Winterthur has won three top awards at the Financial Adviser Service Awards 2007, a glittering ceremony hosted by Clive Anderson at The Natural History Museum in London.

Winterthur won the most highly prized title of the ceremony - that of Company of the Year - for its consistently high service standards and award-winning performance in all categories - an unprecedented second-time win for the company.

The awards ceremony celebrates the best in financial providers’ service provision as voted for by more than 5000 Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs).

The highest main awards bestowed on the night were the respected and recognised five star ratings - an accolade which has become recognised as a benchmark within the retail financial services marketplace, including life and pensions companies, mortgage providers and investment providers.

In these awards Winterthur scooped:

• Five Star award for ‘Life and Pensions Providers’ for the sixth consecutive year
• Five Star award for ‘Investment Providers’ for the third year running.

David Thompson, Managing Director Winterthur Wealth Management said

Service excellence is a key differentiator for Winterthur and this success I believe is a reflection of our commitment to provide outstanding customer service. It is also clear that Winterthur’s overall market proposition – aligned to quality IFAs and their high net worth clients, backed with a simple, transparent and exceptional product range - has also helped us achieve such success as these prestigious awards.

Mike Kellard, CEO, AXA & Winterthur Wealth Management, said:

Winning these awards is excellent news. I am proud that the company has won this top industry award, which was achieved with the support of the entire team at Winterthur.

Family leisure operator, Bowlplex is the only UK company to walk away with three awards in a prestigious international awards ceremony, beating the best leisure centres throughout the world!

With a bowling centre in Basingstoke, Bowplex, won a staggering four awards in the 23rd Annual Bowlers Journal Bowling Centre, Architecture and Design Awards; the ten-pin bowling equivalent of the “Oscars”.

Fighting off some of the top names in the business, Bowlplex were awarded:

• The platinum winner, coming first for ‘Best Renovated Interior’
• ‘Best Renovated Ancillary Profit Centre’ for its Video World arcade
• ‘Best Renovated Bar/Lounge’ for Bowlplex’s Tower Park centre in Poole
• Diamond, second place winner in the ‘New Ancillary Profit Centre’ for the Poole Pit at Bowlplex Xscape, Braehead, Scotland.

Bowlplex managing director Tracy Standish said:

It is a great honour to win so many awards in an event which includes all the best bowling centres from across the world!

To be the only company to win from the UK, and to be successful against companies from America, who are seen as being at the forefront of bowling entertainment is a great achievement.

Bowlplex continually strives for excellence to offer the best in entertainment. The awards prove that Bowlplex continues to deliver cutting edge design and that the family entertainment concept is one, which is growing in popularity in the UK.

To keep Bowlplex at the top we ensure that all 16 Bowlplex centre are updated every six years. The Bowlplex mission to keep all centres at their best in both design and entertainment allows the company to win against all the other top leisure companies throughout the world!

Bowlplex was established in 1984 and has a total of 16 centres throughout the UK, including the site at Basingstoke Leisure Park.

On Sunday 4th November Julie, trainee Solicitor at Clarke & Son LLP ran the Athens Marathon with her fiance, completing the course in 4.58 hours. This was the original course used during the first modern Olympic games in 1896 as well as the official Olympic course of Athens 2004 when Paula Radcliffe was struck with stomach cramps and sadly had to pull out of the race.

On the event’s 25th anniversary, Julie managed a sprint finish to avoid going over 5 hour mark! Julie said of her challenge,

It was a very hilly and humid course and I can see why the ancient Greek who ran the 26.2 miles to tell of the victory against the Persians died at the end! I was born in Iran so a certain sweetness to someone of Persian connection entering Athens triumphant!

While Julie beat Paula’s 2004 Olympics (non) time thankfully Paula has returned to form and won the New York marathon also on Sunday. Julie and her fiancé have entered the ballot to run the 2008 London marathon and if accepted, they will begin fundraising in December for the Clarke & Son LLP charity of the year The Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust.

Steve is Dr Planet and he has always had his head in the stars! An entertainer of international experience for 38 years Steve has developed “Dr Planet” - a combination of musical culture and curriculum-based information on the solar system.

Steve is currently planning a tour of Europe in 2008 and has enlisted the support of the well-respected Headline Promotions, UK Press & Public Relations agency based in Basingstoke, to pave the way for that exciting new development in the exposure of Dr Planet to a whole new audience.

John Hicks, Managing Director of Headline Promotions said:

Dr Planet plans to continue to update his travels through the solar system on his website which Headline Promotions, Press & PR will help promote across Europe! We are delighted at this opportunity to work with such a renowned, globe-trotting, educator and entertainer.

Dr. Planet captures the children’s imagination with clever lyrics, catchy songs that combine useful information with having fun. Music is a common denominator that can be used to convey subject material as well as the pure enjoyment derived from listening and participating.As a world traveled and now, interplanetary musician Steve has found the response to music is the same everywhere, creating an impact that has no bounds or limitations. Music presented in a variety of styles and forms also enhances the discovery of the art itself.

Combined with curriculum based subject matter makes it all the more special. Further details about Dr Planet can be found at www.dr-planet.com

Basingstoke brand communications agency, Nine, won two Awards at the recent Field Marketing & Brand Experience Awards 2007.

The Awards recognise excellence in the areas of field marketing and brand communication, and are highly contended. They were given at a glittering ceremony in London on Wednesday night.

Nine won Gold in the category of Most Effective Roadshow Campaign, and were also voted Brand Performer of the Year in the Most Effective Brand Strategy category. Nine’s Director, Chris Cook, said

We are delighted to have won these awards for our work on the launch of the new Volvo C30 earlier this year. We already knew that our campaign was extremely successful for our clients’ at Volvo, and was very well received by the general public, but we’re thrilled that the campaign has now been recognised by our marketing peers, especially in the face of some very stiff competition.

The Free Will Tour campaign launched the new Volvo C30 to consumers across the country over a six week period in March and April this year. Anita Fox, Head of Marketing Communications at Volvo Car UK said:

The Free Will Tour far exceeded our expectations. It has positioned Volvo, and the New C30, as a relevant, credible and desirable choice amongst a target audience that we have previously struggled to attract to the brand.

Vicki Hansford was October’s North-Hampshire Women In Business Group’s guest speaker, held at The Sherfield School, Sherfield-on-Loddon.

Today Vicki is a renowned sportswoman who has overcome personal adversity to achieve great sporting triumphs that are truly inspiring. Vicki explained that 5 years ago she was diagnosed with cancer and given just six months to live. However, Vicki remarkably recovered and underwent both lung surgery and a below-the-knee amputation a year later.

Always a keen athlete, she threw herself into sport for rehabilitation, learning to run with a prosthetic leg, and began winning medals in the T44 class – open to athletes with below-the-knee amputations.

She won a Gold medal at 100m at the British Open Championships in 2005, setting a new British record in her first ever competitive outing. Vicki then went on to win Gold in the same event at the ‘Wheelchair and Amputee World Games’ in Rio de Janeiro the same year.

This was a fabulous achievement in itself but, never one to rest, Vicki sought ever greater challenges and transferred to rowing the following season. Last year she astounded crowds at the ‘World Rowing Championships’ by not only winning Gold in the ‘Legs, Trunks and Arms mixed coxed fours’, but also by setting a new World Record for the event!

Her efforts did not go unnoticed. Last December, Vicki was awarded the BBC South Hunt Johnston Stokes Disabled Sportswoman of the Year.

Vicki continued to have a successful season this year by stroking the boat to win the first ever world cup regatta in Amsterdam in June and gained a Silver medal with the same crew at the world rowing championships in Munich this September.

Vicki’s next greatest challenge is to compete at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. She has recently given up her day job to concentrate on her training. Spineworks are sponsoring Vicki in her bid to qualify for the 2008 Para Olympic squad. For more information on how you can help sponsor Vicki please email debs@spine-works.com

Sue Brown, Women In Business Group President, thanked Vicki for her inspiring speech, commenting,

I am never usually at a loss for something to say, but never has such an event proved to be so humbling for the hushed audience who listened in awe at Vicki’s amazing courage. Against all the odds, she has overcome traumatic experiences to achieve great sporting prowess.

We are pleased to announce that we now have our free business to business directory for the Basingstoke & Deane area live and working.

It is there for all local businesses to add their details, a short profile and a link to their website. As it is hand edited, we approve each entry to keep the website relevant but as a business owner in Basingstoke and the 01256 telephone region, there are benefits for you for adding your business.

• It’s free.
• It is relevant to the business community in Basingstoke.
• It may deliver traffic to your business website as our web pages are search engine optimised.
• You entry will generate a relevant web link to your website, which is good for your own search engine optimisation.

Why not add your business now?

Real world business process automation delivered by Magellan has successfully placed them into the finalist selection for this year’s INSPIRE ‘E-Business of the Year’ award. The winner will be announced during the Gala Award Dinner on November 27th at the Hampshire Centre Court Hotel.

This is a fantastic achievement for us; we have been working in Basingstoke for many years but have never put ourselves forward for such awards until now.

Damian Hessian, Managing Director speaks proudly.

We have built a business model around solving problems associated with supply chain delivery. Our on-demand model offers our clients a zero inventory and zero obsolescence approach for the production of all marketing and educational related materials.

Magellan’s ECOS system is a web-based platform which is customised to suit individual client requirements. The solution enables organisations to offer their employees & partners the ability to order everything from Marketing Collateral, Training Courseware Material, Corporate Stationery and Merchandise through a single webstore interface. Magellan also provides training programmes and ongoing technical support to assist their clients.

Our system provides extensive benefits to our clients as well as improving internal processes for our own company, for example; fulfilment of customer orders requires less manpower due to the automated process. One of the most useful features is ECOS’s ability to report on stock levels which enables us to predict for the future. This in turn allows us to only produce stock as and when needed, enforcing own on-demand business model

INSPIRE 07 is pleased to announce the inaugural Inspire 07 Business Awards to be hosted on the evening of Tuesday 27 November at Hampshire Centre Court Hotel in Basingstoke.

The Business Awards will celebrate the success of local businesses in Basingstoke and North Hampshire and are open to businesses from across the region, allowing our leading local businesses (both large and small) to gain the recognition they deserve for themselves and most importantly for the dedication and commitment of their staff.

INSPIRE was a huge success in 2005 and 2006 with hundreds of local businesses attending in search of new ideas for their business. Once again INSPIRE 07 will inspire regional businesses to grow and will continue to centre around an inspirational conference programme, providing an insight into the key issues that businesses need to address to ensure their continued success and growth.

INSPIRE 07 will also feature a ‘Meet the Buyers’ bringing together major regional public sector purchasing officers with local suppliers. This is a unique opportunity for local businesses to sell their products and services and win new business by conducting face to face meetings with buyers who are actively looking for new suppliers.

Visit the event website for more information about Inspire 07.

Enterprise week (12th-16th November) is a chance for individuals, voluntary, governmental or educational organisations and businesses to make their mark in their local community. This only comes around once a year and is a perfect opportunity to inspire individuals especially those not in education, employment or training to follow their business dreams. It is also an opportunity for businesses to form strong partnerships with other businesses and community development organisations.

The South East of England Development Agency (SEEDA) co-ordinates all activity across the South East, encouraging backing for the campaign from public, private and academic partners throughout the region as well as managing all Enterprise Week activity.

There are already lots of young people involved in entrepreneurial activities in the South East. Brackenwood Windows and Conservatories, based in Basingstoke are spearheading the week by holding two events to celebrate enterprise.

Managing Director David Medcraft will be holding a talk with students from Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College regarding how he set up his company using a mere £10, 000 loan – today Brackenwood turns over £6 million.

Brackenwood’s second event will be an entrepreneurial workshop, held at their Basingstoke show room to inspire local students to realise their entrepreneurial dreams. They will be opening their showroom for an afternoon during enterprise week and are inviting entrepreneurs from across the South East, especially Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire to come and talk to local students.

Managing Director David Medcraft enthused,

This is a fantastic opportunity for all businesses in the area to give something back to the community and to share their business acumen. We are holding two events this year in celebration of our 20th anniversary and welcome any other local businesses to get involved.