How German banks support business

In Düsseldorf with Sandra & Leif at Tollé GmbH, I was also introduced to the business investment routes provided by the German banking system and the federal state. The banking system is dramatically different to that in the UK.

Overall, retail banking in the UK has been consolidated into a small group of large banks with familiar names right across the nation. They work in a highly competitive purify driven market and have been shaken by the financial crisis. British firms are all too aware of the significant drop in willingness to invest in them by the banks. Despite efforts by the government, there was less lending to business so far in 2013 than in the previous year.

The situation in Germany couldn't be more different. Apart from private banks, there are over 420 savings banks and 1100+ cooperative banks. What's more, lending to small and medium sized businesses continued throughout the recession. The savings banks or Sparkassen are each associated with towns and cities. They are not profit oriented and do have an ethos of encouraging both saving and assistance to business start-ups.

At a federal state level, there is also a bank associated with the state of North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW). This channels grants and financial support available from NRW, from the national government and from EU funding. The objective is to support innovation and entrepreneurs. The NRW Bank does not make the funds available directly to businesses. Instead, the funding is open to competitive approaches by the 'Hausbanken', i.e. either the private retail banks, the Sparkassen or the cooperative banks.

Once Germany's banking system was regarded as a quaint parochial system of small banks that should really have been consolidated, as elsewhere in the world. However, these parts of the banking system have survived the past dark years and continued to support small businesses in particular.

Other countries are taking notice.

Other articles arising from June visit to Tollé GmbH:
Tollé GmbH off to a running start
Tollé GmbH: Seeking better solutions for ageing populations

The UK EU Relationship: Divorce, separation or reunion? Discussions at the GBF

I’ve been concerned about the singular lack of any real debate on the proposed UK referendum  on Britain’s role in the European Union. Thus, this year’s annual conference of the German British Forum (www.gbf.com) was a real magnet to me. The topic was “The European Single Market and the Future of British Manufacturing”. High level keynote speakers from both Germany and the UK promised some real relevant information.

The event took place in Stationers’ Hall, a stone’s throw from St Pauls. A little gem in itself, there is an article on the Hall with photos available here: http://miltoncontact.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/stationers-hall-brief-visit-to-london.html

The event covered four main sections:

1. Competitiveness challenges in the European automotive sector – German and UK industry strategies
2. The vital place of the single market in the new Europe – Keynote speech by Rt Hon Lord Owen
3. The European economy and the importance of the single market
4. The future of the Euro area – What kind of Europe do we want? What kind will we get?

Looking back on my notes, the insights gained came in a slightly different order.

1. The future of the Euro area

There was one clear message here: The current economic crisis was on the one hand pushing the Eurozone harder towards centralisation and on the other, revealing the stress fractures between and within nations. Indeed, there was a clear fear that under the pressure to survive, the Eurozone was dropping economic elements of “competitiveness” and “subsidiarity” and replacing them with a political “harmonisation”. At one particular point I was reminded of the poem by Baldrick of Blackadder fame: “Doom, Doom! Doom, Doom, Doom…”.

This was of course contrasted with the economic realities in the UK and Germany.

2. Competitive challenges in the European Automotive sector

Speakers from major automotive companies and their 1st and 2nd tier suppliers actually had a more optimistic note now after the harsh recession in the past decade. Transport is one of the major industries in the European single market. The German automotive sector is on the up again and Britain’s suppliers to the industry are also increasing trade. Three aspects were seen as of major importance to the future of the industry:

• Major investment in Research and Development
• Training of highly qualified staff
• The need for a period of political stability and longer term thinking.

Moving on, we considered the broader aspects of the UK’s benefits of being within Europe

3. The European Economy and the importance of the single market

This session began with great humour by our Eurosceptic UK delegate, John Redwood; Joking that where before he was seen as on the far right and now he is being criticised for being too middle of the road.

However the highlight for me was the presentation by Dr Rebecca Harding of Delta Economics. Her talk was full of more real data than I could record. Here are just some of the key points:

• 34% of world trade originates in Europe ($55 trillion).
• Europe predominately exports to itself.
• New accession countries like Poland and the Czech Republic are undergoing dramatic growth
• The economics of scale affect logistics and supply, thus the EU dictates patterns of trade in pharmaceuticals, cars and oil globally.
• The EU uses its union to strengthen its global supply chains . 

The remainder of the session echoed the need for longer term political and economic stability. The proposed UK referendum on Europe and the current negative political agitation were introducing a level of uncertainty.

So what was the solution that would address both concerns of the UK’s Eurosceptic majority and allow businesses and the UK economy to benefit from the European single market?

4. The vital place of the European market in the New Europe. A Solution?

Lord Owen’s speech suggested a practical and welcome solution (see further down). Taking us back through some of the EU’s history, Lord Owen reminded us that the current “In or Out” black and white perspective of the EU was inaccurate. The different nations within the EU had always had a plethora of sometimes conflicting attitudes and required solutions. This was reflected by the different agreements in place; from the Schengen free trade area, the EU Customs Union, the Eurozone to the European Economic Area.

Wikipedia has this excellent graphic illustrating this point by author Wdcf:

Lord Owen recognises that

• All European countries benefit from the single market.
• A number of EU countries are working towards political and economic union, as the Eurozone.
• The UK and some other countries wish to retain control over their own political and economic affairs.

The proposed solution is:

• To use the current framework of existing agreements to strengthen the membership and voice of countries within a restructured European Economic Area, as the single market.
• Whilst allowing the economic and political union of the Eurozone members to continue as one major bloc within the restructured EEA.

This requires strong but constructive negotiation by the UK prior to the proposed referendum.

At the meeting itself, I was initially sceptical of the proposal.  This was primarily because it may be difficult to get the message across to a Eurosceptic electorate. The current public thinking is simplistic in terms of “in or out of the EU referendum”.

Now, I am gradually coming around to the idea.

Conclusion

For the UK business community, it is essential that we give our political leaders a clear message: The UK economy is far better off within a European single market with a UK voice, than out on a limb on our own.

This meeting of the 18th Annual Conference of The German British Forum was a timely event prior to the run up to the future UK referendum on Europe.

Recommended reading: “Europe Restructured” by David Owen- For a more considered view of Lord Owen’s arguments than could be presented here. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00994MZS8

Stationers' Hall, A brief visit to a London Gem

A rare sunny day in London as I walked past st Paul's cathedral. Tourists were picnicking in the festival gardens and chatting on the west entrance steps. Just around the corner was Ave Maria lane, but I had to ask a nearby doorman where to find the Hall of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper makers. The unassuming gateway led to a secluded courtyard and the cool shadow of the hall.

I was attending the annual meeting of the German-British Forum. Arriving early, and with permission of the manager in charge, I had the great opportunity to wander around and take pictures from the stock room, the main hall and the court room where the event was to take place.

If the slideshow below does not play on your device, visit the image collection here: https://picasaweb.google.com/107595387761034666575/StationersHallLondon


The current hall was rebuilt over 1670-1673 after the Great Fire of London in 1666 and has gone though several internal decorations. Glowing stained glass, rich panelling and the shields carried by Liverymen in the Lord Mayors procession of 1749 are some of the images I captured in that short half hour.


As a publisher and writer, it was a particular pleasure to visit the Stationers' Hall. The Stationers ' Company was formed in 1403, when the scribes and lymners (book illustrators) were granted the right to a single trading company to oversee their affairs. They set up their stalls in St Paul's Churchyard and were known as 'stationers', for being at a fixed site rather than itinerant vendors.


Later, the stationers, obtained a royal charter from Queen Mary in 1557 giving them the exclusive right to print and sell books. The right to control all printing and the need for all new books to be authorized by the company meant that a register of approved books was held at the hall - a system of control and censorship for the government. This right continued through till 1695.


In 1710, the Copyright Act came into effect and this gave those who registered their books with Stationers' Hall protection, along with a requirement to provide a legal deposit in one of the copyright libraries. This tradition of mandatory and then after 1911, voluntary registration with Stationers' Hall finally came to an end in 2000, ending 450 years of tradition.


Now the company continues its other long interest, the administration of charity through the Stationers' Foundation. This assists young people with the cost of education and helps schools with printing equipment etc. They also offer help to those in the industry suffering hardship.


The fact that these premises can be hired is an additional benefit to the lucky visitors who can enjoy the preserved heritage.


A special thank you to Stationers' Hall which let me take these quick snapshots of one of London's gems. Please do visit their pages at http://www.stationers.org/

Think Global for your IP (intellectual Property) Strategy!

This was the tenet running through an excellent presentation at the St John’s Innovation Centre, by Zeev Fisher (FreshIP, Cambridge) and supported by Cliff Hyra (Symbus Law Group, USA).

A key point to reiterate before the rest of the article: If you think you have an idea worth protecting DO NOT TALK ABOUT IT OPENLY TO OTHERS. Ensure that when you do discuss the ideas, you have a non-disclosure agreement in place. Otherwise all your later efforts will be for nought! Get an IP/Patent Expert involved as soon as possible.

IP (Intellectual Property) is the core element of any innovative company and yet strangely undervalued or overlooked in the UK. The US experience is that typically, a granted patent has an average value of $300,000 and can form up to 75% of the company’s market value. Not only can IP become a revenue stream, it can support lending.

The processes of patent applications have moved on in the decade since I was involved in them as part of a research company. Whilst it is still important to determine where in the world your existing and potential markets are, patent offices are beginning to communicate more effectively. For example, there is now the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) to speed up patent processes for further countries - if your claims have been found patentable in one country.

Patents are also covered by a variety of conventions, such as the Paris Convention and PCT. It is important to know whether your target markets are inside these or not as this can also impact on applications. This can work to your benefit as follows: If you submit a patent application to the European Patent Office (EPO), you have a years grace to submit in another country outside of the EPO if it is under the Paris convention. If the new countries are also part of the PCT, then you may also have an additional 1.5 years within which to apply.

However, in this supposedly increasingly globalised world, the examination of your patent will still undergo examination and processing specific to each country or at best, regional block. The differences and experiences can be significant. Getting expert help to navigate the potential pitfalls is essential.

Good news for micro-businesses though (Less than 500 employees and $150,000 income). If you are below this threshold, you can submit 4 patents with a 75% reduction in fees in the US!

We also had a good introduction on the potential uses of IP for defensive and offensive purposes. Using IP to protect your assets is the process we are most familiar with. Using IP more proactively to secure a market presence and protect against future encroachment of the competition into your areas included some novel strategies that I had not considered before.

Whilst patents and trademarks are familiar to most businesses, I was interested to learn of another  form of IP used in other countries, “utility models”. Utility models provide protection for functional designs – relevant in manufacturing. Whilst not used in the UK, utility models are used in Germany and very extensively in China as a form of IP.

At the end of the 2h Seminar, Zeev and Cliff had given me new insights into applying IP globally – and a healthy respect for their expertise. If you are working in the field of Medical devices, Electronics, Optics, Software and Cleantech and have IP queries, I recommend getting in touch with Zeev  Fisher in the UK at zeev@freship.co.uk and Clifford D. Hyra in the US at chyra@symbus.com.

A Trans-National train journey in conversations

I've either flown or driven backwards and forwards to Germany. This time, I was going to try the train

If the slideshow does not play, please view the album at https://picasaweb.google.com/107595387761034666575/ToGermanyByTrain




Waterbeach - Kings Cross = Nuts

Nuts. despite trying not to notice the screen of the laptop next to me, the word 'nuts' registered, as the smartly dressed woman tapped away on her key board. I resisted till past Royston, enjoying the sunlit scenery flashing by. At last everything was green after the overlong cold winter.

"Do you work with nuts?" was my unoriginal first enquiry.

Indeed she did, for a client food company.

Nuts are one of those foods where special care has to be taken in handling and preparation, because many people have a nut allergy. From a practical point of view, they were divided into two broad categories, groundnuts such as peanuts and tree nuts such as Brazil, hazel, walnut and almond. Each species is capable of capable of generating an allergic response in humans, though by far the most common is peanut allergy. Any company dealing with nuts therefore has to have strict protocols to ensure that there will not be any cross contamination with other foods.

All to soon we arrived at Kings Cross and parted with a friendly goodbye.

St Pancras - Brussels Midi = Immigration

My first Eurostar trip! There is a thrill in boarding a train that will take you through the Channel and across national borders with relative ease. This is one of the benefits of an open market within the EU. It is also a concern for those worried about immigration from the rest of the EU into the UK. However, I learnt about the flip side of immigration controls for non-EU persons coming to the UK from my next traveling companion.

He was a senior executive with a major international charity, working in a specific health sector. Far from the UK sitting in splendid isolation, local health is impacted by criminality and drugs from half-way across the globe. This means that, like many international businesses, the organisation needs to employ specialists from across the four continents. However, the dramatically tightened immigration restrictions and significant backlog with an under-resourced immigration authority means that it can take up to 6 months to leap the hurdles before that employee can come to work in the UK.

Reactive politics to immigration concerns is in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Brussels Midi - Cologne = clouds & rings

Uncharacteristically, we left the sunshine in the UK to arrive a rainy, grey Brussels Midi station. Exiting the Eurostar, it was over to Platform 9 for the German ICE. A red and equally streamlined Thalys train pulled in photogenically on the opposite platform.

An internal photo of the train initiated the next conversation. Two artists were returning from an exhibition in London: The International Art Fair for Contemporary objects, at the Saatchi Gallery. Bettina Dittlman and partner Michael Jank collaborate in their ongoing partnership FOREVERRINGS.

Using pure metals, whether pure gold, copper or iron, one person begins the work on the ring, passes it to the other who continues the work and then passes it back. The symbolism of giving and receiving is embedded in a true symbiotic object d'art. The rings are chunky and have the impression of only just having  naturally grown from their primal raw ore.

Michael also had a graphic/photographer interest. Our conversation wandered from a shared fascination in clouds to river courses. The path of any river is unique, being determined by the land, climate and altitudes it traverses. I was fascinated by Michael's transposition and superposition of river course patterns as graphic images in their own right.

Whilst my train journey was towards an objective, Bettina and Michael were homeward bound. Their journey was not just a physical one, but a mental transition from an intense exhibition to preparing for coming home.

Cologne to Osterath = crime writers

Arriving late at Cologne, there was a forty minute opportunity to search out an ice-cream parlour. Ice cream in Germany is of a fantastic quality and not to be missed. The first taste to the final crunch of waffle cornet was divine!

Now, I myself took a mental step: From traveling across international borders to joining a regional German commuter train in the evening rush hour. I squeezed myself into one of the last available spaces.

The lady next to me was immersed in a book. An avid reader myself, I waited till she reached the end of her chapter before asking about her read. She was reading an Icelandic crime novel (in German), which she thoroughly recommended. It was called Kälteschlaf, by Arnaldur Indridason.

Our conversation swirled through the rise of Scandinavian crime thrillers in our respective countries. Germany too has a great crime writing and TV tradition. I recently got hooked on the Eiffel mysteries by Jacques Berndorf.

Nine hours after kissing my partner goodbye at Waterbeach, UK, I alighted into my Mother's welcoming embrace in Osterath, Germany.

Yes, the journey was longer than by plane, but it seemed a more natural progression. Instead of an extended wait in sterile airport lounges and overpriced shopping malls and then being crushed into the roaring cacophony of an airplane fuselage, you can actually see the countryside passing by.

The journey to Germany was for a team building event - see article here:
http://ambassadortga.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/tolles-team-building-at-kamp-lintfort.html

The National Hyacinth Collection - A Visit in April 2013

In April’s capricious clime, travel North from Cambridge along the river Cam, to Bottisham Lock. There, from the Waterbeach bank, you catch a glimpse of gaily flowering rows and perhaps the scent of The National Hyacinth Collection.

If video does not display, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xu1UtLPUto 



The collection has been established, maintained and grown by Alan Shipp*. His efforts are funded through bulb sales and visitors coming to wander amongst the rainbowed rows of blooms for a few short weeks when the hyacinths are in flower.

According to Homer’s Iliad (8th to 10th Century BC), hyacinths formed the couch of Hera, queen of heaven and earth. As with much of our culture and science, the love of hyacinths and their cultivation migrated to the Romans, were a key element in Arabic culture and came to renaissance Europe in the early 17th Century.  Alan’s collections includes the variety Grand Blanche Imperial, which originates from two centuries century after hyacinths were introduced into the Netherlands (see the “Hyacinth History” http://www.oldhousegardens.com/hyacinthhistory.asp).

From a genetic perspective, hyacinths exhibit a wide range of chromosome numbers, from 2n=16 through to 2n=32, with a wide range of odd numbers inbetween. With a twinkle in his eye, Alan revealed that it was possible to cross varieties with different chromosome numbers and still obtain viable seed – sometimes with an expected new number!

Hyacinth collection is a passion shared across borders and so it is, that Alan Shipps’ collection is in regular communication with collections in the Netherlands and Russia. Together they strive to find lost old varieties and discover new ones. Indeed, as we wandered through the rows arranged by variety, there was one pink sport amongst a row of blue.

My visit opened my eyes to this plant, hitherto seen as a fleeting flower in our (jungle) garden’s seasons.
For others it is a deep passion, best described by the poem found at the bottom of Alan Shipps’ list of varieties in his collection:

If, of  thy mortal goods thou art bereft

And from thy slender store

Two loaves alone to thee are left

Sell one and with the dole

Buy Hyacinths to feed the soul

(Muslihuddin Sadi, Persian poet, c1258)

*Alan K. Shipp, Holder of the National Hyacinth Collection, 

9 Rosemary Road

Waterbeach

Cambridge, CB25 9NB

Redbourn Village - a visit in May

We visited Redbourn to meet up with some family university friends not seen for more than 30 years. A balmy day, we took a walk through the village before a splendid lunch. The village common was marked out for cricket and, emphasising the game's importance, the boundary line crossed the road (where else but in England).

Walking past Redbourn's common into Church End, some of the older houses featured decorative brickwork and the former Workhouse proudly displayed the painted inscription commemorating it being rebuilt in 1790.

Whilst the account of St Alban's Workhouses (http://www.workhouses.org.uk/StAlbans/) appears to represent a constructive image of life, food and occupations in a workhouse, the reality was that they were supposed to be harsh environments (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workhouses) to ensure only the truly destitute would want to live there.

Perhaps rebuilding was a consequence of the innate nature of Redbourn residents to rebel, as exemplified in their long battles back in the 14th Century, resisting obedience and having to pay tax to two successive Abbots of the priory there (http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43297).

Redbourn inhabitants do however have a cooperative nature when it comes to their church, St Mary's. In the 16th Century they held 'A neighbourly meeting or feast in the church house' at Whitsuntide, 'where they made merry together to the maintenance and increase of love and charity amongst them, and at the same time contributed liberally their money towards the reparation of the church and buying of necessaries for the church, and such like uses.' (http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43297). From the well tended church and grounds, efforts are obviously still in place to continue to maintain the church.

Entering Redbourn's St Mary's, which celebrated its 900yrs back in 2010, there were three different features that caught my attention.

The first was a century displayed in stained glass. The three window or lights are:

South Aisle – light dedicated to Reverend W. Seracold Wade, by his widow Isabella in 1896. This window depicts St Albans, St Mary and St Amphibalus.

The Chancel light, behind the alter, dedicated to William Seracold Wade and his wife Elizabeth, by children Mary, Alice, Margaret, Ellen, Elizabeth and Arthur Gregory Seracold. This light depicts Jesus appearing to the disciples after the resurrection. (Note that Isabella is a form of Elizabeth until recently becoming a separate name).

North Aisle – light dedicated to physician Jurin Totton, 1962. The light shows John the Baptist, Jesus and the Leper, St Luke.

The second feature was the rood screen. 

It's delicate tracery had survived the centuries from its origin in 1478, when the vicar of Redbourn left the grand sum of 20 shillings for “the work of the Holy Rood”. If you visit the church of St Mary in Redbourn yourself, there is a very informative sheet on the history of the rood, survival through the reformation and restorations through the ages.

The third feature was three coats of arms. 

The first, over the south door, was easily identified as that of King George III. Interestingly, George III had three different arms during his reign. This one is for George the III King of the United Kingdom and Elector of Hannover, used from 1801 to 1816. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_III_of_the_United_Kingdom).

The other two arms had me stumped. Mediocria Firma is the motto of the Bacon family, including Nicholas Bacon and Francis Bacon. At one point there were three Baronetcies. Until 1755, there were two, the Baronets of Redgrave and the Baronets of Mildenhall. After that, the two were combined. 

Unfortunately, I could not find out online whose arms are depicted on the two different shields. If anyone wishes to take up the challenge – a good place to start is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon_baronets. 

All too soon, it was time to return. The walk back took us through the common along the green avenue, towards a the sumptuous roast lunch awaiting us and an afternoon of catching up on our own histories.

Full Photo Album here: https://picasaweb.google.com/107595387761034666575/RedbournVillageInMay2013

Chalkboards - Ephemeral Art for the Waggon and Horses, Milton

Some messages are irresistable - such as "Chalkboard writer wanted" outside the Waggon and Horses in Milton at the end of last year. But I resisted! Then the milton-chat e-mail came around with "Chalkboard writer wanted, would suit student". So I went to visit the Waggon and Horses for a chat and get to know David and Louise, the new publicans. A fortnight later, no students had volunteered and I found myself amongst the bustle of a pub in full redecoration and renovation by not only Louise, David and Batty, but by their family and friends. I was about to tackle my first chalkboard.

But Why?!?

1. They were (and still are) a friendly bunch. 2. The challenge of a new art form and 3. I like the thought of ephemeral art. You create something with a limited lifetime.

View full album of chalkboard pictures to date

Chalkboards are done with chalk pens which are like giant felt tips. The chalk colour is either waterproof or at least water resistant to rain. This means that you are working on something that will look quite rough close up as you cannot do very fine detail. However, that is not a problem - you want to create an impact at a distance.

Half the work is sorting out your layout and lettering. The message has to be as minimal as possible, so the writing does not get too small to read. If possible create additional features that also give the message, perhaps as a picture or decoration. I had naively thought that a board would take about an hour to do. For me as a novice with the medium, it takes longer!

Apart from the pleasure of making a new Chalkboard, the thing that I really learnt was an appreciation of other chalkboard artists.

Chalkboard Art

Next time you are out and about, look out for the chalkboards outside the pubs and restaurants. You will find three distinct groups. 1. Do it yourself by the owner. 2. Commercially made, over-precise signs and 3. Work by artists who may have traveled halfway across the country to spend a day or half a day at a venue to create signs to order, on site or back in their own workshops.

Chalkboard signs have to grab your attention, albeit fleetingly, generate thirst or hunger. Signs make you subconsciously decide - this is a place to stop. They give an impression of the quality and type of an establishment.

When you look closer, you then see how a good chalkboard artist cleverly uses colour, bold strokes, shading and blending to create the unique and yet ephemeral images and writing.

Chalkboard art is a successful commercial art form that survives in a highly digitised and graphically precise and visually educated world. Each writer or artist will have their signature strokes and designs. And the work will last until the next offer, season, change of menu or beer hosted at a pub.

I enjoy the challenge of chalkboard and cheerfully acknowledge that now I can appreciate those who are far far better at it than me. If you cannot get out at the moment to sample what is near you, or if you are interested in becoming a chalkboard artist, here are some random links and inspirations, starting with John Neal, who also shows you some of the techniques and skills:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5HLI8j4fXI
http://gwenmossblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/10-things-you-should-know-about.html
http://www.wordupsigns.co.uk/chalkboard-art/
http://www.bobbydazzlersigns.com/chalkboard-art/
http://www.pubchalkboardartist.co.uk/pub-chalkboards.php
http://rhonnadesigns.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/chalkboard-art-cheer-rhonna-style.html
Chalkboard pictures on Google Images

Observing sunspots with a camcorder and home-made filter

The moment I saw a TV demonstration of how to view the sun safely with a simple, affordable home made filter, I knew I had to have one. Observing the sun has always had its fascination for me. It is our nearest star and we are entering a period of increased sunspot activity. In the past, I had been able to film the sun at high magnification, simply on a camcorder. However this was at sunset when its brilliance was greatly diminished.

The video below shows how I made a filter and used it to record sunspots on a Panasonic HC-V700 camcorder. If you have problems viewing, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUbNgma2e2I.

WARNING: do not look at the sun directly by naked eye or through any type of telescope etc, even when using filters as you can damage your eyes.

The almost magical material is a thin film that cuts out 99.9% of light passing through it. AstroSolar (TM) is made by Baader and it arrived as an A4 sheet by post after ordering on Amazon a couple of days later.

Useful instructions to make a sun filter that could be slipped over the front of a telescope barrel were included. My problem was going to be the fact that camcorders do not have much of a barrel. There was a simple solution.

To make my filter:

• I first cut out two equally sized squares of stiff cardboad, about 10cm x 10cm.
• I then drew diagonal pencil lines from opposing corners on each card, to find the centre.
• My camcorder front lens aperture was about 4cm.
• I therefore cut out a 4cm diameter disc from the centre of each card, using a circular cutter.
• The A4 Astro Solar film was sandwiched between two sheets of paper to protect it.
• Using scissors, I cut out a square of about 6cm x 6cm from the paper-film-paper sandwich.
• The side of one of the pieces of card was coated with glue from a glue stick (Prittstick).
• The glue covered card was placed sticky side uppermost on a table.
• The AstroSolar film square was carefully placed on the glued card, completely covering the 4cm diameter hole.
• The second piece of card was then placed on top of the first card and film.
• I now had a Card- Film-Card sandwich with the filter exposed where the card had a hole.

Frustratingly, it was another few days before cloud cover broke and the sun shone through and I could try out the new filter with my camcorder.

To use the filter on the camcorder, I made a roll of Blutack and placed it to create a ring on the cardboard, around the filter aperture. The camcorder face was then pressed gently and accurately onto the Blutack to create a light-tight seal.

Mounting the camcorder onto a tripod, I dashed out of the house and prepared to record the sun. Despite there being a light high altitude haze that might blur any sunspots, I had a go at finding them.

Using the Panasonic HC V700 to zoom in on the sun's disc, I could see two faint islands of sunspots. These corresponded to those numbered 1683 and 1686 on the daily images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

Conclusion

Modern camcorders can have a sufficiently good optical and digital zoom to observe sunspots with an appropriate filter!

A drive across flooded England at the end of 2012

J. G. Ballards “The Drowned World”, but without heat, that's what came to mind looking out of the car window. Saturday 29th December was another torrential downpour in a months of floods, in the wettest year in UK weather records. I set out that morning for Cambridge from Hereford.

Hereford Playing Fields

Wye at Hereford

The River Wye had passed it's flood peak at Hereford but the fields by the river were still mirroring the leaden skies as water could not soak away in the sodden ground. The Lugg meadows at the start of the road to Worcester (A4103) were still flooded as the route gradually climbed higher in a series of undulations. Small streams ran down the side of the tarmac or in the tracks created by the traffic. Where they pooled in the dips in the road or changed from one side of the road to the other, the car would suddenly experience drag and generate fountains of spray. Definitely not a day for fast driving. You could even be unexpectedly caught out at the top, for example when clearing the impressive incline at Fromes Hill.

Initially, you could not see the Malvern peaks, just the roiling clouds rushing around them. But breaks in the clouds were rushing up behind me. By the time I reached the Cowleigh Road junction to Great Malvern, I turned off the main Worcester route for a deviation in anticipation of a better view coming off the hills.

Cowleigh Road (B4219) was a narrower affair, through orchards and then winding into the woods. I pulled into the drive to Cowleigh Park farm, intrigued by the Cowleigh Spring on the opposite side of the road. The rain was letting off enough to get out and take a photo.

Cowleigh Spring

Coming into Great Malvern, I took a sharp left back towards Worcester onto the A449. Large billboards promoted the new retirement villages and the view ahead across the plain towards Worcester looked similarly mundane with no vast floods in evidence.

Worcester Floods

Worcester Floods

This only changed at the roundabout leading onto the A4440 swinging south around Worcester. We entered the Severn's flood plain. Puddles flowed together into a larger sheets with just the occasional tufts rising above the water. The water continued to deepen so that only hedges and solitary trees rose forlornly above the flood. I pulled out of the stop-start traffic into a small service road, wrapped in my anorak against the rain and wind, to take some photos. The west bank of the river could not be seen, whilst on the other, the river boats were moored just a couple of metres below the caravan site that nestled below the A38 leading into Worcester.

Walcot Lane closed

I continued along the bypass and made a choice not to use the M5 up to Birmingham, but to continue cross country. Missing the directions to Evesham, I headed towards Pershore then let the SatNav guide me back to the route I should have taken along the Avon valley. At Drakes Broughton, the suggested route via Walcot Lane had to be abandoned due to a flooded ford that was not worth the risk.

Coming into the Vale of Evesham, the Avon had burst its banks and it was more a case of the flooded plain winding sometimes closer, sometimes further away from the road.

My objective was a stop at Stratford upon Avon as I used to live and work nearby. The rain had not deterred Saturday shoppers and tourists, so it was a crawl to the Rother Street Car Park, where I was lucky to find a space. My first stop was for food; fishcakes in the Hathaway Tea Rooms on the High Street, with a warming cup of tea. A couple on a date to my left and three tables in front taken up by a family group provided light observational entertainment before I grudgingly set out into the rain again.

Stratford upon Avon from footbridge

View to Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Turning down Sheep Street, I reached Waterside where the Avon was in full flow but still within its banks. Crossing the lock, I walked onto the pedestrian bridge to photograph the  Royal Shakespeare Theatre with the swollen Avon, tinted brown by the sediment it had ripped from earlier fields, rushing by.

The colour highlight in this grey day was provided by Dawn and Garry Lloyds's shop on Sheep Street, Gifts & Forget Me Nots (http://www.facebook.com/giftsandforgetmenots?ref=stream).  They are the sole local source of Annie Sloan chalk paints for the area. With Dawn's helpful and friendly advice, I left laden with 100ml pots of rich colours and shades for future chalkboard work.

Back on the road, direction Warwick, I took a turning to Hampton Lucy, drove through to Charlecote. and then on to Wellesbourne, where we used to live thirty years ago. There, left onto the A429 through Barford in direction Warwick. These villages are all in the Avon flood plain and had suffered flooding in November. The river seemed to be within its bounds now but many fields were still full of standing water. Rain kept falling.

Darkness was descending at 4pm as I bypassed Coventry and joined the last stretch of the M6 leading to the A14. Spray from the traffic on the wet roads meant the wipers were on constantly. The first part of the A1 was prone to straight sided, deep potholes, to be avoided if seen in the headlights in time. No doubt the long spells of wet weather increased road damage, especially when follwed by groundfrost that would expand and enlarge any water-filled cracks.

At Kettering, I drove off for a tea break at the Little Chef at the services. With three staff present, I was in a minority of one. It was a case of “Hello, I'm Chris and I will be your customer for the next half hour!”

Flooded Riverbank Park in Huntingdon, 2009

Passing Huntingdon Racecourse, I wondered if there had been any relief from the flooding which had led to the abandonment of the Boxing Day Racing. We were now in the area dominated by the river Great Ouse.  I could see the glint of reflections on flooded areas as the A14 swung past Huntingdon and Godmanchester. I remembered photographing the flooded Riverbank Park in Huntingdon back in February 2009.

Flooded Fen Drayton Lakes

St Ives, Fen Drayton and the nearby lakes in the nature reserve had all experienced high water and flooding earlier in December. When travelling to the special A14 Coffee Morning meeting on the afternoon of the 21st of December, I had made a point of taking the guided bus and getting off at Fen Drayton Lakes with a camera and Tripod. Setting off on foot, I soon encountered the water lapping over the footpath,  right up to the embankment of the guided bus.

Flooded footpath next to guided busway

Carefully making my way above the floods on the embankment, aside of the guided busway, I was reminded of a scene in the film “Spirited Away”, where the occasional train would swish past on a long track through an otherwise submerged countryside. I had walked on to St Ives, attended the enjoyable meeting and then spent an hour photographing the high water and flooded car park in St Ives.

Milton Floods on October 2009

Back to the wet drive in the dark. I was on the home stretch approaching Cambridge. Before I had travelled to Hereford, the River Cam had flooded Grantchester Meadows. However, by the time the Cam reached Baits Bite Lock in Milton, the river was in control again, though very high. In fact the last time we had seen flooding in Milton was back in the days when I still used a film camera, Back in October 2001.

I arrived relieved at our front door in Milton after 7 hours travel. The journey had been a transect through central England both in distance and as an encapsulation of the wettest year on record. I was also extremely grateful that, when buying our property, we had checked that we were outside of any flood plain. If you are thinking of moving house or just want to check how safe you are from floods – check the environment agency's site at  http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/31650.aspx.

Floods, waterlogged ground, damaged crops and roads, relentless rain and just grey and wet demoralising weather - these had been engrained into our psyche for most of 2012. I could only hope that the New Year would bring relief –

But that is another story
(see https://picasaweb.google.com/107595387761034666575/NewYearsDayMilton2013)

The route taken on this journey can be followed here: 
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Hereford&daddr=52.120422,-2.3330876+to:52.151466,-2.1480559+to:52.1343958,-2.1115681+to:52.2007962,-1.7749123+to:52.1929345,-1.7095134+to:52.2144009,-1.6280155+to:52.2014592,-1.6040888+to:Milton,+Cambridge&hl=en&ll=52.125413,-2.341676&spn=0.003899,0.008948&sll=52.102709,-2.360344&sspn=0.124001,0.286331&geocode=FU5RGgMduo7W_ylBU26qJdRvSDGWbDz9S5qc1Q%3BFWZLGwMdYWbc_ymxkWN7i_hwSDHJ-0ncQc-9Xg%3BFarEGwMdKTnf_ylJJX6oSeVwSDF10cmfPrfiVQ%3BFfuBGwMdsMff_ynlvYRFAeVwSDEN7BC1Qp6rbg%3BFVyFHAMdwOrk_ynPk45NasVwSDFsSbv8XNpmqw%3BFaZmHAMdN-rl_ylV3tUWM85wSDF3VbbnHf8odQ%3BFYC6HAMdkSjn_ykn98ehsc1wSDHRxJPdqpTS1A%3BFfOHHAMdCIbn_ynZ807Wcs1wSDHQXQzGmw1_mg%3BFe8rHQMdoHYCAClHgl4spXHYRzGaqfF4yuEijA&t=m&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=12&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7&z=17

Seasonal Greetings to all

This time of the year is one of heightened emotions and passions. The pleasurable, such as meeting friends and family, the sharing of gifts, of looking back on a year and getting ready for the the next one. The negative, such as the pressure to conform to consumption, the pressure to "enjoy yourself", the worries about the past year and what the future brings.

For me, the benefits of the good outweigh the burdens of the bleak. It is in this spirit that this years Christmas Card video was created. I hope that you can share in the fun that I had creating it, thinking of a positive message for all family, friends, colleagues and readers.

Whatever your circumstances, I bid you cheer for this season and happiness and prosperity in the coming year!

Chris. December 2012

Why Your DNA is like a shiny film DVD – but cheaper to fund

A layperson's guide to your DNA and why  mapping it is important for future cancer and other treatments and prevention.

The sun rose today and the government announced that it was going to fund something big. £100 million will be spent  mapping the  DNA sequences of 100,000 sufferers of cancers and other rare diseases in the UK. This will be the start of a genetic revolution in medicine! How?

After your parents had enjoyed that creative night of passion, a solitary sperm and a giant egg (relative to the sperm) fused together. Now they shared the 3 billion plus bits of information. That information is encoded in your DNA.

Three billion bits of information fits comfortably onto a shiny film DVD. And as the digital information on the DVD recreates a wonderful film, the information in the DNA provides the instructions to create the incredible unique individual that is you.

We know, (OK, engineers and scientists know), how to make the film DVD with its microscopic digital instructions and read these on a DVD player.  We are only beginning to understand the very basics of small parts of the DNA that makes up our human genome. We can recognise bits of DNA as genes with particular functions like making haemoglobin or digesting your food. But, to be honest, we are still a very long way off understanding how all the instructions are transformed into the miraculous you and me.

So, the strategy behind mapping the DNAs of 100,000 sufferers of cancer and other diseases is: To see if there are any differences or common features in the information encoded in the 100,000 DNAs by comparing them. Comparing 3 billion bits of information from each individual within even a select group is going to be an enormous task. After all, three billion letters is about 1500 volumes of the fat Harry Pottter book (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).

Fortunately, mapping your DNA has become a lot cheaper. Let's  ignore the  billions of years of natural  evolution leading to humanity. Perhaps we should also draw a discrete veil over the financial investment in romance leading to the nights of passion that created you and me. Mapping your  DNA sequence currently costs between £5,000 and £10,000. This is about 1% of the cost of mapping the first human genome in 2011, estimated at £500m!

£100m is therefore quite reasonable for the 100, 000 shiny DVDs worth of DNA information. After all, a good studio production to create an equivalent film costs tens of millions of pounds, so the investment sum is equivalent financing this year's blockbusters. And if you use double sided BlueRay discs, you can store the information more conveniently on only 7500 disks!

It is going to take years just to do the mapping of the 100,000 human DNA sequences. It will take even longer for all the discoveries and research to lead to successful treatments. So this is for the long term.

However, there will a point in the future where an older you or our children can go to the doctor, have our DNA sequences mapped at relatively low cost - and receive preventative treatment tailored to our unique individual genetic heritage.

Making a candle from a small orange

Small orange or citrus fruit, particularly the easy peel varieties, can be used to make a simple candle.
If you cannot see the flash slideshow, the images can be viewed here: https://picasaweb.google.com/107595387761034666575/MakingACandleFromClementineOrOtherSmallOrange

• Take the fruit and cut the peel carefully around the equator, without damaging the flesh underneath.
• With the handle of a teaspoon or a blunt table knife, carefully loosen the peel from the fruit flesh, so that each peel hemisphere is only attached at the centre.
• Loosen the orange segments and then carefully remove the peel hemispheres.
• In most cases, one hemisphere has a pith wick, this forms the candle base. Cut a circle or star out of the other hemisphere.
• Cut the pith wick to just a centimetre length. Then pour some sunflower or other vegetable oil into the hemisphere with the pith wick and allow to soak for a minute or two.
• Light the pith wick carefully, this may take several attempts as the pith carbonises and soaks up the oil.
• Place the other peel hemisphere on top, Voila!

Jane's Cheesy Fish Pie

Jane Thomas introduced me to Fish Pie and this is her recipe:

Jane’s Cheesy Fish Pie

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

300ml milk

1 heaped tbs cornflour

75-100g grated cheese (mature)

Salt & pepper

200g White fish

3 or 4 mashing Potatoes

Knob margarine or butter

Method:

• Make a basic, but slightly thick white sauce. Stir in grated cheese.
• Add fish to sauce and stir well. Chris cooks the fish in the sauce instead of oven baking later.
• Cook potatoes till soft and make a firm mash with a little margarine or butter
• Pour fish and cheese sauce into an ovenproof dish.
• Top with mashed potato, sealing edges.
• Cook in oven 170 degrees C/Gas 5 for 35 – 40 minutes till beginning to brown on top. Chris just grates cheese on top and grills the pie for 5 mins to brown the mash.

International Patchwork Pleasures

What do you do when you your passion is patchwork and you never have enough material on hand? Claudia Pfeil started her own shop, Quilt & Co (www.quilt-und-co.de* and also http://www.meinbildkalender.de/shop.cfm?sesid=&artid=17283) in Krefeld, Germany's Ritterstrasse. An Aladdin's Cave of fabrics, yarns and threads, the greatest delight were the glorious quilts on display in her workshop, next to the long armed quilting machines.

Whilst some of the pieces followed the traditional geometric patterns, you could see from the exhibition pieces that Claudia's artistic flair is with freely conceived works. The calendar images in the link above merely give a hint of the rich silks and glittering threads. the attached image is of a prize winning piece - catch up with her enthusiasm in her own words here http://www.quiltersrule.com/misc/claudiaPfeil.html.

A poster in the shop reminded us of Monday's visit to the German Textile Museum in Krefeld Linn (http://www.krefeld.de/textilmuseum). The current exhibition is 'European Art Quilts VII'  (http://www.europeanartquilt.com*). These were the winners of a competition by the European Art Quilt Foundation. Exhibitors came from 15 countries and presented 48 contemporary quilts. The exhibition runs till February 2013.

The pieces displayed a wide variety of styles and media that were incorporated into the quilts, from maps, text, to screen printing. Some of the examples can be seen here http://www.krefeld.de/C12574810047BA9C/html/811F1A8DF8B7DABBC1257884003903FB?Opendocument.

Louise Thomas and I visited The Manor at Hemingford Grey (http://www.greenknowe.co.uk), the former home of children's author Lucy Boston. Here we were privileged to take part in a special tour, showing the hand sewn, minutely detailed and precious quilts, sewn by Lucy Boston during the long winter nights. For those who cannot visit, they have been published in 'The Patchwork Quilts of Lucy Boston', by Diana Boston.

Louise Thomas is currently in Swansea and enthusiastically making patchwork cushions and other quilts as you can see from her blog http://louisespatchwork.blogspot.de.

We left Claudia Pfeil's shop after an enjoyable long conversation, with some fabric for Louise's next project.

*these sites use Flash and may not display on more recent Android or HTML 5 compliant devices, like Google Nexus

The large Camera Obscura at Mülheim - visit with Ulrich Heker

Camera Obscura in Mülheim

Ulrich Heker of Teeth'R'US invited us to visit Mülheim last week. With a shared interest in photography in addition to our DE-GB collaborations and publications, the large camera obscura with its associated museum was an ideal place for an outing. for the full slide show, visit: https://picasaweb.google.com/107595387761034666575/CameraObscuraInMulheim?authuser=0&feat=directlinkmore text

Taking the lift to the dome of the large converted water tower, we entered the darkened viewing room of the camera obscura. When the aperture 10m above us was opened, light was reflected off a 300mm mirror that could be rotated at the top of the dome, through a set of lenses with an aperture of about 140mm and projected to give an incredibly realistic view of the surroundings on a wide table.

In the weak winter sun, the scene was not as bright as at noon on a full summer's day, but when the mirror was rotated to view the nearby roads, the cars and buses seemed to be toys within touching distance.

Fortunately, I was armed with camera and tripod and was able to take a series of images, not just of the projections, but also of the amazed and interested spectators. Their faces glowed in the reflected light.

The winter sun was setting and over a period of half an hour came into projected view. We first followed it with a small screen until it reached the main projection table. Here, glowing in it's full glory, the disc of around 8cm diameter clearly showed two sunspots. Shining through the lower bands of the atmosphere, the disc also rippled with slight atmospheric disturbances, as if it were alive.

The principle of the camera obscura was known to Aristotle. As children we came across the portable version, the pinhole camera. David Hockney recently gave an excellent TV series on how Renaissance artists probably used the method for their incredible perspective and realistic paintings. However, large scale projections still have their own magic when you encounter them.

Coming down through the museum, we found the photographer Michael Schaaf (www.colloidon.de) preparing for a workshop with an old plate camera,using the wet colloidon principle. I picked up a very useful tip here: Use long exposures to photograph a portrait and you avoid the bane of any photographer's life, people blinking just as you take the picture. With a longer exposure ( a couple of seconds) blinking does not register. But your subject has to remain very still!

Ulrich Heker is himself an accomplished photographer (and has done nearly all the photos for the articles I translated for various dental magazines). So we naturally had an extended conversation with Michael Schaaf, which tested the patience of our companions.

If you are ever near Mülheim in Germany, make a point of visiting the Camera Obscura there. Other exmples worldwide can be found by following the links here http://www.camera-obscura-muelheim.de/cms/camera_obscura_weltweit1.html.

Designing the book cover for Harriet's Holiday

The accompanying slideshow gives a visual timeline of how the book cover for Ruth Leffler's children's book 'Harriet's Holiday'  was created. The process is expanded below.

(if you cannot see it below, please visit https://picasaweb.google.com/107595387761034666575/HarrietSHollidayTheEvolutionOfABookCover?authuser=0&feat=directlink)

View all

Get your own

I was chatting with the author, Ruth Leffler, at a meeting of the Huntingdonshire Business Network about her completed manuscript of her children's book, Harriet's Holiday. The main stumbling block was the completion of a book cover.

Ruth Leffler's vision was an image relating to a particular part of the book where Harriet, on holiday, climbs the stairs of an old Scottish house. She finds an old arched door that is partly open, revealing a child's bedroom. A friendly teddy bear rests on the bed, there is a sheepskin rug on the floor and the windows looked out over the nearby loch.

The imagery immediately fired my imagination and I begged to be given first opportunity to design the cover.

Back home, I began with some quick sketches of how the room might be arranged and, more importantly, where the door would be in relation to the room and the rest of the house. This was followed by where to place Harriet. The decision was to have her at the threshold, just about to enter and pushing open the door.

The book is itself magical, with Harriet entering pictures for adventures. Therefore, rather than having a normal perspective, I placed the reader higher up, looking down on Harriet and over her shoulder into the room.

This being a book cover, the image also needed relatively uncluttered areas for the title 'Harriet's Holiday' in large lettering at the top and 'Ruth Leffler' as the author's name at the bottom.

As the medium, I decided to use soft pastels. In the latter part of the slideshow
(if you cannot see it above, please visit https://picasaweb.google.com/107595387761034666575/HarrietSHollidayTheEvolutionOfABookCover?authuser=0&feat=directlink)
 you can see how the paper was planned out, the general outlines pencilled in and then completed in stages.

Ruth liked the final draft but found the halo around Harriet too distracting. This was therefore toned down usig photoediting as pastels themselved gave too wide a golden edge. It only remained to add the title 'Harriet's Holiday' and 'Ruth Leffler' in a suitable font and the cover was complete.

I'm pleased that Ruth liked the cover for Harriet's Holiday.

If you would like a gentle magical tale to read to your children, or a tale which your own inner child might delight in, Harriet's Holiday by Ruth Leffler is available for Kindle readers on Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Harriets-Holiday-ebook/dp/B009NUQEVC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353974966&sr=8-1. Enjoy!

The future is closer than you think - Climate Change Adaptation

Guest blog by Jane Thomas

We don’t need to look far to see the health impacts the weather can have and how important it is to build in climate change resilience:

• Hurricane Sandy claimed 121 lives, cut power to over 8 million homes and rendered the water supply for many unsafe to drink
• The 2003 heat wave on the continent caused 35,000 extra deaths
• The flooding in Gloucestershire in 2007 caught us out, when all four access roads to the town became impassable and, for the first time in its 100-year history, the Mythe Water Treatment Works flooded, resulting in the loss of tap water for 140,000 homes over a period of two weeks. 

I have always had an interest in climate change and sustainability, so on Wednesday I went along to a very well attended meeting of the East of England Climate Change Adaptation Network, representing Milton Contact Ltd.

The focus of the meeting was health and well-being, with contributions from the NHS sustainability team, NHS Bedfordshire, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, Essex County Council, The Environment Agency and Defra.

These organisations have a responsibility to reduce their own impact on the climate in terms of carbon and energy use and to make plans to help keep us safe in extreme weather conditions.

They are also keen to encourage us all to share that responsibility: We can make changes to the way we go about our daily lives; we can make changes at work which not only save money, but can improve the health and perhaps the safety of the staff; or we can make plans to help us get through severe weather events unharmed and with minimal disruption to business continuity.

When we buy a house or set up a business here in the UK, we generally ensure that the roof is watertight and the windows exclude drafts when it’s cold, but open to allow the house to cool off when it’s hot. We fit heating to keep us warm and a clean, safe supply of drinking water is taken as given. We even take out a variety of insurance policies to help us out financially when things go wrong.

But are we ready for the changes that our weather may throw at us?

Some may think this is for future generations to worry about, but recent events indicate that we should be prepared.

We can all take steps now to be prepared and help protect ourselves, our homes and our businesses. It needn’t cost the earth and might even save us money.

We should not be complacent and believe this is for others to worry about. We can save energy – we can take the bus, walk or cycle occasionally – we can buy locally produced foods – and we can adapt to reduce the impact of extreme weather.

What will you do today to reduce the impacts on you and yours?

As a first step, I would encourage you to check the Environment Agency’s flood risk map to find out whether your home or business are at risk of flooding. 

Go to http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/default.aspx and click on Flood Map.

A review paper in Nature estimated that in 2000 a global death toll of 150,000 was attributable to global warming. Jonathan A. Patz, D. Campbell-Lendrum, T. Holloway, et al., “Impact of regional climate change on human health,” Nature, 2005, vol. 438, pp. 310-317.

Follow Jane on Twitter @sustainmi

Investing time and money in a sustainable future

I had a meeting with the TSB in London, about the future for business in sustainable construction. What's more, they not only wanted to hear my opinions on problems to be tackled, they even offered a pot of 50m GBP I could tap into!

By now it should be apparent that I was not talking to a bank. My partner was the Technology Strategy Board, and I was not alone. Experts from a slew of construction interests, from business to research had come.

This was just one of a series of meetings, ably organised on behalf of the TSB throughout the UK by WECREATE.

The objective was to identify those stumbling blocks for businesses over the next five years active in the area of low impact buildings. My personal interest in participation came from work with architects active and expert in sustainable construction e.g. Tollé Green Architecture.

We were split into groups of three or four first, to brainstorm the key issues. This was followed by listing the top five barriers that prevented commercial progress in low impact construction. From these, TAB would identify where to provide support to overcome these barriers.

There were three problem areas and each group was given one to concentrate on:

1. Maximising existing stock
2. Zero carbon new build
3. Resilience to future climate

I found myself in a group tackling future climate (we had no choice).

A consistent theme, when chatting to other participants afterwards, was the need for clear communication and incentives. This should be working from the ground up.

In contrast to some of the northern European countries, sustainability issues are lower on the priority list of the UK population. Construction complies to the letter of regulations against the backdrop of a competitive market and striving to keep costs down, in a recession.

Changing attitudes with the public and in construction will ultimately provide the self motivated shift required for reasonable progress.

We were encouraged to tweet our identified issues and solutions under #lib201318. For the non-twitterati, four of our suggestions are repeated below:

1. App for people to easily calculate benefits of changes to their behaviour or buildings.

2. The need for an industry recognised prestigious prize to promote adoption of climate resilience.

3. Collection of real-time data from existing occupied buildings on performance.

4. Recognised standards for meeting resilience to future climate change.

In addition to having made some interesting new contacts, we left with the anticipation of the Technology Strategies Board future project-funding proposals.

What will the next 50m GBP go towards?