Townhouse Times

The UK’s largest supplier of commercial vehicle lighting systems is opening a depot in Preston to serve the North West region with a £1/2m investment, creating five jobs.  Dun-Bri Group, based in Hertfordshire, is on target to open ‘Dun-Bri North’ in early September to specifically over the North of England and Scotland after acquiring a unit on Roman Way.

Dun-Bri North is a brand new operation and is the biggest investment in the company’s 30 year history.  Family owned, the company has acquired the unit and has recruited five new staff under the guidance of local man Steve Garlick who has joined from Coach Parts Direct. Steve and his team will manage it’s free twice daily delivery service across central Lancashire and control stock worth over £1million.  Dun-Bri Group has the largest stock range (9,000 products) in the UK and delivers over two million products every year to 2000 companies, mostly available for overnight delivery.

Andrew Strath, Sales Director at Dun-Bri Group said: “We pride ourselves on being the UK’s No.1 and by adding a depot dedicated to the North West we are showing our commitment to provide the best service in the region.”

He added: “The North West is a key target area for our company and Preston provided the perfect location for our new venture.”

For more information go to www.dun-bri.com

Dun-Bri North, 58 Roman Way Industrial Estate, Ribbleton, Preston, Lancashire PR2 5BE

Tel:  01772-651647.   Email: sales-north@dun-bri.com

The UK’s oldest family-owned firm, Salts Healthcare, today officially opened its new £1/2million office and its first UK dual ostomy and orthotics clinic in Didsbury – and to celebrate the unique nature of the site it also hopes to help set local, newly qualified medical professionals on the right business track by allowing the use of these brand new facilities.

 
The company’s new South Manchester operation will house both a Salts Medilink stoma care office and a Salts Techstep podiatry clinic under one roof, providing the best treatment for ostomy and orthotics patients across the North West region.

Salts Healthcare is a multi-million pound business with sites throughout the UK and across the World. Through its two main divisions – ostomy and orthotics – it designs, manufactures and distributes stoma care products including colostomy bags as well as providing podiatry services, from foot assessments for injured sportspeople through to the design to the manufacture of specialist footwear for those with lower limb problems.

 
On the stoma side, the company already has an established network of 15 stoma care offices and clinics throughout the UK under the banner Salts Medilink.  Some of which have community stoma care nurses available for personal home visits or telephone advice 24 hours a day, 363 days a year to provide free, impartial advice and support on all products.

 
Also, as one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of orthopaedic footwear in the U.K, Salts Orthotic division, Salts Techstep, produces bespoke products ranges for footwear, adaptions and repairs, helmets, and hip and lower limb orthoses.  It also offers a large range of insoles, both ready-made and bespoke, suitable for all types of sporting needs.

 
Giving a much needed boost to local medical professionals and to help to get a foot on the business ladder, the podiatry clinic facilities will be made available to newly qualified professionals to practice orthotics at a vastly reduced rent.  All equipment including plinth, table and changing facilities will be available so a start-up hasn’t the need to invest in expensive equipment.  Plus there’s free on-street parking.

 
Cheryl Simpson, Medilink Didsbury Centre Manager said:  “I’m very proud that my centre is the first Salts ‘dual-clinic’ and I’m looking forward to serving the people of Didsbury, Manchester and the whole of the North West.

Commenting upon the sensitive subject of stoma care, Cheryl said: “My team and I have many, many years of experience of dealing with patients with stomas and with the Salts Medilink network we have a team available 24 hours a day, 363 days a year to offer confidential advice.”

 
Excited about the Salts Techstep on-site clinic Cheryl said: “We know how hard it is to get a foot in the door once you qualify and in these hard economic times starting a business is very difficult.  We are passionate about podiatry and our offer is simple…we’d like to help you start out.”

 
Salts have another first to celebrate.  Salts Medilink has also become the first stoma care dispensing firm in England to offer the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) for the NHS. Around 1.6 million paper prescriptions are issued every working day in England and about 7 out of 10 prescriptions are repeat prescriptions. To speed up and streamline the prescription service for NHS patients the new Electronic Prescription Service will enable prescribers – such as GPs and practice nurses – to safely send prescriptions electronically. Ensuring prescriptions can be acted on more quickly, avoiding postal delays and cutting out extra paperwork, it makes the whole process easier and more convenient for both patients and staff.   All that is required is for the patient to fill in an initial EPS Nomination form to register with Medilink as
the nominated dispenser.

 
For more information on Salts call Freephone 0800 626388.

The Decathlon store in Giltbrook is calling upon locals to help people in Africa by donating their old football kits.

Decathlon has teamed up with football charity Afrikit to help make dreams come true.  Despite being thousands of miles away, children and dults in Africa adore the ‘beautiful game’ and avidly follow British teams, but owning a shirt is all but a dream.  With new replica kits every year and many transfers of players between clubs, strips can quickly find themselves at the bottom of the wardrobe gathering dust.

 
The Decathlon store at Giltbrook Retail Park, just off the A610, next to Ikea, is home to an Afrikit stand and it wants old Notts Forest and Notts County strips, Manchester United, Barcelona, in fact any club shirt would be welcomed and will find itself helping those less fortunate than ourselves.  Also if supporters have socks, shorts, shinpads, boots, balls and any other football accessory they will also be sent to Africa.

Staff at the store had a kick about to announce the scheme and store manager Jeremie DeBeuf said: “This is a fantastic initiative.  Many of us have old football shirts lying around, unused due to wanting the latest shirt.  With the new season just around the corner, we ask those with any old replica shirts to drop them into store for a great cause.”

Please take a look at a a recent Gorkana case study about the National Lottery’s ‘Back of the Sofa’ campaign.  Townhouse was one of the agencies involved in helping to generate excellent media coverage for various unclaimed prizes across the UK.

http://www.gorkanapr.com/news/article?news_articles_id=9478

Our unclaimed prize (£1million euroMillions Raffle prize) lay somewhere in Stoke-on-Trent.  Over the last six months we have also been generating further media coverage to find the lucky ticket holder including recruiting a Town Crier to shout out a proclamation, Miss Staffordshire created a giant countdown calendar and Stoke Lotto winner and part-time pub singer Neil Jones sang his own special Lottery version of Europe’s ‘Final Countdown.’  Take a look at this, sometimes words aren’t enough:  http://tinyurl.com/3aqx2yb

Thousands spent the day at Decathlon Wednesbury on Saturday (23rd July) enjoying a range of free sporting activities alongside Olympic athlete Kelly Sotherton and Olympic swimmer James Kirton.  Families tried rock wall climbing, a surf simulator, rugby challenge, speed cage at the Axletree Way Retail park store.

Guest star Birchfield Harriers and Olympic and World medallist Kelly Sotherton spent time with families taking part in various challenges whilst taking a break from training towards gaining a London 2012 team place in the 400metres.

Decathlon Wednesbury,  Gallagher Retail Park, Axletree Way, Wednesbury, WS10 9QY.  (near Ikea).  Phone: 0121 502 1065

On a very wet and windy the 13th Salts Techstep Lichfield Cathedral Dash took place in the spectacular setting of The Close.   After many events for juniors, local businesses and others the main event – the Dash was fortunate to enjoy a ten minute gap in the showers for one of the best races in recent years.   With extensive media coverage including BBC 5Live, here are the race details from organisers KP Events:

http://www.kpevents.net/?post=results-the-salts-techstep-lichfield-cathedral-dash

It’s been a very busy week here at Townhouse Towers for one of our oldest clients The National Lottery.

On Tuesday we were in Nottingham ceklebrating with over £60m worth of winners at a party.  Coverage was secured on ITV Central,  BBC East Midlands Today, Nottingham Post, BBC Radio Nottingham, Capital Radio and Gem FM.  Pictured below are the winners at a street party to celebrate their good fortune.

As soon as we got back to the office, we had to organise ourselves for a trip up to Chester-le-Street to help organise a Jackpot winners press conference for a lucky couple – Doreen and Fred Smith – who won £2.4m on Saturday’s (9th July) draw.  Pictured below are Doreen and Fred weith a bottle of bubbly.

And they says things come in threes.  Before we’d pulled back into the office car park the phone went again, this time to organise the publicity for the other half of Saturday’s (9th July) Jackpot win.  Gerald Blairs from Newcastle Under Lyme won £2.4m and was presented with his big cheque at his beloved Stoke City.

Lord Puttnam visited the city on Monday 11^th July to present the inaugural Lichfield Lecture.  The Chariots of Fire producer was also on the
receiving end of a presentation from a local sportsman inspired by the Labour peer’s work.
A scene in Chariots of Fire, a race around The Quadrangle at Trinity College, Cambridge was the inspiration for sportsman Kevin Wilson to create the Lichfield Cathedral Dash – a 430metre race around the Cathedral in the time it takes for the bells to chime 12noon.
The Dash, now in its 13^th year, and which this year takes place on Saturday 16^th July, is one of the UK’s most unusual sporting events and when Kevin heard of Lord Puttnam’s visit he arranged to meet the man who inspired him to create the Cathedral Dash and asked Simon Price of Arthur Price of England to produce a gift to commemorate his visit to the city.
Celebrating the corinthian spirit of all athletes past and present, the 85 piece set of cutlery is called Flame.  It’s made in stainless steel with
a brushed finish, and has 24- carat gold Olympic flame design to all its handles and comes in a black military-style four drawer high chest with a special commemorative plaque.
Simon Price said: “I think its fate that Kevin is meeting Lord Puttnam to present a gift, made by a local Lichfield firm, which is inspired by the Olympics.  When Kevin approached me, I immediately knew that the Flame collection was only item I wanted him to present.  This is the perfect gift to celebrate Chariots of Fire, the Dash and all its participants throughout the last thirteen years and hopefully many more to come.”
Kevin Wilson, founder of the Dash and director of sports company KP Events said: “To meet Lord Putnam was a dream come true.  It was an honour and a privilege to meet him.  I told him about how the film inspired me to create the Dash and that it had been staged in
various places across the UK. He delivered an excellent Lichfield Lecture and then to sit in his company, whilst watching Chariots of Fire, is one of the proudest moments of my life.”
Kevin added:  “I’d also like to thank Simon Price for his generous gift to Lord Puttnam.  His generosity has amazed all involved and is a perfect reminder for Lord Puttnam of his contribution to making the Lichfield Cathedral Dash such a special event.”
The UK’s most unique sprint will this year again be supported by another unique firm Salts Techstep.  Techstep is a division of Birmingham-based Salt’s Healthcare, which dates back to 1701.  Salts design and manufacture orthotic products and the ‘Techstep Education & Research Centre’ – is the UK’s first ‘foot clinic’, purpose built ‘solely’ for the understanding, development and support of the human foot.

Pictured:  (L-R)  Kevin Wilsonm, Lord Puttnam, Paul Griffin and Simon Price of Arthur Price.  For more information on the Salts Techstep Lichfield Cathedral Dash visit visit www.kpevents.net.

The beneficiary of all proceeds, as per previous years, will be St Giles Hospice in Whittington, near Lichfield plus for 2011 the ‘We Love Lichfield’ community fund.

Friday’s EuroMillions jackpot has rolled into Tuesday’s draw (5 July) and now stands at a massive £154 million*.  This is the biggest jackpot ever offered in the UK and if won by a single ticket-holder would create Europe’s biggest ever lottery winner.

Players are encouraged to get their tickets early in order to be in with a chance of banking the massive jackpot.  One winner of the £154 million jackpot would immediately leap into top spot in the exclusive National Lottery Rich List – above the anonymous ticket-holder who banked a EuroMillions jackpot of £113 million in October 2010.  They would also surpass Europe’s biggest ever winner to date.  On August 22, 2009 a single ticket won Italy’s SuperEnalotto jackpot, which stood at €147,807,299.08.

According to The Sunday Times Rich List 2011 a £154 million win would make you the 454^th richest person in the country.  Your fortune would propel you into the league of the super rich.  Alongside you on the Rich List would be Beatles legend Ringo Starr  £150m), Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon (£150m) and divorcee Irina Abramovich (£155m).

A National Lottery spokesperson said; “This is the UK’s biggest ever jackpot and could make Europe’s biggest ever winner – it is stunning.   A EuroMillions win of £154 million could launch you into the exclusive world of the rich and famous – private jets,
super yachts and dream cars.

“We urge players to get their tickets early to be in with a chance of winning this huge jackpot.  With EuroMillions now drawn twice a week – on Tuesdays and Fridays – players have more chances to win, as well as boosting returns to the Good Causes in the process. This roll series alone has already raised £60 million for Good Causes here in the UK.”

The £154 million jackpot would catapult any winner into the lavish world of the rich and famous.  You could buy 30 Diamond Rose
iPhone 4s, they are made with rose gold and set with 500 diamonds and cost £5m each.  Or why not splash out on a Boeing 737 or three?  They cost in the region of £50m, have a cruising speed of 485mph and you can take 150 of your friends with you everywhere you go.

If no-one matches all five main numbers and two Lucky Star numbers to win the jackpot, then it will roll to the next draw on Friday 8
July.  The EuroMillions jackpot can grow to a maximum of €185 million – depending on the exchange rate, this will be around £167 million. Once the jackpot has reached €185 million it is frozen until a lucky player matches all five main numbers and two Lucky Star numbers to win.  Any prize money which would have boosted the jackpot above €185million is passed down to the next prize-winning
level in each draw boosting the prizes to those winners.

EuroMillions offers a greater range of prizes than any other National Lottery draw, with 13 prize levels in total. In the UK it also includes the Millionaire Raffle which guarantees to create a millionaire on these shores in every draw – that’s two a week.  It costs £2 to play and tickets are available from over 28,500 National Lottery retailers across the UK, online at www.national-lottery.co.uk and
via mobile phones using the Play by Text service.

* subbject to exchange rate variations

Making the dispensing of millions of products faster and more cost-effective, Salts Medilink, the UK’s largest stoma and urology appliances dispensing contractor, has become the first Dispensing Appliance Contractor (DAC) Licensee in England to offer the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) to the NHS.

Following many months of testing and considerable investment by the Birmingham based company, Salts Medilink in-conjunction with RX Systems is now able to supply via the EPS and be the first Part IX compliant DAC to have the capability to do this in advance of all other Dispensing Appliance Contractors.

Helping to speed up and streamline the prescription service for NHS patients who use Medilink’s home delivery service, this new Electronic Prescription Service will enable prescribers – such as GPs and practice nurses – to safely send prescriptions electronically. Ensuring prescriptions can be acted on more quickly, avoiding postal delays and cutting out extra paperwork, it makes the whole process easier and more convenient for both patients and staff. All that is required is for the patient to fill in an initial EPS Nomination form to register with Medilink as the nominated dispenser.
Innovation And Development

Salts Medilink has always been at the forefront in its industry.  As a customer-focused home delivery service it runs fourteen regional centres supported by the Salts Medilink Community Stoma Care Nursing Network to provide free, impartial advice and support on all
products; offering counselling and support, skin care advice, diet, lifestyle and travel advice and support garment fitting all in a patient’s own home.
No other company can offer the 130,000 UK stoma sufferers such a large range of products and services under Part IX of the Drug Tariff, via a network of 15 regionally based customer care centres and its team of community Stoma Care Nurses available for personal home visits or telephone advice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Its parent company Salts Healthcare were the first to design and produce stoma bags in the UK back in 1948.  They were also the first to have received accreditation by the British Skin Foundation for the research and development of comfortable, secure and skin-friendly adhesives. As the only ostomy product manufacturer to receive this exclusive accreditation, Salts Healthcare is leading the industry in “skin friendliness”.
Quicker, Easier, Smarter

By offering EPS, Salts Medilink can improve its service offering to customers and increase the attention to detail its patients require including stoma care appliance customisation and appliance use reviews.  As a Part IX supplier Salts Medilink hold a comprehensive stock of all appliances enabling prescriptions to be filled promptly.
Jo Colebrook, Head of Customer Services (England & Wales) said: “We are very proud to be the first Part IX Dispensing Appliance Contractor to offer the Electronic Prescription Service.  We have been working for many months in developing the system in conjunction with RX Systems and yet again Salts Medilink has a ‘first’.  The constant strive for innovation allows us to be at the forefront of patient care.  Many of our products and services have been developed in conjunction with patients after listening to their needs and we hope by having an EPS license we continue to provide the best possible stoma care service available.”
She continued: “And we hope by being equipped to fully support EPS we continue to provide the best service available to not just our Medilink patients, but all busy GP practices in England.”
Salts Medilink EPS system has been developed in-conjunction with RX Systems who has begun its deployment of EPS R2 functionality to customers in England, following the granting of full rollout approval for its ProScript software by NHS connecting for Health. Approval was received on 1 April and Rx Systems is now working to meet demand for the new functionality.
Why is EPS being introduced?

Around 1.6 million paper prescriptions are issued every working day in England and about 7 out of 10 prescriptions are repeat prescriptions.  To handle this number more efficiently, NHS Connecting for Health is introducing the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in England.  This lets GP practices send prescriptions electronically to the place patients choose to get their medication or
appliance from. This means:

1. A more convenient service  with a reduction in trips to the GP practice just to collect, or request a  paper prescription – particularly for patients receiving repeat  medication.
2. Give patients greater freedom of choice, making it simpler for them to use a nominated dispensing contractor convenient to them.
3. Potentially reduce dispensing contractor waiting times as they will have the opportunity to prepare prescriptions in advance of the patient’s arrival.
4. A reduction in workload generated by patients requesting and collecting individual prescriptions and the ability to make wider use of the repeat dispensing service.
5. Prescribers will also have the ability to cancel electronic prescriptions at any point up until they are dispensed and to record the reason they were cancelled.
6. Where currently a GP practice operates a prescription collection service, staff will no longer need to sort (or post) prescriptions saving both time and resource.

For more information call Salts Medilink call Free on 0800 626388 or visit www.saltsstomacare.co.uk/medilink