Fab 4 raise an astounding £2,680 for Macmillan Cancer Support

AFTER a gruelling 16 hour long golf session, John Huckstepp (Preston), Chris Green (Southport), Keith Daniels and Tim Garner (both Manchester), had successfully completed the Longest Day Golf Challenge.

Sun cream at the ready, the group were met at the first tee by heavy rain clouds. However, they were not deterred and after donning their waterproofs, the group battled through the unpredictable weather and even welcomed a few spells of sunshine. John said:- “At least we know that whoever was controlling the weather had a sense of humour, but held off the thunder that could have brought us off the course and ruined our day.”

Beginning at 4.40am, the group’s first 2 rounds were the best, bringing in scores of 79 and 81. Stopping for a break half way through, they were ready to tackle their third round. Although with fatigue starting to set in, they only managed to score 64.

Back on form for the final round, Chris drove the team through their fastest round of the day, finally finishing the challenge at 9pm, with a score of 73.

John said:- “As we came off the 18th and hit the bar, we were proud to have completed the challenge and felt better in our hearts than we did in our backs, shoulders, knees, and feet.”

The group managed to raise an additional £80 on the day, from the generosity of fellow golfers.

John has experienced first hand the astounding work of Macmillan Cancer Support, and what the charity can do to support those affected by cancer. Ten years ago, the day before their wedding, him and his wife, Sue, received life changing news as she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

After battling through her treatment, it eventually took its toll, and Sue and John were close to making the extremely tough decision of letting nature take its course and enjoying the time that they had left together.

Feeling drained and unaware of the help available to them, John and Sue Visited the Macmillan Library Information Centre at Clatterbridge. This proved to be a move that changed their lives, as a Macmillan Nurse was on hand to reassure them both, providing vital information that saved Sue’s life and encouraged her to continue with her treatment. 10 years on, Sue is fully recovered and feeling great.

John said:- “After the event, some of our friends have referred to us as heroes. We are not the heroes, the real heroes are the ones who are battling every day, and supporting those battling every day, and that is why we did it.  Thank you Macmillan for giving us the opportunity to make a contribution, and to Formby Hall for providing us with the facilities. Our focus now turns to bringing in the money so that Macmillan can continue its important work.”

To sponsor the group, please visit:- justgiving.com/teams/LDGC or to find out more about the Longest Day Golf Challenge, please visit:- Macmillan.org.uk.

Forum welcomes removal of ‘crippling’ proposals from EU Consumer Rights Directive

A leading business group has welcomed the abandonment of EU plans to force British internet retailers to trade across Europe – and pay postage costs for any returned items.

This week, MEPs approved a final version of the EU’s Consumer Rights Directive, which aims to modernise and harmonise consumer rights law across Europe.  Crucially, the Directive ultimately did not include 2 previous proposals which the Forum of Private Business believes would have crippled web-based retailers in the UK.

One previously-planned article would have obliged web-based independent traders to sell their products to almost every country in Europe. Meanwhile, another proposal would have forced businesses to pay the postage on any goods worth more than £35 when returned by the consumer, meaning British web traders could have faced extortionate bills to return goods from far-flung parts of the EU.

The Forum lobbied against the proposals, arguing that they would have proved highly detrimental to small businesses in the UK’s thriving ecommerce sector. Highlighting widespread opposition to the ideas among web-based retailers, the Forum pointed out that many small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the ecommerce industry would have problems processing payments, avoiding falling victim to fraudsters and complying with additional local regulations in other European countries.

Additionally, many independent online retailers only have the expertise and the infrastructure to sell to the domestic market and some are only licensed to sell their products to customers in certain nations.

Forum spokesman Phil McCabe said: “These proposals were baffling and clearly ill-thought out from the start. When combined together, they would have had a devastating effect on small web-based retailers and it’s hard to see how they could possibly have benefitted genuine consumers. Thankfully, the legislators saw sense and we believe that the Directive is now largely unproblematic for ecommerce traders. However, it does extend the period within which consumers can return goods, without giving any reason, to 14 days - we think this is unnecessary and open to abuse.”

Forum member Hayley Chalmers was one of many small business owners who would have been affected by the previous proposals.  She recently started online fashion retail business Short Couture and believed that the Directive in its previous form could have spelled the death knell for fledgling ecommerce traders, branding it a “completely pointless, expensive, unenforceable, unworkable piece of red tape.”

Hayley is relieved that proposals to force businesses to sell throughout the EU and pay for the postage costs of returned goods have been dropped. However, Hayley said that the extension to the cancellation period is "disappointing".  She said:- “This is a great relief - it was more unnecessary and very expensive legislation that many small businesses just couldn’t have coped with.  But it’s very disappointing that the extension of the cancellation period to 14 days has remained. It’s a ridiculous and unnecessary level of ‘protection’ for the consumer.  Nobody needs 14 days to decide if they want to keep or return something. Once again the biggest effect is on the micro and small businesses, but the European Parliament is only considering large companies.”

The Forum is continuing to campaign against unnecessary and over-complicated red tape affecting SMEs through its ongoing campaign, Get Britain Trading.  It also helps its members comply with both European and UK-specific legislation through a range of services including a comprehensive print and online Employment Guide, a Health and Safety Guide package and  a 24 hour legal helpline.