Ransom Wood is home to many businesses and our latest member of the community has just moved to Ransom Hall. In this article we take a look at what Orb Design have to offer and can bring to the many dimensions of the park.

Orb Design & Print offer an uncompromising design and print service. From the initial design stage, we take any print project through artwork preparation, print and quality control, to the delivery of the finished product – concept to completion.  Whether marketing your product or service, orb design & print will provide the creative inspiration to enable your company to stand out from the crowd. Bringing 20 years of print experience to your business, we undertake the design and production of all manner of advertising and promotional material, press advertising, direct mail, exhibition and outdoor signage, to p.o.s. and retail marketing campaigns.

Good design needs to be prepared for print in its optimum format. Our knowledge and experience in print production techniques enables us to confidently deliver your printed material exactly as intended. We do not compromise on quality. We advise on the most suitable print process to use in order to achieve the best possible result, and to hit that all-important deadline.

Services include business stationery, brochures and posters through to packaging and promotional items, we work with our clients and suppliers to provide a complete design and print solution that not only meets your design brief, but also delivers eye-catching concepts that are reproduced to the best possible standard.

So we will take the headache out of your print buying needs and you can buy with the confidence that we manage every aspect of your job, from initial design through to delivery.

I invite you to attend a welcome meeting at Forever Green on 21st March to help you understand how our company could help you with any, and all of your print and marketing requirements. You can always contact me personally on 01623 857987, or email me at paulflinton@odpl.co.uk.

If you think you need a health check on your travel to work arrangements come along to Forever Green on Wednesday 26th March to our Green Travel Clinic.

Representatives from Notts County Council will be on hand to give you all the advice you need on your travel options and can also advise companies on how to reduce their business mileage.

The Travel clinic would include:

• A wide range of travel information,
• ‘Dr Bike’ cycle maintenance workshop,
• Personal travel advice,
• A range of incentives (e.g. cycle lights, gloves etc).

We look forward to welcoming you along.  The clinic will be open from 10.30 a.m. until 2.00 p.m.  Why not pop in when you call for your lunch?

Cedar House Day Nursery will be opening in September 2013. It is situated in an amazing woodland setting on the southern outskirts of Mansfield, 10 minutes from the M1 (junction 27/28) and with easy access from several main routes in and out of Mansfield.

Cedar House is a traditional detached property in Ransom Wood Business Park, a 70 acre woodland park which provides high quality office accommodation for local businesses. It is expected that Cedar House will be registered by OFSTED for 37 children each day aged 3 months to 5 years. There will be ample parking and a spacious, enclosed, secure garden and woodland play area to the rear of the property with access to the woods for walks and further exploration.

Husband and wife team Steve and Christine Doubtfire have owned Smarties Private Day Nursery on Nottingham Road, Mansfield since November 2006. Having both enjoyed careers in secondary and further education, Steve and Christine are committed to maintaining the best quality day care available, providing a high quality environment which supports the care and the educational development of the children at Smarties.  A family business, Smarties is a popular, over-subscribed nursery and the opening of Cedar House presents us with the opportunity to welcome more children into the Smarties family.  Smarties was last inspected in November 2011 when we were awarded outstanding in every area of care and learning, endorsing the hard work, determination and commitment of the whole nursery team on a daily basis. Please take a moment to read the Smarties OFSTED report (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

The building works and refurbishment of Cedar House Day Nursery will be complete by August 2012, with an opening date of 2 September 2013. If you would like to see the plans or visit either the site at Ransom Wood or Smarties Day Nursery please telephone  Steve and Christine Doubtfire on 07598 138929 or contact us at cedarhousenursery@btinternet.com to arrange an appointment.  During August there will be opportunities to look round the new nursery and to meet the staff that will be supporting the children.

Working in a professional and organised office environment is a great way to create new and innovative ideas, engage in conversation with other employees, whilst keeping focused on the main business objectives.

Although many people can choose to work at home on a regular basis, there are often disadvantages to this such as being interrupted by your family members, or sneaking to the kitchen for a quick snack!

Overall, working in an office space helps to enhance productivity within the workplace and here’s why:

Distractions

1. The most obvious reason why people don’t work well at home is the fact that they get distracted. Whether it’s taking the dog out for a walk, doing the washing or cleaning your car, you’ll always find a way to avoid doing the necessary work.

2. Working in an office environment will not only help you to keep in the ‘zone’ and focus on the task in hand, but will also give you the added pressure of having your boss there to look over your shoulder now and again. The added pressure will no doubt help you to perform better at work, whilst any good feedback or positive comments will also help you to progress.

Team building

3. Whether there’s a great success to celebrate or you all need to pull together to turn something around, working in an office encourages everyone to work well together as a team. Each individual role is important to the business; however, if one person is not fitting in well, there may be problems further down the line.

4. When working in any company, it is essential that every employee feels valued within the workplace and is praised or commended for any good work. When working at home you may feel out of the loop and isolated, which will not help you to stay motivated.

Ideas and Inspiration

5. As the workplace is often a very social place, there will be an opportunity for you to discuss and debate ideas with other members of the team. Although you may also be able to communicate via other methods such as email or telephone, it is much more effective to gather your team together for a good brainstorming session.

So if its time you needed an office why not contact the team at Ransom Wood and arrange to view the office suites we have available.  We’re sure you will find our tranquil woodland setting is just what you’re looking for.

Studies into how colour can impact the psyche show that the shade of your office decor can have a real impact on levels of individual productivity.

Traditionally, office space has embraced light neutral colours like white and grey. These are great used as background or accent colours. In an office with big floor to ceiling windows, neutral colours perfectly complement the natural hues that are coming in from the outside.

But alone whitewashed office decor can be dull and uninspiring. Busy office spaces crave the addition of stimulating colours to energize staff and increase work productivity.

So, how can different colours can affect your mood?

Red

Psychological studies suggest that for the work environment, red is best avoided. Though well known to invoke passion and get mental energy flowing, some sources suggest that in the office it can be overpowering, leading to headaches and even negatively impacting mental competence.

Contrary to this, in an experiment carried out by Aquent during which they re-painted their office walls weekly over a 6-week period, stronger colours red and black came out with the most positive feedback. One staff member commented, “We’re making sales calls, so I think the stronger colours worked best to create a motivating environment.”

But beware, red is also known as an appetite stimulant – no good for those of us who already find the lure of the biscuit tin hard to resist!

Blue

Blue shades are widely regarded to reduce blood pressure, heart rate, and slow respiration. It encourages relaxation and promotes intellectual thought, making it the perfect choice for an area of study. In a national survey of over 1,000 office workers, blue actually came out as the preferred hue.

For the best results, avoid dark blue which can be associated with low mood. And be careful with the tone – chilly shades can make a space feel cold and unfriendly, so are best avoided in areas often used to entertain clients.

There’s good news for dieters too, as blue tones are believed to keep hunger at bay.

Yellow

Yellow communicates happiness and warmth. It’s energizing and uplifting tone exudes positivity and optimism, so it’s a great choice for areas of teamwork and discussion.

Interestingly, babies are more likely to cry for long periods in a yellow room. In large amounts, the colour has been known to create feelings of frustration and anger in people, so best to use sparingly.

Before settling on your office palette, consider what you want from your space. What mood do you want to create and which colours will help achieve this? Whilst adding a hint of red can stimulate mental energy and yellow promotes a sunny disposition, a tranquil blue will keep you mentally focused – and keep you out of the snack cupboard!

We currently have a selection of office suites available within our tranquil, woodland setting here at Ransom Wood.  If you are looking to relocate we can provide not only your office but we can also decorate to your taste and offer guidance on colour schemes and design.

Deciding on a new office can be a difficult task, with so many questions to be asked; is it big enough to comfortably staff all the staff? Does it meet with health and safety standards? Is there enough room for office Olympics? Jokes aside, one of the most important decisions is deciding on the plan of your office.

It seems that the traditional cubicle plan is dead and buried, and making way for the more sociable ‘open-plan’ office. But what makes it so great? and is it right for your business?

The Pro’s

Versatile

This style of office is extremely flexible and can be chopped and changed at any given time. Cubicles are rigid, take up a lot of room and can be difficult to manoeuvre, making it difficult for new employees to find a suitable seating area.

Sociable

Having an open-plan office means staff can liaise with each other, which makes for a more sociable and relaxed environment, and can boost productivity. It also gives employees the chance to ‘bounce ideas’ of each other, whereas the cubicle method can quell this productivity, as staff are left to work on their own in a small area.

Man (or woman) management

The open-plan style allows management to get take a hands-on approach with staff, which gives them the opportunity to see exactly what’s going on in the office. Employees can sometimes hide away in their ‘pod’s meaning that their overall productivity may be fading. However, if they are working alongside employees, they are less likely to be work-shy. This plan also gives managers the chance to break down the barriers between management and normal staff. Manager’s offices can be intimidating, so if everyone is working alongside each other, it can boost camaraderie and general all togetherness.

The Con’s

Distraction

While all this productivity and camaraderie is floating around in your new open-plan office, it means that noise levels have probably increased, meaning that staff can become easily distracted or their concentration is hampered by overzealous co-workers. The open-plan may not work for your business, as there are a lot of people out there that need peace and quiet to work to the best of their abilities. Think about it, you wouldn’t want company productivity to nosedive just because of a few over excited employees.

Privacy

Open-plan offices ensures that all employees can move freely around the office, which leads to computer screens, private documents and telephone calls available to the naked eye (or ear). There are certain things within a business that should remain discreet and away from some members of staff, which can be difficult to manage in an open layout.

Health

When winter arrives, it usually means a boom in colds and sniffles. Open-plan offices allow for these pesky bugs to make their way around the office, infecting employees one by one as they go. Staff illness can be a major concern, particularly for a company with a small workload.

If you are looking to relocate take a look at the suites we have available at present here at Ransom Wood. We offer a great deal of flexibility and can configure offices to suit your needs now and in the future.

We’ll be welcoming you all along to the Forest Suite at Forever Green for a festive drink and a mince pie.

Bring your colleagues for a well earned mulled wine and enjoy an informal get together with the other companies who work here on the park.  This event will be held on Wednesday 11th December.  We’ll keep you posted as the year progresses.

Back by popular demand is our hog roast event!  You all thoroughly enjoyed this last year when we served lunch with Pimms on the patio at Forever Green.

This year this will be held on Wednesday 10th July.  Come along and enjoy lunch alfresco with colleagues from the park.  This year we’ll have live music to entertain you and some outdoor games too!

Look out for invitations arriving in Inboxes in June.

If you come down to the woods today you’ll find us enjoying our Spring Picnic!

As the warmer, sunnier days approach we will be holding our first community event of 2013, a Spring Picnic for you all to enjoy.  This will be held on Thursday 18th April from 12 noon until 2.00 p.m.

Forever Green will be providing us with a selection of tasty sandwiches and snacks and some cool refreshing drinks.  We’ll let you know the location nearer the time so keep your eye out for your invitation which will be coming soon.

The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber are working alongside Skylark Activities and Ransom Wood Estates to bring to Members this unique NetWalking opportunity.

As you arrive at this tranquil setting you’ll start to relax and be impressed with this woodland park that combines office space with an on-site restaurant.

We meet at Forever Green restaurant and say hello to fellow netwalkers. We’ll then set off on a leisurely netwalk along the leafy paths of this unique environment where offices have wildlife outside their windows. After walking in the amazing woodland setting for about an hour we return to Forever Green where you can enjoy complementary tea/coffee and carry on networking. Should you feel the need to treat yourself or to replenish your energy levels the restaurant offers a breakfast menu for you to purchase food items.

Location : Mansfield , Ransom Wood Estate
Meet at : Forever Green Restaurant, Ransom Wood Estate  (free car parking)
Date : Thursday 28 February
Time : 8.00 a.m.
Cost : £5. Complementary tea/coffee.

Directions : See website http://www.ransomwood.co.uk/location/

Post Code: NG21 0HJ

Duration: Arrive for Welcome at 8.00 am Allow 2 hours in case you spot any wildlife and to enjoy leisurely networking after the walk.

What to bring : Footwear you don’t mind getting scuffed and dirty. Clothes suitable for the weather on the day and don’t forget your business cards.

Please Note: DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED

Special Condition : The Walking Guide is not a health expert. The person who knows most about your conditions is you. Walkers will need to sign a disclaimer form.

Places at this event are limited and pre booking is essential.