The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 18: Winter 2020 | Page 3

CONTENTS

THE TEAM
Editor & Founder Anita Jaynes anita @ tbesw . co . uk 01225 300043
Sub-Editor Ben Carey press @ tbesw . co . uk
Design Juicy Designs www . juicy-designs . co . uk
Artwork Studio Creative Services www . studio-cs . co . uk
Printed by Acorn Press www . acornpress . co . uk
On the cover Artwork by Ben Hewitt for Mary Shelley ’ s House of Frankenstein
Advertising Sales Sian Swift Business Development Manager Sian @ tbesw . co . uk T : 07710 566 145
Follow us on Social @ TBEBATH The Business Exchange South West Facebook . com / tbebathandsomerset businessexchangesw
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Bath ranked top of the chart in 2021 Small Cities Index City praised for its incredible quality of life
REGULARS
04 Business News 08 Finance 27 Creative Thinking 31 Technology 33 Commercial Property 34 Revved Up
Invest in Bath New funding to develop the workforce of the future
FEATURES
20
12 Voices from our community
21 Be a mindful employer in 2021
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Cover story Mary Shelley ' s Frankenstein – Why , it ' s a frightfully good investment
PEOPLE
36
25 In Profile : Gideon Barker
30 10 Minutes with ... Polly Rathbone-Ward
© The Business Exchange South West Limited 2020 . Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that adverts and articles appear correctly , The Business Exchange South West Limited cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the contents of this publication . The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of its publisher or editor . All rights reserved . This publication is copyrighted and no part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the written permission of The Business Exchange South West Limited .
KEY STATISTICS
Readership : 15,000 Our audience : 56 % business owner / director level 44 % partner , manager or senior executive
36 Positive Business
EDITOR ’ S NOTE
As I reflect on 2020 I feel a whole host of emotions , from grieving for a year ‘ lost ’, to being thankful that my business has survived it . Forever the optimist , I want to concentrate on the positive things this year has brought us and the highlights of our year at The Business Exchange . Highlight 1 : A heightened sense of community . In the depths of lockdown , our ‘ Lift-off from Lockdown ’ series connected 100s of people and businesses and helped us all to feel a sense of togetherness whilst apart . We tackled everything from where to get PPE and financial support , to agile working and mental health . Highlight 2 : Being ‘ in this together ’ helped us to forge even stronger relationships . Highlight 3 : Pivoting through lockdown .
It ' s all about the people How a local firm kept its team feeling connected during the pandemic
We were delighted that we could find a way to continue to print and serve our readers through lockdown . We posted 10,000 magazines free of charge to people ’ s homes and gave them a reason to escape from their screens . It was fantastic to read all of the thank you messages as they came in on social and by email . Highlight 4 : Continuing to grow our business and readership . In the early months of lockdown we saw a 360 per cent increase in our web traffic and a rush of sign-ups to our newsletters , which we stepped up in the depths of the crisis . We ' ve also attracted over 20 new advertisers this year . Highlight 5 : This one is still to come ! I can ' t wait to host Reward , our award scheme recognising the amazing work of our region ' s charities and not-for-profits in 2020 ( read page 36 to find out more ).
More news at : www . tbebathandsomerset . co . uk and www . tbeswindonandwilts . co . uk
2020 ' s Not-For-Profit stars revealed Award finalists announced
This edition focuses heavily on the support available to businesses at the moment and positive developments planned in 2021 . This includes our cover story , Mary Shelley ' s House of Frankenstein , a new attraction set to open in Bath in the spring , giving people a new reason to visit our amazing city .
A HUGE thank you to everyone who ' s supported The Business Exchange this year . I wish you a merry Christmas . Roll on 2021 !
Anita Jaynes E : anita @ tbesw . co . uk T : 01225 300043
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2020 3