Small firms call for "most pro-business Budget ever" as UK suffers worst recession on record

THE Federation of Small Businesses is calling for the "most pro-business, pro-self-employed Budget ever" this autumn to protect and drive the growth of struggling small firms hit by the Coronavirus Pandemic and Brexit uncertainty. The call follows the latest retail figures from the ONS indicating rising sales across the UK, despite data showing that the UK has officially entered a recession, and that its trade deficit widened to ₤8.6 billion in Q2 of this year.

"We need the most pro-business, pro-self-employed Budget ever this autumn, 1 that lowers the costs of innovating and bringing great goods and services to market and avoids tax rises. Many small firms have been only open for a matter of weeks, but the support that was on hand such as the job retention scheme, incentives like Eat Out to Help Out and access to funds via local authority grants are all going to be closing or wound down over the next few weeks or months, which means that the struggles for small businesses show no end in sight. We are in the midst of the deepest recession on record, and we need the Government to take a proactive approach to how it will support business right across the country. After months of measures to ensure job and business survival, the next stage is about how we can grow once again to aid business and job creation. The green shoots of the economy are visible, but we cannot see these and become complacent, for some firms it will take many months and potentially years to fully recover from this crisis." said Michael Sandys, FSB Area Leader for Liverpool City Region.

Among the measures in its submission to Government, FSB is calling for a cut to employer national insurance contributions, backing for the New Enterprise Allowance and Start Up Loans Programme, ambitious investment in our infrastructure networks; not least broadband; more small firms being taken out of the regressive business rates system and the end of a worsening ₤23 billion late payment crisis.

Michael Sandys added:- "More than a million firms have now taken on bounce back loans to see them through this incredibly challenging period. They now need a guarantee that they won't have to start paying them back until they're making a profit. Such an assurance will encourage them to invest and expand today, rather than hoarding cash for fear of what's coming down the line. In 4 months the UK will transition to its new relationship with the EU but we still have no idea what that relationship will look like. When EU-UK talks having now resumed, we need to see negotiators on all side accelerating their efforts to agree a pro-business deal in acknowledgement of the fact that time is of the essence. It's been encouraging to see UK efforts to strike new trade deals. It's critical that any new UK free trade agreements include a dedicated small business chapter spelling out exactly how each deal will protect and promote the interests of the UK's 5.8 million small businesses."

Search is on to find top UK Veterinary Nurse of 2020

BLUE Cross has begun its annual search for the UK's 'Veterinary Nurse of the year' and is calling on pet owners and Veterinary practices to put forward Vet Nurses who have gone the extra mile in 2020. The charity's award recognises the dedication of the country's Vet Nurses and their invaluable support to their Veterinary teams, the nation's pets and pet owners. The award is given to a Vet Nurse who not only cares for sick and injured pets, but also encourages responsible pet ownership and improves pet welfare in their community. The award will be presented at the British Veterinary Nurse Association (BVNA) online 'This Is Us' event on Saturday, 10 October 2020, during a virtual awards ceremony in the evening.

David Catlow, Blue Cross Director of Veterinary Clinical Services said:- "With Vet practices across the UK having had to rethink how we deliver our services as a result of Covid, delivering only emergency and essential services for the duration of lockdown, it has been a particularly challenging year for the whole industry. Many Vet Nurses working in Veterinary practice have demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment going 'above and beyond, in these extraordinary times."

Last year's Veterinary Nurse award was presented to Danielle Pountain who is Deputy Head Nurse at Pool House Veterinary Hospital in Lichfield.  Danielle said:- "I was overwhelmed to receive the call that I had been selected as the Blue Cross Vet Nurse of the Year. It felt like an unbelievable honour to have been considered worthy for an award for doing a job I love to do and I felt like being recognised for my achievements and contribution to Veterinary Nurses, validated all of my hard work, enthusiasm and dedication. I am grateful to everyone for giving me such a great title and award."

If you know a Vet Nurse who you believe has gone the extra mile for your pet or you believe they have made a significant contribution to animal welfare, complete the nomination form on the Blue Cross website. The deadline for nominations is Friday, 18 September 2020. As a charity, Blue Cross relies on the generous support of animal lovers to continue its vital work caring for pets. For more information, to see pets looking for a new home or to make a donation visit:- BlueCross.Org.UK.

A new John Lennon sounding song written by the leader of the house band of Liverpool's Cavern Club has been chosen as the anthem to lead a drive by an international charity to re-awaken for the Covid-era the call for peace and compassion made by the former Beatle in his classic hit Imagine.

Jimmy Coburn's song Together As 1 has been hailed by Charity Chiefs as:- "A new Imagine aimed at bringing unity and raising spirits in these new days of darkness."

The haunting ballad has also been picked as the theme song for a coast to coast "peace tour" which is to travel in convoy across the USA, from Friday, 28 August 2020.

Jimmy, who plays John Lennon in the widely-acclaimed tribute band The Cavern Club Beatles, was asked to write:- "a song for kindness" by the organisers of the #KIND20 movement launched as a:- "spiritual antidote" to the Coronavirus crisis by the tuff. earth charity. The movement has amassed 6.5 million supporters in 22 countries since it was launched 14 weeks ago.

Charity chiefs chose Jimmy to compose the new anthem for peace and unity after hearing his recent debut album Waterloo Key, which has established him as 1 of the leading new songwriters of the Liverpool sound. "Together As 1 is like a new Imagine. Almost 50 years after the release of Lennon's classic, now another Liverpool lad has written a sequel which reiterates the call for us all to come together in a show of unity." said tuff.earth co-founder Dr Shamender Talwar,

Dr Talwar added:- "Imagine will always be Imagine, Lennon's peerless and universal anthem for peace, love and understanding, but for these new days of darkness brought about by the pandemic we wanted a new song which shared the same inspirational message to act as a spiritual antidote to the global despair. And what better place to turn to than Liverpool, the City which has long being a capital of kindness."

Said Jimmy:- "The call to ask me to write an international song for kindness came out of the blue and it was a bit of a tall order. I was walking around Liverpool thinking about how to write it and what to say when the whole song just came into my head  -  it was like it just fell out of the sky."

The tuff.earth charity has now adopted Together As 1 as the theme song to lead all of its multi media international campaigns for 2020. The charity now plans to launch a global competition to find a song for kindness for every year and details of the 2021 competition will be announced in coming months.

The Together As 1 song has also been adopted by the USA's Caravan Of Unity, a peace convoy of vehicles which is to travel across the States carrying:- "a torch for hope and healing" aimed at calming the currently troubled America.

The peace tour will start from San Francisco on Friday, heading for a huge celebration of peace in New York City, on 20 September 2020, before culminating at a gathering of thousands in Washington DC. on 30 September 2020. Organisers of the tour will broadcast Together As 1 at every stage of the coast to coast trek, which is open to individuals to join in their cars and trucks to form a giant Pied Piper-like procession.