Page 19 - link magazine

Looking back to the early days A Message

Five years ago the Link Centre was preparing to open its doors to the public. To all businesspeople
In the first of two (possibly three) articles, John Fisher,
then deputy co-ordinator and now co-ordinator remembers what it was like. living or working
in West Swindon.
I can still vividly remember my hosted by GWR christened the Does your business ever need
very first day at Link Centre. It ice. Well, we had allowed some • Reports
was 4 February 1985 and I left my of the preview groups to try the
J Newsletters
home in Nottingham at 6.00a.m. ice and one or two of us ventured
• Programmes
to drive to Swindon full of on when no one was looking. The • Headed paper
anticipation. It was just starting following day we all arrived early • Compliments slips
to snow and by the time I got to to open the rink doors to the
• Business cards
Stow on the Wold the roads were public for the first time. (The rest
just about impassable. I twice got of the complex was not to open • Forms
•
stuck in drifts and had to help until July). We threw open the Leaflets and Posters
other drivers out of the ditch on doors but to our horror there was • Advertisements
U•
Certificates
innumerable occasions. I nobody there!! It transpired that All businesses have to use the
eventually arrived in West our advertising had been so good printed word. If your documents
Swindon at 3.00p.m. soaking wet that everyone thought it would look good, then you'll be noticed.
and not quite so enthusiastic! be too busy. Within a couple of At West Swindon Publications
Link Centre was still very much days, however, the rink was our experience in Desktop Publish-
a building site and the five of us packed solid every day and we ing and Electronic Design allows us
crowded into the one office the were on our way. to produce all the above quickly,
to a high standard and at a very
builders would let us use. To In at the beginnning, John Fisher
competitive price.
their credit Bovis did lend us a competition run by the Council). In part 2, in the May edition of The Wed like to talk to you about the
coupleof very old desks and some We actually had to employ Link, 'How do you get into this services we can offer.
prehistoric chairs and we security staff to keep siteseers place?' Call us soon on
eventually persuaded British away, but by the second week in Swindon 872282.
Telecom to install a single April we embarked on a
telephone. programme of conducted tours
To even get into the building for local groups and it was G. Galati
you had to walk the plank over a fascinating to see the reaction of Brick & Stone Work
mud bath several feet thick and everyone when they finally Specialising in internal
there were contractors absolutely discovered what was inside. That
everywhere trying to get the place was a very rewarding time as it feature walls & fireplaces.
finished on time. dawned on all of us just how Tel: 881463 (West Swindon)
Gradually the gang of five of important a facility Link was
whom Gordon Hicks, our going to be and how excited and
technical manager and me are enthusiastic everyone was. WRIGHT DUNCAN
the only survivors, managed to By this stage we were running
organise a recruitment campaign an extensive publicity campaign PLANNING SELF DRIVE
and over the ensuing weeks we and Lincoln the Bear made his SERVICES
somehow managed to interview appearance much to the delight HIRE
and appoint another 100 of the children. He became quite Building Plans prepared, Vehicles for Hire
members of staff. a celebrity and made personal Planning & Building Regula- at Competitive Rates
We were also busy deciding on appearances at many fetes, tion Approvals obtained Vans Lutons• Estates
and buying all the equipment sporting events and was even "Al! the headaches taken Cars Mini Bus
needed to fit the building out asked to open a new shop! out of your hands" 272 Ermin Street
ready for use. That proved quite Lincoln featured heavily in our Stratton St. Margaret
All work undertaken by fully
difficult because even at that late advertising which included a Swindon
qualified engineer.
stage it was very hard to imagine Bolero Ad. on GWR (then called
what the various areas were going Wiltshire Radio) ...remember Telephone Steve Wright Tel: 822193
to look like when they were Torville and Dean? and on our on Open Daily 9am - 6 pm

finished and the builders mess very own painted bus. We ran a Swindon 87155~ Sundays 9am - 1pm
and scaffolding were taken away. teaser campaign in the Adver and
On balance we did very well and generally had a lot of fun telling
I'll keep quiet about the mistakes. anyone who would listen just CAROLINE OCKWELL
The only trouble was everything how fantastic Link Centre was. TAXATION CONSULTANCY
seemed to get delivered on the Some of the ideas got out of
same day and it wasn't much fun hand including a scheme to drape • Are you paying too much tax?
unloading 800 chairs and 2,000 the building in a huge (very huge) • Are you taking advantage of the
pairs of ice skates within 90 cover for the Mayor to unveil. new rules for taxation of husband
minutes on a wet and windy day. That got scrubbed when it was and wife from April 1990?
The original opening date was realised that we would need a Professional Advice on Income Tax,
scheduled for the end of March, helicopter to lift it, and if it was Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax
but thankfully this was delayed windy we would probably cover
until late April as we would never half of West Swindon and close and National Insurance
have made it! By this time there the M4. msww~ ae.ssn
Ock'welI eu.. .
was terrific local interest in Link The official bit of the opening Member of the Institute of Taxation
Centre (named after this took place on Friday 25 April and 180 Thames Avenue, Greenmeadow, Swindon
magazine as the result of a that night a sellout Ice disco
Tel: 725919