Alpha Tracker is now a member of NORAC - the National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants

We're pleased to announce that Start Software (Alpha Tracker) is now a corporate member of NORAC, the National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants.

NORAC and Alpha Tracker working together

We're looking forward to meeting NORAC members at future meetings and discussing ways to improve our asbestos software systems to benefit the asbestos industry in the UK.

Asbestonomy conference over for 2022. Bring on 2023!

We have just spent a couple of days in London at Asbestonomy 2022.

This international asbestos conference gave us an opportunity to listen to amazing speakers, talk to clients, talk to competitors and meet some wonderful people who are all working together to solve the asbestos problem - once, and for all.

Some of the people we want to highlight (and who we are working with us here at Alpha Tracker) are:

• Andrew Paten and UKNAR, helping to make asbestos registers available to everyone who needs them
  
  
• Charles Pickles, old friend and head of the "Airtight on Asbestos" campaign
  
  
• Dr Yvonne Waterwan, President of the European Asbestos Foundation
  
  
• Dr Mavis Nye BEM, asbestos campaigner and founder of the Mavis Nye Foundation.

Here are some of the photos I took at the event:

Andrew Paten (UKNAS), Dr Mavis Nye BEM, Robin

Robin with Alpha Tracker user Neil Munro from Acorn Asbestos

Mavis beginning her presentation

Robin, Dr Yvonne Waterman and Andrew Paten

The conference reinforced what an important industry this is.  So many stories of disease, suffering and, tragically, premature death.  It's vital that we all work together to sort this problem out.

We introduced a new industry-wide initiative called OpenAsbestos, which aims to provide an open, industry-wide framework for the sharing of asbestos data.  This supports the UKNAR initiative to develop a UK-wide national asbestos register but also goes much further - enabling all systems and organisations with an interest in asbestos to access data easily wherever it is stored.

If you'd like to know more about OpenAsbestos, please do get in touch with Robin directly.

Best Foundation now working in partnership with Alpha Legal - new subscribers receive 1,000 free credits

The Best Foundation is the new estate planning membership organisation devoted to modernising and improving the will-writing industry.  

Their mission statement says it all: "Be the Best of the Best: Supporting best practice and using the best of digital innovation in the estate planning industry".

We're delighted to announce that Best Foundation members can now subscribe to Alpha Legal and receive 1,000 free credits to use when:

• onboarding new clients (requesting and verifying ID)
• sharing documents (eg draft wills, LPA, order confirmations)
• asking for e-signatures (including, soon, documents needing witnessing)
• organising meetings

Alpha Legal is easy, safe & secure and the best client portal on the market.

Best Foundation is working with Alpha Legal

How do you take advantage of the offer?

Simply click https://software.alphalegal.co.uk/register.a5w?PromoCode=BEST

Help! I'm blaming the marathon organisers, Amy & Lucy... only 3 days left until the overnight walking marathon

Here are the amazing Amy & Lucy from CTT Group, the organisers of the overnight walking marathon which takes place *this Friday*.

Robin with CTT Group's Amy & Lucy

We're walking to support the British Red Cross Ukraine appeal.  Our director Robin is joining the CTT walking team and would be amazingly grateful if you could help him to raise money for an excellent cause.

Can you help us reach our £10,000 goal?  Please sponsor us if you can!  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cttgroup

Desktop to web Alpha software conversion complete! Lovely thanks received from the client, Felton Fundraising

We've been working with the wonderful charity fundraising consultants Felton Fundraising for a few months now, converting their existing Alpha Software desktop database system to a version that could be accessed via a web browser instead.

Felton Fundraising's new web system built by Start Software

When the pandemic struck and the Felton staff found themselves working mainly from home, they began to use "remote desktop" techniques to access their business-critical database system.  This worked, just, but was proving to be difficult at times and was reducing the productivity of the team.

Managing Director Sarah Felton made contact with our Start Software team to talk about the possibilities to redevelop the software to run on the web.  As their system was written in Alpha Software's flexible development software, this was a possibility.  We planned the switch and got to work.  The job is now complete and Sarah dropped us a lovely email to thank us for our work:

"We had a team meeting this morning and everyone thinks the database is working really well, I don’t think anyone has used the old one for weeks now which is such a good sign. 

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you for persevering with us and let you know that all the hard work you, James and your team have done is very much appreciated." 

James has been the main client contact with Falah doing most of the development work - we are very proud of both of them.

Can we help you to switch your Alpha Software desktop system to the web?  Get in touch!

Please help! Robin is walking an overnight marathon for Ukraine (British Red Cross) - can you support him?

Our director Robin is walking an overnight marathon to support The British Red Cross and their work in Ukraine.  He says he's too old and too unfit to do it - time will tell!!

These shoes are made for walking (but the body wasn't)

Can you please donate a few £ to help him and his teammates raise these vitally needed funds?

Thanks in advance! https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cttgroup

We're launching a new asbestos industry initiative at Asbestonomy this Friday - can you join us?

Our director Robin is at the European asbestos conference Asbestonomy this Friday (17 June) to launch a new industry initiative.  It's been 9 months since he started working on the project, and so he's excited to be showing off this asbestos industry "baby" to all attendees!

If you'd like to attend, get in touch with Start Software director Elaine who can help you to organise your ticket.