Hi Mark,
I do understand what its like to not get paid and it is cr*p, it has happened to me several times before but it is a risk you take giving credit, however when you have nothing left in the pot you still have nothing left and quite simply there was nothing I could do.
I can relate to the rateable values, the county council increased my values by 50% last year, thus taking me out of the small bis' rate relief, hence a £1200.00 increase in the bis' rates, not very helpfull really!
Not that it was cut very fine but when I filed the paperwork for the pre-pack the HMRC walked in on the same day, over the said failed payments, process of elimination of their options would have left the business being wound up by them, so at least the staff still have their jobs and the pies are still being made.
Rudyard Kipling keeps on coming to mind:
If you can make on heap of all your winnings,
And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters the same,
To watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build them up with worn out tools,
Then you have a bloody long year ahead of you . . .
lets hope Morecambe have a great finale to the season today.