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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">Our latest leadership roundup brings news of an admirable local environmental scheme, a pledge from a leading specialist vehicle provider, and a prediction about 2020 that actually came true.Mobility Vehicle Hire makes pledge to customers<a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/mobility-vehicle-hire">Mobility Vehicle Hire</a>, the Birmingham-based provider of standard and specialist vehicles, has expressed hope for their business, and the country at large, to return to ‘some form of normality’ in the coming months.The company, which was founded by Jagjeet Kudhail in 2009, is still open for business from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Until the country does reopen, they <a href="https://specialistvehiclerental.co.uk/about/">have pledged</a> to ‘work hard to provide the high levels of customer service we thrive to deliver. We will do our utmost to help wherever we can and keep our nationwide service going.’The Mirage’s VR prediction looking goodWith much of the world experiencing some form or other of lockdown over the past year, it is unsurprising that home entertainment technology has proved a popular purchase. According to <a href="http://statista.com">statista.com</a>, 5.5 million virtual reality headsets were sold in 2020. This is forecast to climb to 11 million this year and a colossal <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/653390/worldwide-virtual-and-augmented-reality-headset-shipments/">43.5 million</a> in 2025.This surge in uptake follows a prediction from Russell Bolesworth, the owner and director of family entertainment centre, The Mirage. Speaking in 2019, <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/the-mirage">Bolesworth said</a>:‘We expect VR technology to make a splash in our industry soon; it’s an exciting area brimming with new content and, vitally, one that has access to a customer base who are willing to part with larger sums of money.‘This, in turn, is making them financially viable; this was not the case in the 1990s, however, which was the last time VR technology became a popular concept.’The Mirage, which has been in the Bolesworth family since 1977, has centres in Lincolnshire and Essex. This year has been a challenge like no other but hopefully the customers will come flocking back once the Covid cloud has cleared.As far as VR is concerned, its potential extends far beyond gaming. With the world now fully adapted to video calls, we may only be a small step away from virtual reality family gatherings. Roof-Link’s mission to help insulate the world While the eyes of the world are fixed on Covid-19, <a href="https://www.roof-link.co.uk">Roof-Link</a>, the Essex-based industrial roofing experts, are busy contributing to the fight against climate change. The company, which this year celebrates its twentieth anniversary, has a proud tradition of <a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/roof-link-industrial-and-commercial-ltd">planting a tree</a> in their local area every time they receive an order over £1,000. And their commitment to their locality does not end there. As managing directors Michael Hockley and Martin Lloyd make clear, ‘We have a responsibility to our local community and have provided five defibrillators, distributing them among local schools, a village hall and at our offices. We have also gifted kits for local junior football teams and support an environmental campsite for young people.’This altruistic ethos has been ingrained in the company since its inception. ‘<a href="https://www.theparliamentaryreview.co.uk/organisations/roof-link-industrial-and-commercial-ltd">From our very first day</a>, our aim has been to dispel the industry’s ingrained image and establish our reputation for care and responsibility. This reputation extends not just to our many customers but also principally to our workforce, who risk their lives when working at height on old and dilapidated industrial roofs, together with the additional risk of potential asbestos exposure. This care is expressed by constant training in working safely, use of machinery, first aid, and asbestos awareness and handling.‘This has culminated in our many awards, including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Gold Award for 16 consecutive years. We have also been awarded the prestigious Order of Distinction and the International Safety Award as conferred by the British Safety Council for 18 years. We were also a Gold winner in the National Federation of Roofing Contractors Health &amp; Safety in Roofing Awards 2018 and are members of SafeContractor.‘If we provide an environment where our operatives have the confidence that we have taken every precaution for their safety, and as they are prepared to work within the strict confines of safe working day after day, month after month, in an inherently dangerous occupation, they have the integrity to produce quality work’ </div>

Our latest leadership roundup brings news of an admirable local environmental scheme, a pledge from a leading specialist vehicle provider, and a prediction about 2020 that actually came true.

LEADERSHIP ROUNDUP: Mobility Vehicle Hire makes Covid pledge, The Mirage’s prediction looks sound, Roof-Link help fight climate change 

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/eff1453523d30adb92aa9f8cf2b35bb8.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">As the Covid-19 pandemic has wore on and more knowledge has been sourced about the virus and how it is transmitted, <a href="https://www.naaduk.co.uk/">The National Association of Air Duct Specialists UK [NAADUK]</a> has been advising its members and others on how to limit the airborne spread of the disease as much as possible. Following NAADUK’s latest Covid-19 guidance review, published on January 11, 2021 and headed up by its president, Peter Reid, the association advised businesses and organisations to equip staff with the highest possible grade of face masks and adhere to strict procedures around the hygiene of ventilation systems to best reduce spread.On masks, NAADUK has urged all of its members to practice mask wearing at all times outside as well as inside and recommended that the mask worn is of FFP2 or N95 grade, or at minimum a surgical mask, following advice from the World Health Organization that the virus can travel further than two metres and revelations about the number of people not wearing masks.The mask recommendation is based on a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30352-0/fulltext">Lancet 2020</a> study, which indicates that during inhalation, out of a 100-particle reference value just one particle would penetrate an FFP2 or N95 grade mask, while 25 particles would leak through a surgical one and be inhaled by the wearer. These values are dwarfed by the figures for a simple homemade tea cloth mask, which would be penetrated by 33 virus particles in every 100 which come into contact.The study also indicates that if one coughs while wearing a mask, only 30 out of 100 particles would leak out of a FFP2 or N95 grade mask, compared to 50 for a surgical mask and 90 for a tea cloth mask. The consensus, therefore, is that the higher-grade masks are most effective both for protecting oneself as well as preventing potential transmission to others.In NAADUK's advice on masks, Reid also quotes a recent statement from the University of Exeter's Dr David Strain, who told BBC News that the local NHS Trust, which operates the Exeter Nightingale Hospital, “took the decision to upgrade our medical teams’ masks from standard surgical masks to PP3, meaning that we have far less staff succumbing to transmission of the virus”, a course of action that has enabled the Exeter Nightingale facility to operate while others have not been able to do so.Dr Strain’s comments came amid news that most Nightingale Hospital’s were unable to operate owing to an insufficient workforce, with <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-faces-covid-staffing-crisis-23224573">ten per cent of NHS staff off sick</a> due to contracting the virus.In addition to previous Covid-19 guidance published by NAADUK, Reid advised building owners and managers to maximise ventilation in the workplace to help reduce viral transmission.The latest guidance, which is supplementary to that issued by the government and relevant to all commercial and public buildings including offices, factories, schools, hotels, hospitals and healthcare facilities, is based on a worldwide consensus that increasing ventilation rates has proven to be one of the most effective measures in reducing Covid-19 transmission indoors. NAADUK has also concluded that simply cleaning a ventilation system and maintaining ventilation hygiene is the most cost effective and proven method of allowing such systems to operate to full potential.Reid commented: “So many, hospitals and healthcare facilities in particular, will benefit from this guidance around ventilation due to the higher risk of contact with Covid-19 and the specialised work procedures required.”The NAADUK guidance notes that building operators should be aware that ductwork in the UK can often be heavily contaminated and provide ideal conditions for bacteria to multiply. Meanwhile, extract ductwork components such as egg crate grilles, dampers and flexible ducts can easily become fully blocked and lead to air simply swirling inside buildings. The lack of air extraction and thus air cleaning generates dead spots with stagnant air which can increase the likelihood of viruses like Covid-19 spreading. The lack of air movement also leads to reduced heat transfer, which can lead to an increase in other illnesses.Reid and NAADUK advise that with a UK lockdown in force and the majority of people working from home, now is the ideal opportunity for employers to set about ensuring that ventilation systems are cleaned and maintained.Reid notes: “A clean ventilation system is essential for a healthy building. Covid-19 is a pandemic with huge consequences, and the next wave of the pandemic could hit harder. It makes sense to comply with the law as a minimum. In 1992 and revised in 2013, Health &amp; safety stated that all internal parts of mechanical air conditioning systems must be clean. In addition, employers and building owners should risk assess the ventilation systems in their building for ventilation rates and hygiene condition. There is a legal responsibility for employers to provide a safe place of work for employees under national health and safety legislation.“It is now the ideal time to ensure that ventilation systems within buildings are hygienically cleaned and maintained before returning to work and in the future. It makes good financial sense that whilst the buildings are unoccupied it would be easier and cheaper to gain access to comply with current legal requirements.”NAADUK’s guidance concludes that by maximising indoor ventilation, the risk of Covid-19 transmission will shorten significantly as air is consistently recycled within potential transmission zones, avoiding stagnant dead spots of air and increasing staff safety and wellbeing. It is also likely to reduce energy costs thanks to limiting the burden placed upon fans, motors, coils, chillers and boilers, which in a contaminated system would have to work harder to sustain air flow around the building.Reid concluded: “Many of our member companies and their operatives are working in the same infected areas as NHS and Care Home Staff during this outbreak, so we would urge them to follow the guidance and safe working practices.”</div>

As the Covid-19 pandemic has wore on and more knowledge has been sourced about the virus and how it is transmitted, The National Association of Air Duct Specialists UK [NAADUK] has been advising its members and others on how to limit the airborne spread of the disease as much as possible.

NAADUK advises on higher grade masks and the need for ventilation hygiene to limit airborne spread of Covid-19

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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">In today's leadership round-up organisations are looking to improve their own lives, those of the future and those of people around them. There are a number of ways to support healthy living in mind &amp; body. By understanding self, looking after the planet for future generations or supporting learners during a global pandemic the organisations involved are all showcasing outstanding leadership values.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.norland.ac.uk/">Norland Colleg</a>e introduces Mindfulness course to help students and staff As the UK continues to deal with the ongoing pandemic, looking after your mental health in a time of uncertainty has become more important than ever. Norland College students and staff undertook a four-session mindfulness course to understand self-regulation and emotional balance. The course is run by David Behrens, former monk and meditation expert, who has taught thousands of individuals to manage stress, maintain a stronger mind &amp; a healthier body. <a href="https://www.norland.ac.uk/meet-the-team/julia-gaskell/">Julia Gaskell</a>, who heads up Norland’s Agency and Alumni and Training and Consultancy departments, said “It’s essential that our students and staff have the tools to improve their own health and wellbeing so that they in turn can nurture these skills in those they care for. This is at the heart of Norland – the health and wellbeing of the children we care for – that’s why our students undergo such extensive training.”First year student Morwenna went on to add “One thing that I learnt over the course of the four sessions is that taking some time out of our day, even if it is only for a couple of minutes, is beneficial for our wellbeing. Our lives are so busy that we often forget to take time for ourselves.’’ Wythenshawe Forum Trust adopts solar power <a href="http://www.wythenshaweforum.co.uk/">Wythenshawe Forum</a> has turned to solar power to meet Manchester City Councils 2038 climate pledge with a £25million project to improve energy efficiency, save money and cut emissions. The centre has been outfitted with a new photovoltaic array on the building’s roof and the new carbon-saving features for the popular community hub are set to reduce emissions by 121 tonnes per year, while also saving more than £50,000 in energy costs annually. Executive Member for the Environment, Planning and Transport, Councillor Angeliki Stogia, said: “This project to modernise the energy supply for Wythenshawe Forum is a great example of the work which is happening right across the city to cut carbon emissions from the council’s buildings as quickly as possible. <a href="http://www.wythenshaweforum.co.uk/index.php/news"> "Wythenshawe Forum'</a>s solar power installation will help to reduce the council's direct carbon emissions, as part of our radical proposals to rebuild a greener Manchester in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.’’The Wythenshawe Forum is a community and business hub with leisure, health and educational facilities. Ascentis support remote learners with online course <a href="https://www.ascentis.co.uk/about-us">Ascentis group</a> specialise in providing high quality learning materials, courses and qualifications for education, business &amp; training providers in the UK and beyond. With the re-introduction of remote learning the company want to help educators to support learner’s wellbeing. From creating personal learning experiences, to spotting the signs of a student struggling or making use of innovative online tools, Ascentis have created a range of fully funded Short Online Qualifications, aligned with the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework, designed to educate learners on topics including Mental Health &amp; Well-being and Healthy Living. The online courses are designed for remote learning and enable students to develop a diverse range of skills including personal, social, employability and independent learning.















































To find out more about Ascentis and the courses available please go to: https://www.ascentis.co.uk/news/how-to-support-your-learners-remotely-through-distance-learning</div>

In today's leadership round-up organisations are looking to improve their own lives, those of the future and those of people around them. There are a number of ways to support healthy living in mind & body. By understanding self, looking after the planet for future generations or supporting learners during a global pandemic the organisations involved are all showcasing outstanding leadership values. 

Leadership Round-up: Norland College introduce mindfulness course, Wytheshawe Forum turns to solar power and Ascentis support remote learning

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/c801fc41149bc2a7c5fdc533f52ac2d1.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">In the lead-up to Christmas, The Leaders Council heard from <a href="http://www.pdkshellfish.com/">PDK Shellfish</a> managing director Paul Knight, who <a href="https://admin.leaderscouncil.co.uk/admin/articles/www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/deal-or-no-deal-we-are-staring-oblivion-in-the-face-pdk-shellfish-boss-warns-that-extra-costs-of-exporting-shellfish-produce-after-transitional-period-could-cripple-industry">warned</a> that new post-Brexit regulations governing the export of live produce to the EU had the potential to do significant damage to the industry. With a fortnight having passed since the end of the transition period, the sector is facing such intense teething problems with the new system that it is already weighing-up the prospect of temporarily halting, or worse. The effects of <a href="https://admin.leaderscouncil.co.uk/admin/articles/www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/early-problems-for-post-brexit-supply-chain-confirm-business-leaders-fears">post-Brexit red tape</a> are already hitting the haulage industry, leaving vehicles stranded both in Britain and across the continent because of errors and oversights in the relevant paperwork. For a sector that deals with trading live produce, however, Knight stressed that the consequences are proving to be especially harmful both for sector staff and the sustainability of the product.He said: “It has now been non-stop in our industry every day for four weeks solid, including Christmas trading. The system that is set-up for us to be able to trade is both time consuming and failing, and the freight forwarders and customs cannot cope.“Already just in this last week, I estimate that millions of pounds of shellfish have been delayed in reaching their end destination and have therefore been lost. The vivier lorries carrying the produce are being left stranded all over the place because of tiny errors on all sides that make little difference, and it is leading to substantial losses.“Fortunately, our lorries have so far been able to get through, but the best way of describing the scenario is that it is like going to the border with hundreds of thousands of live animals and playing a game of ‘Red or Black’ to determine whether or not they will die where you are parked.”As Knight spoke of prior to the New Year, exporters of live produce are already beginning to struggle with keeping on top of the new paperwork and documentation that is required to continue to trade as normal, and he believes that the additional administrative burden could push the industry to breaking point.“This is not manageable. There is already talk about all our sector having to stop. Even if we have the correct documents, we are fighting ridiculous and constant issues. Companies in our industry have been up through the night solving these issues that should not exist, and we are finding ourselves being asked for documents that we do not even need, or we have already got just to keep trading. When we have people up all hours making sure we are on top of this, it is putting people’s health at stake.“I can safely say that all shellfish companies are working around the clock just to do our job. It cannot last like this any longer. The strain on everyone in the sector is too much and the systems are not acceptable.”Indeed, the burden on staff within the sector that has had to be taken on virtually overnight has already been so great, that Knight is astounded that his own personnel have not yet moved into other industries.“This is a far bigger disaster than anyone predicted, and we have been hung out and left to dry. None of us can last doing what we are having to do. All companies in our sector are in massive danger of failure. All of my team are so stressed that I do not know why they have not yet quit, and I don’t know anyone else who would want to work under such conditions.“We are lucky we have got lorries through and we have the correct paperwork to date, but the financial and health implications of what we are doing are not acceptable. If it is like this forever, I for one, won’t be part of it, and I could probably come up with a long list of companies that will say the same.”Knight is also concerned that any temporary pause to the industry to help adjust to new procedures may well become more permanent, since without action to alleviate the administrative burden the industry may not be able to continue trading at all.In order to complete the relevant paperwork to cross over to Europe and get the live produce to its destination, Knight informed us that the only option has been to load the vivier lorries 24 to 48 hours earlier than planned, which with a live product leads to additional mortality and significant loss.He explained: “To provide an example, I have two lorries tonight with shellfish aboard 24 to 48 hours earlier than they should be, just to stand a chance of getting all the correct paperwork done for that lorry to get to Europe. We are a time sensitive industry and already accounted for five to 10 per cent losses in our shipments before Brexit. The additional mortality on that shellfish will be thousands, this situation simply cannot last because it significantly hits both our finances and our sustainability.“We are dealing with live animals, we just simply have to be treated differently, we cannot continue to load the shellfish so early. The system we are working under is forcing us to kill shellfish and it is just not acceptable.”A frustrated Knight has already found himself in contact with trade body Seafood Scotland and put forward his suggestion that the new administrative system must be simplified to ensure Environmental Health Certificates can be completed more swiftly and allow vehicles to set off for the border sooner to preserve more live produce.Writing to Seafood Scotland, Knight said: “We need quicker systems, and we need things to be simplified. This will ease the burden on our staff and ensure less of our product is lost. We should be able to email Environmental Health Certificates directly to customs without the lorries having to wait for the original document to arrive, which takes at least a full day. Originals could be sent via next day delivery, and there should also be a trust list.“I know the world is on fire right now and people’s attention is understandably on Covid-19, but the damage being done to us and our sector is serious and without immediate action it will bring an end to us all.”</div>

In the lead-up to Christmas, The Leaders Council heard from PDK Shellfish managing director Paul Knight, who warned that new post-Brexit regulations governing the export of live produce to the EU had the potential to do significant damage to the industry. With a fortnight having passed since the end of the transition period, the sector is facing such intense teething problems with the new system that it is already weighing-up the prospect of temporarily halting, or worse.

“There is already talk of all our sector having to stop” says PDK Shellfish boss as fears over post-Brexit trading conditions materialise

Michael Moszynski is the chief executive and co-founder of London Advertising, an award-winning global communications agency.

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LEADERSHIP ROUNDUP: Mobility Vehicle Hire makes Covid pledge, The Mirage’s prediction looks sound, Roof-Link help fight climate change

NAADUK advises on higher grade masks and the need for ventilation hygiene to limit airborne spread of Covid-19

Leadership Round-up: Norland College introduce mindfulness course, Wytheshawe Forum turns to solar power and Ascentis support remote learning

“There is already talk of all our sector having to stop” says PDK Shellfish boss as fears over post-Brexit trading conditions materialise

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