The Creative Media Centre is proud to join Judges Bakery, The Wellington Centre and Hastings Borough Council as a main sponsor of the site.

Linda Jeffcoate, from the Creative Media Centre, said “There are so many exciting businesses in Hastings and St Leonards and we see WeLoveHastings.co.uk as an excellent opportunity for these businesses to promote themselves and all of the brilliant events that are going on every day. The whole purpose of the site is to talk-up Hastings & St Leonards, and we support that.”

Tim Clarke, from WeLoveHastings.co.uk, said “We’re very pleased to have the Creative Media Centre as a sponsor of our site. The Creative Media Centre is full of companies who are passionate about living and working in Hastings and St Leonards and we hope that their sponsorship will help promote this incredible, dynamic town that we live in.”

To add your business or event to WeLoveHastings.co.uk, please click on the link below

InFX Solutions provides services, training and support to help make organisations’ online presence as effective as possible. Its work encompasses web site creation, online commerce, search engine optimisation and digital films. Its clients include European airline City Jet, manufacturer Marshall Tufflex and local vehicle retailer St Leonards Motors. The company was previously based in Cambridge Road, Hastings.

Nick Silk, Director of InFX, comments: “Our business expanded well since we set up in 2006 and we’d outgrown our previous premises. We wanted new offices of the right standard that would suit us now and accommodate our future development. As high quality, air-conditioned, serviced offices in the centre of Hastings, the Creative Media Centre is an ideal new base for us and our clients.”

Nine serviced offices are currently available in the Creative Media Centre, ranging from 360 sq ft offices suitable for five to six staff to a 130 sq ft office for two workers. All are available on flexible licences that include rent and running costs in single monthly payments and are backed by clerical support services. Interested entrepreneurs should call 01424 205 402 or email lindajeffcoate@sea-space.co.uk.

Linda Jeffcoate, Commercial Manager of the Creative Media Centre, says: “InFX is a great addition to the Centre, which is thriving as a community of local creative companies. Many of them are working together to punch well above their weight on large projects—servicing clients right across the globe and proving remarkably resilient in these tough economic conditions. InFX brings an impressive track record in national and international online marketing to the mix of expertise in the Centre.”

In addition to companies such as InFX which have moved from within the local area, others have relocated to the Centre from further afield. Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service has branched out from its headquarters in Portsmouth; Communications Lab moved from Nottingham; BR Web Consulting relocated from Manchester; and presentation design business Slinky moved from Australia.

Notes:  

The Creative Media Centre stands in pedestrianised Robertson Street in Hastings’ Priory Quarter business district.

The development of Priory Quarter is part of the economic investment programme for the Hastings area, which also incorporates the South Queensway Enviro21 sustainable business park (www.enviro-21.com) on the north-west outskirts of the town. 

For more media information or images, please contact:

Tariq Khwaja from TK Associates (www.tk-associates.com) on:

T: 01932 224 212

M: 07833 336 271 or

E: tariq.khwaja@tk-associates.com.

End

Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) announced it has given the green light to support the Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust (HPWRT) in their bid to save Hastings Pier, East Sussex.

Development funding of £357,400 has been awarded by HLF to enable the Trust to move to the next stage of its plans before a final decision is made on a full HLF grant of £8.75m.

HPWRT’s project involves the heritage-led transformation of the pier by restoring the substructure, deck and railings; and redeveloping the above deck. A restoration programme will preserve the Eugenius Birch structure, as well as introducing new structural elements. An accompanying education programme will deliver learning opportunities for all ages and include hands-on heritage learning and, in association with Sussex Coast College Hastings, apprenticeships to develop the next generation of pier engineers. Much of this will be run from a purpose-built Heritage Learning Centre on the pier.

The commercial programme involves establishing the People’s Pier Company, a community-shareholder owned management company run by an experienced leisure management team, to manage the pier. The commercial and educational activities will provide employment and volunteering opportunities for Hastings.

By the end of this project, the pier will be structurally sound and a great investment platform for the future, a catalyst for the economic, social and cultural regeneration of Hastings and the British seaside.

This is a great moment to celebrate the ‘dogged persistence’ of the local trust and the wider community over the past five years, especially now that the new Hastings Pier Charity has received charitable status.

This project is a real opportunity for the local community – including residents, businesses, and schools – as well as visitors and supporters from all over the world to continue their great work in helping to save this much-loved structure and reinvent it for future generations.

Equal Access Consultancy has been developed from the view of the personal experiences of disabled people. They can provide professional and expert services for anyone wishing to play an equal part in today’s society. Some of these services include, training for staff, advice and support, access audit of your premises, helping your business to fulfil is legal requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act and many more.

Currently there are around 11 million disabled people living in the UK. 3.5 million of these are in paid employment. Disabled people in the UK spend around £80 billion per year; which means they make a significant contribution to the economy. Equal Access Consultancy has been created to provide services for anyone wanting to improve the chance to play an equal part in today’s society. Equal Access Consultancy has had many different clients over the years and some of these include Brighton University, Sussex Police, 1066 Housing Association and many more. Whilst removing barriers for disabled people this also benefits the whole society, for example if an information board was in a clear and large font, it would be more readable by everyone. If you remove these barriers in your work environment the more you broaden your potential customer base and recruitment opportunities and generally help the society.

www.visionwebsites.co.uk

The magazine – Panel, Wood & Solid Surface – which is distributed nationally, was first published in June 2008, launching just before the recession began to bite. Not only has it survived what were dark days for its target audience, it has begun to grow again as the upturn takes hold.

The latest edition is available for free download at http://www.pawprintuk.co.uk/issues.htm
It includes interesting features on Saws in All Shapes and Sizes, Design & Innovation and on Health & Safety. The latter feature includes a case study provided by the Health & Safety Executive in support of its campaign, running since 2008, to encourage tradesmen to be aware of the risks of asbestos. This is well worth a read.

PawPrint, run by husband and wife team Nick & Pam Rowden, is one of many young businesses to be nurtured by the team at the Creative Media Centre in Robertson Street. Advantages for a young creative business of being in the centre include superior broadband capabilities, 24 hour access and the benefit of the Centre’s receptionist.

The company is now looking to grow, with plans to offer a typesetting service for newsletters, brochures and catalogues, suitable either for emailing or downloading from a website, or for print.

For further information contact Linda Jeffcoate at the Creative Media Centre on 01424 205400, or Pam Rowden at PawPrint Publishing Ltd on 01424 205428.

Jenny Haley, commercial Manager says ‘We are seeing a real increase in business confidence and over the last three months some of our more established companies have moved onto larger premises, and we have several new companies, both start-ups and growing businesses moving in.”

Some of the companies who have recently taken space are Innovation Finance, a new receivables financing company which provides sales ledger administration and cash flow services; European Office Products who supply office products including stationary, furniture, business machine and corporate gifts; RD Brown & Co Registered Auditors and Brown Russell Chartered Accountants.

Roger Taylor, Managing Director of Innovation Finance explains why they chose the Centre “When we set up Innovation Finance and started looking for space in Hastings or St Leonards we visited many offices which were above shops or in converted houses. Much of this space was poorly designed, not easily accessible and sometimes had little or no communal space.”

“As soon as we saw the Innovation Centre in St Leonards, which is a purpose built business facility, we knew we had found the right home for our business.”

“Our office is attractive and the staffed reception creates a professional image for our customers. The onsite parking, internal and external seating areas and well equipped kitchenettes make it an excellent environment for our staff to work from.”

Dennis Brown of Brown Russell adds “We took space because the units are ready to move into with no fit out required so we could move in quickly and easily.”

“The Centre is ideal for us as we don’t have to waste our time changing light bulbs, emptying bins or trying to find a reliable plumber if there is a leak, the Centre Management team take care of the maintenance of the building and this allows us to spend our time doing what we are best at – which is helping our clients with all their accounting and auditing needs”

The undercover customer service survey happened earlier this year at the Creative Media Centre, as well as at the Innovation Centre – another Sea Space-owned business centre in St Leonards.

The Creative Media Centre’s Commercial Manager Linda Jeffcoate comments: “We’re always looking for innovative ways to maintain our high levels of service and customer satisfaction. Shopper Anonymous provided us with excellent feedback from their mystery shopping survey”.

Shopper Anonymous – lead by Managing Director Jonathan Winchester – also ran a focus group involving many of the centre’s resident companies. This provided a confidential, unbiased environment for feedback and suggestions to improve the service provided by the business centre.

Innovation Centre Commercial Director Jenny Haley praised how the mystery shopping and focus groups were received within the buildings:

“Our clients were impressed that we’d taken the time to find out how they felt… we will definitely be holding more focus groups and doing further mystery shopping.”

For more information about how mystery shopping and customer focus groups can benefit your company, visit http://www.shopperanonymous.co.uk or call 01424 858 230.

Demolition of the poor quality, 1960s rear extension to Hastings’ Post Office has been carried out since February to make way for the new university scheme. With the final piece of the extension dismantled, McLaren Construction has now taken over as the main contractor to build the new facility.

The second UCH facility will be an impressive, twenty-first century learning environment. It will more than double the capacity of the University Centre — whose existing premises are now full — to over 1,000 student places. Over 800 of these places are already confirmed and funded.  

The project is managed by Sea Space, the company set up by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and its partners to deliver economic development in the Hastings area.

To support the area’s business community, the new facility will enable the expansion of UCH courses as well as the student population. It will incorporate a suite of laboratories and place a particular emphasis on science. New degrees will be provided in environmental biology, human biology, maths, computing, digital games production and broadcast journalism.

The development scheme involves the renovation and extension of the 1930s Post Office building in Hastings’ Priory Quarter education and business district. 

The new six-floor, 3,770m² University Centre building will have its main entrance from the town’s recently created Priory Square. It will complete the enclosure of this public space by adding an impressive civic façade on the south side, complementing the One Priory Square offices on the north side and a new restaurant to the east. 

The Post Office will remain unchanged, in full operation on the ground floor of the building. The architecturally-notable façade will be cleaned and repaired. To create the new teaching premises, the vacant upper floors will be renovated and high quality new construction will replace the demolished rear extension, forming three sides around a central atrium. The project is backed by funding from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), the University of Brighton — supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) — and bank financing.  

Pam Alexander, Chair of the Hastings & Bexhill Task Force and CEO of SEEDA, comments:  “We opened UCH only in 2003 to deliver higher education to Hastings for the first time and its success has been inspiring.  The opportunities it offers to local people are a core part of the economic development programme for the area. It’s heartening that the existing premises are now full, with strong links forged with the local business community. The second UCH building will meet the burgeoning demand for student places, providing new courses which increase people’s skills and help them to find work. An increasingly skilled workforce is already contributing to the expansion of local businesses and attracting new companies to the area – a win-win for the people of Hastings and the local economy.” 

Councillor Peter Jones, Leader of East Sussex County Council, comments: “UCH has proved a big success story. Demand for places has been high and many local people have benefited from higher education, which they previously hadn’t even thought was an option. By doubling student capacity with this wonderful new facility, we’ll make sure an even larger proportion of the community has access to such a life-changing opportunity.”

Hastings’ main Post Office building, in the heart of the town’s central conservation area, was identified during early planning for the creation of Priory Quarter as having good potential for educational use. Sea Space has worked with architects Proctor & Matthews to create designs which protect the building’s heritage and maximise its potential, while restoring the historic streetscape and maintaining the Post Office in full operation. 

For more media information and images, please contact Tariq Khwaja at
TK Associates (www.tk-associates.com) on tariq.khwaja@tk-associates.com or 07833 336 271.

Images available:

• Computer generated images of completed building
• Photographs of cleared site
• Photographs of Hastings & Bexhill Task Force members on cleared site

For more information about the organisations involved, see www.uch.ac.uk, www.seaspace.org.uk, www.seeda.co.uk, www.brighton.ac.uk, www.eastsussex.gov.uk and www.mclarenconstruction.co.uk

Digital Media Print owner Rachel Walker comments, “We really enjoyed working with Elise and Mary.  One Two One specialise in commissions for public Art and their designs are vibrant and thought provoking.” 

“Collaborations always produce interesting work and this project has been no exception.  Our high quality finish showcases One Two One’s design in the best possible light enabling many generations of local families, business people and visitors to enjoy the new facilities.” Rachael adds.

DMP prides itself on an ability to work to tight deadlines and within budget.  Extensive production industry expertise means that the team understands the needs of both contractors and clients, whilst friendly and professional service means that recommendations on materials and installation as well as an eye for design come as part of the package.                                                     

For further information please contact Gavin or Rachel Walker on: 01424 205370 or visit:www.digitalmediaprint.co.uk. 

John McCart, based in the Creative Media Centre on Robertson Street is taking part in Architect in the House, a fundraising initiative between the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Shelter that’s now in its 14^th year.

The scheme gives people across Hastings the chance to receive an hour-long consultation on any home or design related query, whether it’s advice about creating space for a growing family, or just to find out the best way to allow more light into their home. It doesn’t have to be Grand Designs.

In return, homeowners are asked to donate a minimum of £40 to support Shelter’s work with people in housing need. Since its launch, the scheme has raised more than £1million for Shelter, including £105,000 last year alone.

John McCart said ‘‘Everyone has a dream project for their home. Architect in the House is a great first step towards making that dream a reality, while supporting Shelter’s work”.

“It’s a great opportunity to show people the benefits of consulting an architect, and that our work isn’t just about attention-grabbing public buildings. It doesn’t matter if your home is big or small – we want you to get involved” John adds.

Shelter’s Chief Executive Campbell Robb explains why the scheme is so important: “Every day, Shelter sees the devastating impact of bad housing on peoples’ lives. More than a million children in England are living in overcrowded accommodation, so our help is needed now more than ever.”

“Architect in the House is a fantastic opportunity for homeowners to give their space a fresh new look while supporting Shelter’s vital work to ensure no child’s future is blighted by bad housing” he adds.

Homeowners interested in finding out how an architect can help revamp their home, and architects interested in taking part, can register at www.architectinthehouse.org.uk until 4 July 2010 or contact John McCart on 01424 205489.