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.

For 14 days, up and down the country, co-operatives will be promoting their work, neighbours will be working together, businesses will be trying new things and people will be talking about the co-operative alternative.

Why? Because co-operation is good for people; good for communities; and good for business.

The Creative Media Centre in Hastings is home to wave (www.wave.coop) one of the largest and oldest design co-operatives in the South East. wave has been operating in the area for over 23 years and is being used as a case study for the national campaign. This award-winning agency has proved that you can run a commercial business in anethical and democratic way, and highlights the success of the co-operative business model.

To help launch the campaign locally, Linda Jeffcoate, Commercial Manager at the Creative Media Centre is using the monthly networking lunch to raise awareness about the benefits of co-operation and collaboration for small businesses. wave members will talk about why they chose the co-operative model and how it has been central to their business success. Joining them for the day are local co-operators Trinity Wholefood, and the collective, Studio Hastings who are also based in the Centre.

Linda added “I am really pleased to be supporting Co-operative Fortnight as collaboration is at the heart of what we do at the Creative Media Centre and where the future of successful business lies.”

To find out more logon to www.creativemediacentre.com or www.wave.coop or call 01424 205400 or 01424 205369

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 14th 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 £1 million for Shelter, including £105,000 last year alone.

John McCart said: ‘The core approach of our practice is to consider how best to creatively add value to any given project and we typically find that our discussions with residential clients benefit from the synergy between our approach and our clients energy and enthusiasm.

‘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. Whether you’ve been considering an improvement to your home but haven’t looked into it, or have simply never thought of using an architect, this is the scheme for you.

‘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.’

The Council of Mortgage Lenders has predicted that 53,000 homes in the UK will be repossessed in 2010. With 1.8 million families awaiting social housing, and a chronic lack of affordable homes to rent, Shelter’s services for people in need will be stretched to the limit in the months ahead.

Shelter’s Chief Executive Campbell Robb explains why the scheme is so important: ‘Every day, Shelter sees the devastating impact of bad housing on people’s 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.’

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 from 19 April to 4 July 2010.

The Pharmacy will be offering all the usual services such as dispensing prescriptions, deliveries, expert advice and will also provide a range of services such as emergency contraception, stop smoking support and much more.

South East Health Plus Ltd, based in the Creative Media Centre, was delighted when they were awarded the tender to offer the service in these great new state of the art premises at Station Plaza. 

The Pharmacy is perfectly placed to serve the students and staff at Sussex Coast College, railway passengers, patients from the Health Centre next door and the population of Hastings.

“Our new pharmacy builds on our existing Trackside Pharmacy at Bexhill Station” says Craig McEwan, Pharmacist “. We will ensure the right staff will be at hand, 100 hours per week to offer customers the right advice”.

Pharmacy @ Station Plaza will be open from 6.30am to 9.30pm Monday to Friday; 7.30am to 8.30pm Saturdays and 8am to 8pm on Sundays.

This is the second time that wave - based in the creative media centre - has achieved recognition from the Association while working for the Royal Geographical Society in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey and UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Previously securing a Highly Commended for the Bafta and Webby nominated site “Discovering Antarctica”. (www.discoveringantarctica.org.uk)

The awards are given annually for materials associated with geography in schools and colleges which are considered to make a significant contribution to geographical education and professional development.

wave director Julian Coates, the lead designer on both projects, was especially pleased by the judge’s commendation that the Arctic website ‘fully deserved the Silver Award in recognition of its range of high quality resources and learning activities’.  The site uses a variety of media to bring Geography to life and many of the resources can be used on an interactive whiteboard, allowing teachers to set up planned learning from the front of the classroom. 

Julian and the wave team are now busy on their next interactive project for the Creative Foundation in Folkestone, developing a website for the Find Your Talent project. The site uses data collected from 1,600 school children and their cultural preferences and is to go live in July.

To find out more visit www.wave.coop or call Felix or Diana on 01424 205355.