Author: wbd.dev

Introduction to Worthing

As you’ve guessed, we love Sunny Worthing. A seaside town in West Sussex less than 20 miles from Brighton to the East and Chichester to the West. Worthing has a remarkable history, dating as far back as 4000 BC with flint mining. It has drawn a lot of fame from the famous author Oscar Wilde who famously wrote the importance of being Earnest whilst staying in Worthing one summer in 1894. The town has numerous open space areas and has won pier of the year twicein since the turn of the millennium, most recently in 2019. This article will detail some fun things to do if you are passing by or spending a summer in Sunny Worthing

Roundstone Farm

This pick your own farm is a lot of fun. What can be more fun than going around on a free tractor ride and picking your own fruit and veg? Roundstone Far has been around for over 45 years and grows the best seasonal fruit and veg. This is a must, particularly if you have little ones.

Dome Cinema

One of the oldest working cinemas in UK, the Dome is a landmark in Worthing. Opened in 1911 and renovated to its former glory, watching a movie here is an exhilarating experience. Recently, in 2018, a third screen was added, with just 41 seats. I can’t recommend this cinema enough, love it, particularly the balcony which is only available on special occasion

Highdown Gardens

Highdown Gardens is a must for anyone enjoying a Sunday stroll. This nature park boasts the widest range of flowers, ponds and trees. There are hundreds of rare and exotic plants and trees that aren’t found anywhere else. You can enjoy an afternoon tea or a cake at the café. It is currently undergoing an overhaul and re-open in summer 2020 as a national heritage sit

Worthing Pier

As previously stated, Worthing Pier has won pier of the year twice since 2000. It is over 950 FT long with an arcade, glass artwork, a café and fishing available for those with fishing licences. It is celebrated for its simplicity as people love walk on the promenade with loved ones. Fireworks displays occur on Guy Fawkes night and August bank holiday. Make sure you bring your hat and gloves for Guy Fawkes night though as it can get very cold!

There are other great things to do in Worthing too, including Worthing Observation Wheel, Pavilion theatre, Steyne Gardens, Splashpoint Leisure Centre and the Worthing War Memorial. 

Who is Gaining from Covid-19?

No matter what happens in the world, there’s always someone benefiting, someone winning. An easy and obvious answer to the question “who is making money from Covid19?” is the toilet roll manufacturers! Beyond that though, with many businesses forced to pause work, there are scattering of industries that will be making money from the new, temporary world around

Online Education

With schools closed and everyone indoors, online education is seeing a rapid increase in interest. Online courses and remote learning have always been available but they will surely benefit from the fact everyone is indoors now. New e-learning courses are being made quickly to benefit from this trending term. Companies are already looking to monetize the remote working environment by developing software and customer friendly software.

Streaming Services

As if streaming services like Netflix and Youtube weren’t popular enough, everyone and their cat will be joining the bandwagon. What else will everyone be doing indoors for months? Watching their favourite shows of course. Netflix recently launched an interesting billboard campaign which involved spoiling your favourite show, the punishment for venturing outside. This shows us how bold they can be, they know, even spoiling their own shows won’t result in a cancelled subscription. 

Online Gambling
With the sports on hold and betting shops closing, there are an increasing number of people moving to the online gambling. At the click of a button, people can go online and play bingo, blackjack or poker. With so many companies furloughing staff, a great number will actually have more money than they otherwise would, particularly if they have activated mortgage payment holidays. When you’re not going out on Saturday night or having a mid-week meal with your partner, you will find out you have extra cash available. A great number are expected to turn to gaming to fill their free time. There are sites like Texas Holdem Questions offering poker training for as cheap as £4.99 and many will look at this as get rich quick scheme. If you do try your hand at online gambling, please remember to gamble responsibly.

Final Thoughts and Tips

As you can see, there are industries making the best of it, taking advantage of the fact that people are indoors. The best thing you can do as a business is learn to adapt to the new environment, think innovatively how you can cater and meet the demands of potential customers. Are you geared to work remotely? Can your site switch to E-Commerce? Ask questions and find answers and you will increase your chances of not only surviving this storm, but coming out the other side with a more sustainable business

There is Support for You

Who would have thought just a month ago, we would be where we are now? We didn’t expect to be locked indoors with many businesses’ unable to trade. With businesses that have taken years to build at risk, the government has stepped in and offered many potential ways of supporting you through this period of uncertainty. No matter what size or industry, there is support for you. This article will briefly outline some readily available help for local businesses but it’s up to you take the next step and take advantage.

Job Retention Scheme

Rishi Sunak launched one of the most proactive steps in securing employment in UK with this scheme. With employees that are unable to work, employers have been given the opportunity to “furlough” and claim 80% back from the government each month (capped at £2,500 per employee). This scheme is an incentive to stay loyal to employees, ensure they are still paid, mitigate the potential rise in unemployment and safeguard employees. More info for that here – Job Retention Scheme.

VAT Payment Deferrals

If you are a UK VAT registered business and have a payment due between 20^th March and 30^th June 2020, you can defer the payment until a later date if you wish. This is great as it means, you won’t be penalised for clients paying slower. It also means, if you have been prudent and put money away, you can utilise that for the Job Retention Scheme until the government grants come in. You do not need to tell HMRC that you are deferring but check here for more info – VAT deferral.

Business Rates Holidays & Cash Grants

If you are in the retail, hospitality or leisure industry, you are in a for some luck as there will be business rate holidays for 2020 to 2021 tax year. You do not even need to do anything. Your local authority should contact you and re-issue you with a new bill.
There are also cash grants available for businesses in these sectors. It is tiered depending on the rateable value of your property but you could be entitled to a grant of £25,000. As long as you are based in England, in retail, hospitality or leisure and have a rateable value of under £51,000 then you are eligible. Check here for more info – Cash Grants.

Conclusion

It’s tough out there for everyone; the elderly, children away from school, employers, employees and key workers on the frontline. The government are doing everything they can to support though. We need to be united and forward thinking, taking advantage of any and every scheme available to ensure we have businesses’ when this is over. This article has looked just a few schemes available, there are others available to so be sure to check out the government website.