Greg Culshaw of Toyota‘s Epsom Head Office (GB), has completed a gruelling 24-hour static bike ride, putting him on course to raise more than £40,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.  Greg is the General Manager, Customer, Network and Quality Support.

Greg began his challenge at 10am on Wednesday 17 November and was joined by a number of colleagues, including Agustin Martin, Toyota (GB) President and Managing Director, who completed stints on static bikes alongside him, to give him encouragement. Paralympic cyclist, Jody Cundy, and Mark Chapman, Director of Finance of the MND Association, helped cheer him on at the start of his marathon.

Toyota (GB) is halfway through a three-year partnership with the MND Association and has so far raised more than £78,000 for the charity, which focuses on improving access to MND care, funding research and campaigning on behalf of the MND community.

Greg was inspired to take on the challenge in memory of a Toyota colleague, Rachel Rollason, who died from motor neurone disease earlier this year. He commented: “Rachel and I spent four years working together in the Customer Services Division and it’s fair to say that she made a lasting impression on me. Her boundless energy and devotion to getting things done were inspiring. She operated on ’no limitology‘ before I had even heard the phrase.”

He added: “This has been a brutal challenge, but at the same time I’ve been focused on completing it for Rachel and the MND Association. The idea started in a conversation with Rachel and in her last text message to me, she told me how proud she was of me for taking it on. She continues to inspire me and in turn, made me proud of her.”

To date, Greg has raised nearly £16,000 through his Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Greg24hrBikeRide. This will remain open for donations until the end of November. 

Toyota (GB) has pledged to fund-match the total raised by Greg, which means the charity should receive around £40,000 to help it keep up the great work it does on its five key promises:

1.    To make MND treatable and ultimately find a cure.
2.    To ensure everyone gets the help they need, when they need it.
3.    To make every day with MND count.
4.    To ensure people with MND are heard
5.    To ensure that nobody with MND faces it alone

Mark Chapman, Director of Finance at the MND Association, commented: “Greg’s challenge is particularly poignant because he’s doing it in memory of his colleague Rachel. It’s brilliant to see so many staff members from Toyota rally behind him to honour her, knowing that every penny raised will make a huge difference to people living with and affected by MND.

Last year we provided £1.4 million of support grants for 2,479 people living with the disease.

The grants provided by the MND Association have helped people living with MND to maintain their independence and improve their quality of life, and we couldn’t do this without partnerships with companies like Toyota.”

Jody Cundy, eight-time Paralympic Champion (three swimming, five track cycling) commented: “It was a pleasure to join Greg for the first hour of his 24hour charity ride for MNDA. It was a tough challenge, but I hope my support and presence helped make it a little easier.”

Agustin Martin said: “Watching Greg complete this challenge while we went about our daily business has been humbling for all of us at Toyota.  We congratulate him for his for raising such a significant sum for the MND Association, our charity partner, and for helping to honour the memory of our much-loved colleague, Rachel Rollason.”

The prescient promotional powers of Epsom based PR firm Oracle recognised in National Property Press Awards. The annual Property Press Awards were held 14th November and saw The Oracle Group named as Property PR Agency of the Year, a momentous achievement showcasing the impressive work and capability of the company. The awards, organised by Property4Media, celebrate the work of professionals across the industry and for the first time, five PR categories were also included to recognise the crucial work of this sector.

Image: From left to right Oracle’s Emma Holden, Zoe Murzell, Viv Onslow, Caroline Coskry, Bethan Millett, Annable Lewis, Joann Frame and Clare Sanderson.

As well as the triumphant win, The Oracle Group also celebrated two shortlisted entries with Viv Onslow named as a finalist in the PR Professional of the Year category and Bethan Millett as a PR Newcomer of the Year finalist. The successful agency sponsored the Influencer of the Year category which saw Property Tribes’ Vanessa Warwick named as the winner. Caroline Coskry, Chairman of The Oracle Group, was also part of the judging panel alongside 20 other senior property executives, media editors, industry experts and personalities.

Caroline Coskry, Chairman at The Oracle Group comments: “This is the award which everyone wants to win as it signifies incredible teamwork which is what we are all about at Oracle. We were up against some very stiff competition which made this win even more significant for us. I am very proud of my team and thank them for all the hard work that has gone into being the best in class.”

This year, the ceremony celebrated its twelfth anniversary which was marked by a gala dinner for the first time, at Hilton London Bankside, with property celebrity Phil Spencer returning to anchor the show for the third year running. The ceremony covered 18 media categories, 2 special recognition awards and 5 PR categories.

Based in Epsom, Surrey, The Oracle Group has been providing remarkable communication services to leading housebuilders, local organisations and others from the housing sector for over 10 years. With a team of industry experts, the well-established agency covers traditional PR, crisis communications, events, content creation, innovative campaigns and outstanding award writing.

For more information about The Oracle Group, please visit https://theoraclegroup.co.uk/ or email
bethan@oraclepr.co.uk

Surrey County Council launches Surrey Skills Plan at Skills Summit November 10. A landmark event in Surrey next month will bring together education providers and businesses in a bid to turbo charge Surrey’s local economy.

The Surrey Skills Summit at Sandown Racecourse on 10 November will give leading local businesses the opportunity to outline what skills they need in the years to come. Education providers including colleges and universities will be on hand to discuss tailoring vocational offers and training, with a view to developing Surrey’s workforce of the future.

The event will also launch the Surrey Skills Plan, including recommendations and actions to help deliver the skills, jobs and opportunities for Surrey’s economy to thrive.

The Summit will also include:
 Presentations from experts on the national skills landscape, including developments and their implications for Surrey businesses and training providers.
 Case studies from Surrey businesses who have taken creative approaches to meeting their recruitment, retention and skills needs
 The chance for businesses to have their voice heard to help build a world class skills system in Surrey that meets the needs of all businesses and residents.

Learn more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/surrey-skills-summit-tickets-
415842374737

Matt Furniss, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth, said:
“Surrey has the UK’s second largest GDP after London and for decades has been a natural home for companies from across the world. As competition for talent becomes tougher and skills shortages become more pronounced, it’s essential for Surrey to become more proactive in planning for the future. The Skills Plan and events like the Skills Summit are essential for growing a sustainable economy for Surrey. We need to come together to provide the right conditions for business to thrive, delivering skills, jobs and opportunity for all.”

Surrey County Council News

Statistics for the UK show that 30 people die and 2,000 are injured each year as a result of fires in
the workplace. The damage to businesses caused by fire costs the economy over £6 billion and 75%
of businesses that have a fire within the first year never trade again.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service aims to support businesses in reducing the risk and impact of a
fire by offering free advice and guidance on fire safety.

Their Business Safe and Well Visits take just ten to fifteen minutes and cover aspects such as
identifying the hazards, reducing the risk of a fire starting and steps to ensure the safety of staff and
visitors.

Dean, a Fire Fighter on Green Watch at Epsom Fire Station, said “Our Business Safe and Well Visits are an effective way of educating businesses on fire safety and reducing the number of fires we have to attend”

If you would like a free Business Safe and Well Visit, please visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/businesssafety
or simply scan the QR code below and complete the request form.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
Email businesssafety.education@surreycc.gov.uk

In the heart of Epsom and Ewell, The North-East Surrey College of Technology has a range of activities and courses available to the general public. From theatre hire, Saturday courses, distance learning, osteopathy and beauty…….

An open event for next year’s courses is on Wednesday 28 September (4.30pm – 7.30pm). Register to find out about courses for school leavers, adult part-time, apprenticeships, university-level or FREE distance learning courses.

A gym is fully fitted with a range of cardio and weights for all your workout needs. Instructors are on hand to provide advice to help you achieve your goals. Membership options from £21 per month, no contract. Fitness classes included. Personal training now available. Students get an extra discount. Details HERE.

A professional hair and beauty salon is offering a 10% discount to all new customers on their first visit. Details HERE.

A very popular Day Nursery for children aged 0-5 has recently been extended to alllow for more places. Ofsted rated ‘Good’. Details HERE

Saturday Academies for 13-16 year olds. A new season of popular, fun courses for teenagers starts in November, and they are selling fast. Details HERE

They have excellent grass football pitches for hire (adult and junior). The Sports Centre is available for hire for a range of activities, including badminton, basketball and football. Available for single bookings or block bookings. Details HERE

Any aches and pains? Nescot’s Osteopathy Clinic offers affordable treatment in our modern facility. Concessions available for public and students. Details HERE

NESCOT has small and large rooms for hire, and a 215 seat theatre. Details HERE. The campus and its facilities are available for filming or as a location base. Details HERE

Services for Local Business
NESCOT offers apprenticeship training and they also have students available for industry placement and work experience. They also host business breakfasts at Nescot for local business people to get together. Details HERE. Nescot offers a service providing leaflets, booklets, binding and copying for both businesses and individuals. Details HERE.

Free Level 2 online courses for 19+ in Health, Social Care, Business, Computing, Education and more. See HERE for eligibility.

Nescot. An institution the Borough can be proud of.

Coursera Inc., a global online learning platform, has announced that it is partnering with North East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT), to both enhance and expand teaching delivery, and to prepare the college’s 9000 students for in-demand careers in the digital economy. 

With NESCOT being a partner in the new Coast to Capital region’s Institutes of Technology, access to Coursera will support the college’s aim to deliver a wider range of advanced technical qualifications and higher education courses. NESCOT’s staff will have access to the full Coursera catalogue, including 22 entry-level professional certificates offered by Google, IBM, Meta, and other leading industry partners. The partnership will thereby create additional opportunities for NESCOT’s staff to develop the skills needed to deliver courses on high-demand technologies including AI, data science, engineering and software development.

Coursera is doubling down on its efforts to support the nation’s further education strategy, with the UK government increasingly investing in its new T Levels programme, and with participation in adult government-funded further education having increased by 4.6% over the past year.

The partnership with NESCOT builds upon Coursera’s relationship with the TEC Partnership, one of England’s largest providers of further and technical education, to expand its contribution to the UK’s further and higher education sector. It will do so by filling curriculum gaps, expanding NESCOT’s provision of job-aligned vocational courses, and bridging the gap between student skills and employer needs. 

By empowering faculty professional development and bridging this gap, Coursera and NESCOT seek to narrow the UK’s technology and data science skills gaps. The 2022 Global Skills Report, released in June by Coursera, found that the United Kingdom’s technology skills proficiency continues to lag behind a majority of European nations, ranking 42nd globally for technology skills, and 24th among the 33 European nations indexed in the report. 

Anthony Tattersall, Vice-President for EMEA, Coursera, said: “As the UK further education sector seeks to empower learners to thrive in the digital economy, collaborating to scale up the delivery of high-demand technology, business, and data science skills is essential. We are excited to partner with NESCOT by helping support their faculty to deliver high-quality, job-relevant skills training to their students, and to evolve the college’s blended learning provision.”

Coursera currently supports the skills development of 2.75 million UK learners. UK institutions already partnering with Coursera include Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, The University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds, University of London and the University of Manchester. UK learners are able to access 2,500+ Guided Projects, 5,000+ courses, 625+ Specializations, more than 75 Certificates (of which 22 are Entry-Level Professional Certificates), and 35+ degrees. In the first eight months of 2022, UK learners spent more than 1.1 million hours upskilling and reskilling on Coursera’s platform.

About Coursera 

Coursera was launched in 2012 by two Stanford Computer Science professors, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with 107 million registered learners as of June 30, 2022. Coursera partners with over 275 leading university and industry partners to offer a broad catalog of content and credentials, including courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, Guided Projects, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Institutions around the world use Coursera to upskill and reskill their employees, citizens, and students in fields such as data science, technology, and business. Coursera became a B Corp in February 2021.

About NESCOT

Nescot is a further and higher education college based in Ewell, Surrey. Each year over 2000 16-18-year-olds study at the campus on a wide range of vocational courses and apprenticeships, alongside 500 adults on university-level programmes. It also provides part-time and professional qualifications to thousands of adults – both on campus, and through distance learning and employer partnerships.

Surrey’s first food hall, Epsom Social, has just opened its doors on 29th August. The 200 seat venue will bring together 8 food vendors, with a central bar serving local coffee from Redber, craft beer from Esher-based Big Smoke brewery, cocktails, wine and non-alcoholic drinks, and a range of entertainment from local artists.

The food hall features 7 tempting kitchens in addition to regularly rotating pop ups offering up a range of cuisines and innovative menus. Food options will include local pizza purveyors Doughboyz, award-winning Venezuelan street food vendors Pabellón, Curry On Naanstop (as seen on BBC’s ‘Britain’s Top Takeaways’), as well as Lebanese, Mexican, Korean and dessert options.

Complementing the 8 food vendors is a 12 metre long bar, where Guildford-based Redber coffee and Esher-based Big Smoke craft beer will be served, in addition to a selection of wines, spirits and cocktails. Another key offering of Epsom Social is a performance area where there will be a curated range of events such as live music, sport on a large screen, comedy nights, cultural events and cooking demonstrations, using local artists and creatives where possible.

Located in the heart of the town, at Epsom Square, just off the high street and 1 minute from the train station, Epsom Social is open Monday – Sunday catering for everything from the morning coffee run, lunch and dinner through to evening cocktails and get-togethers.

Co-founder of Epsom Social, Peter Farrell, said: “We can’t wait for the local community to experience the really exciting things planned for the venue.”

Following a strike of mail workers and a picket at Epsom’s East Street Sorting Office CWU workers picket the telephone exchange on the other side of the street. See our report on postal strike HERE.

The dispute, which involves more than 40,000 CWU members working for BT and Openreach, was triggered by BT’s imposition of real-terms pay cuts for all CWU-represented grades, claim the Trade Union.

CWU claim that instead of following normal negotiating protocols – under which a draft deal that is fair and acceptable to both sides is arrived at through discussions, and then recommended by the union to its membership for their ratification – this year BT abruptly terminated the talks after just six short meetings. Firm proposals had only been tabled by management in the latter two of those meetings.

BT claims the flat-rate settlement of £1,500 equates to between 3.8% and 8% dependent on where individuals sit on the pay scale.

The CWU therefore calculates that even the biggest beneficiaries of this year’s imposed flat rate pay award have only received around 5%  – with the vast majority of CWU-represented grades receiving only a little over 4% and some below 3%. That compares with spiralling inflation that saw the Government’s preferred (typically lower) CPI measure hit  10.1% in July  (RPI  12.3%) and  even the Bank of England predicting CPI will top 13% within months.

In 2021 members received no consolidated pay rise at all, and even the agreed settlement in 2020 was slightly below inflation. In fact, since 2020, BT pay for CWU grades has increased by just 6.6% (including the £1,500 imposed award for 2022).  Without any improvement to the imposed £1,500 award, this represents a real-terms pay cut since 2020 of 6.9%  based on RPI, and 2.8% based on CPI. This is despite BT’s declaration of a £1.3bn annual profit, a £761 million dividend payout for shareholders and a 32% pay increase for the CEO.

The CWU conducted its first company-wide industrial action ballot in BT Group since 1987 in June. In Openreach, where 28,425 CWU members were entitled to vote, participants recorded 95.8% ‘yes’ vote for industrial action on a 74.8% turnout.  In  BT, where 10,353 were issued with a ‘yes’ vote of 91.5% was recorded on a 58.2% turnout.

As a result, the first national industrial action in BT Group for three and a half decades took place on July 29 and August 1 and again on Tuesday August 30 and Wednesday August 31. 

An online auction of a collection of 15 hats created for the Platinum Jubilee by some of the UK’s leading milliners has raised close to £9,000 for Brain Tumour Research. The collection of hats was inspired by the seven decades of The Queen’s reign and entitled “Hats Fit For A Queen”.

Pieces by Royal milliner Rachel Trevor-Morgan and milliner to the stars Stephen Jones OBE formed part of the collection, which was displayed in the Queen Elizabeth II Stand at Epsom Downs Racecourse on both days of The Cazoo Derby (June 3 rd & 4 th ), before subsequently being auctioned online.

The Cazoo Derby formed part of the official celebrations for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The project formed part of Go Epsom’s wider Platinum Jubilee festivities across the Borough of Epsom and Ewell, which celebrate The Queen’s lasting association with hats and their continued importance as a quintessential piece of raceday style.

The initiative was a new collaboration between Go Epsom, The British Hat Guild, Brain Tumour Research and Epsom Downs Racecourse and was promoted via the hashtag HatsFitForAQueen.

The project formed part of Go Epsom’s wider Platinum Jubilee festivities across the Borough of Epsom and Ewell, which celebrate The Queen’s lasting association with hats and their continued importance as a quintessential piece of raceday style.

The initiative was a new collaboration between Go Epsom, The British Hat Guild, Brain Tumour Research and Epsom Downs Racecourse.

Karen Pengelly, Bid Manager for Go Epsom said: “I am delighted that we have been able to help raise so much money for Brain Tumour Reaseach with ‘Project Hat’. It was very satisfying to see some of these incredible hats being worn over The Derby weekend by some extremely well known celebrities. And to know that they have now gone on to be cherished by their new owners is wonderful. If Her Majesty the Queen had been able to attend the Derby I feel sure she would have been very touched to have seen the efforts that the UK’s top milliners had gone to as a nod to her.”
Hugh Adams, Head of Stakeholder Relations at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are extremely grateful to Go Epsom, Epsom Downs Racecourse and The British Hat Guild for staging this wonderful exhibition, creating such a valuable platform to raise awareness of brain tumours and for the money raised. The auction proceeds will fund the equivalent of three days’ research at a Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving treatments and, ultimately, finding a cure. To be a part of this wonderful initiative during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations have made this very special for us.”
Edwina Ibbotson, on behalf of The British Hat Guild, said: “All the 15 members of the British Hat Guild who took part were honoured to participate in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. We loved the idea of making hats from all decades of  HRH The Queen’s reign from styles which would have been worn at The Derby in the 1950’s and right through to the modern day.  The Guild have a close relationship with Brain Tumour Research, and we were thrilled that our members creations could be auctioned off to raise vital funds for them and their important work.”
Simon Durrant, General Manager at Epsom Downs Racecourse, said: “The Hats Fit For A Queen display at The Cazoo Derby proved to be a great success and the whole Jockey Club team are delighted to see the collection raise close to £9,000 for Brain Tumour Research. It was a great honour for The Cazoo Derby to be part of the official celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee and we hope the money raised for Brain Tumour Research will ensure that there is a positive and impactful legacy for this initiative.”

Epsom’s University for the Creative Arts (UCA) offers advice to degree seeking ‘A’ Level students. “With over two million jobs in the Creative Industries across the UK, choosing a degree in a creative subject is no longer just about following your passion – it’s a sound career choice” says Julian Henry, UCA’s Head of Student Recruitment.

“If you’re looking at courses in Clearing, choosing a creative degree, can help you develop the skills that employers of the future are looking for – innovation, problem-solving and collaboration. You might also be surprised by the types of creative courses on offer, such digital art, games design or even business degrees focused on creative thinking.”

For students thinking beyond a traditional degree and looking for a course that will let their imagination run free, the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Epsom offers its top tips for Clearing.

1. Don’t panic – just breathe! Take the time to think about what you want from your course and what you want to get from your university experience.
2. Focus on your strengths. Think about what you’re passionate aboutand the skills you have that are often undervalued in traditional subjects, like imagination, curiosity and open-mindedness.  
3. Keep an open mind and think outside the box. Want to pursue a creative career – then think creatively about what you study – you might be surprised by the range of creative courses on offer.
4. It’s not all about grades. It’s fine to change your mind about your what you want to study but do think about whether your qualifications and personal statement are still relevant. At UCA we consider more than just grades – we want to know about your creative potential.
5. Check out your options. Don’t wait until Clearing Day to start looking at universities and courses, ask questions online or sign-up to online events to find out more.
6. Think about what you need. Universities come in all shapes and sizes. At UCA we are focused on creating a personal, supportive and close-knitted communities.
7. Contact someone and ask questions. If you’re curious about a course, contact the university and ask questions. There’s no commitment and you might just learn something from the way they respond.

“When you choose to study a creative degree, you’ll be stepping into more than a games design studio, film set or architecture workshop – you’ll be stepping into a lifetime of learning, creating, and opportunities.”

A recent graduate from UCA Alex Rahneva enthuses.

“UCA gave me the opportunity to become more independent through self-work and be able to adapt to different circumstances. I think the key skill I’ve learnt for my future is the resilience to create independent work.
And the advice I would give to students would be, believe in your work and trust your talent. It might be very daunting to put yourself out there but at the end of the day, making connections is all about showcasing your work, your skills, and your creative ability to innovate. Industry experts recognise and value this above all else!

I’ve had plenty of opportunities at UCA to meet and network with people from the creative industries, including amazing networking opportunities with industry experts at Graduate Fashion Week. As well as opportunities to meet and network with companies like Meta/Facebook and USP (Unique Style Platform), having won awards sponsored by them at UCA’s Business School for the Creative Industries Industry Awards 2022. Both experiences have been eye-opening and gave me experience and guidance on how to make my way into the fast-paced and global creative industry.”