The launch of the Junior Lawyers Division at the Light Lounge, Basingstoke on 19th February was a great success. Around 35 young professionals associated with the law attended and speeches were given by Kat Gibson, the President of the Junior Lawyers Division and District Judge Carney who sits at Basingstoke County Court.

District Judge Carney gave a very informative speech advising young lawyers on practical issues of court applications and Kat enthused about the group being a great support to junior members in the profession.

After the speeches a quiz and business card raffle was held. Julie Mehrabian (pictured), Clarke & Son Trainee solicitor and committee member of JLD thought the evening was a great success,

I think everyone really enjoyed themselves and we were very pleased that the net was cast wide and people came from all over the Hampshire area, proving that the group will offer really good opportunities in the future.

Basingstoke based Voller Energy Group PLC (VLR), a leading developer of fuel cell systems, has asked Deloitte Corporate Finance to conduct a strategic review of the options open to the Company that may include, but are not limited to, strategic alliances, mergers, refinancing or a sale of the business.

This follows interim results for the six months ending 31 December 2007 with posted net losses of £1.28 million, compared with a loss of 1.16 million, the previous year.

With continued development of their fuel cells and a new manufacturing plant built in Basingstoke during 2007, Stephen Voller, Chief Executive Officer, said:

Voller’s progress over the last six months has been very encouraging. We are one of the first fuel cell companies worldwide to have products ready for commercialisation and we remain on track for the delivery of our first commercial units as planned. For the Voller team this represents the culmination of all the effort that has been expended over the last three years. Voller continues to look at opportunities and applications for the Emerald system and remain excited by the prospects for 2008.

Unum, the UK’s leading disability insurer based in Basingstoke, has sponsored the publication of ‘Attendance Management and Disability’, the second in the series of Employers’ Forum on Disability (EFD) best-selling line manager guides.

The 31-page guide draws on vital questions from EFD members on how line managers approach attendance management and is designed to make it easier for them to:

• recognise the signs when someone might have a disability
• distinguish when absence might be disability related
• identify how work could be done differently to maximise the
• potential of disabled staff make sure employers do not break the law by discriminating against disabled colleagues

This guide is essential reading for all line managers who want to get it right for their disabled colleagues,

says Susan Scott-Parker, chief executive of Employers’ Forum on Disability.

Along with its sister-publication, ‘A best practice approach to working with disabled colleagues’, the guide will ensure that line managers are better placed to ensure equal opportunities for their disabled colleagues.

Unum corporate services director, Joanne Hindle added:

For many employers disability in the workplace is viewed as a significant cost and the rich source of talent that is within the disabled community is not widely recognised.

However, education and training are crucial to changing attitudes and convincing employers that employing disabled talent does make economic sense. At Unum we are keen to help employers understand the best ways to facilitate workplace wellbeing, including attendance management, for disabled employees. This is why we are pleased to be sponsoring this latest valuable guide.

The University of Winchester campus at Basingstoke is both host and sponsor of the upcoming networking lunch for North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Chute House, set in picturesque Glebe Gardens close to St Michaels Church, the ancient parish church for Basingstoke, can help widen access to higher education in Hampshire, and is the venue for this opportunity to mix with business people from Basingstoke and North Hampshire.

Further information from Marian Bennett 01256 352275 or visit www.nhcci.co.uk for more details.

Basingstoke design and web agency, The Escape, have bolstered their management team with the appointment of Ian Mumford as Creative Director.

Craig Killick, Managing Director of The Escape explains:

Our creative offering has developed rapidly over the past twelve months and we are now a more strategic agency. This requires us to take steps to continually raise our game and Ian is the perfect fit for The Escape. I am looking forward to the impact he will have on the future of our business moving forward.

Formerly of KAG, Ian has been working in the local design industry for over 10 years and joins The Escape at a time of diverse growth and expansion. He commented:

My aim is to ensure all existing and future clients know they are being looked after by a concept-led team, driven by the understanding that each client has individual business and marketing needs. I am dedicated to taking the creative direction of The Escape to a new level and excited by the challenge.

The Escape celebrates its tenth year in business during 2008 and has been based in Daneshill since 2001. As part of their growth plans they are looking to establish themselves as a recognised creative force in Hampshire. This has included campaigns for Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council and more recently for Hampshire County Council although their clients are not just based locally with the company having recently implemented a web strategy for a Canadian A/V Distributor.

NewNet is substantially increasing the availability of its acclaimed high performance broadband services and one town to benefit will be Basingstoke in March 2008. The ISP is currently adding six further unbundled (LLU) exchanges in Hampshire and Berkshire in the first quarter of 2008.
In addition to expanded availability, the company announced new business class services from £31 per month providing unlimited office hours usage with download speeds ranging from 512k to 24meg.

Peter V Coates-Buglear, CEO, NewNet plc said:

Through unbundling these exchanges, we are delivering on our commitment to provide super-fast reliable NewNet Direct internet services to the South Coast and beyond. NewNet is now well advanced with further product development plans geared towards the business market and expect these to be available within 3 months.

NewNet has been nominated for four ISPA awards, including Best Consumer Broadband and Best Business Broadband together with Best Consumer and Business email services. Peter V Coates-Buglear said:

This is a fabulous compliment to our staff and their dedication to service and quality of performance.

Leisure operator, Bowlplex, is reducing its carbon footprint in all 16 of its family entertainment centres, including Basingstoke, with the implementation of a number of energy saving schemes.

With the help of partners including the Carbon Trust, Dorset Resource Efficiency Club and Powertech Solar, Bowlplex is working hard to further reduce its environmental impact.
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Our free business to business directory for Basingstoke has now been adapted to allow 01189 numbers for Tadley businesses after a request from a reader.

This means that you can now add your Tadley-based business to the directory. All listings are still manually checked to ensure locality.

Kelway UK Ltd, the UK’s fastest growing IT reseller, has opened a new regional office in Basingstoke’s Vertex centre. Following the acquisition of Elcom ITG, the IT infrastructure and services group, in June 2007, Kelway has moved quickly to both grow the Elcom business and transition it to the Kelway model. The new 8,600 sq ft Vertex Basingstoke office signals the completion of this transition, and officially opened for business on 4 February 2008.
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