< Previous60 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY Your Ifor Williams Trailer Distributor Trailers from small domestic to 3500kg gross Sales • Repairs • Servicing • Spares Sole Distributors in Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Pickup canopies also available You are welcome to view our stock of Trailers Te: 01526 860317 W: www.scott-trailers.co.uk E: office@scott-trailers.co.uk Opening hours: Mon to Fri 8am-5pm Sat 9am-12 noon Horsebox Commercial Livestock Unbraked Wishing our customers old and new a Merry Christmas staff and employees, resulting in a more cohesive and motivated team. As part-owners of the business, family members are willing to invest their own financial resources when starting new sub-ventures or during financial difficulties. This not only reduces costs and expenditures but also strengthens the financial capability of the business. The inherent desire to ensure long-term success is a driving force for their willingness to contribute. Like many business types, however, family businesses have had to evolve over the years to become more competitive. It’s no longer enough to simply “do something well” as there will be others across the internet who can do it just as much. Instead, what we’ve started to see across many family businesses is the adoption of several new ideas that would have been out of place fifty or more years ago. Firstly, family members engaged in the business today have often worked in and for other organisations, often in a variety of roles and often senior roles. This, in part, has helped them bring new work approaches and management techniques to their own family business. In olden times, family would work solely within the family business and take over it in a hereditary fashion, but this has time and time again led to narrow skillsets and leadership unable to adapt to problems because they, themselves, have never had to deal with crisis situations © stock.adobe.com/potstock45 Years in Business in Lincoln Lincoln Print & Copy Centre have been celebrating their 45th year in business throughout 2024 – it’s been interesting and challenging, but ultimately great fun working with so many people in the local area. A new, refreshed website was put in place in late 2023, making it clearer for customers what can be done in printing for business; not for profit; public sector and individuals. We are still a family run business, based in Lincoln with connections to other businesses in the area – if we can’t do something – we can direct you to a business that can! Leaflets and posters are still the most requested items but we can supply brochures, booklets, pull up and vinyl banners, printed house plans and engineering drawings; and so much more. Other popular items are wire bound books and manuals: from A3 landscape pages to A5 or A6 pages, in short or long runs for many organisations. A6 booklets; portrait, landscape and square brochures and programmes are often ordered too. Menus are usually ordered in smaller quantities to reflect seasonal changes. Business cards remain a useful item for many businesses. Professional Graphic Design is an in-house service, designs are created to attract the right attention and get the most important information across, but we can use customers’ own artwork if it’s already done. Lincoln Print & Copy Centre work with their customers to ensure the printing fits their needs and budget and keeping their printed information up to date. Why not have a look at our new website, we might just be able do that job you need! LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 61 FAMILY BUSINESS before. Working in other businesses first teaches valuable lessons, not least of which is how to be humble. It can be easy for family members to feel entitled to work or own the family business, and to have more power than other members of staff. Being an employee for someone else first tempers those character flaws. Secondly, where there is more than one family member in the business they have agreed roles based on best fit of skills and experience. The ability to agree roles and responsibilities tends to help remove personal and emotional conflict and often leads to the most appropriate family member undertaking roles for which they are best suited. This is integral not only for recognising the strengths and weaknesses of individual members, but also for resolving disputes. Often this is taken even further and there is a non-family member on the Board who provides a dispassionate viewpoint and brings specialist skills to the table. In some cases, we have seen Boards made up of nearly all non-family members. Some of the most effective Boards often have a non-family member as the Board Chairman, someone who they all respect but is not influenced or tied up with the family politics. This is especially useful in the cases of inheritance battles, which all- too-often tear family businesses apart. Having people not emotionally involved to the same degree can help ease tensions. Finally, family businesses today recognise their own strengths and shortfalls in the team and bring in others to take over roles that may even be above them – like management. Many family businesses often employ people that can do specific jobs or execute a management role better than they can so that they can focus on where they can be more effective and profitable. The truth is that not everyone has the right mindset to be in a position of leadership, and sometimes taking the helm simply because it passes to you by way of birthright is a poor way to go about it. Fifty or more years ago, the family would have taken over anyway, having too much pride to let decisions be made by someone else, but now there’s a growing sense that pride isn’t so necessary, and that sometimes others can have just as much, if not more, passion for the business, and a better-suited skillset as well. The ability to agree roles and responsibilities tends to help remove personal and emotional conflict and often leads to the most appropriate family member undertaking roles for which they are best suitedLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 63 CARING W e’ve long championed the excellent caring facilities across our region. Yet it needs to be reiterated that not all care homes are made equally. As with many other areas of our lives, you get what you pay for. That’s not to say that quality care can’t be found on a budget, only that the very best facilities cost more. They also offer peace of mind that your loved one is being looked after and nurtured in a safe environment and, really, you can’t put a price on that. Of course, even the most exemplary facility isn’t exempt or immune to illness, especially in winter months, but it’s akin to building a house – a good foundation will result in a sturdier, more reliable building. However, it’s tempting – and pervasively common – for people to fear care homes, and to see them as awful places where the elderly are abandoned like unwanted pets. Such awful depictions are in no small part because of TV and movies portraying them as such, often as villains in storylines. In truth, living home alone may make a person feel more independent, but there are few studies championing lonely independence at Christmas as a way to improve either your health or mental wellbeing. Being together with others, laughing, communicating and having people to Christmas alone or in care Christmas alone is miserable, and yet many elderly people choose this over the possibility of spending the day with others in a care home. Is lonely independence really the best choice? 64 Á © stock.adobe.com/simonaCARING spend time with is what boosts mood and health, and care homes provide that. Unfortunately, a lot of older people still refuse to believe such, stubbornly holding to the homes they’ve lived in and loved all their lives, and while there’s certainly an argument to be made that “it’s their life and their choice” that doesn’t make it any easier when your mother or grandmother is wasting away unsafe at home, refusing to let anyone check in on them and repeatedly talking about how lonely they are, and then snapping back angrily whenever the idea of meeting with other people their age is brought up. No one wants to imagine a loss of control and the tight and controlled environment of a care home might remind some a little too much of being in school. That said, looking back, most people can agree school wasn’t as bad a time as it’s made out to be either. Yes, there was less freedom but there were also less responsibilities and more fun, and while residents of care homes aren’t as likely to be out kicking a football around a field, they can gather in common rooms to play For more information please contact the home on 01522 530 217 Ruckland Court Care Home, Ruckland Avenue, Lincoln, LN1 3TP www.countrycourtcare.com A Country Court Care Home Ruckland Court Join us for our Christmas Fayre Saturday 7th December 12pm - 3pm There will be a Winter Wonderland with a Santa's Grotto, stalls, a raffle, tombola and refreshments Stall holders fee is £5LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 65 CARING © stock.adobe.com/Khunatorn Is Cohabitation becoming more popular than marriage? Recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicates significant shifts in relationship dynamics in England and Wales. As of 2022, the proportion of individuals aged 16 and over who are married has fallen below 50% for the first time. Conversely, cohabitation has become more common, with an estimated 6.8 million people cohabiting in 2022, representing 22.7% of the adult population. Several factors contribute to this trend. Evolving social views and legal changes have increased the number of same-sex couple families. Additionally, a rise in divorces has likely led to more individuals living alone. While married couples remain the most common family type, many are opting to cohabit, often due to financial considerations. It's important to note that 46% of people in England and Wales believe in a "common law" marriage, assuming that cohabiting couples have the same legal rights as married ones. However, no such legal status exists, meaning cohabiting couples do not have the same legal protections as married couples. Given these trends, it's crucial for cohabiting couples to understand their legal standing and consider formal agreements to protect their rights. A cohabitation agreement sets out the financial arrangements and rights between cohabiting partners, offering legal clarity on asset division and responsibilities if the relationship ends or one partner passes away. Our Family Law team can assist cohabiting couples by drafting a comprehensive cohabitation agreement that clearly outlines each partner’s financial contributions, asset ownership, and responsibilities, helping to avoid future disputes. We can also provide legal advice on the implications of not having such an agreement, especially concerning property, inheritance, and parental rights. Furthermore, we can ensure that the agreement reflects both partners’ wishes and offer ongoing reviews as circumstances change. The Family Law team at Ringrose Law offers comprehensive support for individuals navigating various family-related legal matters. Contact 0333 3580 393 or email wecanhelp@ringroselaw.co.uk Nick Aspley, Head of Family Law at Ringrose Law games, read, chat or enjoy whatever entertainment is on at the time. And the counterargument to the “it’s their choice” point could easily be that it “shows more love” for family to want their elderly loved ones to be cared for and happy, than it does to just acquiesce to the wishes you know will make them miserable. We’re all guilty of making bad decisions in life based on anger, misconception or stubborn pride, and sometimes those we love have to do what’s best for us, which may not be what we want. It can be a lot to ask for relatives to devote themselves as a carer on the regular, or even to make time for visits to a care home. Resources will be stretched thin, and not just financially, for many people this winter. The stress of rising bills and the cost of living crisis will make it difficult to draw on the emotional reserves needed in caring for elderly relatives. It’s important to realise that, for families giving all they can, there’s no shame in knowing you need help. Once again, in the likes of Carers UK, Carers Trust, or the NHS Carers Direct Helpline, you have plenty of people out there to lend a friendly professional ear. When taking on the everyday care of the elderly through the colder months, warmth and companionship are the two most important tenets to keep in mind. Loneliness will eventually make a loved one feel more vulnerable, and this hit to emotional wellbeing isn’t conducive to anyone taking care of themselves. It’s up to family and friends to bring the love and support needed into an elderly person’s home, to help them hold up and stay warm, hopeful and happy through till Spring. 66 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY COUNTY MOTORING motors Future As we move toward the end of 2024, it’s worth taking a look at the future to see what motors are being revealed and what we can look forward to seeing on our roads. LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 67 COUNTY MOTORING Audi A3 Sportback 40 TFSI e With a higher battery capacity, 50kW DC charging at fast-charging stations, and an electric range of up to 88 miles, the Audi A3 Sportback 40 TFSI e has received a comprehensive technology upgrade. Its intelligent drive management ensures outstanding efficiency, high recuperation performance, and emission-free local driving in everyday life. The compact plug-in hybrid drive management is designed for high efficiency. Starting is always electric, even when the temperature drops down to -28° C. The driver can prioritize the electric drive with the EV button in the switch panel or by selecting it in the MMI, which enables the vehicle to operate like a fully electric model. In “Auto Hybrid” mode, the primary operating mode, the combustion engine and electric motor share the work intelligently - purely electric driving at low speeds, with the TFSI engine taking priority at higher speeds and often both drives together. Audi A3 Sportback 40 TFSI e68 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY COUNTY MOTORING MINI Cooper Convertible Following the successful launch of the all-new MINI family throughout the past year, the new MINI Cooper Convertible completes the brand’s new model family. Offered in a choice of two new petrol models, the MINI Cooper Convertible will begin production at MINI Plant Oxford later this year, following a nine- year hiatus. With clean surfaces, a fully automatic soft top roof and a minimalist yet innovative interior, the MINI Cooper Convertible offers drivers an added dose of spontaneity, with the ability to drop in the roof in seconds. When the soft top is open, the MINI Cooper Convertible has a luggage compartment volume of 160 litres, while when the soft top is closed this expands to 215 litres. To assist with loading, the tailgate opens downwards and the wind deflector behind the driver and passenger seats reduces wind noise and unwanted air turbulence when driving. The interior design of the new MINI Cooper Convertible focuses on fewer components, clever design, and high-quality workmanship. Three key elements structure the cockpit: a sporty steering wheel, the central OLED display, and the newly designed toggle switch bar. Škoda Elroq Distilling all the qualities of the multi- award-winning Enyaq into a more compact package, the Elroq also brings Škoda’s acclaimed practicality and value to one of the most competitive sectors in the new car market. It will also be the first Škoda model to feature the brand’s striking new ‘Modern Solid’ design language - a dramatic new look that will influence the design of future Škoda models. Inside, the SE features Škoda’s striking Loft design selection that comes with fabric and artificial leather upholstery, grey headlining and a two-spoke leather multifunction steering wheel. Drivers benefit from a large 13-inch touchscreen display, digital cockpit and single-zone climate control as standard. The SE also offers a generous quota of convenience and safety systems as standard, including a rear-view camera with rear parking sensors, traffic sign recognition and blind spot detection. Subaru Forester Subaru has released details of the All- New Subaru Forester, which is set to be launched into the UK market in Spring 2025. The Forester has been a key model in the Subaru lineup since it was first launched in February 1997. With over 5 million units sold globally over the past Subaru ForesterLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 69 COUNTY MOTORING 27 years, and currently the third-biggest- selling Subaru model in Europe, the all- new Forester preserves the heritage of this capable, go-anywhere SUV, that has been redesigned in a more sophisticated and refined package. The all-new Forester features improved on-road driving dynamics and off-road capability and will be powered by Subaru’s e-BOXER mild-hybrid powertrain. An optimised direct-injection 2.0-litre horizontally opposed four- cylinder normally aspirated petrol engine, that is paired with a Lineartronic transmission. Subaru’s EyeSight Assist Technology and Driver Monitoring System have both been upgraded with newly added functionality. This will also now include an Emergency Driving Stop System, which can bring the vehicle to a complete stop if needed and in a safe way, if the driver can no longer control the vehicle in an emergency situation. Škoda Elroq MINI Cooper ConvertibleNext >