Recent News

IT Seminar
Friday, 15 February 2013

We will be holding additional 

FREE IT SEMINARs  in June 2013
 


If you are interested in attending


please call Jane Cooling on 01780 482795 for additional information.    

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Find out how to save money on your energy bills with your IT..

Handy tips, practical applications and logical steps to follow are all covered.

For upcoming dates - please call us for further information..


Rosie Hunter from Tee Kay Packaging commented after attending the Seminar:

"I went to a free Green IT seminar held by Meridian and was impressed by their approach to IT.
They obviously had a lot of experience and I suggested my Directors attend the next seminar to 
meet Meridian for themselves, which they did."

John Padmore, MD was so impressed by the cost saving Green IT seminar that he attended, he now sees this as the next logical step for his business.

"We had solar panels attached to the roof to help reduce our energy costs and didn't think there was much more than we could do.  Meridian have shown that  is quite the opposite.  Not only can we reduce the running costs of our existing equipment, but we can use out IT to reduce overheads in other areas too.  We now work with Meridian to get the most out of our IT investment and make it work for us."




Bronze Award for Meridian
Monday, 14 May 2012

Bronze award presented to Meridian by
Investors in the Environment 



I am proud to announce that Meridian Network Solutions Ltd have now collected their Bronze award  from Investors in the Environment. 

Investors in the Environment (iie), managed by PECT (Peterborough Environment City Trust) is an organisation that encourage companies to commit to reducing their environmental impact and pledge to continue to improve their environmental performance in the future.   
 
  Jane at Meridian has been busy preparing the paperwork and ensuring that Meridian implemented environmental policies, also monitored resources and then put together a comprehensive and measurable plan for the future..
  We have already reduced our waste output by 20% and due to new working practices, are on  our way to reducing our paper consumption by a whopping  75% by the end of our first year of being members of the scheme.   A very interesting and worthwhile excercise.  www.iie.uk.com  for further information.

 
We then held a number of seminars discussing how you can save energy/money by reviewing your IT practices. 
Please call Jane on 01780 482795 to book your place.



Greyhound Racing - Charity Event
Monday, 16 April 2012

Our March 28th Meridian held a charity dinner at Peterborough Greyhound Stadium

We raised £347.10 in total for our Raffle

 

The top prize was a 'Green' Broadleaf computer very kindly donated by VeryPc
2nd Prize - an overnight stay at the William Cecil Hotel in Stamford
3rd Prize - lunch for 2 at the Exeter Arms, Easton on the Hill  
 

 

 
Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and attended this event.

 



March Ladies Lunch - Advice on Wills
Thursday, 16 February 2012

Our March 6th Lunch in aid of Arthritis Research UK
at the Exeter Arms, Easton on the Hill

 

If something happened to you; what would happen to your loved ones?

61%* of the UK population haven’t made a will, including two-thirds of parents with children under the age of five. This figure is still high in the 55-64 age group with half not having taken this essential step.   Stamford based Ladies Who Lunch for Charity will be tackling this sticky subject with a talk about planning for the future and what to take into consideration when writing a will at their next lunch meeting. Speaker Isobel Mann of MS Legal will also give visitors the chance to win a free consultation and will.

Isobel stated: “I’m amazed, that despite a high proportion of people, saying they have a good idea where they would like their estate to go upon their demise, they haven’t taken the next step and made a will. Making a will need not be complicated and my talk will focus on what to include in your will, how to avoid paying too much tax and what to think about when bequeathing to friends, relatives and charities.” Isobel will also be available to answer questions on probate matters including Lasting Powers of Attorney and the differences between long term care funded by the state and the NHS and points to consider regarding residential care and the costs involved.

Also speaking is Sally Dilks, an expert on French Law. If you have a property in France or have inherited property in France, or just need advice dealing with the administration of your French legal affairs, then Sally is the lady to speak to.

Tickets cost just £25 and can be booked by calling 01780 482836 or emailing Jane on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The fee includes a two-course meal, talk and £10 is donated to Arthritis Research UK.

Jane stated: “I was staggered by the statistics when I first came across them. That’s why I wanted to get Isobel involved. She’s great at developing relationships with her clients, offering a personal touch and I know she will give a great talk that can really help our guests understand the ins and outs of wills.“

 

 Please contact Jane on

 

 01780 482836 to confirm your booking

 



Xmas for Meridian
Thursday, 22 December 2011

Xmas Staff Day Out

On Saturday 10th December we all donned our smiles and brave faces and had a staff Xmas day out at Nottingham Gun Club..

After a cold line up taking part in Clay-Pigeon Shooting, we dressed as soldiers to take part in the Ultimate Race Experience..  

In teams of two, our first challenge was to be strapped inside the very large  circle of plastic (THE Zorb) that you see behind us, whilst we were rolled down a hill.  The race continued as we ran to the buggy track where we sat in what is possibly the strangest buggy every..  One person controls the left steering turns and one controls the right.  Patience and communication are apparently a must at this stage (I was told afterwards). 

Once a figure of 8 is completed (and numerous hits to the barriers)....  we then ran to another location to shoot yet another clay pigeon, then once each person had killed the clay, it was a last dash to the Archery post where once the target was hit, the team that had the fastest overall time was victorious..

After our lunch, we then took part in our own Grand Prix at Go Karting..   This consisted of 10 practice laps followed by 20 lap races per person to find out who the fastest drivers are and the top drivers then had a face off against each other for the overall champion !

Top winners out of the men were - Dave Manderfield, Steve Morris and Steve Greenfield
Top winner out of the women for the day - Jane Cooling

(comments as observed by Jane)

meridian xmas



New Year, New You - Charity Lunch
Wednesday, 21 December 2011

Lindsey Reed from Glows Coaching




Jane's Ladies Who Lunch for Charity events aim to kick-start everyone's New Year in style with inspirational guest speaker and confidence coach Lindsey Reed from Glows Coaching. Taking place on Tuesday, 3 January, at the William Cecil Hotel, Stamford, Lindsey will help guests focus on what they want to achieve in 2012.

 

Lindsey stated: “I’m so pleased to be helping what is a truly worthy charity. So often we drift in life and don’t spend time deciding what we want for ourselves. We make New Year’s resolutions without thinking about what we want to get out of life, how we want to be or how we can make this happen.”

 

Lindsey’s talk, which she states “will be fun, creative and thought provoking” will help guests begin the journey to a better and happier you. To help continue the journey Lindsey is offering a prize - for the raffle that is drawn on the day - of free telephone coaching sessions worth over £200

Call Jane on 01780482795 for tickets
(closing date for pre-booking is 30th December)



Our next charity event is on Tuesday 6th December
Wednesday, 09 November 2011

Our next charity event is entitled "How to prepare Xmas Meats" and is a demonstration by the Head Chef of The William Cecil Hotel, Stamford.

He will be demonstrating how to prepare those all important meats for the Festive Season.

You will learn what to look for in buying meat, how to butcher and prepare the meat, concluding in the correct way to cook, carve and present the final product.

Call 01780 482795 for bookings



Peterborough Business Focus Show
Friday, 21 October 2011

Thanks to everyone who came to see us at the show and for their interest in our Green PCs...

If you didn't attend, please contact us for a demonstration of these very quiet pc's to see what all the fuss was about..



Christmas Fair in Aid of Arthritis Research UK
Friday, 21 October 2011

The fourth event from local charity ‘Ladies Who Lunch’ will be hosting a Christmas Fair on Tuesday 8th November at The William Cecil Hotel in Stamford.

Taking place within the hotel’s heated marquee, 10 stalls will be on display covering a wide variety of crafts including: demonstrations on how to make handmade jewellery & felt making and the sale of home furnishings & children’s clothing. The fair is the ideal place to stock up on those stocking fillers whilst supporting a worthwhile charitable cause.

‘Ladies Who Lunch’ is the brainchild of local Stamford business woman Jane Cooling of Meridian Network Solutions Ltd. Through her own first-hand experience of a family member’s struggle with arthritis, Jane wished to help raise funds and highlight the work and research carried out by Arthritis Research UK. Jane said “Seeing my brother in pain and coping with this condition on a day to day basis is totally heart-breaking and there is no public funding given to the Charity. I am really excited about this Christmas fair as the stallholders are all kindly discounting their goods for the attendees and the range of items on offer ensures that there is something accessible for everyone.

‘Ladies Who Lunch for Charity’ enables ladies, and men, to get together once a month, make new friends and enjoy each other’s company whilst watching demonstrations and listening to a variety of speakers talk on a vast range of subjects.

Events take place on Tuesday at the beginning of the month at The William Cecil Hotel in Stamford. Tickets are £25 of which £10 goes straight to Arthritis Research UK. The ticket includes a two-course meal and a demonstration. Closing date for November bookings is Friday 4th November.


This month’s Charity lunch is about pain relief for Arthritis sufferers
Tuesday, 04 October 2011

This is the third lunch from “Ladies who lunch for charity”, a monthly event organised by Jane Cooling in aid of Arthritis Research UK Ltd.
Go to www.ladieswholunchforcharity.co.uk for further information and details on how to book.


Josh Edwards, passes his IT Diploma.
Monday, 03 October 2011

Josh has been with Meridian since August 2010 after joining us straight from school on the government’s Apprenticeship Scheme.    He was offered a permanent position with the Company in September of this year after a successful l 11 months getting to know our clients, learning the business and the ways of office life.
Impressively, and a testament to the input Josh has given whilst working within a busy IT Support environment is the offer of a position with the company even prior to receiving the results of his diploma course, so confident  were we of his abilities in his current role.


Meridian Director Jane Cooling recently visited local green success story IKEA to see how they had made significant changes to the energy use and carbon footprint. Full story of what IKEA have done can be found….
Wednesday, 28 September 2011

IKEA are known for their great Green credential, as Investors in the Environment like to share best practice we arranged for Green Champion Robert Buck to present some of the processes IKEA have in place.

groupcomp

On the 28th September and the 05th October 2011 attendees had a rare opportunity to have a fantastic presentation and tour of their Distribution Centre in Peterborough (attandee group from the 28th September on the right).  This gave Robert a platform to showcase a number of IKEA processes that are being delivered as part of their sustainable growth commitment.

Here is a just some of the things IKEA have implemented so far:

- Voltage optimisation fitted on all warehouse lighting
- Planting fruit trees on site.
- Team Green had a soft launch in March 2011, and currently has 8 members.     
- Sunpipes are installed in the call centre amenity areas to provide natural light.       
- Geo-thermic heating/cooling is installed for the first 2 floors of the office block.
- There is an attenuation pond with reed-beds to store and clean surface water before discharge.
- A process of lime and cement stabilisation allowed the use of the contaminated material already on the site.
- From the 1st May 2011, Peterborough site stopped sending any residual waste to land fill, and strive to be cost neutral.
- Implemented textile, mixed glass, cardboard and music and audio bin for employee use, to ensure household waste is recycled.
- Light sensors within the warehouse to turn off lights when there is sufficient daylight.?
- Adopt a school every year, to help schools educate their students to be more sustainable.
- Tricycle used within the site, instead of more electric vehicles, picture displayed below.


bike comp

This is just a snapshot of what IKEA have accomplished so far. Investors in the Environment are proud to have IKEA on board, they are great for Peterborough and a fantastic ambassador for other businesses becoming greener.




Green PC venture is so very PC
Wednesday, 17 August 2011

A STAMFORD-based business is helping companies recoup money when replacing computer hardware, which can be a costly exercise, and help the environment at the same time.

Meridian Network Solutions has joined forces with British manufacturer VeryPC which produces some of the most energy efficient, carbon neutrally-built PCs, servers and network storage devices in the world.
 
On first look, the most notable aspects of the PCs are their small, compact size and their silence. They are very quiet and help to reduce “office hum”, making them very suitable for call centres, help desks, open offices and receptions.    So what about saving you money?
 
The typical three to five-year-old PC uses 115 watts of electricity (source: Gartner, 2008), whereas VeryPC’s BroadLeaf system uses only 25 watts.
 
This means that you may save up to £90 per PC, per year, on your electricity bill, depending on the model of PC purchased and its usage. With the recent news that energy prices are going up again (estimated 25 per cent increase over the next 10 years), this saving could increase.
 
“With Peterborough being the UK’s Environmental Capital, this is a product for every business in the area,” said Meridian project manager Aldrin Barter.
 
“Imagine if you replaced all of the PCs in your business how much you could save over the next five years which, incidentally, is the standard warranty for these machines.” These are the only PCs that are Energy Saving Trust recommended and as such, Energy Efficiency Financing is available to help businesses replace their existing hardware with energy saving models. These low-interest loans are designed so repayments can be made from what you save on your energy bills, saving your business even more. Meridian also has a range of network support packages, from budget to fully comprehensive, and is the sister company of Meridian Legal Systems (MLS).
 
MLS has developed software for small to medium-sized law firms since 1995 and supports clients all over the country.
 
For more information, call 01780 482795 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.