The Blackmore Vale logo
Get The BV free - straight to your inbox monthly
Search
Home Blog Page 341

Ballet Under The Stars’ Matt Brady | Random 19

By
Editorial team
-
0
Matt Brady, creator of Ballet Under The Stars at Hatch House as Director of The Covent Garden Dance Company is celebrating the event’s return this summer, after a three year absence.
Matt Brady, creator of Ballet Under The Stars at Hatch House as Director of The Covent Garden Dance Company answers 19 random questions

On 22nd, 23rd and 24th July audiences in the beautiful 17th century walled Dutch garden venue just
north of Shaftesbury can enjoy an incredible line-up of dancers – many of them Principal dancers from
companies including the National Ballet of Ukraine, The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Paris Opera
Ballet and Staatsballett Berlin. Xander Parish returns to the Hatch theatre this year dancing with his wife,
Anastasia Demidova.

1. What’s your relationship with the Blackmore Vale (the loose North Dorset area, not us!)?

I have lived in the area for nearly 40 years on and off, it’s very much my base and where my parents settled so it’s really home. One of my enduring memories of the Blackmore Vale was in my early twenties, I used to exercise horses for a Point to Point stables owned by the trainer John Duffossy. John used to have a copy of a magazine rolled up and would clip me round the ear with it every time I turned up late to ride – which was quite often! It didn’t make me arrive any earlier so he was always waiting for me.
As a child I would spend much of the holidays fishing on the Stour for pike. Long days of walking river banks
and desperately trying to catch the monster pike! A lot of time was also spent riding in the Stourhead woods on the badly behaved ponies of many friends, being thrown off frequently and having to walk home.

2. What was the last song you sang out loud in your car?

That’s a tough one! I’m not really sure … but I have a vague recollection of singing Zero by Imagine Dragons VERY loudly with my stepson Jack not so long ago and the dog hiding his head under the blankets in the
Land Rover.

3. Who is your celebrity crush?

It’s a secret … In case they are reading this or if I meet them!! (if I had to say then the genius that is Jodie Comer is wonderful …but so is Scarlett Johansson … both so talented and brilliant!)

Ballet Under The Stars Matt Brady at his opening night speech

4. It’s Friday night – you have the house to yourself, and no work is allowed. What are you going to do?

Hahahahaha … That is between a man and his four walls. But realistically …probably something really boring like DIY… I have a passion for restoring and making things. I recently built a cabin on the lake. Very proud of that. Love staying in it when it is not rented out. (see it on Insta @the_Bruton_BoatHouse 😉 )

5. What was the last movie you watched? Would you recommend it?

I actually had time to watch two movies one Sunday night recently; ‘The Gentleman’ by Guy Ritchie – one of my fave directors – followed by ‘A Good Year’ by Ridley Scott. Love this movie, I’ve seen it so many times but it re-ignites my love or France and living there, the crackling heat, the effortless shabby chic. I lived in France for three years in my late teens and early twenties, it was one of the happiest times of my life.

6. What is your comfort meal?

Mac ‘n Cheese, I make a really delicious one, it’s an old recipe and I love it.
I do have a second choice – Heinz Ravioli on toast …with grated parmesan on top.

7. What would you like to tell 15yr old you?

STOP WORRYING ABOUT EVERYTHING!
Oh… and finish your studies!

8. The best crisps flavour?

I love a Pringle. But also love prawn cocktail Walkers… Difficult to choose. Actually, Quavers also have a
strong place in my life.

9. And the best biscuit for dunking?

This is random, but probably a Fig Roll? Does that count? Or is it a roll excluded?
VIP Choccie Hobnob, if so.

10. What shop can you not pass without going in?

A great old fashioned fishing tackle shop. I spent so much of my childhood on rivers and lakes in the shire, fishing and walking. There were some really wonderful old school tackle shops when I was a kid round here. They were always filled with amazing curiosities and inventions, spinning lures and hand-tied flies … It was what I spent my pocket money on. There was always something new to buy to try and catch that legendary monster pike that lurked in the deep pool beneath the weir on the Stour!

11. What book did you read last year that stayed with you? What made you love it?

I re-read Captain Corelli’s Mandolin … It is one of those books.
My father gave it to me years ago and said you must read. I then gave it back to him when the was fighting the Big C (a battle he lost in 2016) … It gave him great joy again and always gives me great joy.
And yes, (spoiler alert) I cry like a baby when Carlo dies.

12. Cats or dogs?

My amazing dog Panda, who’s three, is staring at me right now, so what can I say? Tibetan terriers are great at sulking, so my hands are tied. He’s always there for me and always happy to see me.

Covent Garden Dance Co's Matt brady, founder of Ballet Under The Stars

13. What was the last gift you gave someone?

Flowers to my amazing mum. She is going through a really tough time at the moment fighting bone cancer. She is just amazing.

14. What’s your most annoying trait?

All of them? The most annoying is maybe driving my PR mad by always having a million things happening all at the same time. And usually she is on the phone having to listen to me do them! (she is long suffering!)

15. Tell us about one of the best evenings you’ve ever had?

Honestly? The Tenth Anniversary celebrations of Ballet Under The Stars at Hatch House in July 2019. It sounds self-serving but after 10 years of struggle to keep the dream alive, it all came together in such a spectacular way that made everything worthwhile. The whole team felt it. We were already sold out for 2020 just months after that 10th anniversary show. It was a testament to everyone’s amazing work and artistry. Covid unfortunately had other ideas, obviously, so it is great to be back producing our flagship show at Hatch House this summer.

16. What’s your secret superpower?

Never giving up? When putting on live events and shows you always have to think on your feet, it is something you develop over the years. But what you really need more than anything is grit – the ability to not give up. Even when it’s got really tough. Stopping is not an option.

17. Your favourite quote?

“Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope”. Martin Luther King Jnr from his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in Washington DC on August 28th, 1963. So much wisdom from one man, it’s difficult to choose one thing. It is about never giving up, it is about when things look bad or insurmountable … there is always a stone of hope.

18. Chip Shop Chips or Home Baked Cake?

Chip shop chips! Lots of salt and vin – Mere Fish and Chips is great! I always pop in there to grab
some on my way to see friends.

19. You have the power to pass one law tomorrow, uncontested. What would you do?

I’d pass a law to allow me to pass a law every year uncontested, so I have more time to think about
what law would really make a difference!

interview by Laura Hitchcock

After a three year absence, Ballet Under The Stars at Hatch House is back this summer. On 22nd, 23rd (SOLD OUT) and 24th July audiences in the beautiful 17th century walled Dutch garden venue just north of Shaftesbury can enjoy an incredible line-up of dancers – many of them Principal dancers from companies including the National Ballet of Ukraine, The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and Staatsballett Berlin. Xander Parish returns to the Hatch theatre this year dancing with his wife, Anastasia Demidova.

For more info and booking – https://bit.ly/BVHatchHouseBalletStars

Beautiful spring turbans!

By
Editorial team
-
0
Originally a wildflower from Asia, Europe’s love for tulips meant that some bulbs were worth more than a house during the height of the Dutch craze for the plant, as Charlotte Tombs relates.
Crating the tulips
image – Melanie Ward

The tulip was a wildflower originally growing in Central Asia. It was first cultivated by the Turks as early as 1,000 AD.
Mania in Turkey struck in the 16th century at the time of the Ottoman Empire when a particular Sultan demanded certain flowers for his pleasure. The name ‘tulip’ comes from the Turkish word for turban which makes a lot if sense when you consider the shape of both. Tulips remained popular in Turkey, thereafter and in the early 18th Century the tulip era really began. There were tulip festivals and it became a crime punishable by exile to buy or sell the tulips outside the capital.

Some of this year’s Dorset-grown Northcombe Flowers tulips – sold by the stem, bunch or bucket!
Image – Charlotte Tombs

Constantinople to Amsterdam
The flowers arrived in northern Europe in the 16th century. Their introduction was thought to be by a botanist from Vienna, Clausius, who became the director of the oldest botanical garden in Leiden. He was friendly with the ambassador of Constantinople who sent him a samples of this wonder flower. This is believed to be the start of the bulb fields in the Netherlands today. At this time the tulip was being used for medicinal purposes but by the beginning of the 17th century they were gaining popularity in gardens and the bulbs were beginning to be sold for unbelievable amounts of money.
Hybridized flowers were being bred to be very decorative, and in the autumn of 1636 some bulbs were reaching larger amounts of money than a house in Amsterdam! Things came to a crash in 1637 when people came to their senses and stopped buying the bulbs for such high prices. Throughout the 17th and 18th century interest remained high in these bulbs and the Dutch became the true connoisseurs of this incredible
flower.
It was discovered in the 20th century that the frilly petals and flames on the flowers were actually caused by a virus – this has now been bred out of them, and the fancy tulips are now genetically stable although some are deliberately bred to retain this look.

This year Charlotte planted nearly 2,000 bulbs of 25 different varieties of tulips – she treats them as annuals, as returning flowers are always inferior (her assistant was VERY helpful).

Close planting for longer stems
This year I have planted nearly 2,000 bulbs with 25 different varieties. I plant them very closely together so I can get a longer stem (they fight for light and go upwards) which is more saleable. I treat the bulb as an annual and all the spent bulbs are composted. There are some varieties that will come back year after year but the flowers are smaller and less well-defined. British grown tulips are amazing and far superior to the supermarkets ones which are generally mass-grown imports.Some tulips are even scented but this has been bred out of the imports.

by Charlotte Tombs

Charlotte offers Workshops through the year – please see northcombe.co.uk for further details.

War and water (or lack of it) | Voice of a Farmer

By
Editorial team
-
0
Rising costs due to the Ukraine war combined with dry weather spell challenges for farmers, says James Cossins.
Silaging on Rawston Farm in the late 1960s

As has been well publicised April was a very dry month, with only 33mm, or one and half inches, of rain recorded in the month at Rawston Farm. The winter crops seem to be surviving well, with the oilseeds well out in their yellow flowers. The spring crops desperately need a good drink, however, or yields will be reduced considerably. We are currently sowing maize, our final crop of the spring.
With the current high cost of fertiliser, we have put a cover of farmyard manure on the fields before ploughing. We hope this will give the crop a good boost to its growth without having to add extra fertiliser.
The cattle grazing enjoys the dry weather whilst the grass continues to grow. There is little poaching of
the fields, and they are able to utilise the grass to good effect. The milking cows have certainly benefited from going out to grass, and we have been able to save on feeding silage and reduced the amount of
bought-in feed that they require in the winter.
We now look forward to silage- making, aiming for good quality feed for next winter. Getting the balance between quality and quantity can be challenging, and there is a trend towards cutting more often to improve the quality. Sometimes the quantity can be sacrificed if we don’t get sufficient moisture for the following cuts.

Fun and games
In my youth I was very involved with the Young Farmers Organisation, my local club being Blandford – in fact this is where I met my wife Barbara, who was a farmer’s daughter. I have recently been recycled into being involved again with Blandford on their advisory committee.
Each year there is a County Rally where all the clubs in Dorset compete with each other in many varied events. I was asked to help with the field events, which involved tractor driving, quad bike handling, tying a
load of straw bales, to name a few. A great time was had, with all competitors thoroughly enjoying
themselves. The Young Farmers movement is a tremendous organisation to belong to where young people can have lots of fun, meet new friends and learn about life in the countryside. The name ‘Young Farmers’ may be a little off-putting, but anyone under the age of 26 can join in. I am sure by looking at social media or the YFC website you will be able find the details and contacts of your local club; see what goes on and
maybe join in!

Shortages predicted
The effect of the war in Ukraine seems to be having far-reaching consequences for our everyday lives now. With energy prices sky high it seems food prices and availability are being affected. Vegetable oil (in the form of sunflower oil) is being rationed in some shops, with home-grown oilseed being looked at as a
replacement. Harvesting oilseeds in the UK will take place in July, and hopefully making up for any shortfall. Maybe in the UK we should look at the possibility of growing more sunflowers. It is also predicted that there
may be a shortage of eggs in the summer, with many producers deciding that it is uneconomical at the moment to produce eggs, due to high feed costs. I think the Government needs a wake-up call on food security for this country and not rely on imports to make up for any shortfall.
Finally, let’s hope for some rain for farmers and gardeners whilst we are in the growing season and not to save it up for the harvesting!

by James Cossins

Sponsored by: Trethowans – Law as it should be

Big Yellow Friday for the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation

By
Editorial team
-
0

Sexey’s School students and staff have raised more than £1,000 supporting the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation’s annual ‘Big Yellow Friday’.

For the ninth consecutive year, Sexey’s School has supported this cause alongside Tilly, the eldest child of two former pupils who met in Sexey’s Sixth Form, and who had a life-saving liver transplant at 10 months old. This year students attended school wearing items of yellow ranging from scarfs and socks to jumpers, full-length coats and high-visibility jackets.
Sixth Form students supported the event by selling yellow cupcakes, made by the kitchen and dining team, and raffle tickets to win some great prizes including a Nintendo Switch, F1 Merchandise and Amazon
vouchers.
To date the school has helped raise more than £40,000 by holding non-uniform days, coffee mornings, raffles and bake sales.
Mr Hill, IT Systems Manager at Sexey’s School said “Thank you to everyone who has once again supported this important cause that has such a personal tie to the school. It’s fantastic that we have raised more than
£1,000 to help fight all childhood liver diseases. We are especially grateful to all the businesses who donated prizes.”

The Iron Man of Sturminster!

By
Editorial team
-
0

‘Forging ahead to restore the past’ seems a good motto for Ian Ring, who owns Newton Forge, the Sturminster-based World Heritage business, whose work is in demand across the UK. Tracie Beardsley reports in A Country Living.

At the age of 11, Ian Ring was ‘mucking around with metal’. He now runs a world heritage ironwork business in Sturminster Newton
image Courtenay Hitchcock

At the age of 11, Ian Ring was ‘mucking around with metal’. It was time well spent he’s now running a world
heritage ironwork business in Sturminster Newton.
As Managing Director of Newton Forge, Ian Ring would be the first to say he’s still happier in the workshop with hammer and anvil than in front of his computer.
When we meet, his hands and sweatshirt are covered in carbon iron dust. He’s just finished helping his team
constructing a stunning iron spiral staircase for a private client in London.

Shed full of ambition
Newton Forge began life in a chicken shed in 1980 on Ian’s uncle’s farm near Newton Hill and now has a portfolio of clients which reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of historical buildings. They include: The Royal Courts
of Justice; The Langham Hotel; Hotel Café Royal; Berkely Square; Blackfriars Bridge; Kingston Lacy and numerous other National trust properties. Ian’s about to tender for roof restoration on the Houses of Parliament and the famous glasshouse at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh.
Many projects demand non- disclosure and confidentiality agreements – Ian has worked inside some incredible palaces and magnificent mansions – but he must remain tight-lipped about them.

As Managing Director of Newton Forge, Ian Ring would be the first to say he’s still happiest in the workshop with hammer and anvil.
image Courtenay Hitchcock


Despite all the grandeur of these huge historical assignments in glamorous cities around the UK, his favourite project is just down the road in Sturminster Newton! The Mayor has just unveiled the restored town pump. A car ploughed into it and the pump, which dates back to 1908, was smashed. “It was a bit like putting Humpty Dumpty back together,” Ian explains. “It was very rewarding as it’s an historical landmark
for the town. Being local to our offices, I see it every day.”
As an apprentice blacksmith straight from school, Ian exhibited at local country shows, selling handmade fire baskets and wall lights. Six years later, the master blacksmith and his wife Karen started their own company which progressed from chicken shed to a barn in Stalbridge Lane, then to Manston and finally Butts Pond
Industrial Estate where it’s been for the past three years.

Even with advances in technology, many of the earliest techniques and tools are essentially unchanged in
modern blacksmithing. Blacksmithing hammers come in various shapes, weights, and head styles that perform the different
techniques of manipulating metal – Image Courtenay Hitchcock

Training new ‘smiths
The 22-strong team has more than 200 years’ experience between them. There’s also keen support for future generations. Students from Kingston Maurward college learn metalworking skills on day-release and some former students are now on the Forge payroll.
Ian’s passion for his trade is obvious. ‘’I always knew I wanted to do traditional high-end metalwork,” he recalls. And he’s true to his word. The company’s symbol is an old blacksmith’s hammer and most
of the work is done by hand, although the forge also has state-of-the-art equipment.
“We do get some work engineered or laser-profiled. Sometimes we may need 3D models which is where the
modern side kicks in.” Restoration is now a high proportion of the work in the forge alongside reproductions
matching original historical ironwork.

“We’re about to start work on some damaged gates at Hyde Park. That’s a big job in itself, but we’ve also got to work out the
logistics of getting the gates back to Dorset for repair”
Image Courtenay Hitchcock

“We’re about to start work on some damaged gates at Hyde Park. That’s a big job in itself, but we’ve also got to work out the logistics of getting the gates back to Dorset for repair and work out what we can do safely on-site in London.” It’s no surprise Ian’s not a great sleeper. “I do a lot of problem solving at night,” he
admits. “How to crane huge iron railings over the top of a skyscraper when you’re installing balustrades at the Royal College of Surgeons – that sort of thing keeps me awake at night. I’ll come into the office next morning, admittedly a bit sleepy, but I can tell the team – ‘this is how we’re going to do it’!”

-“When I handle ironwork that’s been created hundreds of years ago, I can’t help but think about the boy or man who held it first. Was it the apprentice in his shiny shoes and apron?” – Image Courtenay Hitchcock

Quick-fire questions with Ian:

A-list dinner party guests past or present?
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Muhammad Ali and Winston Churchill. I’d also love to talk to a blacksmith from the past.
I write poetry (it’s not very good!) about the ghosts of blacksmiths. When I handle ironwork that’s been created hundreds of years ago, I can’t help but think about the boy or man who held it first, was it the apprentice in his shiny shoes and apron? I love to envisage the back story behind the historical object.

Books on your bedside?
I’m an audio book fan. I struggle to get to sleep. I can tune in and may eventually doze off. It’s easier than sitting up and reading a book in bed. I get through dozens and they’re great when I’m on the road working on projects away from home.

Favourite TV show?
I don’t get much time to watch TV but I do like the Repair Shop. In fact, I’d love to be on the team!

Newton Forge – www.newtonforge.co.uk/

by Tracie Beardsley

All views are welcome! | Simon Hoare MP

By
Editorial team
-
0
The Archbishop of Canturbury has every right to comment on political decisions – and politicians must listen, argues Simon Hoare MP.

Every day that the House of Commons sits, the day’s proceedings begin with prayers. Those prayers are led by the Speaker’s Chaplain. We pray for wise counsel, for the Queen, The Commonwealth and for the Country.
We pray that we be motivated by the best of intentions and that we set aside all private interests and prejudices. This part of the Parliamentary day is never broadcast. It is intensely private. Irrespective of the Speakers’ religion, if indeed they have any, the Chaplain must be drawn from the Anglican Church.
The Palace of Westminster is just that, a palace. The Chaplaincy is known as a Royal Peculiar (a somewhat peculiar title of itself) because the appointment is made with the permission and agreement of the Sovereign. The Sovereign herself is of course, Supreme Governor of the Church of England. At the other end
of the building in the House of Lords, Church of England Bishops sit, by dint of office, solely because we have an Established Church, and that Church has to be represented within the Legislature: the Lords Spiritual and Temporal.
The Lord Chancellor of England & Wales is involved with the recommendation of Bishops to the Sovereign. The upcoming Queen’s Speech will conclude with the time-honoured phrase:
“I pray that the Blessings of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels”.
The relationship between (Established) Church and State is manifest and intricately interwoven. It will remain so unless or until the Church of England is disestablished. I gleaned from Radio 4 (another National Treasure) that only the UK and Iran have clerics within their respective legislatures as a matter of right. I shall leave that particular fact there.

Neither a cathedral nor a parish church, Westminster Abbey (or the Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster to give
it its correct title) is a “Royal Peculiar” under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, subject only to the Sovereign and not to any archbishop or bishop

Free speech
I raise the above to try to demonstrate why it is perfectly proper for our religious leaders to be able to speak out on issues of politics or policy. They do so from a moral/ethical starting point. Those bishops can make their points in the House of Lords and no one would bat an eyelid. But some would have you believe, make it from the pulpit, and the terrors of Hell are unleashed and the foundations of Civilisation shaken to their very core. Commentary from our religious should be challenging, thought provoking and invite soul searching. Woe betide we should have clerics along the lines of Are You Being Served’s young Mr Grace who only seemed to intone ‘you’re all doing very well’.
I am a Roman Catholic and wear my faith lightly. I try not to moralise or believe I can deduce the view of The
Almighty myself. I like to hear the views of leaders of all religions. However, what I do know is that Christ’s
message, at the forefront of so many minds during the Easter Season, was challenging.
Outcast shepherds rather than local notables at the Nativity Stable. Prostitutes, tax collectors welcomed. The innocence of children preferred over their elders. Hypocrisy, pride and hubris all shot down. The poor rewarded over the rich. If Christ himself challenged the rulers of the day, faced into the accepted wisdoms,
grabbed people and shook them, why shouldn’t those who carry forward the Apostolic message today?
It is indeed their duty and calling to do so.
Criticism is never comfortable to hear. We are all human. We know that. But being uncomfortable and
challenged is a necessary part of our daily and political discourse. We cannot shy awayfrom it. Criticism is not always right. It does not necessarily lead to a Government or public policy having to be changed or
abandoned. It does not always have to be elegantly phrased or robed in some Delphic, nuanced cloak
that is beyond understanding to all but the Mystics. Sometimes I will agree. Other times I won’t. However, I will champion up until the end their right to speak out. Any politician who seeks to diminish that right, belittle the speaker or mute the voice cannot lay legitimate claim to the mantle of democrat or demonstrate an understanding as to how our delicate and centuries-developed modus operandi works.

Caretaker | Fairmead Community Special School

By
Editorial team
-
0

37 Hours per week – 52-week contract (Monday-Thursday 8 – 4pm, Friday 8 – 3.30pm)

Grade 13 Points: 7-11 (£20,444- £22,199) – Subject to experience.

FAIRMEAD COMMUNITY SPECIAL SCHOOL

‘This is a Good School’ – Ofsted March 2018

Fairmead Community Special School transforms the lives of pupils aged between 4-19 years with additional learning needs (MLD and ASD). The school works in partnership with parents/carers and other stakeholders to develop our pupils in becoming positive individuals who make a valuable contribution to their community.

The post holder will work under the direction of the Headteacher/School Business Manager to provide a clean, healthy and safe environment for the benefit of the pupils and staff of the school. This is a vital role within the school being responsible for the maintenance and security of school buildings. The successful candidate will also need to demonstrate that they have good communication skills to be able to work within a Special School whilst undertaking the requirements of this post with enthusiasm and motivation.  The applicant must have a full UK driving licence. 

Visit the school:  Prior visits can be arranged, please contact by email:  [email protected]

The full details of this role (Job Description, Specification and application form) can be found at https://dasjobs.co.uk/job/caretaker-93/ or the school website: www.fairmeadschool.com under the vacancies tab.

Closing Date:  Tuesday 24th May 2022

Interview Date: Thursday 26th May 2022

Fairmead School is committed to safeguarding the school community. All job applications must contain the disclosure of any spent convictions and cautions. The school will carry out pre-employment vetting procedures, which include the successful outcome of an enhanced DBS.

Fairmead Community Special School, Mudford Road, Yeovil, Somerset.  BA21 4NZ

Tel: 01935 421295. 

Bar Staff Wanted | Mill Street Social Club Wincanton

By
Editorial team
-
0

Bar Staff wanted 

Mill Street Social Club in Wincanton is looking for a friendly and enthusiastic member to join our bar team. We have between 5 and 16 hours available ranging from afternoons to evening shifts. We are offering great rates of pay. Experience is desirable, but not essential as full training will be provided.  

Interested? Please contact either Karen on 07985 338834 or Jo on 07590 599983 

How is your HR department?

By
Editorial team
-
0
Keeping up to date with employment law is a challenge – it can be easier to outsource than to keep up, explains Dawn Gallie, Head of the BattensHR team.
Head of Battens Employment team, solicitor Dawn Gallie

The fast-moving world of employment law can be difficult for many employers to keep pace with. BattensHR is a bespoke service developed by Battens Solicitors to meet those challenges. The Head of its Employment team, solicitor Dawn Gallie, explains the benefits of a besopoke expert team:

1. Legal experts – HR plus law
We are experts in our field, and advise on general HR matters including performance management, grievance and disciplinary processes and dismissal. We are also deal with discrimination and whistleblowing, contract changes and TUPE. We keep updated changes in complex legislation and case law and, by virtue of our qualifications and experience, we are perfectly equipped to condense this into straightforward, practical advice for our clients. As we regularly present cases at Employment Tribunals, we know what Judges consider in making decisions and how our recommended course of action could be perceived.

2. Cost effective solution
BattensHR gives you unlimited day-to-day advice on HR and employment law matters, all for a fixed annual fee. You can also add insurance to cover both the cost and compensation in the event of a claim against your business. BattensHR means never having to worry about the costs of obtaining employment advice and having the advice & support on hand, allowing you to concentrate on running your business.

3. Privileged advice
Whenever you receive advice from a solicitor, that advice is protected by Legal Professional Privilege. This isn’t the case when you consult an HR advisor. Likewise, any communication between you and your solicitor in preparation for anticipated or actual litigation is protected by Litigation Privilege. Correspondence between you and your HR advisor is disclosable as part of legal proceedings and all HR advice is disclosable
as part of a Subject Access Request (with some exemptions) so there is a risk that your communications will end up being scrutinised by a Judge, and in the public domain.

4. Bespoke documents
As part of Battens HR we provide all your documents from initial employment contracts through to disciplinary and dismissal letters. We provide tailored, accurate and carefully drafted documents which fit your business needs and comply with the latest legal requirements.

5. Continuity of advice
We are a dedicated specialist team who provide continuity of service from initial contact, with day-to-day advice through to litigation, including undertaking advocacy at Employment Tribunal. We are often able to prevent issues reaching Tribunal by resolving them early on and, where appropriate, assisting you in negotiating a settlement. This continuity means we won’t need time to get up to speed on a matter and we can be confident that the correct processes have been followed.

6. Commercial approach
We tailor our advice to our clients’ business, rather than having a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Part of that is building a relationship with you, knowing your business and its resources. We will advise on what settlement is reasonable and what sort of award an employee might achieve at Tribunal, so you can weigh up costs, risks and management time.

For more information about BattensHR contact Dawn Gallie email [email protected] or 01935 846272.

1...340341342...489Page 341 of 489

© Bluebean Publishing Ltd