avoid claims on your estate after your death; reduce the time it takes for beneficiaries to receive their inheritance; protect your children against disinheritance; protect your assets from bankruptcy; protect your assets from divorce, as well as protecting your assets from the impact of long term care fees.

Setting up Wealth Preservation Trust is a job for a specialist solicitor who can establish the trust to meet your particular needs and future wishes, according to your unique set of financial circumstances.

Ensure Inheritance has produced a booklet which provides further information on Wealth Preservation Trusts. For a free copy, please contact Ensure Inheritance on tel. 0191 338 5143, via email at info@ensureinheritance.co.uk or via its website www.ensureinheritance.co.uk.

Based in Seaham in County Durham, Ensure Inheritance provides a range of legal and financial planning services which help protect financial assets to provide their clients and their loved ones with peace of mind. In addition to long term care planning and wealth preservation trusts, services include funeral planning and pre-payment plans, Wills and Estate planning, funeral planning, inheritance tax planning, powers of attorney, court of protection deputyships, and probate.

AYP Financial Planning: Divorce

By on 12th April 2016in Local Biz

It’s a fact of modern life that as many as 40% of all marriages in the UK end in divorce. The break-up can be a traumatic time for all concerned and brings with it the need to make financial arrangements that can have ramifications for years after the settlement is made.

There are no hard and fast rules governing how assets should be divided, although there is a broad starting point of 50 : 50. If the divorcing couple are unable to come to an agreement on the division of their financial assets, the court will decide how these should be apportioned between them, based on factors such as their age, earnings ability, property and investments and role in the relationship (e.g. breadwinner or primary carer). The needs of any children of the marriage are always considered paramount.

At AYP Financial Planning we specialise in providing advice on divorce and can offer sympathetic, patient and pragmatic support throughout the whole process. You will need help to decide on your future financial goals, review your mortgage, life insurance, savings and investment plans and you’ll need to remake your will. Post-divorce, reorganising your finances is an essential step in moving forward to a new life.

Contact AYP Financial Planning for a confidential review now. First meeting is without charge but could prove to be the best time you ever spend. We can help, contact AYP Financial Planning on 01434 607808 or email info@aypfinancial.co.uk.

Restaurant Review: Le Raaj, Sedgefield

By on 11th April 2016in Lifestyle

Andy Knowles shares his thoughts on Sedgefield’s newest premium dining experience…

For years I had been driving past the derelict Little Chef building at the round-a-bout between Sedgefield and Stockton. A road I use each evening on my way home from the office in Chester-le-Street so when I noticed the Le Raaj ‘coming soon’ signs appear I was quite excited. Not only is it great to see one of our clients expanding from Durham into my region of Teesside, its also great that a new Indian restaurant was opening as I consider myself an Indian food aficionado.

After many weeks of anticiptation I noticed the ‘we are open’ banners were on display so I made a mental note to organize a babysitter and treat my other half to a night of beer and a curry. Who said romance was dead!

As we arrived at the restaurant the grand entrance looked stunning with a pitched roof and marble pillars that stood out with mood lighting similar to something you might expect to see at an exclusive members club in Mayfair, London. We were both very impressed.

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On entering the restaurant there was a great ambience and we were greeted by the polite manager who ushered us to a comfy seating area where we ordered some drinks and were handed the menus that were so new and the ink was must have barely dried. This was going to be a great evening I thought.

After a comfortable and relaxing wait the manager took our orders and we were showed to our table by the window. The restaurant was relatively busy considering it was a Tuesday night and the sound of chatter and music made the atmosphere really great and added to the overall ambiance.

As we caught up with each other on this very rare ‘date night’ the waiter arrived with poppadum’s and pickles and it wasn’t long before we started to break them up and work our way up to the lime pickle.

After another comfortable break it was time for the starters. My wife opted for Tikka chicken paneer that was described as marinated boneless chicken in tandoor and served with homemade Indian cheese. I opted for Onion Baji that was one of the best I’ve ever tasted.

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For main course Kelly selected a predictable Chicken Korma and I went for one of the chefs special dishes called ‘Goan chicken’ A classic northern dish, slow cooked with aromatic spices, whole zera, garlic Goan chilli and coconut – spicy dish

We finished off with a nice coffee and complimentary chocolate before heading home after a great evening of good food and exceptional service.

So would I recommend Le Raaj in Sedgefield? Absolutely! And I hope its not too long before we get to visit again.

City Tavern Invites Couples To Tie The Knot

By on 9th April 2016in Lifestyle

A stylish city centre bar is providing a quirky alternative venue for weddings with three unique packages…

The award-winning City Tavern at Northumberland Road, Newcastle, is opening its doors to couples who want to tie the knot in a stylish city centre location.

Offering a range of wedding options is the latest initiative from the bar’s entrepreneurial owner, Dave King, who has put the historic pub back on the map since taking it over two years ago.

The weddings are aimed at smaller, more intimate ceremonies suitable for parties of between 10 and 50 guests.

Couples can choose to say “I do” in the bar’s library or even marry on the City Tavern’s terrace, followed by a reception on the mezzanine level.

And chefs at the venue have also created an imaginative range of menu options including dishes such as canapés of seared tuna and caviar tartlets and tempura king prawns, with main courses of Northumbrian beef, steamed mussels, ‘gold leaf’ flatbread and vegetable and apricot tagines.

“The City Tavern is unique as it’s a venue with a really historic feel and a sense of tradition,” said Mr King.

“It’s perfect for more intimate weddings for people who like somewhere truly original and for couples who find a city centre venue really appealing.”

The packages on offer include a range of extras for the couples, including candle-lit candelabra in the library windows, PA system for the speeches and a variety of drinks options.

The bar is also able to provide everything from personalised wedding crackers to individual cupcakes, to add a real “wow” factor to the day.

“We are an unconventional venue but we find that more and more couples like that,” said Mr King.

“And we promise anyone who does choose to get married here a really memorable day.”

City Tavern, widely recognised for its Tudor style façade, was taken over by Mr King early in 2014 and then enjoyed a £450k refurbishment to create a state-of-the-art bar while still retaining the venue’s historic features.

City Tavern’s wedding packages include a range of options. Details and prices can be found at http://www.citytavern.co.uk/weddings/

Truly Tempting To Hold Budding Chocolatier Masterclass

By on 8th April 2016in In & Around

Budding chocolatier’s, both young and young at heart, can enjoy a taste bud-tingling masterclass at one of the region’s biggest food festivals this month…

Bishop Auckland Food Festival (BAFF), which boasts 150 producers and traders, returns for a weekend of foodie fun April 23 and 24, with a range of fantastic masterclasses at its heart. BAFF is a Durham County Council event and is partnered by The Auckland Castle Trust and Bishop Auckland Town Council.

Amongst those set to provide mouth-watering entertainment will be Truly Tempting Chocolate. Their indulgent classes will offer would-be chocolatiers a flavour of what it’s like to work with one of the world’s most loved ingredients. There are separate sessions for adults and children for just £5 per person.

They’ll be run by David and Wendy Sanderson from Darlington who pride themselves on using only quality Belgian chocolate for all of their products, sourcing as many natural ingredients as possible and making many of the added flavours themselves like peanut butter and crystallised ginger.

Looking ahead to another fabulous festival Wendy said: “Bishop Auckland Food Festival is a great event as it’s local to us and we have family that live nearby. Also the quality and variety of food produce is excellent and as most of the stall holders are the producers of the food that is great.

“The best thing about working with chocolate is being creative and coming up with new products and flavours as well as the tasting, it’s also great when customers try our products and the lovely reactions and feedback we get from them.”

With his masterclass planning complete David can reveal exactly what participants can expect: “We run two different chocolate workshops, one for adults and one for children.

The adults get to make two different kinds of chocolate truffles and the children make a chocolate lolly and a chocolate caterpillar.

“We have a lot of fun doing the workshops and really like educating people about good quality chocolate and how it’s made from the cocoa beans, and just having fun and getting messy with our groups as everyone loves chocolate.”

Cabinet member for culture and regeneration, Cllr Neil Foster, said: “The festival masterclasses have proven to be a real hit with foodies and this year we won’t disappoint.

“We are offering 13 different workshops across 26 sessions, ranging from chocolate and charcuterie to cheese and craft beers, but don’t forget to book your place because tickets are selling like hot cakes!”

Details on the full range of classes can be found at http://www.bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk

Tickets for workshops can be purchased in person from Gala Theatre and Cinema box office in Millennium Place in Durham or by calling 03000 266600.

Further Durham City Roadworks Begin 11th April

By on 6th April 2016in In & Around

Major works on the main route through Durham City will start on Leazes Bowl roundabout in April which will result in easier journeys in the future…

Durham County Council’s £2.5m SCOOT system will see traffic lights installed on the Gilesgate and Leazes Bowl roundabouts during 2016. The installation of the traffic lights will also see improvements to pedestrian and cycle facilities on both roundabouts.

With work progressing well on Gilesgate roundabout, work on Leazes Bowl roundabout will get underway on Monday, 11 April. Although all measures are being taken to minimise the impact on traffic, motorists should be aware that disruption is likely while the work on Leazes Bowl is carried out.

As well as the installation of traffic lights, the improvements will also see the configuration of the roundabout changed with the number of lanes being increased. Paths will be widened with dropped kerbs installed to improve accessibility and two new eastbound bus stops will be installed, set back from the carriageway.

The work will be carried out in a number of phases over the next 25 weeks to help reduce the impact on people travelling through the city.

From 11 April, the first phase of work will see the eastbound approach to Leazes Bowl roundabout reduced to one lane from just past Milburngate Bridge on the A690 for the first part of the week. However the restriction will be removed during the evening rush hour – between 3.30pm and 7.00pm.

Heading westbound on the A690, there will only be one lane open on the approach to Leazes Bowl roundabout, through the works and over the roundabout for the duration of the week. However the restrictions will be removed during the morning rush hour – 7.00am to 9.30am. All lanes over Milburngate Bridge will remain open and the approach to Leazes Bowl roundabout from New Elvet will also be reduced to one lane at the junction with the roundabout throughout the week. The subway under the bridge will be closed with pedestrians diverted over Claypath.

Future phases of the work will be publicised closer to the time.

People can see full details at either www.durham.gov.uk/LeazesBowl or www.durham.gov.uk/Gilesgate which also includes changes to bus services, links to traffic cameras that people can check before setting off and tips to avoid delays. Motorists are also advised to keep up to date with the latest on social media using #LeazesBowl and #Gilesgate.

Adrian White, Durham County Council’s head of transport and contract services, said: “Once installed the SCOOT system promises to improve journeys for everyone travelling through the city in addition to improving the roundabouts to make life easier for pedestrians.

“While we’ve taken all measures to minimise disruption, we are working on the major route through Durham City so people should be aware there may be delays. We would like to thank everyone for their patience while we carry out these important improvements.”

The work at Gilesgate roundabout is expected to last until May with the work at Leazes Bowl finished by autumn 2016.

Once installed, the new traffic lights will be coordinated with those already in place on the Milburngate roundabout to better manage the flow of vehicles through the city. This will mean much more predictable travel through Durham City at peak times making journeys easier for motorists and helping bus operators to plan services.

It will also enable the council to more effectively deal with the impacts of incidents and planned events on the road network. The council hopes to start using the SCOOT system in 2017.

Sound Advice From AYP Financial Planning

By on 2nd April 2016in Lifestyle

It’s a fact of modern life that as many as 40% of all marriages in the UK end in divorce. The break-up can be a traumatic time for all concerned and brings with it the need to make financial arrangements that can have ramifications for years after the settlement is made.

There are no hard and fast rules governing how assets should be divided, although there is a broad starting point of 50:50. If the divorcing couple are unable to come to an agreement on the division of their financial assets, the court will decide how these should be apportioned between them, based on factors such as their age, earnings ability, property and investments and role in the relationship (e.g. breadwinner or primary carer). The needs of any children of the marriage are always considered paramount.

AYP Financial Planning specialise in providing advice on divorce and can offer sympathetic, patient and pragmatic support throughout the whole process. You will need help to decide on your future financial goals, review your mortgage, life insurance, savings and investment plans and you’ll need to remake your will. Post-divorce, reorganising your finances is an essential step in moving forward to a new life.

Contact AYP Financial Planning for a confidential review now. First meeting is without charge but could prove to be the best time you ever spend. We can help, contact AYP Financial Planning on 01434 607808 or email info@aypfinancial.co.uk.

Master Glaze NE: What Makes Our Business Stand Out

By on 1st April 2016in Local Biz

Local biz Master Glaze tell us what makes their business special…

Master Glaze NE Ltd is a small family run business, established in 2001. We are proud to be FENSA registered, assuring our customers of our high standards, and as a member of the Glass And Glazing Federation offer an insurance backed guarantee with our installations.

Keeping the company small ensures that we can stay with our customers every step of the way on their journey to having new windows, doors or maybe a conservatory. We specialise in traditional sliding sash windows, and also offer a totally unique composite bespoke design service if your looking for the wow factor at the entrance to you home, or something a little more traditional we have a huge range of door and window designs to choose from in a fantastic rainbow of colours.

We can help with planning and design where required to take some of the leg work and pressure from our customers. We recycle all of our waste products and so are working towards a greener environment.

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We also work closely with landlord and letting agency’s, offering a repair and remedial service. So everything from a failed/misted unit to a broken lock.

We use all local suppliers and can offer our customers a hands on visit to our showroom in Birtley where they can see the quality and range of products available.

We offer genuine quotes and great prices for the highest quality products we use Duraflex diamond plus profile is a market leader.

We do not employ salesmen so no hard sell from us either.

If you would like some advice or for one of us to pop out and see you then just TEXT windows and we will call you back or call on  Graham 07947804983 /  Dawn 07904501431 / 01207 231481.

Or email us on masterglazene@gmail.com and we will get right back to you.

Canny Beds Celebrate Newly Opened Team Valley Store

By on 31st March 2016in Local Biz

Leading North East furniture supplier Canny Beds are celebrating the opening of their brand new store…

We all know how difficult it can be to find good quality furniture and beds at prices you can afford, which is why Canny Beds & Furniture believe they have brought together the best possible furniture at down to earth prices.

Whether it is the bedroom, dining room or living room you’re looking to add beautiful furniture to, you can rest assured that you’ll find it here for the best price online.

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Canny Beds’ brand new store is now open in Team Valley, which means you can choose between that or the Chester-le-Street store to pop in and find your new furniture. Want to check availability beforehand? Call 0191 410 9994 to chat to one of their staff in advance.

Testimonials:

“Seamless ordering and delivery. Bed of good quality and assembled easily. Great price.”

“Brilliant communication, bought bed for my 3 year old and it is excellent quality and very easy to assemble. All round excellent product for price.”

“Speedy delivery and the cheapest I found the bed anywhere!”

“Brilliant. Lovely comfy mattress. Great price and service.”

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