Chris Hogan

Workplace stress is receiving a lot of attention with even the Government estimating it costs £530m in one year.

People can be very particular when it comes to choosing a dentist. And once found to provide a good service, they tend to stick with that individual even if they move out of the area, sometimes travelling hundreds of miles for a regular check-up.

Talk of cuts dominates the economic and political agenda, so it is a pleasant surprise to be able to report on a source of funding. It is simple to understand and easy to apply for. Sustainable Routes offers matched funding of up to £1,000 for projects that either reduce business journeys, or their impact on the environment. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the South East ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-2013, and promoted by the South East England Development Agency. There are no limits to the products or services that the fund can be used for, as long as they can be demonstrated to reduce the environmental effect of business transportation. For example, managers at Sounds Positive, a hypnotherapy business in Henley, used their grant to buy new information technology hardware and software. This enabled the company to deliver webinars — courses over the Internet — so customers do not have to travel to the company's seminars, saving fuel and time. Being a matched grant, the fund will contribute the same amount as the company does. This effectively halves the price of any purchases. Henry Reily-Collins is technical director for Halliday's Hydropower in Wallingford. The company has installed a unique renewable power system in a luxury apartment building. Dandridge’s Mill in East Hanney is a conversion of a silk mill and uses an Archimedean screw to extract energy from the millstream, with solar panels as backup. He explained: “Until now, we’ve had to drive 40 miles to take the readings required to monitor the technologies at Dandridge’s Mill. We see this as a huge area of unnecessary travel which has a reverse impact on the 28-plus tonnes of CO2 we save each year from the operation of the site. “The Sustainable Routes grant will help us design a system which can send data from multiple sites to one monitoring centre. We will reduce travel, engineer visits and increase the performance of renewable technologies.” This is an example of using the grant to reduce journeys, in this case cutting them out almost completely. Ian MacKay's business could not cut out journeys as they are core to the company's offering. But he did use the grant to reduce the impact of those journeys on the environment. His business, AllShred, based in Milton-under-Wychwood, operates a confidential waste shredding service. It is the first company in the UK to achieve the international gold standard for security and operations, the US NAID AAA certification. Although businesses can take their confidential waste to AllShred, the vast majority of the work is done at customers' premises. Mr Mackay's mobile industrial strength shredder is capable of destroying whole lever-arch files and DVDs, let alone the more usual reams of paper. He said: “We used the grant to help pay for a spoiler to go on the roof of the cab. It smoothes airflow over the truck and our experience so far indicates an improvement in fuel consumption of about five per cent.” Mr Mackay added: “I found the grant one of the easiest I've ever applied for. “The form was straightforward and short and the application was dealt with very promptly. I was pleasantly surprised at how painless the whole process was.” Other claimants have confirmed this story. The initial contact is made by filling out a simple online form about the working and travel habits of the company. Ngage Solutions, the not-for-profit company administering the grant on behalf of SEEDA and ERDF, then e-mails back a travel efficiency plan for the company, and a document with further tips for reducing travel or its environmental impact. A more in-depth application form is also e-mailed out, but this is designed so it can be completed on a computer and emailed back. Even this in-depth form is only five pages long, with the fifth page irrelevant for most applicants. It is necessary to print out, sign and post a copy of this form as well, but once this is received, ngage commits to responding within a week with a decision on the application. Once the equipment is bought the money is refunded after invoices and receipts have been sent in. The grant does not have to be for complex projects like Archimedean screw monitoring. Many recipients have used the Sustainable Routes project to upgrade IT equipment to allow more efficient use of video-conferencing and online collaboration tools. The Sustainable Routes grant is available to small and medium-sized companies in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire or Berkshire who have been trading for more than a year and employ fewer than 250 people. n To find out more, visit the website: www.sustainableroutes.co.uk

How many business owners can look at a line of household names like Argos, Barclaycard, BUPA, AA Hotels and the RAC, and see their own business right alongside?

It is often said that if you can get a business going when times are hard, then you will be well very placed for when times get better.

Necessity is the mother of invention and, for one Oxfordshire business owner, using underwhelming products simply spurred him to search the world for something better.

With UK pubs closing at a rate of more than 50 a week, one landlord can clearly demonstrate solid business analysis and targeted marketing leads to success. Having run a number of pubs in and around the Thames Valley, Trevor Johnson turned around an Arkells pub in Cheltenham and then set his sights on the Talbot Inn, Eynsham.

Ballroom dancing is on the up, fuelled by renewed television interest and has acted as inspiration for two business owners to join forces at least on the polished floor. On January 9, Richard Parkes and Cheryl-Lee Foulsham will appear at the finals of the Champions of Tomorrow competition at Blackpool's Winter Gardens.

It is refreshing to see a new business starting up, and even more refreshing to hear one of the founders brushing off talk of an economic downturn.

In light and airy offices above the ancient Guildhall in Chipping Norton, a British company is doing deals and servicing household names all over the world.