eNEWSLETTER!

Do you want to be kept up-to-date with all the latest news from HIE Lochaber? 

Every month, we e-mail our newsletter to over 800 organisations and individuals in Lochaber and aim to keep you updated with all business, training and community news.

The latest e-newsletter can be found below and previous copies are available as PDF files on the right hand side of this page..

If you are interested in receiving the future eNEWSLETTER!s by e-mail, please subscribe to our mailing list.

Welcome to our April Enewsletter! READ ON………..

Contents
1. Congratulations
2. Our new contact details
3. A82 upgrade campaign - Update
4. Minimum wage increase announced
5. Health & Safety – new campaign launches in Scotland
6. Upcoming Fusion Events
7. Who has received grants this month
8. Business Information
9. Website of the Month
10. Business Start Up course
11. Screenwriting and Development Workshop
12. Lochaber Larder
13. What’s on?
14. About the E-newsletter

1. CONGRATULATIONS…..

Well done to the children from Knoydart who travelled to an awards ceremony in London and won the ‘Best film by under 12’s’ award. The film called Munchatreeaforest, is about the regeneration of Knoydart's woodland.

2. OUR NEW CONTACT DETAILS

From the 1st April, local enterprise companies will become area teams of Highlands & Islands Enterprise. All offices will be known simply as Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

Please note that our new general email address has changed to fortwilliam@heint.co.uk  

3. A82 UPGRADE CAMPAIGN – UPDATE

To date the A82 Upgrade online petition has received a massive 7832 signatures. The campaign was launched to win improvements on one of the most scenic but dangerous stretches of trunk road in the United Kingdom. The longer term aim of the campaign is to achieve an upgrade of sections over the entire stretch from Tarbet to Inverness. However the immediate target of the A82 Partnership is to win funds to improve the four most dangerous stretches of the road between Tarbert and Fort William which have already been identified by Transport Scotland at a total cost of £90M.

To support the campaign please sign the online petition which closes on the 4th April. The online petition can be found here

4. MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE ANNOUNCED

The latest increase in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) has been announced by the Government. The increase will come into force in October and will see adult workers get paid £5.73 an hour, up from the current rate of £5.52 per hour. The new rate for 18-21-year-olds will also increase from £4.60 to £4.77, while the 16-17-year-old rate will rise from £3.40 to £3.53.

5. HEALTH AND SAFETY - NEW CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES IN SCOTLAND

The Health & Safety Executive's (HSE) Shattered Lives campaign was launched last week in Scotland, to help highlight the impact that workplace slips, trips and falls can have. The HSE says that 4,081 people were injured in Scotland last year and five people died as a result of a workplace slip, trip or fall. A spokesman for the HSE said that slips, trips and falls also shatter businesses through costs such as employee absence, sick pay and reduced productivity.

Read more on the Shattered Lives campaign here.

6. UPCOMING FUSION EVENTS

Fusion are hosting a number of events over the coming weeks which may be of interest to you. Fusion was formed to stimulate interest in innovation and entrepreneurship in the Highlands and Islands. The upcoming events include “Managing Our Fear of Failure” in which Steve Brown of MIT discusses the challenges posed by our fear of failure and how they can be overcome. This event will run on Wednesday 16th April in Inverness.

Another event being hosted by Fusion is entitled “Renewables Investment” which takes a look at the funding options available to businesses in, or wishing to get into, the renewables sector. A Highland entrepreneur will be interviewed about his experience of finding an investor for his renewables business, and this will be followed by lunch and a Q&A session with a panel of renewables investment specialists. This event will take place on 29th April in Inverness.

For more events and further details of the above events please visit Fusion here

7. WHO HAS RECEIVED GRANTS THIS MONTH?

For a full list of who has received HIE assistance please look on our website

8. BUSINESS INFORMATION

New and updated information fact sheets to our library this month:

A Guide to Commencement Changes In Employment Law, A Guide to Debt Finance, An Introduction to Employment Regulations, Choosing the Right Legal Status for your Business, A Guide To Setting Up a Business as a Limited Liability Partnership, A Guide to Your Employees’ Maternity and Paternity Rights, A Guide to Setting Up A Business as a Partnership, A Guide To Setting Up A Business as a Sole Trader, A Guide To The Organisations You Must Contact When Starting Up, An Introduction To Tax Allowable Business Expenditure.

Please email if you would like to receive a copy of any of the above fact sheets.

9. WEBSITE OF THE MONTH!

Outdoor Capital of the UK

The new look Outdoor Capital of the UK website is up and running. There is loads of information of what is happening in and around Lochaber including an up to date local entertainment guide. Please go to www.outdoorcapital.co.uk  

10. BUSINESS START UP COURSE

A FREE 3 day Business Start Up workshop run by Development Partners is taking place at Lochaber College from 20th may to 22nd May. This informative course is of great benefit to anyone considering starting their own business. Topics covered include: preparing a business plan, VAT and Tax, Cash Flow Forecasts, Promoting and Marketing your business, and basic book keeping suggestions. The workshops are always very popular so booking is necessary. Lunch and refreshments are provided.

To book a place or to get more information on the course please email Simon

11. SCREENWRITING AND DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

These workshops are aimed at writers of all sorts who would like to test their writing and creative abilities in developing a specific idea for television drama. We'll look at the skeleton of what to develop and how it all fits together. You must be able to attend both

Workshop 1
McLean Room, Eden Court, Inverness
Saturday 12th April 2008
9.30am-5pm

Workshop 2
Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), Dundee
Thursday 5th and Friday 6th June 2008
9.30am-5pm

The workshops are free to attend and lunch will be provided. Please note that no reimbursement for travel or accommodation will be given so please bear this in mind when applying. There is a maximum space for 15 writers.

To apply:
Please send a one page writing sample to - amanda.millen@hient.co.uk.

12. LOCHABER LARDER

Buying local food has never been easier !!!

With the kind permission of Lochaber College local food producers will be selling their produce on the second thursday of every month. The first producer's day will be on Thursday 10th April from 11 am until 4 pm.

This is the ideal opportunity to see what is locally produced in Lochaber and to support local producers. For further infomation please contact Kate Campbell on 01967 402279 or Robert Linton on 01397 705928.

13. WHAT’S ON?

Tourism Gathering – 24th April

The first Lochaber tourism workshop will take place on Thursday 24th April at the Alexandra Hotel, Fort William.

The workshop is an opportunity for you to have your say on how we can improve tourism in Lochaber. The workshops is organised on behalf of all the Lochaber tourism marketing groups.

Registration 8.45am finish 2pm. £7.50 collected at the door.

To book please contact Eleanor.brown@lochaber.uhi.co.uk  

About this eNewsletter

Please, please send us your comments about our eNewsletter. Our aim is to keep you up-to-date with the support and assistance that we provide, and to inform you about any forthcoming events. Is it interesting? Is it boring? Is it too long? Is it too short? How could it be better? Do you bin it immediately? Did you not receive it??? Or is it absolutely perfect? We don’t think so, and are patiently waiting for your feedback…. Please e-mail Simon.

Please feel free to forward our eNEWSLETTER to anyone else who may be interested. If you wish to be added to, or removed from this distribution list, please e-mail Simon.

Highlands & Islands Enterprise
St Mary's House, Gordon Square, Fort William, PH33 6DY
Tel: 01397 704326 Fax: 01397 705309
Email: fortwilliam@hient.co.uk  
Website: www.hie.co.uk/lochaber  
www.lochaberjobs.co.uk ~ work in the perfect location!

DISCLAIMER

Our newsletters are produced to keep our customers and contacts informed on issues affecting Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the Lochaber area. Whilst HIE has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this newsletter, the articles are of a general descriptive nature, and are not therefore intended to be exhaustive treatments of the relevant topics and should not be relied upon as such. Please contact HIE if you require further assistance or information.