Category Archives: News

Business with vision for manufacturing in England

Quantock Clothing, a Warwickshire-based business setup in 2014, is seeking to reinvigorate the smart casual menswear market with its vision of sourcing entirely from English manufacturers and promoting the ‘Made in England’ brand.

Grev Lushington founder of Quantock Clothing

Speaking as Quantock Clothing launches additional lines to its range, founder Grev Lushington from Rugby, said: “At Quantock Clothing we manufacture all of our products in England and are committed to developing high quality, stylish and desirable ranges that are also accessibly priced. Made in England does not have to mean unaffordable”.

According to Grev, people have a growing desire to understand more about the provenance of their clothing; who makes it, how it is made and under what conditions. “When you look at this, it makes total sense to push a ‘Made in England’ agenda – we do things well in this country and we value our people”, he says.

Add to this an understanding of what is involved in bringing clothing from far afield regions such as the Far East to retail stores in the Western World, and you start to consider the sustainability of the practice currently adopted by many brands. The scale of operations, distances involved and sheer complexity of logistics before anything is even sold, is not always appreciated.

Adds Grev: “We work with high quality manufacturers throughout England and have greatly appreciated their support and dedication to help us bring our vision to life. In addition, we have a strong commitment to provide exemplary levels of service to our customers and believe the future promises to be very exciting, indeed.”

Currently, the Quantock Clothing range includes jeans, button down shirts, knitwear, polo shirts, belts and cufflinks all designed and made in England.

www.quantockclothing.com

Savings boost for London Capital Credit Union

London Capital Credit Union has had one of its best months ever, with member savings rocketing by £300, 000 in March alone.

The credit union saw its savings deposits grow by almost 4% last month, taking the total amount of member savings to over £7.75 million for the first time.

Martin Groombridge, Chief Executive of London Capital Credit Union, said: “2015 is proving to be another exceptional year for us, with more people than ever turning to the credit union to find a safe home for their savings.

“With bank interest rates at rock bottom, the dividend offered by London Capital Credit Union looks very attractive – last year, for example, we paid 1.2% on all of our members’ savings. For an instant access account, this rate of return is not to be sniffed at.”

Martin adds that many people are also turning to the credit union because they like its ethics and philosophy of putting customers first.

“As a co-operative owned and controlled by its members, people like the fact that their money is staying in the community and not being used to generate profits for investors or speculators.”

London Capital Credit Union is dedicated to promoting saving and helping people deal with debt and now has over 11,000 members.

“At London Capital Credit Union, we believe that one of the best ways of keeping people out of the clutches of payday lenders and other high interest lenders is to encourage a savings habit and, by putting a little bit away each month, people can soon build up a pot of money to cover any unexpected expenses,” says Martin. “We are pleased that our message is getting through and that more and more people now see the credit union as a good place to save.”

London Capital Credit Union provides secure savings and low cost loans for anyone living, working or studying in Barnet, Camden, City of London, Hackney, Haringey or Islington. As a locally owned and run co-operative, all the money saved in the credit union stays in the community and is used to help other local people.

Find out more at www.credit-union.coop.

Ten years of growth for London credit union

London Capital Credit Union has welcomed the latest figures from the Bank of England which show that credit unions have grown dramatically over the last decade.

While the most recent figures from 362 credit unions show credit union membership and lending have more than doubled over the past ten years, figures at London Capital show a thirty-fold increase in members, from 321 to 10,062.

Over the last ten years, London Capital Credit Union has also seen a 1400% increase in members’ savings from £436,000 to over £6 million.

The latest Bank of England figures are great news for British credit unions,” says Martin Groombridge, Chief Executive of London Capital Credit Union. “Since the first credit union was set up in Britain over 50 years ago, the sector has continued to thrive and it is good to see that growth has gathered pace in the last ten years.

“As our figures show, London Capital is one of the credit unions leading the charge and we are so proud to be delivering affordable financial services to thousands of Londoners.”

Across England, Scotland and Wales there are now over 1,173,200 people with credit union accounts.

As a co-operative, London Capital Credit Union is owned and controlled by its members – not outside shareholders. Members of the credit union can find out more about how their organisation has performed over the past year by attending the AGM which takes place on Tuesday 3rd March 2015, starting at 6.30pm in the Peel Centre, Great Percy Street, WC1X 9EY.

Find out more at www.credit-union.coop.

Charity call for wartime artefacts

COFEPOW member Patrick Toosey with a Samurai sword brought back by his father.

COFEPOW, a national charity dedicated to keeping alive the memory of prisoners of war held in the Far East in World War Two, is asking people to hunt out any mementoes or artefacts passed down by parents and grandparents from their time in captivity.

2015 sees the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Japan and COFEPOW, a charity set up to perpetuate the memory of Far East Prisoners of War and raise awareness of the suffering they endured, is keen to track down any artefacts such as letters, photographs or diaries brought back from the Far East by prisoners of war.

COFEPOW (Children and Families of Far East Prisoners of War) was founded by Carol Cooper, the daughter of a prisoner of war who discovered her father’s wartime diary advertised for sale and decided to set up a charity to keep alive the memories of Far East prisoners of war (FEPOWs).

Seventy years on from VJ Day, the charity wants to make sure as much precious material as possible is recorded to commemorate this important anniversary, to help recognise the enormous contribution made by individual FEPOWs. So, COFEPOW is now looking for local people who might have almost forgotten artefacts hidden away.

Says Keith Andrews of COFEPOW: “Many of us have artefacts and mementoes stored away that were passed down by our parents and grandparents from their time in the Far East. We want to find more of these valuable artefacts to record them for future generations, and that is why we asking local people to help.”

COFEPOW member Patrick Toosey from the Wirral is backing the initiative: “When my father, Brigadier Toosey, returned from the Far East he brought back a Samurai sword from one of his Japanese captors. When I was a child, my father didn’t mention the war and what he went through, but this sword is now a permanent reminder to me of his suffering.”

Keith added: “The artefacts people have are often not valuable in financial terms, but they do mean a great deal to the families of prisoners of war. Anyone interested in letting us know what they have will be helping us preserve this valuable archive material for the future.”

If you would like to help or to find out more, please visit http://cofepow.org.uk/pages/appeal_keeping_memories_alive.htm

Season’s Greetings

As another year comes to an end, it’s traditional to have a glass of sherry and a mince pie and to reflect on the year that was.

2014 will be a memorable year for Ethos public relations as we made the move from an office based PR agency in Manchester into a more flexible operation in Shropshire.

Public relations, like many business sectors, has changed enormously over the last few years. In the past we have blogged about how email, social media and electronic forms of communication have come to dominate the way we work, requiring much more flexibility in the way we communicate on behalf of our clients.

As the year draws to an end, that trend couldn’t be more starkly illustrated than by the news that Trinity Mirror are closing several of its print editions, including the Reading Post. The way we all consume news and information has continued to change at a fast rate and we have always aimed to keep clients up to date with these changes.

We will be closed over the Christmas break from lunchtime on Christmas Eve until Monday 5th January 2015, but we will, of course, in this digital age, be checking our emails, social media accounts and text messages!

We wish all our clients, suppliers, friends and future clients the very best and a Happy New Year!

National first helps families fight off loan sharks

Martin Groombridge

Hundreds of secondary school starters in Haringey have already opened a free £20 credit union savings account as part of a landmark financial awareness scheme by Haringey Council.

Application packs have been sent to nearly 3, 000 Haringey pupils starting Year 7 this term for a School Savers account with London Capital Credit Union, with nearly 200 students already signing up.

The council-funded scheme, the first of its kind in England, is designed to encourage children to get into the savings habit and promote alternatives to unscrupulous payday loan companies.

Accompanied by financial management lessons in schools, accounts are ‘locked in’ for two years, with students and their parents encouraged to add to their savings where possible.

Councillor Joe Goldberg, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Social Inclusion and Sustainability, said: “We want our children to be given every opportunity to learn about money and the different financial options available as they grow up.

“Giving every Year 7 child an account with a responsible credit union will give them a chance to start saving early on in life and understand the alternatives to the scourge of legal loan sharks colonising our high streets.”

Haringey Council has provided £750,000 in loans to the credit union in the last two years, which has more than 3,000 members in the borough – and the fastest growing contingent of anywhere in London.

The credit union has issued affordable loans worth almost £1 million since October 2012 and holds more than £1 million in savings from Haringey residents.

Martin Groombridge, chief executive of London Capital Credit Union, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Haringey Council in this way to encourage children to learn the importance of saving and budgeting.

“This monetary incentive is a fantastic way to get Haringey children to open savings accounts and for their families to benefit from the services of the credit union.”

Every Year 7 child who lives in Haringey or attends a school in the borough is eligible for an account, which can be opened by simply returning the application form sent to all pupils.

For more information and to download a copy of the application pack, visit www.haringey.gov.uk/creditunion

New Eighth Day Cookbook

We’re delighted that the vegetarian cookery book we proudly helped produce for our client Eighth Day has now been published.

Eighth Day vegetarian café and shop is a co-operatively-owned business that has traded in Manchester for over 40 years and has become a stalwart of vegetarian food.

The new recipe book features a collection of customer favourites, including starters, soups, hearty main courses and desserts. The recipes are easy to follow and the book also includes fresh salads and vegan cakes.

Increasing numbers of people are choosing a vegetarian diet and the new cookbook enables people to enjoy a delicious range of healthy, nutritious vegetarian dishes at home.

The Recipe Collection (ISBN 978-0-9536549-1-8) costs £5 and is available from Eighth Day in Manchester.

www.8thday.coop

Credit unions are good for employers

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, and Helen Baron, President of London Capital Credit Union.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of trade union UNISON, has become the 11,000th member of London Capital Credit Union.

Dave Prentis was signed into membership of the credit union as it launched an initiative to encourage more employers to offer transfers direct from employees’ wages to their credit union accounts.

In the UK, London Capital Credit Union is leading the way in the fight back against loan sharks and payday lenders by encouraging more people to use credit unions.

Chief Executive Martin Groombridge said: “Credit union members have access to fair and affordable loans and savings and it is in all employers’ interests to help their staff keep clear of money lenders that focus on profit and greed. As a member-owned co-operative, we are driven to improve the financial well-being of our members.”

Over the past year, London Capital Credit Union has seen a 47% increase in membership and is keen to work with employers that can offer payroll deduction to their staff.

Added Martin: “By enabling payroll deduction straight to a credit union account, employers are offering an easy and convenient way for employees to save. Financial stability can only be good for employees and their families.”

London Capital Credit Union is dedicated to promoting saving and helping people deal with debt. It provides secure savings and low cost loans for anyone living, working or studying in Barnet, Camden, City of London, Hackney, Haringey or Islington. Over the past year, it has seen a 62% increase in loans to members but at the same time has seen members’ savings increase by 59% to £6.6 million.

A typical £1,000 loan from the credit union, paid back over one year, would cost a total of just £67 in interest. This is a tiny fraction of what it would cost to borrow from a payday lender, for instance.

Martin said: “Credit union membership is good for employees and employers, with both being able to benefit. Financial problems for employees can lead to stress and illness which can result in time off work, and this in turn leads to problems for employers. A credit union can provide the services and support to help employees manage their money effectively, creating a better workplace for all.”

Find out more at www.credit-union.coop.

Record year for London Capital Credit Union

London Capital Credit Union has had a record year, with more and more people turning to them for help with low cost loans and secure savings.

The credit union has seen a 47% increase in membership in the year ending September 2014 to 10, 062 members. It has also seen a 62% increase in loans to members to £5.6 million, but at the same time has seen members’ savings increase by 59% to £6.6 million.

Martin Groombridge, Chief Executive of London Capital Credit Union, said: “Our growth means that we are now helping over 10,000 people keep clear of payday lenders and other high interest doorstep lenders. As a member-owned co-operative, we are driven to improve the financial well-being of our members.

“For too long people in our communities have been exploited by money lenders with a focus on profit and greed. Credit unions like London Capital are fighting back by offering fair and affordable loans and savings and we’re pleased to be helping record numbers of people.”

London Capital Credit Union is dedicated to promoting saving and helping people deal with debt. It provides secure savings and low cost loans for anyone living, working or studying in Barnet, Camden, City of London, Hackney, Haringey or Islington. As a locally owned and run co-operative, all the money saved in the credit union stays in the community.

Martin Groombridge said: “We estimate that our members will have saved £6.5 million in interest, charges and fees by switching their borrowing to us from payday lenders and other high interest lenders.”

A loan from a credit union such as London Capital Credit Union will result in lower repayments than from a payday lender or a doorstep loan.

“That’s where people taking our loans in London can really benefit,” explained Martin. “What’s more, our ‘Saver Loans’ are designed to help people get into the savings habit, without racking up high interest charges.”

“That extra money stays in the local economy,” says Martin, “which has to be good news for everyone.”

Find out more at www.credit-union.coop.

Credit union saved Londoners £6.5m in interest payments

People who have taken out loans with London Capital Credit Union in the last 12 months have together saved over £6.5 million in interest payments and other charges.

Martin Groombridge, Chief executive of London Capital Credit Union

The figures were revealed by Martin Groombridge, Chief Executive of the credit union, as he encouraged people to see for themselves how much they could save by becoming a credit union member.

In the 12 months to the end of August, London Capital Credit Union issued loans to the value of £5.3 million. According to Martin Groombridge, these loans saved local people a significant amount of money. “We estimate that our members will have saved £6.5 million in interest, charges and fees by switching their borrowing to us from payday lenders and other high interest lenders.”

A loan from a credit union such as London Capital Credit Union will result in lower repayments than from a payday lender or a doorstep loan. Said Martin: “That’s where people taking our loans in London can really benefit. What’s more, our ‘Saver Loans’ are designed to help people get into the savings habit, without racking up high interest charges.”

“That extra money stays in the local economy,” says Martin, “which has to be good news for everyone.”

London Capital Credit Union is a not-for-profit co-operative dedicated to promoting saving and dealing with debt. Established in 1962 it now has 11,000 members and £7m of assets and provides secure savings and low cost loans for anyone living, working or studying in Barnet, Camden, City of London, Hackney, Haringey or Islington.

Find out more at www.credit-union.coop.