What: Free ‘Holiday Spanish’ taster classes

Where: Penny Lane, Brunswick Business Park & Formby

When: Tuesday, April 24, 2012

IF you’re planning a summer holiday in Spain, or simply want to learn Spanish, free taster classes are being held – and you’re invited.

The Liverpool and Merseyside events, run by www.speakfluent.co.uk, take place next week and are open to everyone.

And as well as learning the lingo, you’ll also get the chance to support one of the region’s most important charities, Claire House Children’s Hospice.

Principal teacher Tim Smith, who provides supportive and enjoyable Spanish group and personal tuition, will again be raising money for the Wirral hospice.

A fund-raising raffle will be held for the charity and one lucky winner will receive a half-term of group Spanish classes from Tim.

The free tasters take place at the following locations:

Brunswick Business Park
12.00 noon on Tuesday, April 24. Meet up at Bean, 104 Brunswick Business Park, L3 4BJ.

Penny Lane
8.00pm on Tuesday, April 24. Meet up at Penny Lane Development Trust, 70 Penny Lane, L18 1DG.

Formby
6pm on Monday, April 30. Meet up at The Bier House, St Peter’s Church, Green Lane, Formby L37 3DL.

Tim said: “We’ve been running Spanish classes in north and south Liverpool since last September and our groups, which are enjoyable, supportive and affordable, are going from strength to strength.

“Learning a language like Spanish is a great way to make new friends, improve job prospects – or just make your summer holidays abroad more enjoyable.

“Dozens of our learners will be heading off to Spanish shores this summer, equipped to use their Spanish. It’s so rewarding and makes a holiday so much more enjoyable when you can speak the local language.”

“We’re again raising money for Claire House, a charity that we’ve supported before. It’s a cause close to the hearts of many people in Merseyside and offers an incredible service. We’re proud to be supporting them.”

Groups are available for learners of all abilities, from absolute beginners to intermediate and advanced.

They also work with business leaders and their staff to help them improve their Spanish skills and boost sales and customer service.

Wirral-born Tim, aged 40, has 10 years’ teaching experience; lived and worked in Spain for seven years; is fully Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) approved; and is registered with the General Teaching Council (GTC).

To book a place at the free tasters, call Tim on 07952 819 744, email tim@speakfluent.co.uk or visit www.speakfluent.co.uk.

With Liverpool Football Club being on the verge of winning the domestic Cup double for the first time in their 120 year history (they won the UEFA Cup as well as the League Cup and FA Cup in 2001), they have once again opened their doors to all at the World Corporate Cup of Soccer on 11th-13th May.

With our pitch time being extended, we now have space for four more 6-a-side teams, and we are inviting your company to come along and participate.

With every team guaranteed to play at least one match on the famous turf, this could be your chance to create some memories of your own at the most famous club in England.

Over 40 teams from around the World have already signed up to this prestigious event and you could be joining them.

If playing on Anfield wasn’t enough, your entry also includes a SuperCentre Registration in the Shankly Suite, Meal, Party, Parade, access to both the Home and Away dressing rooms, media centre and access to the famous trophy room.

These spaces will go quickly so, to avoid disappointment, contact a member of the World Corporate Cup of Soccer by telephoning 01733 380888 or emailing doug@worldcorporatecup.com.

For further details, visit www.worldcorporatecup.com.

Tuesday April 24 2012
April Meet and Eat
Meet and Eat for 2012 is sponsored by The Comedy Trust and April’s event takes place on Tuesday 24th April at Hilton Liverpool.
12.15 - 14.15
Hilton Liverpool, William Jessop Way, Liverpool L3

Romanian Delegation
This is an inward delegation from Romania, which will allow the delegates to follow links with the Chamber, UKTI and some interested local companies at a later stage; the delegation has 19 businesses from the textile, construction, tourism,  transport, furniture and other industries, with all of them looking for import and export opportunities in the UK.
15.00 onwards
Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Number One Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9HG

Thursday April 26 2012
Jamie’s kitchen: Fifteen lessons on leadership
This is an online course suitable for both newly promoted and more experienced team leaders.
http://www.liverpoolchamber.org.uk/events.html

Speed Networking @ Days Inn
This is a fun and informal way to grow your contacts and we will make sure you get to meet as many businesses as possible, so don’t forget your business cards.
17.30 - 19.30
Days Inn, James Street, Liverpool, L2 7PQ

Friday April 27 2012
60 Really Useful Minutes - Health and Safety for Small Businesses
This session is designed specifically to help business start-ups and small businesses that employ fewer than 5 people.
09.00 - 10.00
Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Number One Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9HG

As the City of Liverpool awaits the election of its new Mayor, Liverpool Chamber of Commerce is hosting a special members only ‘business hustings’ with the leading candidates for this prominent role on 25th April 2012.

The event will take place at Liverpool Chamber of Commerce from 16.00 to 18.30, and provides an opportunity for Chamber members to directly question the candidates on key areas of business policy and engagement with the city’s private sector, taking the stage to set out their manifestos and answer your questions, with:

• Joe Anderson - Labour Party
• Tony Mulhearn - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
• Richard Kemp - Liberal Democrat
• Tony Caldeira - The Conservative Party Candidate
• Liam Fogarty - Independent
• John Coyne - Green Party

A full list of candidates standing is listed at: http://liverpool.gov.uk/council/voting-and-elections/Mayoral-elections-2012/List-of-Mayoral-candidates/.

If you would like to attend this free event, please contact the Events team by emailing Melissa.Bush@liverpoolchamber.org.uk, or you can book a place online by clicking here.

Guests are also requested to submit their questions in advance to the Events Team at policy@liverpoolchamber.org.uk, so that proceedings on the day can be managed as effectively as possible.

Pre-submitted questions will receive priority for a response by the panel of mayoral candidates, after which the discussion will be opened to the floor.

Just a few days to go before Liverpool Central Station closes for exciting improvements . . . are you ready?  

·        Central Station closes Monday for £20 million upgrade

·        Merseyrail and Merseytravel working to minimise disruption

·        A fleet of London buses to take to Liverpool’s streets

·        Wirral line reopens in time for Mathew Street Festival

·        www.loveliverpoolcentral.com launched to support commuters and business.

·        Interviews and photo opportunities available on Monday.

Britain’s busiest underground station outside the capital is closing on Monday for a massive refurbishment – and Liverpool’s affected commuters can expect a taste of London life thanks to a fleet of iconic Red Buses.

The world famous double-decker buses will act as a replacement service which forms part of a wider raft of initiatives by Merseyrail, Merseytravel, Network Rail and City Central BID to minimize the impact of the closure.

The partners are also deploying more than 100 staff at key stations as well as drafting in a team of volunteers to guide people through the city centre.

Both the Wirral and Northern line platforms will be closing, for four and six months respectively, in order to take on some much-needed improvements and a host of activities and events, under the banner “Summer of Love”, are being staged to support businesses.

Ready for action on April 23rd, the London buses will link all the city centre stations on a 5 minute frequency throughout the day, and every 10 minutes in the evening.

For passengers normally stopping at Central Station, simply change or end your journey at Moorfields, Brunswick, Lime Street or James Street, then just hop on one of the free shuttle services for quick and easy access to the centre.

Queue streamlining systems will operate at Moorfields during busy times of the day; route planners can be picked up at all station outlets; and there will be plenty of information and help on hand at stations on the Northern and Wirral line.

The £20 million refurbishment will include bigger, safer platforms, better access for disabled passengers, brighter waiting areas and improved toilet facilities.

Retail shops and offices in the surrounding area, including the Central Station concourse, will remain very much open; bargain hunters can bag some fantastic deals and special offers on the dedicated webpage http://loveliverpoolcentral.com/myfriends.Offers.aspx.

Visitors and regular travelers alike can plan their route online at www.loveliverpoolcentral.com.

Traveline will also be on hand to offer advice and alternative routes on 0871 200 22 33.

Traveline is open 7 days a week, between 7am and 8pm on Weekdays and 8am to 8pm on weekends.

For more information and a journey planner, visit www.loveliverpoolcentral.com/letmehelpyou/Default.aspx.

National change agency ICE has been appointed as an official provider of the NHS Chronic Disease Management Programme, an initiative spearheaded by the Department of Health to help people manage long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

This latest contract with NHS Coventry will see ICE delivering six week programmes to members of the public, drawing on techniques developed by Stanford University and the company’s extensive expertise in social change and behavioural support.

Simon Dudman, Director of ICE’s Health & Lifestyle Services, said: “This exciting initiative will help local people to take control of their conditions – rather than letting their conditions control them. The team will be offering a really innovative and people-focused service, drawing on best practice and all of the learning and expertise ICE has developed in recent years working on a wide range of public health programmes.”

It is the second major contract to be secured for ICE’s Coventry-based team since the opening of ICE’s fifth regional office in the city late last year.

For more information on the Self Health programme, contact your local team on 0800 612 4580 or email selfhealth@icecreates.com.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) are organising a seminar in London next month.

It will provide businesses with an opportunity to discuss EU regulation, and how to make it less burdensome, with Marianne Klingbeil from the European Commission, who is charge of vetting EU rules for their impact on business, amongst other stakeholders.

There will be also attending members of the Better Regulation Executive to account for their work on limiting burdens on business.

The BCC wants to identify business members who might be interested in using a European contract law for B2C or B2B transactions.

The Commission has proposed an optional instrument for business across the EU and feedback must be provided for the Ministry of Justice on how useful such an instrument could be.

The seminar takes place on May 15 from 11.30 to 14.00 (times subject to change).

For more information or to attend the event, contact Karen Clements, Consultant on EU Affairs at the BCC, by emailing k.clements@britishchambers.org.uk.

The universities of Liverpool and Lancaster are now onto the final call for eco-innovation research projects.

These are 3-year collaborative projects between regional business and academic partners that will enable contributing SMEs to secure £130,000 of R&D funding to progress the development of new product and services that focus on energy and resource efficiency, the reduction of carbon emissions, and the development of a sustainable low-carbon economy.

The opportunity will support a graduate placement (£16,000 per annum), for which the SME is required only to meet the annual tuition fee (£4,000 per annum).

The University of Liverpool is hosting an open breakfast event on May 3rd between 08.00 and 10.00 at The Hub for businesses to meet with the project team to discuss potential projects and assist in developing and submitting an expression in interest.

Please drop-in to The Hub at the Foresight Centre (http://www.foresightcentre.co.uk/) for a coffee, tea, pastry or bacon butty – and if you definitely want to attend, drop a line to Matt Fulton (mfulton@liverpool.ac.uk, telephone 07976 835 890).