Printing that does not cost the earth

Our quest to capture some of the best environmental practice for the forthcoming edition of Newbury Business Today took Morgan PR down the M4 to Reading today, to the offices of Lamport Gilbert, quite possibly the oldest company in the town that you have never heard of!

However, very soon you surely will! For this forward thinking print house has secured ISO14001 - the environmental standard, which means innovative printing solutions are available that do not cost the earth, either in financial or environmental terms.

Remarkably so green are the print solutions offered by Lamport Gilbert, this Reading based company could deliver to companies throughout West Berkshire, the Thames Valley and beyond and have a smaller environmental impact than a more local supplier still using less green methods.

This remarkable situation has just become even more apparent with the company switching its delivery fleet to LPG, meaning even greener delivery still.

Another highlight of the visit to Lamport Gilbert was discovering that we were in the presence of another blogger! Recently the company launched its own blog and we are delighted to be the first company to link to it.

The Lifestyle Green-audit™ in West Berkshire

Rising fuel prices have brought energy consumption sharply into focus for many householders in West Berkshire and this has led to an increase in demand for the Lifestyle Green-audit™ offered by Newbury business Proport-EcoServices.

So will read the introduction to another environmental feature in the forthcoming Newbury Business Today edition out on July 10th.

It was fascinating meeting the company founder, Antony Straszweski explained: “More people than ever are grasping that you can save money by saving energy but don’t know where to start. If you look on Google for ‘home energy saving’ you will get millions of hits and not know where to start, which is why we launched our £175 Lifestyle Green-audit™.

“It is not just about saving money, if you're concerned about Global Climate Change, want to reduce your carbon footprint, reduce your impact on the environment then our Lifestyle Green-audit™ is for you.”

It is certainly a service that Morgan PR believes there will be demand for!

Antony Strazweski is pictured below inspecting a hot water cylinder on a return visit to a home and is clearly delighted to find it has been both insulated and fitted with a thermostat.

Vehicle recycling in West Berkshire

As part of the work Morgan PR carries out for the Newbury Weekly News, and more specifically Newbury Business Today, we have been writing up features on environmental companies across West Berkshire and beyond over recent weeks.

Earlier today I was at Padworth Vehicle Recycling and discovered just how outdated the concept of the 'scrapman' actually is, with this forward looking company fully licensed to dispose of 'end of life' vehicles and managing to recycle 85% of each car brought to them.

So forget the image of a scrap car dealer with rusting wrecks piled high and a yapping junkyard dog snapping at your heels; PVR are the far greener, cleaner 21st Century equivalent doing its bit to ensure there is a 22nd Century.

The location is strikingly different for a start. Not tucked away in some urban side street and upsetting the neighbours, PVR is in leafy Padworth, surrounded by trees as green as the principles guiding the company.

You will be able to read the feature when it is published on July 3.

West Berks Rapid Response Cars Charity Auction

Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted that Morgan PR is one of the companies that is proud to sponsor the West Berks Rapid Response Cars, indeed our logo is emblazoned on the boot of the Hungeford car if ever it passes you rushing off to save lives.

Pictured above is Neale Marney from WBRRC with myself, Nigel Morgan from Morgan PR, outside Hungerford Town Hall with the logo rich response car. There are four across West Berkshire and they are funded entirely through donations and sponsorship and its trained medics will often reach accidents and people needing medical help before an ambulance can arrive.

Which is why generous support for annual charity auction is so important and this year it will take place on Saturday, 28th June and Sunday, 29th June, Live on Kick FM.

They want to break their £5,000 target – and hope you will listen in, dig deep and bid for some of the fabulous auction lots. Everything from chilled spa days to adrenalin rush quad biking, from luxurious dining for two to fantastic pub grub for a family …and lots more besides, including an England shirt signed by the England squad to auction!

Celebrating at The Harrow in Little Bedwyn

A wise business coach once told us that we should celebrate our wins, and indeed we do and on Monday night we did with a marvellous evening at The Harrow in Little Bedwyn, where we indulged in their deserved reputation for gourmet food and wine.

Specifically the event was to introduce Veuve Clicquot's new 2002 Vintage Champagne and we were honoured to be introduced to Florianne Eznack from the famous Champagne House and to witness first hand her knowledge and passion as she introduced us to the different Champagnes and we delightfully discovered which went best with which food, as all three vintages: The Veuve Clicquot Vintage Reserve 2002, the much sweeter Veuve Clicqout Rich Reserve 2002 and the Veuve Clicquot Vintage Rose 2002.

Also on hand was the equally knowledgable and charming Chris Rodrigues, the Regional Account Manager for Moet Hennessy, who distribute among other well known brands the very Veuve we enjoyed on Monday evening.

Blissfully though, Moet Hennessy also distribute Cloudy Bay and although this was a Champagne event, masterfully matched the 2005 Pinot Noir with the Salt Marsh New Season Lamb.

It was lovely to assauge the guilt too; for too long we have known about this award winning restaurant just a few miles west of Hungerford, yet this was the first time we had visited and while possibly a little indulgent for a 'school night' we had a superb evening and will no doubt be visiting The Harrow again very soon.