‘Coach, you’re the best’ closes at 6pm tomorrow, have you voted yet?

More than 8000 votes have been received for the 101 coaches that have now been nominated.

• 1st – Ice skating coach – Simon Briggs
• 2nd – Ice skating coach, Gillian Otterson
• 3rd – Ice skating coach, Andrea McCully
• 4th – Shooting coach, Malcolm West
• 5th – Ultimate Frisbee coach, Dan Furnell
• 6th – Rowing coach, James Wilton
• 7th – Rowing coach, Seamus Reynolds
• 8th – American Football coach, Rob Lowe
• 9th – Rowing Coach, Al Horn
• 10th – Gymnastics coach, Andi Revell

Is your sport or your coach in the top 10? If not, click on the drop-down to view the list of coaches and vote now.

Full competition terms and conditions. Permission must be granted by the person being nominated.

The BIBA Credit Management and Bonds Scheme has now been successfully running for one year.

The Scheme launched on the 20^th January 2011 is exclusively for BIBA members. Being a member of the scheme allows access to expert advice on credit risks and provides a range of solutions designed to improve financial security and credit control; establishing disciplines that can help businesses to grow and prosper.

To mark the anniversary and in response to valuable broker feedback the BIBA Credit Management and Bonds Scheme today launch the Broker Support function of the scheme. This valueable development has been designed to assist BIBA Brokers in making it easier to promote the Schemes’ products and services to clients.

For more information on the Scheme please contact us

The success of the Scheme was also recognised at the 2011 UNITAS Annual Conference

Darren Felsenstein, Credit Development Executive at Perkins Slade was runner up in the Annual Achievement Award, from a pool of 9 nominees. Darren was nominated due to his successful introduction of the BIBA Credit Management & Bonds Scheme. Commenting on his award Darren said “It was a real honour to be nominated, and to be runner up is a great success, although it would have been a massive achievement personally and professionally to have won”.

The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) @BIBAbroker is the UK ‘s leading general insurance organisation representing the interests of insurance brokers, intermediaries and their customers.

UNITAS Alliance Ltd represents 13 of the largest and highly respected independent regional insurance brokers from across the UK.

Perkins Slade is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Our competition ’Coach, you’re the best!’ is in to it’s final month, with 83 coaches nominated to win the prize of £1000 of vouchers for sports equipment, with over 5,000 people having voted!

At 4pm Thursday 12^th January the leader board looked like this:

671 - Andrea McCully – Ice Skating coach
615 - Gillian Otterson – Ice Skating coach
396 – Dan Furnell – Ultimate Frisbee coach
375 - James Wilton – Rowing coach
230 - Seamus Reynolds – Rowing coach
224 - Rob Lowe – American Football coach
212 – Andi Revell – Gymnastics coach
208 - Lois Miller – Cheer Leading coach
152 – Debbie Saunders – Gymnastics coach
139 – Roxanne Edmonds – Cheer Leading coach

But this could still all change! The competition will run until midnight on 31^st January 2012, so there is still plenty of time to vote.

The ‘Coach, you’re the best’ competition is an opportunity for you to say thank you to that special person who has made you better at your sport, helped you to win a medal or just makes it fun. Check now to see if your coach has been nominated by using the ‘Select a Coach’ drop down on the right. If your coach has been nominated, enter your email address into the field at the top of the page and click the ‘Vote’ button to register your vote, and don’t forget to tell your friends and fellow team members.

Read our full competition terms and conditions. You must have the permission of the person you are nominating.

Perkins Slade is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Thursday 8^th December saw the worst storms the UK has seen in a decade. Schools, businesses and council offices were forced to close and more than 70,000 homes were without power.

A second storm is heading for the UK and this time the entire country looks set to suffer. Forecasters say the next severe storm is brewing in the North Atlantic and will bring with it cold air, snow and sleet as well as hurricane-strength winds from Monday evening. They say next week’s massive storm will affect the whole of the UK and will last through the whole of Tuesday and into Wednesday.

Early insurer estimates suggest the industry might be facing claims totalling about £200m. While we are yet to see the effects of the storm, there are still practical steps you can take to manage the risk to your business.

Are you prepared?

For businesses, storm damage should be one of the events considered in your business continuity plan. Preparations can be undertaken to ensure minimal damage is incurred:

• Impact-resistant glass
• Ensure exterior and yard items are removed or are securely tied down or stored away
• Close all doors, particularly up-and-over type garage doors
• Safety and communications plans are in place for employees
• If instructed to do so turn off utilities
• Trim back any dead or weak branches from trees.

A relevant and up-to-date plan will demonstrate to insurers and lenders that you’ve taken a proactive approach to risk management and can help stabilise the cost of your insurance in the long term.

Are you covered?

Commercial property owners should check their insurance policies to ensure cover includes storm/ flood damage. It is also advisable to review the key features of the policy including any excesses you will be expected to pay in the event of a claim. It is vital for companies to regularly review their insurance cover.

Most organisations will have material damage cover and business interruption cover but a full review of the sums insured and the indemnity period should be frequently undertaken. This isn’t just a question of insuring storm as a peril, denial of access and loss of attraction may all have an equally disastrous impact on business. If the nature of your business is complex, you may need expert advice from a specialist surveyor to review your requirements and help calculate the gross profit sum insured.

What to do if your business is affected?

• Contact your insurer as soon as possible
• If your property or workplace is damaged make sure the building is safe before you enter and ensure electricity and gas supplies are switched off
• Do not use electricity or water supplies until the ‘all clear’ is given
• Keep the numbers of people entering the building to a minimum
• If necessary, arrange for temporary repairs to be carried out to stop any damage getting worse
• Keep receipts, as these will be needed for your insurance claim
• Always make your own record of damage – photograph or video record your damaged.

Contact

If you would like to discuss your business insurance and/or risk management needs, please call your usual Perkins Slade contact, alternatively  telephone 0121 698 8000 or email b.ramos@perkins-slade.com

Perkins Slade is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

UNITAS Conference 2011

Our special guest, Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle @bethtweddlenews joined Richard Doubleday, Director of Sport on the sofa for a Piers Morgan-style chat, at the recent UNITAS Annual Conference #unitasconf.

Over 100 delegates from the member companies and our partner insurers came together for a full day’s conference. The event reviewed UNITAS’s work throughout 2011, and also outlined the strategy for 2012. The busy agenda also included a fantastic seminar on the use of Social Media by BigCat, Q&A session with partner insurers and the annual Achievement Award, which this year was sponsored by Chubb.

Darren Felsenstein, Credit Development Executive at Perkins Slade was runner up in the Annual Achievement Award. Darren was nominated due to his successful introduction of the BIBA Credit Management & Bonds Scheme. Commenting on his award Darren said “It was a real honour to be nominated, and to be runner up is a great achievement”.

UNITAS Alliance Ltd represents 13 of the largest and highly respected independent regional insurance brokers from across the UK.

The event closed with a charity dinner followed by the inspirational interview with Beth Tweddle, which can be viewed in full on our YouTube Channel and a raffle for Cancer Research UK, which raised an amazing £1,051.

Our team of 12 excelled themselves in the Movember 2011 challenge; they exceeded our revised target of £500, coming in with a whopping…£2,500!!!

The Mo Bro’s each raised sponsorship from colleagues, friends and family. This was further supported by a number of office-based initiatives to help support their fundraising, including an on-line auction, cake sales and dress down days.

The office held an awards ceremony to recognise the achievements of all who took part. The “Under Dog” award went to Nick Baker, the “Most Raised” went to Richard Doubleday, second place was awarded to Ian Elkington and first place went to a well deserving Sven Edwards. Well done to you all, we hope to see you next year!?

We would also like to personally thank Sterling for providing a case of wine, Jury’s Inn, Birmingham for donating a night’s stay, Solace Spa for a Dermalogica facial, as well as colleagues Sue Dingley and Ron Forrest for their contributions to the campaign.

If you would still like to donate please visit: www.justgiving.com/perkinsslade