The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead, only 20 minutes north of London, is offering  The Mountain Challenge. VParticipants are split into teams and, with help from their local mountain guide, they have to devise the quickest route to reach the summit of The Snow Centre’s slopes and raise a flag. Before they can start the climb, the teams have to undertake a series of challenges to raise the necessary funds to compete in the expedition. Instructors Steve Cross and Greg Price developed The Mountain Challenge to help teams improve their team working skills, negotiation, budgeting, project management, creativity and lateral thinking.

The Snow Centre also is a popular off site local destination for breakfast and lunch meetings and corporate events , offering a unique view, wireless Internet and Costa Coffee. There are two fully serviced conference rooms for 45 or 55 people available. The site offers free car parking and full disabled access. Both conference rooms have air conditioning, wireless Internet access, overhead projectors and a TV and DVD player with all the necessary computer leads. The delegate rates include room hire and a hot or old buffet lunch. Refreshments such as tea and coffee will be brought to your room.

Businesses can also take out a range of snow side activities such as Ski and Snowboard Lessons, Recreational Lift Passes for all abilities or the World Cup Slalom. This last activity is an excellent method of promoting a competitive atmosphere as well as stimulating the team spirit. The World Cup Slalom includes race training from a highly qualified instructor. The group will be split in two teams after the training, and these teams will be pitted against each other to race through the gates and see who wins. After the entertainment on the snow, visitors can head back to their conference room or to The EDGE for food and drinks.

The Snow Centre offers corporate memberships. The discount depends on how many people sign up at the time of purchase.

More information about the Snow Centre available at www.thesnowcentre.com

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The strong reading suggests that the surge in July that was reported in retail sales was not just a onetime event, and that the recovery reflected during the second quarter is still holding strong in the third quarter.

On Thursday the sales balance showed +35 for August and in July +33 which was well above the scores that economists predicted which were cast at about +20.  Clothing sales in particular were the highest they had even been since the survey started measuring sales in 1988.

UK economist for Societe Generale, Brian Hilliard, stated that the message from the high sales report is that July started out strong and continued to grow throughout August which reflects well for potential growth in the third quarter.

Retailers also expect to see growth continue to grow as they expect September to also reflect high growth sales of about +39.

The second reading of sales for August is due to be released today and will show a greater breakdown of each different sales market.

Government data for the month of July displayed a strong monthly sales rate that can be traced back to February when analysts expected to see the World Cup boost up sales overall across the marketplace.

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In the Angels Den survey, over 70% of the 50 Angels that were asked said that they would mainly use their ‘gut feel’ to determine the value of a business in its early stage. Every single Angel questioned said they used their ‘gut feel’ to some extent. Lois Cook, the co-founder of Angels Den, said that using intuitive judgment when a company is just starting out and has nothing that a valuation can be based on.

Many Angels also take into account the management team of the company, and how likely they would be able to work with them effectively. But perhaps the most surprising result is that few of the Angels noted that they do not rely on their advisor or accountant to a great extent.

Angels Den co-founder Bill Morrow says that Angels tend to work with “entrepreneurs with passion”, and that personality can play a large role in judging companies. Angels Den, since it launched three years ago, has become one of the largest networks for Angels in Europe and the UK. There are currently several thousand Angels who are registered on the website.

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Mike Cherry, the FSB Chairman, stated that the FSB welcomes initiatives from the government designed to help people who want to plan for their future retirement with a pension, but are concerned with automatic enrolment since it will be costly both in terms of money and time for smaller firms.

The FSB also has concerns over the expertise that is required in order to guide employees towards the right pensions with the changes that are poised to take place.  In a survey conducted by the FSB, they found that about 70% of all small business owners were not confident that they could choose the best pension for their employees.

In place of the automatic enrolment scheme for small businesses, the FSB has proposed that a default scheme be developed in which employees that have a pension provision or no other savings could be placed into so that money would be safely placed in low risk funds.

Cherry added that small business owners are uncomfortable with choosing a pension scheme because of the complicated nature of the task and they are disappointed that a solution for small firms has not yet been developed by the pensions industry.

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Due to the fact that the economy is still fragile, most firms have been placed to put green issues on the side regardless of how they feel about them but even though SMEs are unable to focus on green issues, the target goal of the UK for carbon emissions is still in place.

For this reason, the Federation of Small Business feels that if the Government still wants to meet its own carbon emission standards then they need to start offering more incentives to SMEs to help them out.  Of course, while it may seem like a good idea, the Government is busy making cuts which make it seem unlikely that this will happen.

There are measures in place in order to help businesses work towards cutting back their carbon emissions such as an interest free loan provided by the Carbon Trust for the purchase of energy efficient equipment.  However, the FSB says that this is not enough since the Government wants to cut emissions by about 20% before 2020 dawns.

It may not all be in the hands of SMEs, because 44% of small businesses are housed in rental spaces which means that they have no personal investment towards making changes in items such as insulation.  Since landlords will not see any gain, they also have no incentive to invest in such changes.

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Privilege Car Insurance has a 16 year history, and for the last six years the company has slowly shifted its focus towards giving rewards to careful drivers as a way of saying thank you for taking care.  Those who have not an accident for four years are considered a ‘careful driver’ and as such are eligible for a no claims discount.

After all, if you are not a high incident driver and are attentive on the road, Privilege believes that you should be rewarded for taking care.  Paying too much for car insurance seems absurd for a customer who rarely needs to use it, which is why the safe driving discount system has been the number one reason that many people choose Privilege.

Privilege is well known for its face, Nigel Havers who helped propel the popular car insurance slogan ‘You don’t have to be posh to be privileged’ into day to day vernacular and now the slogan makes up the heart of what Privilege has to offer those who take advantage of its main offering.

The way that the discounts work is simple which makes the car insurance policies very attractive to those who want full coverage without any of the hassle.  Those that have four or more years of on the road experience without any accidents automatically are considered for the no claims discount.

In order to apply for a policy to see a quote, one can simply head to the Privilege car insurance website or call the company by phone.  UK based all the way down to UK call centres, Privilege understands the needs of the modern motorist in the UK and is able to offer services designed to match.

With additional perks such as free breakdown cover, roadside assistance, and an underinsured driver promise; when you sign up for a policy you can design it to meet your needs.  For those who want extended coverage, Privilege also offers plenty of optional extras designed to meet any need you may have.

If you have a loyal customer base, then Privilege may have something to teach you about maintaining and growing your customer loyalty.

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Other key findings in the survey show that managers do not understand how to design a lone worker solution.

The survey took place in Scotland and was commissioned by Argyll in line with the 4^th annual General Services Association conference that was held in Edinburgh on June 14^th.

The GSA is made up of multiple agencies including members that are from social care, health, and education settings that all take placed in the private, voluntary, and public sectors.  The aim of the Association is to bring members together to develop an international and national network of support, information, and guidance while promoting the best practice when dealing with violence prevention.

The survey was conducted in order to help Argyll comprehend the real risks of working alone and the current protection methods that are in place within the NHS in Scotland along with the Local Authority and Housing Association sectors.

CEO of Argyll, Tom Morton, stated that there are technologies on the market that can help minimize the risks of working alone.  He stated that there are many effective and cost effective technical solutions out there but warned that the Internet is offering many options that can be confusing and may not meet the compliance requirements of the government.

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Most people thrive on the diversity offered in almost every big urbanization, there are endless entertainment opportunities, huge selections of places to eat, and just about every activity imaginable is available in most cities of any size.

But now the Philips Livable Cities Award is trying to find people who want to improve their city, inhabitants who are conscious that a city needs to offer much more in many aspects of life in order to become far more user-friendly towards the people that live there.

Philips wants to hear regular people’s opinions about their city and what can be done to improve the liveability and enjoyment for everyone who lives there. They are offering three grants for the right ideas that will help to improve the way people live in our conurbations.

The three grants available from the Philips Livable Cities Award total €125,000 and are aimed at making ordinary people’s ideas become a reality in their city.

If you have your own ideas about what would make your city more lovable and liveable click here to find out more.

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Business Coaching can help keep your staff motivated which usually results in a more productive work force, and improved workforce atmosphere. Business coaching or life coaches as they are commonly known, offer solutions on how to improve moral and motivation.

Life coaches can help with many issues that may arise within a work environment such as:

• Conflicts between staff members
• Staff lacking focus
• Stress due to fear of redundancy
• Work/life balance
• Employees not realising their full potential, feeling undervalued
• Increase staff commitment
• Poor staff moral

Life coaching for business provides all staff members with an outlet for their feelings and thoughts towards the business. The coach can set goals and targets to help everyone reach their potential, either as a group or individuals. For this reason business coaching is often offered in-house on a group basis or one to one sessions.

To find a business coach in your area why not visit Life Coach Directory. You can search by your postcode, town or county to find advice and support in your area. Every coach listed on the site is fully qualified and insured so you can be assured of their professionalism.

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Vince Cable placed pressure on banks to start lending to small businesses or face a series of consequences.  It is perceived that better lending to small businesses will create new jobs which in turn will help boost the economic recovery.

The BBA (British Banker’s Association) announced in response that they have created a series of proposals that will help to stimulate the private sector with the top figures from UK banks working on groups that will troubleshoot the problem of banking lending.

Chairman of HSBC, Stephen Green, stated in a letter written to Chancellor George Osborne that the banking sector is aware of the need to provide finance to viable businesses in order to support the UK economy and that the taskforce will help explore the issues that surround lending so that finance can be given out better.

The announcement is apparently the Banking Sector’s response to the criticism they have been facing over restricting finance to SMEs.

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