South West-based chartered accountants, tax consultants and financial planners Albert Goodman has announced a support package up for grabs worth over £2,000 aimed at Somerset’s small business owners. The lucky winner will gain access to a variety of services on offer with the aim to raise their profile, professionalise their branding, manage their accounts online and allow them to network with...

Clarke Willmott specialist commercial lawyer Amy Peacey (pictured) looks at some of the implications of Brexit since the transition period ended, particularly on businesses importing and exporting goods: The recent end of the transition period has brought the reality of Brexit into sharp focus for any business moving goods to and from the EU. Since 1 January 2021 EU law has ceased to apply in th...

National law firm Clarke Willmott LLP hosted the first in a series of energy-focussed webinars, partnering with NFU Energy to look at green energy projects in the agricultural sector. The Green Energy Diversification event attracted over 230 people from a wide cross-section of industries including farmers, contractors, land and estate agents, funders, green energy consultants and planning special...

Somerset County Cricket Club can today announce a new partnership with Mansfield Sports Group. The initial two-year agreement will see MSG become the Club’s Official Equipment Partner. Mansfield Sports Group provides a wide range of exclusive products that give coaches a complete sports equipment and apparel solution, empowering them to spend more time focusing on the players themselves. Found...

Former Richard Huish College student, Gareth Hynes, who is a Specialist Registrar in Respiratory Medicine at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) and a Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, has been awarded an MBE for Services to Medical Education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gareth, 36, who now lives in Oxford, attended Huish from 2000-2002 where he achieved his A Levels in Maths, ...

Students at Strode College, in Street, have set up a new weekly podcast to support each other during lockdown.  'The Lockdown Lounge' is a discussion-based podcast created by students, for students. The weekly show will give students a supportive platform to discuss a range of topics and issues relating to them during lockdown.  Produced and hosted by L3 Creative Media Production students, the ...

The rapid growth of remote education, digital working and dependence on technology in many aspects of day-to-day life has shone a light on digital poverty across the UK. Closing the digital divide is a national challenge, requiring a national effort. As part of the Department for Education’s (DfE) Get Help with Technology scheme, Weston College has received over 380 devices to support learners ...

Clarke Willmott has launched a new campaign to encourage people to pledge that they will make a will this year.   Recent studies have consistently shown over half of UK adults do not have a will. Now experts at Clarke Willmott LLP have launched the 'I WILL' campaign, which they hope will encourage people to redress this worrying statistic and take steps to safeguard their family’s future wealt...

Strode College is the Association of Colleges’ (AOC) Beacon Awards 2010/21 winner of the Edge Award for Excellence in Real World Learning sponsored by the Edge Foundation.  Achieving this national recognition was based on our unique partnership with Historic England and the delivery of the Historic Environment Advice Assistant Higher Apprenticeship.  This Award was presented at the Association...

Weston College recognises that, despite challenging times, many employers are looking at how to access training for their teams. The college also knows there are plenty of options available for employers to access funding and skills support and that it can sometimes feel overwhelming and leave firms not knowing where to start – which is why the college is launching Skills Surgeries.   Skills ...

In the latest in a series of blogs, Lauren Squibb, Weston College’s Business Growth and Employer Partnership Manager, takes a closer look at project management and delivering with a dispersed team: When Coronavirus came into our lives last Spring, we were exploring a project in Weston-super -Mare and although it changed our approach, it certainly hasn’t stopped us. In this blog, Somerset Cha...

At last Wednesday’s virtual National Moneyfacts Consumer Awards, for the second year in a row, WPA won the Health Insurance Provider of the Year Award against other finalists including Aviva, Axa, BUPA and Vitality.    Rod Bramston, WPA’s Executive Director for Retail and Commercial Customers, said: “Recognition like this is a testament to the team’s hard work and success in 2020. We we...

Ofsted Outstanding Strode College is planning a series of special virtual events to support National Apprenticeship Week 2021, which runs from February 8-12, 2021. Businesses will have the chance to find out about all the benefits employing an apprentice can have in terms of productivity and skills development. Prospective apprentices can also find out about the opportunities available, includin...

In the latest in a series of blogs, Weston College's Business Partnership Manager, Louise Greene, explores the link between wellbeing and productivity: As people, we all know that being in a good state of wellbeing, being happy and fulfilled helps us to perform at our optimum. Organisations that address and support positive health, wellbeing and mental health initiatives are more likely to achiev...

A multi-million project to upgrade Taunton’s M5 Junction 25 has taken a big step forward with the opening of an important new link road serving the town and motorway. The Nexus link road is the next key stage in the £19.2m improvement of Junction 25, which when finished next summer will deliver significantly increased capacity.  The road, which from Sunday night (January 17) began carrying A...