Photo and interview opportunities : Lincolnshire Show 2012
Eve of Show : Tuesday 19th June 2012
Final preparations and activity taking place throughout the day – final preparations, such as the eight miles of hedges which will be trimmed ready, al the livestock and horses coming in, the final exhibitors getting set up.
Interviewees available include:
Generally : Society Director Jayne Southall and Honorary Show Director Richard Collett
Traffic preparation for the movement of 12500 cars each day of Show : Drew Smith
Catering on site this year has the emphasis on smaller companies and local produce : Robert Howard
Other chief stewards on their area of responsibility: Peter Vergette for Trade stands; Tim Needham for the Countryside area; Peter Crafts for Equine; Andrew Read for Livestock; Richard Crust for Mews and Food Court
Day 1 of Show : Wednesday 20th June 2012
10.00 : Schoolchildren try sausage making in the Schools’ Challenge area
11.00-11.20 : Press conference : Tennyson Pavilion : President Lord Taylor of Holbeach; Chairman John Lockwood, Honorary Director Richard Collette; Society Director Jayne Southall
11.30 and 3.30 : Pig racing : Countryside Ring
11.45 -12.45 : Cricketer Alec Stewart taking part in the Sports Zone
12.00 : Shire horses in the Welton Ring in the Equine zone
12.30 : Leicester Tigers coaches in the Countryside Ring
12.45 : Knights of the Damned in the Clydesdale Bank Main Ring
1.40 : Grand parade of machinery : Clydesdale Bank Main Ring : focus on crop protection and nutrition including a huge Terragator 9105 muck spreader and a Househam Sprayer plus 26 vintage tractors.
2.00 : Scruffts cross breed dog competition in the Dog ring
3.00 : The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Dakota will be flying over the Lincolnshire Show
3.10 : Young Farmers Trailer Parade : Clydesdale Bank Main Ring
4.20 : Knights of the Damned in the Clydesdale Bank Main Ring
All day : On display at the Lincoln Cathedral stand is a stone Jubilee Crown presented to HM The Queen earlier this month. On show before it is fixed to the top of the south west turret of the Cathedral, out of view of most people. The crown is highly decorated with gold leaf and paint and is a wonderful piece of work.
Day 2 of Show : Thursday 21st June 2012
10.00 – 10.45 (and throughout both days of Show) : TV chef Rachel Cook demonstrating in the Food Court with local produce
11.30 and 3.30 : Pig racing : Countryside Ring
12.15 – 12.30 : President Lord Taylor of Holbeach in the press tent for brief interviews
12.30 : Leicester Tigers coaches in the Countryside Ring
11.25 : Knights of the Damned in the Clydesdale Bank Main Ring
1.50 : Grand parade of machinery : Clydesdale Bank Main Ring : focus on crop protection and nutrition including a huge Terragator 9105 muck spreader and a Househam Sprayer plus 26 vintage tractors.
2.00 : Scruffts cross breed dog competition in the Dog ring
3.20 : Knights of the Damned in the Clydesdale Bank Main Ring
5.10 : Young Farmers Trailer Parade : Clydesdale Bank Main Ring
All day: Young Farmers have an eye-catching 30 foot pig, a sleeping sow with a special show describing the life of pigs on screens inside her huge belly.
Throughout show:
Interviewes can be arranged throughout the Show on request with Society Director Jayne Southall, Honorary Show Director Richard Collett and all the chief stewards.
Press update for Lincolnshire Show 2012 : programme, site map and wifi access
Click here for all information and press releases relating to the Lincolnshire Show 2012
Archive images from 2011 show are available for download here : click here
As soon as possible images from this year's Show will be available online : click here
For the 2012 Lincolnshire Show the wifi access in the press tent will be :
SSID: BTBusinessHub-250
Password: 2025065247
Twitter hashtag: #lincsshow
PDF version of the official progranme, for download by accredited media only:
Lincolnshire Show Official Programme 2012
Lincolnshire Show 2012 : Site Map
Day One press conference and other interview opportunities:
For details of the press conference on day one and some suggested photo and interview slots. Photo and interview opportunities
For the press pack: LincsShow2012_presspack
Business showcase to boost Lincolnshire exports
A special initiative has been launched that will bring Lincolnshire’s biggest exporters together next month, in a move designed to encourage more local companies to export their products to new markets.
Trading in New Markets is a new initiative for the Lincolnshire Show 2012, taking place on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st June 2012. Designed to celebrate the successes of those already trading nationally and internationally, its aim is to encourage other Lincolnshire businesses to open up new export markets and take their products to a wider audience.
It’s a joint initiative from Lincolnshire Agricultural Society together with UK Trade & Investment, Lincolnshire County Council and the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, and locally-based exporters taking part include companies from agricultural, engineering, food production and the motor industry.
“We will be celebrating the inventiveness, initiative and hard work of companies based within the county that are already trading successfully both domestically and internationally,” said Jayne Southall, director of Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
She added: “It’s already a big success with the number and range of companies wanting to take part, but it’s also proved a boost for the Show itself as we’ve raised awareness with a number of companies saying they’ve been missing an opportunity to connect with their customers and local market by not joining the Show before.”
ENDS
@lincsshow
LincolnshireAgriculturalSociety
ENDS
Media enquiries:
Karen Malpass at Lincolnshire Events Centre in Lincolnshire Agricultural Society
kmalpass@lincs-events.co.uk - 01522 585504
Maggie Taylor at Prima PR
maggie@primapr.co.uk – 01400 251557 / 0797 3767 602
Editor’s Note:
Lincolnshire Events Centre is a major national conferencing venue, home of the Lincolnshire Show and the groundbreaking EPIC project. Just outside the historic city of Lincoln, the Centre hosts events for 10 to 10,000 visitors on its 200 acre showground site and 3000 square metres of indoor exhibition and venue space.
Outdoor events include the flagship Lincolnshire Show, antiques fairs and horse trials, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year. Under cover, there are exhibition halls and conferencing facilities, including the recently completed EPIC centre, the second largest purpose-designed showcase for environmental technologies in the UK, it enables event organisers to reduce, monitor and offset their carbon footprint.
Lincolnshire gears up for its annual agricultural showcase
Over 60,000 visitors are expected at this year’s Lincolnshire Show on 20th and 21st June, to learn about the importance of agriculture and farming in the life of the county.
Reflecting the agricultural heart to the Show, this year’s events will include the ever popular pig racing; the spectacular Grand Parade of the best of the county’s livestock and the vintage to modern day agricultural machinery display.
As well as the county’s finest animals on show, there will be a mix of rural and family attractions, including the best of Lincolnshire produce at the massive Select Lincolnshire and Tastes of Lincolnshire Food Court, including the launch of a major new Lincolnshire cheese from Lymn Bank Cheese of Thorpe St Peter, near Skegness.
Produced with local milk from nearby Rich Pastures Dairy, the Skegness Blue cheese will be unveiled by cheese maker Stephen Grinstead, who is looking for national markets for his traditionally produced, blue veined cheese. He said: “It’s gone well in the trials and we’ve come up with something that is slightly creamier and less blue than a stilton. We’re hoping it will become one of the biggest sellers in the country.” Lymn Bank Cheese plan to launch another new cheese later this year - Skegness Gold – which is a naturally cloth bound cheddar.
The Lincolnshire Show will also host three of the giant Quadtracs that will be taking part in a world record attempt in the county later this year, for the most cultivating Quadtracs in one field, with organisers hoping to have more than 20 of the machines taking part. The attempt has been launched by fourth generation farmer Helen Clarke in memory of her father John Rainthorpe.
The Discovery Zone will be hosting Pork to Fork : The story of the Sausage, explaining how one of Lincolnshire’s most famous products reaches the table, and other Show performances will range from falconry to bee keeping.
Also making a second appearance are dogs on the Lincolnshire Showground. For the second year running, dogs will be allowed into the Show, and Scruffts have confirmed that they will be running a regional heat on both days of the Show this year for their Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition.
The Show has retained its major sponsors, with Clydesdale Bank and Duckworth’s Land Rover on board for a further year and director Jayne Southall has confirmed that the Show will continue in its mid-week slot in future years, saying this is the strongest way to retain its agricultural heart.
She explained: “We are set on innovation and continuing to broaden our appeal, but the Show must support our core charitable aims – which are to promote understanding, and awareness of the role played in the county by agriculture and food production - and we must have the agricultural community fully on board.”
She added: “The Show is still the county’s best kept secret. We’ve pushed up to more than 60,000 visitors but there is still huge potential and we’re set on increasing numbers of both visitors and exhibitors in 2012. I want to develop more involvement in the Society by young people and further boost our links with education.”
The Lord Taylor of Holbeach, CBE, Government minister for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and head of one of the UK’s leading horticultural companies is this year’s President of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
In the presidential role, Lord Taylor will represent the Society at the Lincolnshire Show.
He said: “The Society plays an important part in the economic life of Lincolnshire as well as performing a great task as advocate for the agricultural and horticultural industry, in what is the country’s premier agricultural county.”
Twitter: @lincsshow
Facebook: LincolnshireAgriculturalSociety
ENDS
Media enquiries:
Karen Malpass at Lincolnshire Events Centre in Lincolnshire Agricultural Society
kmalpass@lincs-events.co.uk - 01522 585504
Maggie Taylor at Prima PR
maggie@primapr.co.uk – 01400 251557 / 0797 3767 602
Editor’s Note:
Lincolnshire Events Centre is a major national conferencing venue, home of the Lincolnshire Show and the groundbreaking EPIC project. Just outside the historic city of Lincoln, the Centre hosts events for 10 to 10,000 visitors on its 200 acre showground site and 3000 square metres of indoor exhibition and venue space.
Outdoor events include the flagship Lincolnshire Show, antiques fairs and horse trials, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year. Under cover, there are exhibition halls and conferencing facilities, including the recently completed EPIC centre, the second largest purpose-designed showcase for environmental technologies in the UK, it enables event organisers to reduce, monitor and offset their carbon footprint.
Schools are set for a sizzling time at this year’s Lincolnshire Show
More than a thousand young people will be taking part in the Schools Challenge at this year’s Lincolnshire Show, in the competition which tests their understanding of food, farming and agriculture.
This year’s challenges range from learning about the optimum growing conditions for potatoes to coming up with a marketing strategy to encourage young people to visit the Lincolnshire Show.
And there are 46 primary, secondary and special schools taking part this year – more than ever before, as organisers have expanded the Show schedule to allow more entrants.
“We’ve been oversubscribed every year so for 2012, we’ve adapted the judging timetable to take place over two days, and have taken over the whole of the main exhibition hall to satisfy demand from schools,” explained Phil Everett of Lincolnshire Education Business Partnership, organisers of the competition, which is sponsored by Farmacy, Uncle Henry’s, Barbara Welby Trust and E Park and Sons.
Also on the timetable for schools will be a visit to the Show’s Discovery Zone, where they will be shown farming techniques and food production methods at first hand, including From Pork to Fork: The Story of the Sausage. They can then try their hand by having a go at making sausages back in the Schools Challenge area, with Uncle Henry’s cafe and farm shop.
Alongside the Schools Challenge, many more schools visit the Show for educational visits to learn about agriculture and farming in their home county.
The Schools Challenge also includes a professional development day for teaching staff on the first day of the Lincolnshire Show, and this year the theme is conservation, which is being supported by the Woodland Trust , Farming and Countryside Education (FACE), Sustainable East Midlands and Uncle Henry’s.
To book visits or find out more about the Schools Challenge, contact Phil Everett at the Lincolnshire Education Business Partnership, on 01522 574100
The full list of schools taking part (in alphabetical order):
Ancaster CE Primary School
The Axholme Academy
Bishop King CE Primary School
Branston Junior School
Dunholme St Chad's C of E School
Grantham Additional Needs Federation
Grasby All Saints C of E Primary School
Grimoldby Primary School
Hartsholme Academy
Hawtonville Junior School
Hibaldstow Primary School
Humberston C or E Primary School
Ingham Primary School
John Fielding Community Special School
Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective Academy
Lacey Gardens Junior School
Lady Jane Franklin School
Lincoln Christ's Hospital School
Marton Primary School
Monks Abbey Primary
North Kesteven School
Osgodby Primary School
The Priory School
The Priory Witham Academy
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar - A Selective Academy (Alford)
Saint Norbert's Catholic Primary School
Scampton CE Primary School
Scawby Primary School
Sir John Gleed School
Sir William Robertson High School
South Parade Primary School
Spalding Monkshouse Primary School
St Bernards School
St Francis Special School
St Georges Academy
The St Lawrence Academy
St Lawrence School
Stamford Queen Eleanor School
Tetney Primary School
Toynton All Saints Primary School
Trent Valley Academy
Welton St Mary's CE Primary School
Wragby Primary School
The challenges:
01 Alternative Materials
Curriculum Links: Science, Citizenship
Students investigate non-food crops and research the carbon footprint of their school.
They should develop ideas on how to make their school more sustainable and compare the
available fuel options to find which would be most suitable for use in school.
02 Improving my School Grounds
Curriculum Links: Art and Design, Citizenship, Geography
Students are tasked with the challenge to improve their school grounds. They should
create a design portfolio of their ideas which should encourage input from the wider school
community. Previous examples have included a sensory garden and a vegetable patch.
03 Farming Past, Present and Future
Curriculum Link: History
Students compare the technology and culture of the past, present and future farming
communities within their local area. Students can present their timeline, using any method
that engages the audience.
04 Design a Healthy School Dinner
Curriculum Links: Design and Technology – Food Technology
Students research what is meant by healthy eating and use this to plan a menu of a healthy
two-course meal that could be served at school. Where possible, ingredients should be
home-grown or locally produced.
05 Advertising the Lincolnshire Show
Curriculum Links: ICT, Media studies, Business Studies
Students critically analyse the existing strategies used to advertise the Lincolnshire Show.
They should then develop new concepts which will promote The Show to young people whilst
reducing the environmental impact of the event.
06 Growing around the Globe
Curriculum Links: Modern Foreign Languages, Citizenship
Students investigate which crops grow best in the British climate and compare these with the
types of crops which would thrive in a school garden on a different continent. They should
contact this school by post or email in the correct language if feasible.
07 The Potato Challenge
Curriculum Links: Design and Technology, Science
Students grow potatoes and experiment to find the optimum growing conditions. They may
develop recipes using their potatoes, which, along with the remaining potato plants will be
judged at The Lincolnshire Show.
08 Design from Nature
Curriculum Links: Art and Design
Students study a range of design techniques using different shapes, fabrics and textures. They
should then research designs from nature which can be replicated
Lincolnshire Show cooks up some doggie treats
The Lincolnshire Show has announced that dogs will be allowed on the Showground for the second year running, with an on-site doggie crèche available on both days.
And Scruffts have confirmed that they will be running a regional heat on both days of the Show for their Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition, giving Lincolnshire two regional winners in the 2012 national final.
There will also be a special appearance from Merlin, the ambassador dog for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, who is on a special mission to raise £30,000 for the charity during its 30th anniversary year. The charity trains dogs to alert deaf people to important sounds and danger signals in the home, work place and public buildings.
The canine-crèche will be run once again by local animal charity Jerry Green Dog Rescue, providing a dog care/ rest service for visitors. “This is ideal for when dog owners are touring the areas of the show that don't allow dogs, or simply if their dog is getting tired or overwhelmed by all the people. It will be run by our experienced rescue workers and they will be ensuring a calm and comfortable environment,” said Rosina Myers, the canine behavioural advisor for the Jerry Green charity.
Speaking for the Lincolnshire Show, marketing coordinator Karen Malpass said: “The first year of dogs on site went down very well with everyone, so we were confident it should be repeated this year. Obviously dogs have to be on leads and some areas are out of bounds, but we are certainly looking forward to more happy tail wagging this year!”
Crossbreed dog owners who are visiting the Show and are interested in competing in the Scruffts competition do not need to pre-book. There is a £1 entry fee for each dog entered into the competition, with all the money raised going to the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.
The judges will be looking for good character, health and temperament in the following classes:
- Most handsome Crossbreed Dog (6 months – 7 years)
- Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch (6 months – 7 years)
- Child’s Best Friend* (6 months – 12 years) *handled by a young person between 6 and 16 years of age with the permission of the parent or guardian.
- Golden Oldie Crossbreed 8 years over
Visit the Lincolnshire Show website at www.lincolnshireshow.co.uk for more information and to book your tickets or call the ticket hotline on 0845 2305171
Twitter: @lincsshow
Facebook: LincolnshireAgriculturalSociety
ENDS
Media enquiries:
Karen Malpass at Lincolnshire Events Centre in Lincolnshire Agricultural Society
kmalpass@lincs-events.co.uk - 01522 585504
Maggie Taylor at Prima PR
maggie@primapr.co.uk – 01400 251557 / 0797 3767 602
Editor’s Note:
Lincolnshire Events Centre is a major national conferencing venue, home of the Lincolnshire Show and the groundbreaking EPIC project. Just outside the historic city of Lincoln, the Centre hosts events for 10 to 10,000 visitors on its 200 acre showground site and 3000 square metres of indoor exhibition and venue space.
Outdoor events include the flagship Lincolnshire Show, antiques fairs and horse trials, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year. Under cover, there are exhibition halls and conferencing facilities, including the recently completed EPIC centre, the second largest purpose-designed showcase for environmental technologies in the UK, it enables event organisers to reduce, monitor and offset their carbon footprint.
Count-down to the county’s big day out
Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st June 2012 at the Lincolnshire Showground, Grange de Lings
This year’s Lincolnshire Show will come to life at the 200 acre Grange-De-Lings site on 20th and 21st June, with world-class jousting from the Knights of the Damned, two qualifier heats for the Kennel Club’s Scruffts mixed breed dog show; top level show-jumping and a host of shopping opportunities.
Reflecting the agricultural heart to the Show, this year’s events will include the ever popular pig racing; the spectacular Grand Parade of the best of the county’s livestock and the vintage to modern day agricultural machinery display.
As well as the county’s finest animals on show, there will be an exciting mix of rural and family attractions during the two days, including the best of Lincolnshire produce at the massive Select Lincolnshire and Tastes of Lincolnshire Food Court, home to a mouth-watering selection of local produce and some great homemade recipe demonstrations throughout each day from local food champion Rachel Green. The Discovery Zone will be hosting Pork to Fork : The story of the Sausage, explaining how one of Lincolnshire’s most famous products reaches the table, and other Show performances will range from falconry to bee keeping.
Clydesdale Bank and Duckworth’s Land Rover are once again major sponsors for the Show, where one of the star attractions is Knights of the Damned, the medieval jousting stunt team, regular favourites at the Show. This year they will be in prime position, having moved to the Main Ring, where they will appear on both Show days, led by Justin Pearson, whose film credits include Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and most recently the Madonna film WE. The troupe includes two young local riders, Rob and James Pavey. Their display includes high adrenalin clashes on horseback and superbly choreographed foot fights with swords, flaming fireballs on chains and unyielding quarterstaffs.
This year’s Sports Zone has top billing in the run up to the 2012 London Games, and will be encouraging visitors to try their hand at a huge range of Olympic and Paralympic sports. This year’s sports include cricket, golf, wheelchair basketball, canoeing, volleyball, table tennis, hockey, athletics and the ever-popular Zorb Balls. The Sports Zone is one of Lincolnshire Sports Partnership’s biggest events and last year nearly 6000 people took part in the Sports Zone over the two-days.
For the second year running, dogs will be allowed on the Showground, with dog rescue centre Jerry Green running a doggie crèche on both days. Scruffts have confirmed that they will be running a regional heat on both days of the Show this year for their Family Crossbreed Dog of the Year competition, giving Lincolnshire two regional winners in the 2012 national final. Also confirmed is an appearance from Merlin, the ambassador dog for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, who is on a special mission to raise £30,000 for the charity during its 30th anniversary year. The charity trains dogs to alert deaf people to important sounds and danger signals in the home, work place and public buildings.
More than a thousand young people will be taking part in the Schools Challenge over the two days, demonstrating their understanding of food, farming and agriculture, as well as having a go at making sausages with Uncle Henry’s cafe and farm shop. This year’s challenges range from learning about the optimum growing conditions for potatoes, to coming up with a marketing strategy to encourage young people to visit the Lincolnshire Show.
For horse lovers, there’s a busy competition programme in the equine rings; top level showjumping in the main ring; and retired racehorses will have their day once again, with Market Rasen Racecourse sponsoring two ex-racehorse classes at the Show. The sponsorship comes as the Racecourse seeks to raise awareness about the care of thoroughbreds after they leave the sport.
There is also special entertainment for the Wednesday evening, with the Bush Doctors band. The cover band has been playing to audiences all over the UK during the past 12 years, and this year sees them playing the outdoor stage at the Lincolnshire Show, in the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society members’ area. And according to lead singer Richard Aksam, the band will be delivering a set that’s designed to suit all tastes and guarantee that everyone is swinging along. He said: “This promises to be one of the biggest and best gigs of our summer schedule."
For shoppers, there will be boutique-style stalls in the Mews and a shop-to-drop experience at the 600 trade stands at the Show, offering anything from a new car to a pair of shoes.
Jayne Southall, who will be leading the Showground team in her first year as the Director of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society and Lincolnshire Events Centre, said: “We’ve got a fantastic line-up for this year.
“The heart of the Show is to tell the story behind the county’s agriculture and food production and to encourage more people to put local produce top of their shopping list, but it is also a major visitor attraction which helps to bring Lincolnshire’s wider visitor and tourism story to a national audience.
She added: “Lincolnshire has so much to shout about, and the Show has a vital role to play as a flagship event for the county.”
Each year the Show is a big earner for the county of Lincolnshire and it is estimated that every £1 spent at the Show generates £20 in the local economy and the Show provides a major boost for local hotels and B&Bs, creating demand for 18,400 overnight stays locally.
Visit the Lincolnshire Show website at www.lincolnshireshow.co.uk for more information and to book your tickets or call the ticket hotline on 0845 2305171
Ticket prices have been held at 2011 prices and offer discounts on advance purchase:
Adult £20 : £18 in advance
Young person age 17-22 : £15 available in advance only
Child – age 5-16 – £6 : £5.50 in advance
Family – 2 adults and 3 children – £45 : £40 in advance
ENDS
Twitter: @lincsshow
ENDS
Media enquiries:
Karen Malpass at Lincolnshire Events Centre in Lincolnshire Agricultural Society
kmalpass@lincs-events.co.uk - 01522 585504
Maggie Taylor at Prima PR
maggie@primapr.co.uk – 01400 251557 / 0797 3767 602
Editor’s Note:
Lincolnshire Events Centre is a major national conferencing venue, home of the Lincolnshire Show and the groundbreaking EPIC project. Just outside the historic city of Lincoln, the Centre hosts events for 10 to 10,000 visitors on its 200 acre showground site and 3000 square metres of indoor exhibition and venue space.
Outdoor events include the flagship Lincolnshire Show, antiques fairs and horse trials, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year. Under cover, there are exhibition halls and conferencing facilities, including the recently completed EPIC centre, the second largest purpose-designed showcase for environmental technologies in the UK, it enables event organisers to reduce, monitor and offset their carbon footprint.
First firms complete dual ISO / LEXCEL accreditation
Members of the LawNet network are taking a dual approach to quality management to support compliance and cut audit requirements
Leading law firm network LawNet has become the first in the sector to offer dual quality accreditation to ISO 9001 and Lexcel standards, in a move designed to cut costs and resources for its members.
The LawNet dual accreditation route has been developed to offer firms efficiencies where Lexcel is a requirement in public funded work or for tendering purposes. All members of the network must achieve the LawNet ISO 9001 quality standard within 24 months of joining, with ongoing six-monthly assessments.
Now the firms can also opt for Lexcel assessment at the same time as their regular ISO audit, cutting audit times dramatically.
At Oxley & Coward Solicitors LLP in Rotherham, practice manager Peter Hedley said: “The Lexcel standard is becoming increasingly common as a requirement in tenders and we also wanted to avoid having multiple audits every year to keep our family and criminal legal aid work. We found the dual ISO/Lexcel audit process very easy and knowing we will have just two audits to manage each year is the real bonus. There were very few things in Lexcel that we weren’t already doing, but it helped us to focus on meeting the demands of the SRA handbook and OFR.”
Another firm that has achieved the dual accreditation is Parrott & Coales LLP in Aylesbury. Debbie Rymer, quality coordinator said: “We could not renew our family legal aid contract without Lexcel or other external auditing, and we expected that Lexcel would open the door to new work streams in the public sector and with other bodies that now demand this as a standard.”
She added: “We welcome audits because we use them to improve the way we work, but streamlining any audit process can only be good. “
John Thomas, chief executive of LawNet said: “One of our main objectives as an organisation is to help our firms deliver high quality legal services. We need to make things as simple as possible for them, so they can concentrate on fee earning.
“We are the only group that can offer dual accreditation in this way, with our dual accredited firms having just one audit annually for each accreditation. Devising the dual accreditation has been a complex process from our side, and it has taken some time to put it in place, but our firms will benefit as it will mean far less resources to achieve and maintain the standard, as well as giving another string to their bow in securing work.”
Thomas added: “A number of firms had been asking for this and it’s win win all round, as the Law Society will have more firms going for Lexcel accreditation, and they will be firms that truly understand quality.”
Also coming on line from LawNet shortly is an online portal designed to help firms manage the requirements of the SRA Handbook and Outcomes-Focussed Regulation (OFR) which has been described as providing real tools for firms to use day-to-day.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing
Direct line: 01400 251557 Mobile: 0797 3767602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Director of Services, LawNet
Direct line: 01926 834622 Email: hhamilton-shaw@lawnet.co.uk
Notes to Editor:
About LawNet:
The combined income of the 67 firms comprising LawNet is currently in excess of £250m – equivalent to a UK Top 15 law firm – with members ranging from £2m to £20m turnover.
Independent research shows LawNet is most highly valued by members for delivering in six key areas – training, networking, PII, business development, marketing and compliance. It currently places some £1.2bn worth of PI cover alone for members each year, which helps stabilise premiums for firms.
Each year LawNet delivers over 60 CPD accredited learning events at venues throughout the UK, covering a wide range of technical legal updates, practice management and business development topics, including a leading-edge strategic leadership and management development programme. All the learning days are CPD accredited, many are provided as a free service within membership, and the member-defined programme ensures that topics tackle key issues affecting that particular area of practice.
All LawNet firms must achieve ISO 9001:2008 LawNet Quality Standard certification within two years of joining, and securing and maintaining that accreditation is a condition of membership. Through a unique agreement with the Law Society, firms can also secure and hold the Lexcel practice management standard and benefit from a simplified dual auditing process for the two marks, with the independent assessment delivered through LawNet.
Twitter: @LawNetUK
Blog: http://thelawnetblog.wordpress.com/
Groups join forces to support solicitors in post-LSA environment
Two leading and long-established law firm membership groups have joined forces to provide their law firm clients with access to increased support in the post Legal Services Act environment.
360 Legal Group, which specialises in law firm management, structure and merger will provide acquisition and merger support to member firms of LawNet, a mutual and member-owned group which comprises independent law firms with between 6 and 39 partners and operates the legal market’s largest PI scheme. LawNet will reciprocate by providing 360 Legal Group members and clients with valuable support in quality, risk management and specialist training. Both sets of members will benefit from greater access to a large pool of potential merger partners, increased training, conference, event and networking opportunities and a vast choice of consultancy services.
Whilst both organisations will remain totally independent in their operations, they will be looking at ways to share resources, services and contacts to the benefit of their members. The organisations serve different audiences – with 360 Legal Group primarily working with progressive small to medium-sized law firms and LawNet working with mainly heavyweight independent firms – but both agree that there is huge potential to work more closely.
John Thomas, Chief Executive of LawNet says: “We are different organisations but both aim to ensure our members stay ahead of the competition, reduce costs, improve efficiencies and enhance profitability and we believe we can be stronger together. Working collaboratively, whilst retaining our individual identities, ensures our members enjoy the best of both worlds – the membership benefits and support they have always enjoyed, but with access to a greater level of contacts and services.”
“LawNet has built its reputation through the exacting standards placed on member firms, and is well aligned with our values here at 360 Legal Group, to be innovative, ambitious and forward-thinking.” adds 360 Legal Group Chief Executive Viv Williams.
cont …
“As the legal sector consolidates there will be merger, ABS and private equity opportunities for many. Others are looking to raise their game and build their business around “Brand Solicitor”. By sharing our expertise, knowledge and best practice we can offer an unrivalled level of support to help all members achieve their ambitions.”
Benefits to members are already being realised with LawNet firms taking part in 360 Legal Group’s February Merger and Consolidation Summit. The organisations are now focusing on new packages for those seeking to buy, sell or merge.
ENDS
Background Notes to Editors:
About 360 Legal Group:
Founded in July 2004, 360 Legal Group has become the largest membership organisation for legal businesses in the UK, growing steadily over the years in response to a growing need for efficiency and business skills amongst its members and the legal profession as a whole. It provides marketing, management and strategy solutions for law firms, helping lawyers to manage and market their practices more successfully as businesses, differentiate themselves from local competitors and overcome the challenges facing the profession. The Group also specialises in the merger and acquisition of legal practices.
Through its dedicated business consultancy service delivered through a nationwide team of advisors, 360 Legal Group further helps its clients on a one-to-one basis to recognise the sweeping changes being introduced by The Legal Services Act, understand the difficult and fast changing trading conditions in which law firms now operate and explore how to take advantage of forthcoming deregulation.
360 Legal Group members access free SRA authorised CPD seminars for an unlimited number of staff as part of membership, which starts from under £30 per month. Membership also includes a free practice review which revisits and updates business plans and objectives, an annual benchmarking report to enable members to get an overview of their organisation’s performance against other member practices, a quarterly e-zine to inform members about trends and developments in the legal sector, a telephone helpline and discounts of at least 20 per cent on all of 360 Legal Group’s consultancy services.
360 Legal Group, Tel: 01275 465540 Visit: www.360legalgroup.co.uk
For further information please contact:
Jacqui Southway Viv Williams
Jacqueline Southway PR 360 Legal Group
Tel: 01454 201869 / 07747 804703 Tel: 01275 465540 / 07879 999274
About LawNet:
The combined income of the 67 firms comprising LawNet is currently in excess of £250m – equivalent to a UK Top 15 law firm – with members ranging from £2m to £15m turnover.
Independent research shows LawNet is most highly valued by members for delivering in six key areas – training, networking, PII, business development, marketing and compliance. It currently places some £1.2bn worth of PI cover alone for members each year, which helps stabilise premiums for firms.
Each year LawNet delivers over 60 CPD accredited learning events at venues throughout the UK, covering a wide range of technical legal updates, practice management and business development topics, including a leading-edge strategic leadership and management development programme. All the learning days are CPD accredited, many are provided as a free service within membership, and the member-defined programme ensures that topics tackle key issues affecting that particular area of practice.
All LawNet firms must achieve ISO 9001:2008 LawNet Quality Standard certification within two years of joining, and securing and maintaining that accreditation is a condition of membership. Through a unique agreement with the Law Society, firms can also secure and hold the Lexcel practice management standard and benefit from a simplified dual auditing process for the two marks, with the independent assessment delivered through LawNet.
Twitter: @LawNetUK Blog: http://thelawnetblog.wordpress.com/
For further information about LawNet, please contact:
Press information:
Maggie Taylor, Prima PR & Marketing Direct line: 01400 251557 Mobile: 0797 3767602 Email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Director of Services, LawNet Direct line: 01926 834622 Email: hhamilton-shaw@lawnet.co.uk
Lincolnshire Show 2012: press passes, feature articles and reader competitions
LOOK BACK EARLY IN 2013 FOR DETAILS ABOUT REGISTERING FOR 2013 PRESS PASSES, FEATURES AND COMPETITIONS.
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This year’s Show takes place on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st June 2012
PRESS PASSES WILL BE DIGITAL: For 2012, press passes for the Lincolnshire Show will once again be managed wholly online. ALL requests will have to be made through this website, specifying named contacts and the days on which they are attending, as digital passes will be issued. Special requests for car parking or other access to the site should be made through the same online system. To request accreditation, please click here
PRESS RELEASES AND FEATURE ARTICLES ONLINE: All press releases about the Show will be published on the Showground web site and also available online here, through the Prima PR client news feed. This will include copies of all press releases, feature articles and press packs as they go live, providing a single easy-to-access route. In addition, if you would like exclusive feature material, or if you require interviews before or at the Show, we will be happy to work with you – contact Maggie Taylor at Prima PR : maggie@primapr.co.uk
READER COMPETITIONS: Each year we work with media titles to offer their readers the chance to win tickets to the Lincolnshire Show. If you are interested in discussing such joint promotions, then please get in touch and tell us how you would promote the offer to your readers or use the request form you will find within the media centre pages of the web site, when live. Please email: maggie@primapr.co.uk
PHOTOGRAPHY FROM PREVIOUS SHOWS: A selection of stock photographs from previous shows is available. Pictures from 2010 and 2011 are on Flickr at the following link: primaprandmarketing You can also find many pictures from other people on Flickr if you search for Lincolnshire Show. We have further archive catalogues here and elsewhere online click here for a 2009 gallery and will be happy to provide unique or specific shots on request.
Keep in touch:
The Show online: www.lincolnshireshowground.co.uk
Follow the Show on Twitter: @lincsshow
Follow the Show on Facebook: LincolnshireAgriculturalSociety
All PR and Media enquiries should be made via:
Prima PR & Marketing : info@primapr.co.uk : Tel: 01400 251557 : www.primapr.co.uk
Twitter: @magtay
Flickr: primaprandmarketing
Client news feed: click here
ENDS