The Chester Food, Drink and Lifestyle Festival 2014

Allington Hughes sponsored the Chester, Food and Drink Festival for the second time this year over the Easter bank holiday.

It was a wonderful event yet again, and continues to bring thousands of people to Chester in order to taste some of the finest produce on offer from the surrounding area. With over 180 exhibitors and 30,000 people attending, this year was truly a record breaker and has set a marker for years to come.

We are delighted to be part of the Festival, and this year enjoyed having our own stand for all three days and getting to mingle with the fabulous people that came to sample Cheshire's finest.

From exotic meats to Italian pastries and luxurious wine to toffee vodka, there really was something for everyone, not to mention the 800 children who had their first taste of cookery lessons.

The Allington Hughes stand was lucky enough to welcome along Stuart Russell from The Kitchen to accompany us over the weekend. Stuart is founder of The Kitchen while being the nutritional Chef and brother of our sponsored sailor Chris Russell. We decided to try and increase the awareness of Chris and his campaign to reach the Rio Olympics in 2016 via our stand at the festival, so it was great when Chris managed to make a surprise appearance on the Monday to have a chat with some keen sporting enthusiasts. 

We also ran a competition during the festival to win a luxury prize hamper. This was won by a gentleman from Saughall in Chester, and was delighted when we delivered it to his door.

Another fantastic year at the Chester Food, Drink and Lifestyle Festival brought to you by Allington Hughes Law is over, but the countdown to next year has begun, and it promises to be bigger and better than ever.

We would like to thank everyone involved with organising the festival and all of those who helped out over the weekend. 

We have a full album of photographs from the weekend on our Facebook page, which you can visit here.

Allington Hughes and The Kitchen prepare for Day 1 of the Food Festival.

Our competition winner from Saughall in Chester.

The crowds came in their thousands over the Easter weekend.

New Summer Work Experience Opportunities at Allington Hughes Law

At Allington Hughes we take our responsibility to the next generation of lawyers very seriously.

This summer we will be offering summer work experience placements to two successful applicants.

The placements will be open to both undergraduate and graduate applicants, with one placement based in our Chester office and one in our Wrexham office.  They will both take place during August 2014 and will last one working week.

The successful applicants will gain experience in a number of legal areas, obtaining an insight into the processes involved in providing high quality legal services to a broad range of clients.

To apply, please provide your written answer to the question below, along with your CV.  Your answer MUST NOT exceed 250 words in length.

Ø  What impact will the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 have on justice in England and Wales?

Please send applications to lukepritchard@allingtonhughes.co.uk.  All attachments must be in Word format.

Applications received after 30^th June 2014 will NOT be considered.

The Allington Hughes Chester office

The Allington Hughes Wrexham office

Chris Russell Sailing - Part 2

It has been a while since we last caught up with Chris in terms of his training and competition on the road to Rio 2016, so we thought it was about time for an update!

Chris has been all over Europe the last few months, and it makes for some great reading when you hear about the trials and tribulations of an elite level athlete.

Overall, Chris feels the past few months have been excellent and he is really pleased with what has been achieved across his training ahead of the 2014 race season. A significant amount of time in new venues with new training partners, all with the goal of raising the intensity of training work has resulted in a strong platform for Chris to build on in the coming months. 

Chris said this about his first race of the year:

'Late Feb I raced in Cadiz at the Andalucian Olympic Week. As expected it was a highly competitive regatta and it proved a great opportunity to test some of the things I've been working on over the winter. Put simply it didn't go well – I didn't achieve what I wanted to from this regatta from a training or racing perspective – but that’s OK. It was the first regatta of the year and these things happen – you learn from the mistakes and move forward.  And I bounced back well.

A week’s recovery work, followed by some intensive land-based training and then i headed straight out to Palma for the Arenal Training Camp. It took some time to get back up to speed but by the end of this mini-block, I was back on track, and learning a lot.'

Chris raced his first World Cup event of the year in Trofeo Princes Sofia, Palma, Mallorca. Conditions were very challenging for all competitors, as Palma usually provides a superb location for top class sailing, but as Chris describes here they were quite different on this occasion: 

'The conditions were really challenging - normally Palma presents "champagne" sailing conditions to rival anywhere else in the world, but the weather chose not to play ball this year and we were greeted with cold temperatures and a lot of wind and rain.

The regatta started really well for me - speed is good right now and i'm pleased with the way i'm sailing. I was highly competitive at the front. A small number of tactical mistakes cost me big in a a really big fleet which put me in the middle/rear of the pack following qualifying rounds which was disappointing. I recovered what i could from the final days of racing but will take a lot of positivity from the event.'

Chris is still not in line for a rest after this event as he jumped straight on a plane over to beautiful Split in Croatia for the Olympic Week, which involves an Irish team Trials Regatta for the World Championships later in the year. 

Chris was kind enough to give up his time for a phone call last week live on Dee Radio in Chester, to explain about the prize he has provided for our 24 hour competition. The lucky winner is in for a real treat having a day of training with Chris sometime in early summer.

If you would like a further insight into Chris's diet and training regime, his Nutritionist will be joining us on our stand at the Chester, Food, Drink and Lifestyle Festival which is a fantastic event we are delighted to be sponsoring again this year. It is held at Chester Racecourse over the Easter weekend and is not to be missed! 

As always we wish Chris the best of luck with his training and competition, and we look forward to providing more updates on his progress in the near future.

You can learn more about Chris Russell and his Olympic campaign on his website.

Chris Russell in his Olympic Laser Class boat.

Landlords of Commercial Premises - Update

On 6 April 2014 the Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery (“CRAR”) was introduced which replaces the remedy of distress to recover rent arrears. The CRAR is governed by the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007.

There are specific requirements in relation to the CRAR which landlords should bear in mind as some of these differ to the old remedy of distress which has now been abolished, namely :-

• The CRAR applies only to leases of commercial premises so if the premises is being used as a dwelling or any part of it is let or underlet as a dwelling, the Landlord will be unable to rely on CRAR.

• The lease must be in writing.

• You can only rely on CRAR to recover principal rent, interest and VAT (rent does not include any sum in respect of rates, council tax, services, repairs, maintenance, insurance or other ancilliary matters even if these amounts are reserved as  rent in the lease)

• The procedure for enforcement by taking control of goods is dealt with under Schedule 12 of the Tribunals Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 and can only be exercised by an Enforcement Agent

• The tenant must be provided with 7 clear days notice of enforcement prior to exercise

• There are restrictions on what goods can be taken. The enforcement agent cannot take control of exempt goods which are specified as: 

• Items of equipment which are necessary for the tenant's personal use in the tenant's employment, business, trade, profession, study or education. This includes computer equipment and vehicles. This exemption only applies where the aggregate value of the items is up to £1,350. Items valued over this threshold may be seized.
• Clothing, bedding, furniture, household equipment, items and provisions that the tenant reasonably requires to satisfy its basic domestic needs and those of the tenant's household (this will apply in the limited circumstances the enforcement agent can enter mixed use premises
• Assistance dogs, sheep dogs, guard dogs or domestic pets.
• A vehicle with a valid disabled person's badge.
• A vehicle which is being used for a disabled person, or which there are reasonable grounds for believing is used for, police, fire or ambulance purposes.
• A vehicle displaying a valid British Medical Association badge or other health emergency badge because it is being used for, or there are reasonable grounds for believing it is used for, health emergency purposes.

The above information is a brief overview of the new regime in relation to recovery of commercial rent arrears.  If you have any queries surrounding this topic or any others please do not hesitate to contact us on 01978 291000 for Wrexham, 01244 312166 for Chester or 01492 641222 for Llanrwst.

Allington Hughes Presents a Money-Can't-Buy Prize: 24 Hour Competition

Leading Cheshire and North Wales law firm Allington Hughes, in partnership with Chris Russell Sailing, has proudly launched a unique 24 hour competition as of 9.30am April 9^th 2014, to win a day of training with Olympic Laser Class Sailor Chris Russell!

The winner will have the chance to join Chris during a normal days training at Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay, and experience a unique behind the scenes look at what it takes to perform at an elite level of competitive sport.

Chris will guide the winner through a gym programme in the morning; explaining the basics and finer points of fitness training.  You'll have a chance to discuss nutrition and general well being with Chris throughout

the session - but you must also be prepared to work hard!

A break for lunch will allow further discussion about goals and motivation as Chris must couple his tough physical training with a positive and well rounded mindset. As a regular motivational speaker, this could be the perfect opportunity to pick Chris’s brains on how to keep pushing towards your goals and stay motivated even when obstacles present themselves.

In the afternoon session, you'll hit the water with Chris in an Olympic Laser Class boat off the beach at Porth Eirias. This will offer a great insight into sailing as a sport and as a leisure activity and hopefully leave you with the skills and knowledge to be able to sail a boat on your own!

You enter this competition by answering one simple question:

Who is Britain's most decorated Olympic Sailor? (Decorated meaning most number of medals).

Please send your answers to: studio@dee1063.com  or TEXT the word ‘Dee’ followed by your answer to 80809.

Entries Close at 9.30am Thursday 10^th April 2014!!!!

Chris hopes to join Allington Hughes at this year’s ChesterFood, Drink and Lifestyle Festival and support their efforts as title sponsors.  Joining the team at the event will be members of Chris' nutrition team, offering tips and guidance on healthy eating along with a sample "shot of Olympic greatness" - a bespoke, natural healthy soup which Chris uses as part of his training and racing diet.

Employment Law Update - 01/04/2014

Employment Law Changes April 2014

This week sees a number of Employment Law changes in areas that affect companies and businesses each day. The changes are far reaching, and cover areas from discrimination and pension auto-enrolment to employment tribunals and maternity.

AllingtonHughes Ltd are urging businesses to be aware of these changes to ensure they do not fall foul of the new legislation.

The main changes are as follows:-

●          The Acas Early Conciliation rules come into force on 6 April 2014. Before a person lodges an Employment Tribunal claim, they will have to notify Acas by completing an online form. Acas will then aim to make contact with both parties and talk through the issues to see if a solution can be found. Acas will have up to one month to achieve resolution before a formal claim to the Employment Tribunal can proceed.

●          A number of tribunal award limits are increasing. For dismissals where the effective date of termination is on or after 6 April 2014, the maximum amount of a week’s pay, used to calculate unfair dismissal basic awards and statutory redundancy payments, will rise to £464 (from £450).

The maximum compensatory award for ordinary unfair dismissal claims will be £76,574.

●          From 6 April 2014, there will be statutory increases to maternity pay, ordinary and additional paternity pay, and statutory adoption pay from £136.78 to £138.18.

●          As of 1 April 2014, the time period for employers enrolling eligible workers into a qualified pension scheme will increase from one month to six weeks.

●          Section 138 of the Equality Act 2010 is repealed on 6 April 2014, with effect that provisions enabling an individual to obtain information from the employer about discrimination and for information to be used as evidence in tribunal proceedings no longer apply.

In addition to the changes above, from 6 April 2014, the standard rate of statutory sick pay increases from £86.70 to £87.55 per week and Small Employers will no longer be able to reclaim any SSP from HMRC, as the Percentage Threshold Scheme for recovery of SSP is being abolished from 6th April 2014.

It is important that businesses are aware of these changes, and should any further information be required, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our Employment Team on 01978 291000 for Wrexham, 01244 312166 for Chester or 01492 641222 for Llanrwst.

               Gerallt Hughes, Director and head of Employment Law.

Melissa Bramwell, a member of our Employment Law team.