Plant Parts, which is based in Hadleigh, Suffolk, supplies new and refurbished parts for construction equipment, specialising in excavator final drive gearboxes and hydraulic pumps. It has its own specialist workshop where it carries out the careful refurbishment of hydraulic pumps and drives. It employs 15 staff and is run by brothers Richard and Robert Finch.

Bucking the trend and apparently unaffected by the recession, Plant Parts has grown year after year and taken on more staff recently to deal with increasing customer orders. It now exports to over 100 different countries, with exports in the 3 years to March 2011 totalling £5.5 million, and constituting around 70% of their total sales turnover.

Managing director Richard Finch said, “I am thrilled to win the award. This is a huge achievement for everyone here at Plant Parts and is a reflection of the hard work and dedication given by the staff every day.”

At a time when the economy is still “bumping along at the bottom” and with the Government recently urging businesses to explore the opportunities presented by export markets, it appears Plant Parts are at least one step ahead. Their success, recognised once more by the Queen’s Award, will hopefully inspire other businesses to expand further into the international marketplace.

Birkett Long wish Plant Parts every continued success and congratulate them on winning this prestigious accolade again.

The Family Justice Review has given an interim report about overhauling the legal system relating to children and families who are separating. The deadline for responding to it has just closed. One of the recommendations is that an information hub and helpline be set up. This is described as “A single online and phone help point to make it simple for people to decide the most appropriate way forward.” I agree this will help some people. Others need quick specialist legal advice, tailored to their individual needs and a friendly face to help them work out the best way to face the separation and divorce. I think a help point about where to turn is a good starting point but it cannot replace the role of a good family law solicitor who acts as legal adviser, the voice of reason and sometimes friend and counselor. In the meantime, coupled with the continued squeeze being placed on legal aid, I question where it will all end.

Sir Paul, who spent 30 years as a family law specialist barrister before being appointed as a High Court Judge in 2000, drew on all his experience within the family law system, commenting that he had, “for some years now, been trying to raise the subject” of marriage breakdown deeming it “one of the most destructive scourges of our time”.

The charity has been the subject of much debate over the last few days with many praising the efforts of Sir Paul to re-educate people about the value of stable relationships to society. Others are less convinced about the benefits of the charity and, I too, require some persuasion.

That is not to say I am adverse to the idea; couples marry with the intention of spending their lives together and many do so happily, but divorce is not planned and some marriages cannot be saved. I believe divorce, which is often an extremely difficult time for all involved, can nevertheless be a positive step for some individuals and children alike, avoiding what may be a more destructive scenario in future years.

When couples do separate, it is the role of lawyers to encourage individuals to act fairly and reach a settlement amicably with a view to maintaining a good relationship for the sake of any children involved.

Marriage may well be the “gold standard” for some relationships but for those that do sadly break down there is, in my opinion, no need for a path of destruction to follow.

With 70 days to go until D day, I decided as Team Leader to venture down to Petersfield on Saturday 5 May with Anne & Bob Wright from the support crew (also known as the parents!) and check out the starting point to the 100km walk and attend a preparation session with Oxfam and the Gurkhas. It was an opportunity to:

1. Appreciate how hilly the area is;
2. Pick up some top tips from a previous (and successful) Trail Walker team and from the Gurkhas themselves; and
3. Get a cheeky photo with the Gurkhas!

So I’d thought I’d share some of the key lessons I’ve learnt:

• Socks, socks and more socks! Apparently you cannot have enough blister proof socks and it’s important to change your socks regularly throughout the walk.
• The road is long… and chalky! So if it rains, it’s going to get slippery… very slippery.
• It’s not a walk in the park – To put the distance we will be walking into perspective, 100km is the equivalent of:
  • Crossing the English Channel 3 times
  • 2 and a half marathons non-stop
  • 910 football pitches end to end
  • 3.7 times around the Circle Line
• Don’t get lost! If the Gurkhas can get lost along the 100km route (due to a signpost malfunction) then it’s highly likely we could get lost without preparation. Map reading skills are therefore imperative!
• Eat little and often – it’s best to try and get used to eating on-the-go as this will save the team time (rather than stopping to eat). This is great news for Calum who likes to eat often anyway!
• Ghurka curry – a reward at the finish line once the course has been completed . Now that’s got to be an incentive to get round a bit quicker!

It was a useful reminder that the walk is not just about achieving a personal challenge, but also to raise money for two fantastic charities; Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. So please help us to raise money for such a great cause and donate by visiting our webpage at: www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/BirkettLongWalkers

The first surprise of the day was that everyone turned up despite the rain!

The carefully planned walk led us through the glorious countryside of Essex and Suffolk and it was an excellent opportunity to break in new boots and try out the waterproof gear. It soon became apparent very quickly that puddles were to be avoided at all costs, especially when they were deeper than our boots (Tim!).

The second surprise of the day was that we had to traverse a field which was also home to a rather menacing bull. Sandy, in her dashing red coat, was cunningly used as a decoy whilst the rest of us tiptoed round the outskirts of the field, ready to jump in the bushes for cover if need be.

Whilst Truffle the dog with his endless energy seemed to be running on Duracell batteries, the rest of resorted to chocolate (kindly supplied by Mrs Ogle) as fuel to keep us going.

Philip, not one to miss any opportunity to network, even managed to bump into David Boyden, of Boydens Estate Agents, out walking his dog!

The adverse weather conditions failed to defeat the Trail Walkers and all in all it was a successful first outing for the team, followed by a well deserved bacon buttie in the pub before our legs seized up. The sun even made an appearance on the drive home… The sun really does shine on the righteous!

Looking forward to the next training walk around Mersea on Saturday 19 May 2012.

If you would like to sponser the team please visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=BirkettLongWalkers&pageUrl=2 

All money raised will go to Oxfam to help people in poverty make a better life for themselves.

I don’t think there are many people who will mourn the passing of the CSA. For a lot of families it hasn’t helped either parent and attempting to get any sort of coherent response from it has always been very difficult. Whether the Department of Work and Pensions can do better, and whether the whole system will become more accountable as a result of the move, remains to be seen, but many people who actually deal with the agency feel that things could hardly become any worse.

A team of 4 walkers, 4 official support team and a whole firm of unofficial support team!

What?

A 100km trek across the South Downs, to be completed in under 30 hours.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/Trailwalker/thechallenge/thechallenge

Why?

The event is organised by Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. We are asking for sponsorship to help people in poverty make a better life for themselves – all money donated goes to Oxfam. A link to our Virgin Giving page is below:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=BirkettLongWalkers&pageUrl=2

Next Steps (of which there will be many)

Follow our progress through training right up to the date of the event, Saturday 14 July 2012. The event itself will be covered by pictures, videos and on Twitter.

Thank You

The Birkett Long Walkers thank you in advance for any support and for any donation, no matter what size, you are able to make to this worthy cause.

Whilst until recently there hasn’t been much land on the open market I do believe that the banks are lending to farmers. I am doing a lot of refinancing work for my clients, either where they are borrowing money to pursue new diversification projects and are borrowing against their existing land or where they have renegotiated with the bank following increases in land values over the last few years. So in my experience it really is true that banks are lending to farmers.

Should we be excited about the Olympics?

Yes. Even though most of us didn’t manage to get tickets and anyone commuting in or around London seems to be terrified of the prospect, it will be exciting to host the Games and to have the eyes of the World on London and the UK.

Will they really benefit the UK?

Speaking to people and businesses in Essex, it is hard to see how they won’t benefit this region. Provided we are willing to work round any logistical difficulties created by road closures or other disruption to transport, the Games represent a huge opportunity. Further afield, I can understand why people may be a bit more sceptical, I think areas further from London will benefit from the Games, albeit to a far smaller extent.

Will it leave a legacy?

We’ll certainly be left with quality sporting facilities and an interesting looking tower. Young people are likely to be inspired to take up sports they may not have considered, at least in the short term.

Are we getting value for money?

Despite being a fan of the Games, I don’t think so. Depending on the figures you look at the costs are estimated to rise to over £20 billion. Admittedly, when we won the bid to host the Games we were in a different economic situation to the one we are in now, but if we were able to invest that £20bn into job creation for young people that’d probably be a wiser investment.

How will team GB do?

Buckle under the pressure? Rise to the occasion? The official target is to finish 4th in the medals table, I predict a 5th place finish with Australia beating us into 4th.

The case in question involved an 11 year relationship with no children of the family. The couple had assets of £4 million including a flat in London Docklands, a cottage in Sussex, pensions, savings and investments. They lived together before they entered into a Civil Partnership in December 2007. Sadly, their relationship broke down just 7 months later.

Mr Lawrence is an equity analyst earning at least £200,000 per annum per year net. Mr Gallagher, a West End actor has uncertain earnings, a tiny pension and profits from running a B & B. The Court of Appeal decided that Mr Lawrence should keep the larger share of his substantial pension and the London flat (which he owned before the couple met). Mr Gallagher should keep the Sussex cottage (which is his “pride and joy”), receive £200,000 in pension provision and a lump sum of £350,000, a total award of almost £1.4 million. Mr Gallagher did not receive half of the parties’ assets because Mr Lawrence owned the flat prior to the relationship; he has personal works of art, and contributed to his pension since the parties separated.

I am delighted that the courts have indicated that dissolution of civil partnerships should be treated in the same way as divorce. The current divorce law has been forged over many years and has developed with society. It is not perfect – frankly what is – but it provides reasonable outcomes in thousands of cases every year.