Construction firm appointed for new Chesterfield mental health hub
A new mental health hub for Chesterfield has taken a step forward with the appointment of a construction firm to lead the redevelopment of the building. Local firm Beighton Construction will oversee the refurbishment of the former Register Office on Beetwell Street for charity Derwent Rural Counselling Service. The new centre is set to open in summer 2023. Grand plans for the three storey premises include office space, treatment and consulting rooms, meeting rooms and relaxation space to help cope with an increased demand for DRCS services in the area plus tenanted options including rooms and floorspace.Belper-based Norder Design Associates will be supporting the scheme with project management, architectural and engineering design services.Janette Smeeton, Chief Executive at DRCS, said: “This is a huge milestone having a construction firm on board and will mean we can move forward at pace from mid-March to progress to a brand new future for the new building. “By having our services here we can be more efficient, maximise manpower and continue to deliver a high-quality service to support our service users. It will also allow us to offer room rentals and services to other organisations in the town.” Andrew Holmes, director at Beighton Construction, based in Chesterfield, said: “We are really pleased to start a new working partnership with DRCS. This project allows us to take a well known premises in Chesterfield and deliver a true future-proofed building, serving needs across the town and the county. It is a demanding refurbishment, but we will deliver it for this summer. “We are very excited not only about the building development, but the much needed services and benefits it will bring for local people once it’s completed.”The new premises is part of ambitious plans for the charity which currently operates a team of 60 freelance and employed staff working from home and out of seven centres across the county covering the Amber Valley, Erewash, Chesterfield, Buxton, Matlock, Ashbourne, Derby, Swadlincote and the Peak District. Mark Serby, chair of trustees for the Bakewell-headquartered charity, said: “This is a hugely exciting project for the charity, and for people across the county.“By investing in the purchase and renovation of the property, DRCS will be in a position to scale active services and have capacity to introduce potential new ones to meet changing needs, providing a positive impact on the community.”Martin Lythgoe, director at Norder Design Associates, said: “We’ve been working closely with DRCS to develop this project over the last 12 months and we’re really pleased that Beighton Construction have now been appointed to undertake the refurbishment. The project will bring an important local building back to life and provide an asset of lasting value for the local community.”Over the last 30 years, DRCS has become the largest third sector provider of counselling services in the region offering help to individuals, via self referral or via a GP, with common mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress and long term conditions through counselling, CBT, guided self-help, and other forms of talking therapy. For the last eight years, DRCS has been in partnership with Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust to improve access to psychological therapies throughout Derbyshire achieving above national recovery rates and shorter waiting times.
East Midlands business confidence grows
Business confidence in the East Midlands rose eight points during February to 18%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.
Companies in the region reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up two points at 26%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 11 points to 9%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 18%.
East Midlands businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as evolving their offer (41%), diversifying into new markets (28%) and investing in sustainability (26%).The Business Barometer, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide.A net balance of 14% of businesses in the region expect to increase staff levels over the next year, up 14 points on last month.
Overall UK business confidence decreased by just one point to 21% in February. Firms remained positive about their own trading prospects with a net balance of 31% expecting business activity to increase in the coming 12 months.
Firms also reported plans to create new jobs with 20% of businesses intending to make new hires over the next 12 months – up three points from January.
All UK regions and nations reported a positive confidence reading in February, with six areas reporting a month-on-month increase in confidence. Of those, the West Midlands (up 30 points to 48%) and Yorkshire and Humber (up 22 points to 34%) saw the largest monthly increases.Dave Atkinson, regional director for the East Midlands at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “It’s pleasing to see confidence in the East Midlands increase this month. January tends to be quieter for businesses but firms in the region are clearly buoyed by their trading prospects and are looking to diversify their offering, demonstrating their resilience to more challenging market conditions.
“To help steel against potential future disruption, firms in the region should take a proactive approach to managing their cashflow, ensuring they have corporate cards and overdraft facilities to help with short-term finance needs.”
Retail confidence bounced back, rising for the first time in three months to 21% (up 14 points), led by improvements in both trading prospects and economic optimism. However, business confidence fell in construction (down eight points to 19%) and services (down five points to 20%) although this remains higher than in the latter part of 2022.
Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “Business confidence has lost a little momentum this month, following the strong gains seen recently. Firms are feeling more cautious about the wider economy. However, confidence in their own trading prospects continues to strengthen, helped by tentative signs that wage and other cost pressures may be reducing.
“While inflation appears to be tapering, pressures on consumers will need to ease further to help make it a more stable environment for businesses to operate.”
More than half of SMEs predict rising costs will be key challenge in 2023
Recession, rising costs and retention of staff were the three key challenges identified by SMEs for 2023, according to the latest survey from a HR consultancy.
The third annual SME Survey, from Kettering-based HR Solutions, has revealed that “finances are arguably a higher priority than ever before” with more than half of the companies questioned predicting rising costs will be an issue in the year ahead and 70% stating that available finance would have the biggest impact on decision making, closely followed by profitability and inflation.
A total of 46% of participants admitted managing and controlling costs is a major financial challenge for 2023 and to effectively manage costs, 38% of SMEs have highlighted that maintaining a sufficient cash flow will continue to be vital throughout the year.
The fieldwork took place at the end of 2022 and all the companies surveyed had fewer than 250 employees. The respondents spanned multiple industries, including manufacturing, education, care, hospitality, finance, energy, insurance, property, and pharmaceuticals.
HR Solutions first launched the SME Survey in 2021, during the pandemic, and priorities have changed dramatically since then. In the first and second SME Survey reports, Covid-19 had a huge impact on the findings. However, this year not one SME mentioned the virus.
Business financial performance and securing new business have consistently been selected as key challenges throughout each of the three surveys, and, unsurprisingly, 46% of survey respondents selected a potential recession as one of the main challenges in 2023.
HR Solutions CEO Greg Guilford said: “Each year, our SME Survey provides a pulse check on the SME landscape. We look at how the previous year has impacted businesses, and we use our results to predict key factors for the year ahead, sharing insight on how to leverage opportunities, and overcome challenges.
“This is our third SME Business Survey and offers us the chance to evaluate how trends have changed over the past few years. The UK now finds itself on the verge of a recession which is highly likely to have impacted the survey data for 2023 and swayed the statistics heavily towards a financial focus. Finances are arguably at a higher priority than ever before.
“Recruitment and employee retention also remain key priorities for SMEs as they continue to focus on their people, as they did in 2022. The importance of mental health at work has increased by six per cent when compared to the 2022 SME Business Survey results. Business owners must continue to see this as a high priority, particularly with external factors including the cost-of-living crisis, which are likely to have an impact on employee wellbeing throughout the year.”
In the report, HR Solutions address the issues raised and suggest recommendations for SME business owners to overcome the challenges. The forward-thinking firm have created a dedicated hub of resources, templates and guides as well as a 10-point plan to help companies manage effectively in a recession.
The plan, which can be used as a checklist, covers topics including cost cutting, organisational structure and pay.
Greg added: “With 69% of SMEs focusing on increasing turnover this year, forward planning and innovative thinking will be crucial for SMEs to succeed.”
90 jobs on the line at JD Sports brands acquired by Frasers Group
90 jobs are on the line at fashion brands acquired by Frasers Group from JD Sports in December, according to reports in the Retail Gazette.
Redundancy consultations are said to have begun at a number of the businesses that were snapped up in the £47.5 million deal.
The Shirebrook-based business swooped for premium fashion brands including Base Childrenswear, Choice, Clothingsites (including Brown Bag Clothing), Cricket, Giulio, Kids Cavern, Missy Empire, Nicholas Deakins, Pretty Green, Prevu Studio, Rascal Clothing, Tessuti (including Xile), Scotts, Watch Shop and Topgrade Sportswear (including Get The Label).
It followed an acquisitive year for the company, with purchases of Missguided, I Saw It First and Coventry Building Society Arena.
Retail Gazette notes that some of those affected have been offered work at Frasers Group’s Derbyshire HQ.
Grimsby Town slip to £930,000 loss despite turnover rise
Grimsby Town have slipped to a £931,000 loss in newly released accounts for the football club’s year ending May 2022, dipping from a £196,000 profit in the year prior.
Turnover however increased by over 26% from £3.5m to £4.4m thanks to the return of fans to the ground following the COVID-19 pandemic – to the highest level in nearly 20 years – and a successful season on the pitch which saw promotion to League Two. Matchday receipts increased to £1.4m compared to £680,000 in 2021 and there was an increase in revenue from commercial and hospitality activities.
Due to the prior year’s relegation, income from sources such as the Premier League, EFL and National League reduced from £1.5 million to £720,000.
Grimsby Town’s new owners invested £1.5m of loans into the company during the year, ensuring the club’s progress, some of which was used to repay debt in the form of loans from the previous principal shareholder and the balance was used to fund improving operations and infrastructure of the club.
East Midlands’ Information and Communications sector forecast to be UK’s fastest growing sector in 2024-26
The East Midlands’ Information and Communications sector is forecast to be one of the UK’s fastest growing regional sectors between 2024-26, as the UK economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to EY’s latest Regional Economic Forecast.
When measured by Gross Value Added (GVA), the sector is set to grow by an average 4.4% each year between 2024-26 in the East Midlands – faster than any other sector in any other region. However, as a region the East Midlands is forecast to grow at the second lowest rate over the same period, with average annual GVA growth of 1.9%, compared to the UK average of 2.1%. Leicester and Nottingham are expected to lead the region with annual average GVA growth of 1.9% between 2024-26, while Derby, Boston and Mansfield are not much further behind at 1.7%.
The region’s GVA is expected to contract 1% this year, compared to a 0.6% contraction for the whole of the UK.
Looking ahead, East Midlands employment growth is expected to be affected by job losses in the region’s manufacturing sector partly offsetting gains in the retail and health sectors. As a result, average annual employment growth in the East Midlands (1.2%) is forecast to be marginally behind the UK average (1.3%) over 2024-26 – although the region is set to just outperform the West Midlands’ 1.1% annual average growth over the same period.
Simon O’Neill, managing partner at EY in the Midlands, said: “Sectors continue to play a key role in forecast performance at a city and town level. While the pandemic put pressures on city centres or supply chain-dependent manufacturing areas, the rising cost of living is likely to have the biggest impact in places that are dependent on the local High Streets or public sector jobs, due to the squeeze on consumer spending and wages.
“According to the report, the East Midlands is over indexed to the UK’s slowest growing sectors – and currently the least exposed to the five fastest growing. This is why the forecast performance of the region’s information and communications sector is so important. It’s the type of high value sector which can boost growth across the region and add resilience to the economy.
“However, high value sectors won’t function without a high value workforce and the East Midlands needs a clear strategy for retaining and uplifting its skill base. This needs to be approached from several angles: graduate and skills retention relies not just on the development of well-paid jobs, but strategic planning on the broader set of social, environmental and structural components that determine the quality of life in a given region too.”
| Region | 2023 GVA Growth | Region | Annualised GVA Growth 2024-26 |
| London | -0.2% | London | 2.6% |
| Scotland | -0.6% | South East | 2.2% |
| UK | -0.6% | UK | 2.1% |
| East | -0.7% | South West | 2.1% |
| Northern Ireland | -0.7% | East | 2.1% |
| South East | -0.7% | West Midlands | 2.1% |
| North West | -0.7% | North West | 2.0% |
| Wales | -0.8% | Northern Ireland | 1.9% |
| South West | -0.8% | East Midlands | 1.9% |
| North East | -0.8% | Wales | 1.7% |
| West Midlands | -0.8% | Yorkshire & the Humber | 1.7% |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | -1.0% | North East | 1.7% |
| East Midlands | -1.0% | Scotland | 1.7% |
EMEC welcomes ex-army captain as new project manager
Nottinghamshire-based East Midlands Environmental Consultants (EMEC) has taken on Lee Holland as a new project manager in response to a number of significant new contracts won.
Prior to joining EMEC, Holland was a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). Upon leaving the armed forced he obtained a APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ). Holland also holds an BSc Economics (Hons) degree.
In his new role, he will be responsible for project managing many of the firm’s regional and national projects, where EMEC is responsible for acting as the consultant ecologist tasked with protecting habitats and offering added value advice to developers so that the communities they create, incorporate diversity.
Established in 1991, EMEC is a one stop shop for specialist ecology, biodiversity, land management and arboriculture services. Notable clients include Severn Trent Water, Nottingham City Council and Centre Parcs.
Commenting on his decision to join EMEC, Holland said: “Growingly environmentally aware, I wanted to work for a business that was positively impacting our natural environment. Having recently left the armed forces I qualified as a project manager and wanted to join a smaller, local business that was ambitious whilst maintaining strong core values and beliefs and EMEC ticked all these boxes.”
Dr Ed Tripp, consultancy director at EMEC, added: “To have someone of Lee’s background join the business is a major coup. EMEC is entering an exciting period having won some exciting new contracts, which Lee will be a valued member of our project management team.”
Outside of work, Holland plays ice hockey for the Nottingham Lions senior men’s team. He is also continuing service in the Army Reserves as part of 202 Field Hospital.
A wholly owned subsidiary of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, all EMEC’s profits are gift aided to the Trust to support nature conservation.
Leicestershire businesses focus on skills, costs, and exports as region moves on from lockdown
Small businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire continue to keep a close eye on skills, costs, and exports as the region moved past lockdown and addressed new challenges.
Results from the latest Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) Business Tracker Survey, conducted in December 2022, have now been published.
They show the responses from local SMEs to the latest of four surveys, each of which has checked the pulse of businesses over the last two years.
The purpose of the project throughout has been to better understand, and respond to, the needs of local businesses as a consequence of the pandemic.
The first survey was conducted in December 2020 and provided officers with data around how business was managing the impact of Covid-19.
Data has provided an insight into local business confidence, where support has been required, been used as evidence for funding bids, and shown how businesses have adapted.
The sequence started two years ago and 118 businesses participated in the fourth and final survey.
Tracker survey data has been used to support successful bids for the £3m Made Smarter programme, which is supporting digitalisation of East Midlands manufacturing businesses, and the £1.3m Create Growth programme, which is helping East Midlands creative businesses to grow.
Headlines from the final survey include:
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Only 30% of organisations were satisfied with their workforce’s basic skills. This is the lowest level recorded and fits with anecdotal evidence from local businesses that new starters may have missed out on learning ‘soft skills’ in a physical working environment.
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There remain many skills challenges to address. The LLEP is now working to improve alignment between skills required by businesses and how schools and further education support students to meet these challenges.
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Recruitment difficulties also remain. Businesses are responding with salary rises and increased training. In total, 38% of businesses had experienced difficulties with recruitment during the last six months. More than two-fifths of businesses have capacity to offer work experience.
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Europe continues to be the key trading partner for both imports and exports. More than 50% of those involved in exporting were experiencing challenges, which most blamed on the UK’s exit from the EU. Import challenges were blamed both on Brexit and shipping issues.
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Around 8% of businesses are struggling to repay Government support accessed during the pandemic. This is likely to become a more serious issue once increased costs associated with cost of living and energy prices are factored in.
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About 57% of businesses have been significantly impacted by inflation of raw material costs. Shipping costs and utility prices also factored, with most businesses raising their own prices, as well as looking for cost and supply chain savings.
Andy Reed OBE, co-chair of the LLEP Board, said: “The survey has covered themes that directly impact local businesses of all sizes, from skills and recruitment to digital investment and exporting patterns.
“What it has shown us is that the situation remains delicate for many small businesses in the region.
“This time a year ago, 90% were cautiously optimistic about the future, but that has since slid to just over eight in ten as the impact of inflation began to bite.
“We will continue to use the data from all four tracker surveys to inform programmes and policy at the LLEP as we move forward.”
The survey went to businesses ranging from two to 249 employees. About a quarter were based in the city, with the remainder operating across Leicestershire.
Businesses covered a range of sectors, from agriculture and construction through to logistics, education, hospitality and the arts.
Funding awarded to accelerate growth of Nottingham’s medtech businesses
Medtech and life sciences businesses in Nottingham will continue to benefit from the support, connectivity and collaboration delivered by specialist life science industry association, Medilink Midlands, following its successful bid with Nottingham City Council to be part of the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Medilink Midlands has received £271,872 from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to deliver business growth support to the medtech and health tech industry across the city of Nottingham.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and is to provide £2.6bn of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, people and skills.
Part of the UKSPF’s Supporting Local Businesses fund, the Business Growth fund aims to support start-up businesses, support businesses with innovation and R&D, and provide tailored dedicated support in order to grow business productivity, increase the local business pool and drive growth in the economy. Its main objective is to support high growth, high value jobs and sectors, as well as sectors that are significant or important to Nottingham.
As one of four organisations awarded Business Growth grant funding, Medilink Midlands’ project will focus on the delivery of business and innovation support to companies already in, or transitioning into, the life science and medtech sector within Nottingham, to ensure Nottingham continues to be recognised globally as a city for pioneering medtech and health tech innovation.
Chief Executive of Medilink Midlands Simon Himsworth said: “We are delighted to have secured this funding which we will use to help stimulate a culture of innovation across Nottingham, and further develop our comprehensive, integrated, co-ordinated life science ecosystem to support companies to accelerate their ideas to market.”
“Medilink Midlands has been delivering innovation support to Nottingham SMEs for a number of years,” Simon explained. “Using our comprehensive cross-sectoral knowledge and networks across the med tech and life sciences industry, this project will enable us to support more companies in the city to increase their competitive advantage and facilitate collaborations with industry suppliers and partners, academic research, the NHS, local government, and other sector stakeholders.
“We are committed to delivering opportunities for business growth across the East and West Midlands regions, and await the outcomes of other bid applications which we hope will further enable us to set a precedent for the delivery of life sciences support in the Midlands as a whole.”
Robert Dixon, Head of Business Growth and Inward Investment at Nottingham City Council, said: “We are delighted that Medilink Midlands will be using our UKSPF funding to provide business support for the life science sector in Nottingham.
“Nottingham is an increasingly nationally important home to many new life science businesses, based on the strengths of the two universities, the home of BioCity/Pioneer Group, which is Europe’s most successful life science incubator, and Boots – the UK’s premier health and wellbeing retailer.
“We are confident that Medilink Midlands can support businesses to grow with its concept of creating synergies between business, academic research, and NHS and healthcare providers.”
Professor Steve Morgan, Director of the Centre for Healthcare Technologies at the University of Nottingham, said: “We are proud to be partnering with Medilink Midlands on this exciting project with Nottingham City Council. The medical technologies sector in Nottingham is vibrant and growing, and we are delighted to be able to play our part in facilitating further growth by supporting the adoption and adaptation of new knowledge and innovation for local businesses.”
Simon Himsworth added: “The life sciences sector in Nottingham is incredibly diverse, with many innovations and technologies being developed to address socio-economic and health issues. Through additional support, these innovations can be developed and accelerated through the development process and can play a key role in the ‘levelling-up’ of Nottingham city.”
Key milestone reached in Severn Trent’s £76m Mansfield makeover
Severn Trent’s £76m Mansfield makeover has reached a major milestone with the completion of the first town centre rain garden.
The company is installing sustainable drainage systems across the town to help protect against flooding, while bringing big community benefits.
Over the next three years communities should become more resilient against the increasing threat of flooding as Severn Trent has collaborated with Mansfield District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council to develop a greener, cleaner vision for the town.
The completion of the first town centre rain garden is the first of thousands of sustainable drainage systems set to be installed across the town to reduce the risk of flooding for up to 90,000 local people. Not only will they look smart and be good for the environment, they’ll also help to stop our sewers becoming overwhelmed during heavy rain and reduce the need for overflows to be used.
Severn Trent’s first raingarden was completed by working partners Galliford Try, who will be continue to work with Severn Trent as the project moves to Ravensdale.
Adam Boucher from Severn Trent said: “This really is a key moment of the project, as our first rain garden in the town is now complete, and it’s been a truly collaborative effort. With the support of the local councils and our contractors, we’re really excited that those living in Mansfield will soon benefit from the rain gardens and makes us excited about what we can achieve over the next couple of years.
“When all the plants are in full bloom, this area of the town will look greener and be a place for people to enjoy visiting. While the rain garden has a very real purpose of reducing flooding and protecting businesses from flooding, it will improve how the area looks and boost the biodiversity in the area and make Mansfield a nicer place for people to spend time.”
Councillor Andy Burgin, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Leisure, said: “These gardens bring endless benefits to our communities, alleviate the growing risk of flooding, and make Mansfield cleaner and greener.
“This location is perfect, right in the heart of town, and will bring a sense of calm and enjoyment to the Market Place. The Memorial Garden is also just a stone’s throw away, giving residents and visitors another relaxing and green environment to enjoy and reflect.
“The innovative Severn Trent programme fits perfectly with our ambitious plans to ‘green up’ Mansfield. We’re pleased that our urban greening project works are underway. Most recently, the Pocket Park near Walkden Street car park is now fully open for use, and planting 3,200 trees in our award-winning parks is under way too.
“I am confident as the roll-out of these rain gardens continues that it will help to make Mansfield more attractive and encourage people to spend more time in the town centre for the benefit of the local economy, our residents and visitors.”
Nottingham homeless to benefit from local man’s Antarctica trip
Charities supporting homeless people in Nottingham are set to receive a £5,000 donation from local software firm Ideagen, after one of their employees completed a trek to the South Pole.
The money will go to Nottingham Street Aid after Ideagen asked team member, Adam Cooper (47), to pick a charity of his choice in recognition of completing his gruelling Antarctica expedition earlier this year.
Speaking about the donation Adam said: “I chose to spend several nights out in the cold recently, some people don’t have that choice. Being able to help in some way is important to me.
“I live close to Nottingham city centre and when I heard about Nottingham Street Aid, what they do, how they operate and their long-term objectives they sounded like the ideal recipient for this donation.”
Nottingham Street Aid is hosted by Street Support Nottingham, part of an umbrella network spread across over 30 UK towns and cities. Street Support provides information for the public about homeless charities in those cities and how the public can help by donating time, money, or goods.
Paul Scotting, who coordinates Nottingham Street Support’s activities, said: “This generous donation from Ideagen will make a real difference. On any given night there will be 20 to 30 people sleeping rough in the city. But there are hundreds who are vulnerable.
“Any Nottingham charity can apply to the Street Aid fund on behalf of an individual to buy specific items that will help them move on from homelessness.”
Claire Knee, global community lead at Ideagen, said: “We are delighted to be able to help Nottingham Street Aid. Our company values are Ambition, Adventure and Community and Adam’s expedition and his choice of charity, embodies those values perfectly.
“We are a global business, but we’re headquartered in Nottingham, so supporting local initiatives, is important to us.”
Adam skied 80 miles in temperatures as low as minus 30 before tackling the 16,000-foot Mount Vinson (which is a few hundred feet higher than Mont Blanc).
After hearing what he was planning to put himself through, Ideagen CEO, Ben Dorks, promised the donation to a good cause of Adam’s choosing.
Proposals revealed to transform Northampton car park into Heritage Park
Business, residents, and community groups are being invited to provide their views on proposals for a Heritage Park along Marefair in Northampton Town Centre.
West Northamptonshire Council is seeking feedback on proposals to transform Chalk Lane Car Park in Marefair, Northampton into a Heritage Park. This will offer open green space for families and the local community to enjoy while celebrating the heritage of the area.
Marefair and the surrounding area has a fascinating and important history which includes archaeological excavation sites, historic local buildings such as the Old Black Lion Pub, Hazelrigg House, Castile Hill URC and St Peters Church and even Castle Mound, the site of the once famous Northampton Castle.
Castle Mound, where part of the castle used to stand, forms part of this new Heritage Park and the council are looking to understand how it can best reflect the heritage of the area into the designs for the new park and share the stories of this area with all the people who visit.
People are invited to review the plans and have their say on the online consultation, which runs until Friday, 7 April.
There will be public engagement sessions where members of the public can drop in anytime to view the plans and discuss with the officers and architects working on the project. These will be held on:
- Saturday 4 March from 10am – 4pm at the Grosvenor Centre outside the Primark unit on the ground floor
- Wednesday 15March between 4:30pm – 7:30pm at Springs Family Centre, 9 Tower Street, NN1 2SN.
Ibstock Brick donation helps Air Ambulance build new HQ
A third of the thousands of bricks needed to build a new air ambulance HQ of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity near Cosford have been given by Ibstock Brick.
Four years in the planning, the charity’s new facility will complement its existing air ambulance-led service across six Midlands counties to help some of the region’s most critically ill and injured patients. Designed to future-proof the advanced pre-hospital emergency service, the headquarters will include a new environment for crew and charity staff, including main offices, warehousing and storage and space for two aircraft and critical care cars to allow the charity to expand its service in the future. As a recognised ‘Centre of Clinical Excellence’ for pre-hospital emergency medicine, it will also help develop clinical skills and talent.
Martin Runc, National Contract Sales Manager at Ibstock Brick, said: “Our business is at the heart of building, so there couldn’t be a more worthy beneficiary than a charity that provides lifesaving care. It was great to visit the construction site to see first-hand the difference our donation has made, and I’ll follow the progress with interest.”
Hanna Sebright, Chief Exec of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, added: “We’ve used a proportion of our modest reserves to fund the new airbase. Therefore the brick donation is greatly appreciated and means so much. Our sincere thanks go to the whole team at Ibstock Brick.”
More than 90 per cent of funding for the new airbase and headquarters facility has been obtained via major grants from organisations such as the Department for Health and Social Care and the HELP Appeal. In addition, the charity is undertaking fundraising campaigns for specific areas of the new construction, including a clinical simulation training suite, memory garden and community education zone. The facility is expected to be completed summer 2023.
Industries come together to learn more about workplace wellbeing
Industry leaders from warehouse, transport and logistic businesses across West Northants joined West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to learn more about wellbeing in the workplace.
WNC’s health protection, public health and regulatory service colleagues held the forum for businesses on Friday, 10 February at the Ford Motor Company, Daventry. Representatives from Ford Motor Company Ltd, DHL and Pristine International attended to encourage and share best practice with businesses.
The forum provided businesses with information on future health and safety priorities and initiatives, to encourage change and reduce accidents that result from occupational behaviour.
Key topics including staff training, focus on wellbeing and how this can reduce accidents in the workplace, as well as how to manage workplace hazards.
Cllr David Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Engagement and Regulatory Services, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer businesses the opportunity to hear from our colleagues about wellbeing in the workplace. We’re dedicated to providing businesses with the tools they need to keep their employees safe and look forward to holding more forum events in the future.”
Cllr Matt Golby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, said: “Being able to support positive workforce wellbeing is hugely important, and it is great to be working with local industries on providing information and advice on how to achieve this. These events support the workforce wellbeing agenda and provide a brilliant opportunity for businesses to network and find out more about the many wellbeing services available and how to access them.”
Losses widen at Oncimmune
Losses have widened at Oncimmune Holdings, the Nottingham-based immunodiagnostics group, with administrative and research & development expenses jumping.
According to audited results for the 15-month period ended 31 August 2022 (FY2022), while revenue grew slightly to £3.79m, from £3.72m in the year prior, loss after tax stood at £11.52m (2021: £5.08m).
Stronger growth is being reported in the current financial year, however, with first half revenue already expected to exceed the revenue generated in the whole of the 15-month period to 31 August 2022.
Dr Adam M Hill, CEO of Oncimmune, said: “FY2022 was a period of investment in the ImmunoINSIGHTS platform following a successful, oversubscribed fundraise in March 2021, which allowed us to evolve our offering, substantially increase capacity and drive our pipeline.
“The short-term impact of investment and effort has been to increase the quality of our revenue, with more partners opting for multi-year Master Service Agreements in order to access the platform across multiple studies.
“The medium-term impact is likely to result from the development of novel IP related to immune-related diseases, in which Oncimmune is recognised as expert, and their treatment.
“These developments would not have been possible without both our people and all of our stakeholders, including our finance providers, who remain steadfast in their commitment and unwavering support and who we would like to thank.
“The ImmunoINSIGHTS business is now seeing improving growth in the first half of this financial year and has a growing number of contracts.
“Whilst short-term challenges remain in the operating environment and in financing, the Board is determined to meet these and to enable conversion of the growing pipeline of opportunities to deliver the significant returns available from our differentiated offering and expertise.”
Leicester prepares launch of ambition to develop ‘Space City’
Leicester is planning for the launch of ‘Space City’, which it claims will be the UK’s definitive cluster for space research, production, manufacture, and development.
The cluster will be made up of the science and innovation hub Space Park Leicester, and the flexible working space and high-tech business incubator facilities at Dock and Dock 2. The workspace will be expanded to include Dock 3 innovation workspace and newer industrial and business incubator facilities at Abbey Court, making it one of the largest and most connected Enterprise Zones for space-related activities in the UK.
Space City is also open to non-space related businesses in the knowledge economy, those working towards decarbonisation, innovative start-ups and established businesses looking for space to grow.
The launch event is scheduled to take place at the National Space Centre on Tuesday, 14th March, 2023, from 8am till 10am. Attendees will enjoy a networking breakfast, which will be followed by speeches from Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, National Government representatives, the University of Leicester, and several businesses that have set up in Space City.
The event will provide an insight into the plans to make Leicester a vital part of the UK’s Space Spine, which will further establish the city as a leading location for the research and development of space and space-related technologies.
Stirlin to deliver £10m worth of schemes in 2023 as it hits 15 years of trading
Lincoln-based Stirlin Construction, part of Stirlin Group, has reached 15 years of trading, with completed projects totalling over £70m and plans to deliver £10m worth of schemes in 2023.
The milestone comes just months after Stirlin Group expanded its senior contracting team with the hire of Howard Griffith as head of construction and Ryan Goddard as quantity surveyor.
Stirlin Group is a development and construction company based in its purpose-built premises on Sadler Road in Lincoln.
Since its first commercial project in 2007, Stirlin Construction has successfully delivered 30 commercial and residential schemes across Lincolnshire, for private clients and joint venture partners.
The recent hire of Howard and Ryan takes the team to 20, and as the company increases its portfolio of projects, the team will expand further this year with the hire of a commercial manager and a number of other positions.
Stirlin Group’s strategy for 2023 is to further build its presence and reputation for quality in its home county, along with expansion into the wider Midlands – with conversations already taking place with clients.
Tony Lawton, Managing Director of Stirlin Group, said: “Our ambition has always been to be one of the leading residential and commercial developers and contractors in Lincoln and I believe we have achieved this. With the sustained demand for our services and approach, we are growing our team and widening the areas that we operate in to enable us to meet that demand and attain our aspirations for the future.
“Stirlin Group is largely known as a property development company – which it certainly still is – but we have also been successfully managing the construction of our own developments and projects for a variety of clients, developing a strong reputation over the years.
“It’s wonderful to have reached 15 years of contracting, and with a strong order book for this year, ambitious growth plans and our talented team, it’s a very exciting time for the business. I would like to thank the whole Stirlin Group team for their passion and commitment and to our valued clients who choose to work with us.”
Active projects for the contractor include a 10,000 sq ft office development for Duncan & Toplis in Louth, an industrial/office development at the Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ) in Holbeach, and new phases added to commercial schemes at Kirk’s Yard in Branston and Leafbridge Business Park in Hykeham.
Swedish medical technology manufacturer chooses Derby for new HQ
Swedish medical technology manufacturer Getinge has revealed plans to establish a new Global Centre of Excellence for Chemistry and UK headquarters at St. Modwen Park Derby. Within the facility, the MedTech company will bring together its chemistry and instrument decontamination business, as well as its UK sales offices, service functions and logistics operations.
Getinge, which acquired Derby-based Quadralene in 2020, will be operational within the state-of-the-art, sustainable 78,000 sq ft building in August 2023.
The site will also feature Getinge’s new Global Centre of Excellence for Chemistry – a department focused on chemistry and instrument disinfection which is led by a dedicated research and development team. Complete with microbiologists and full-time chemists, the centre aims to create new products and solutions for the healthcare industry.
A new training academy will also form part of the new headquarters, allowing the company to supplement the current expertise of its specialist workforce with the brightest young talent available in the region.
Finally, a dedicated showroom will also be installed to allow Getinge to showcase the wide variety of products across its portfolio – from operating tables and ventilators through to the decontamination products it supplies globally across the medical industry.
Following support from Derby City Council and Marketing Derby, Getinge becomes the first global MedTech company to move into St. Modwen Park Derby following a £46.5m investment by St. Modwen Logistics to regenerate 67 acres of brownfield land and initially develop four high-quality warehouse spaces totalling more than 300,000 sq ft.
As with all the buildings on the first phase of the Park, Getinge’s new headquarters has been rated as ‘Excellent’ by BREEAM – the certification body for sustainable construction – and comes complete with an EPC A rating to demonstrate the building’s energy efficiency.
“By relocating to this new, larger facility we continue to execute on our strategic ambition to widen our Infection Control portfolio towards consumables, developed and manufactured inhouse, which will make our financial performance more robust and sustainable,” says Bob Newsome, Managing Director, Centre of Excellence Chemistry at Getinge.
“We are very excited about this opportunity and believe this merger of all our facilities in the UK will greatly benefit our business as well as our customers,” says Avril Forde, president North Europe Region at Getinge. “At the new site we will also incorporate our training academy and a showroom to display our detergents and disinfectants as well as other solutions from the Getinge portfolio.”
Robert Richardson, development director, St. Modwen Logistics, added: “This deal has been a real triumph for teamwork and relationships. St. Modwen Logistics has been working with Bob and his team for more than three years to understand the businesses needs of Getinge to ensure that we developed the type of versatile building necessary to support their operations. We are thrilled to finally be able to welcome another great manufacturer into St. Modwen Park Derby.
“This deal would also not have been possible were it not for the support received by Marketing Derby and Derby City Council and we must also express our gratitude and thanks to them for their efforts.”
Councillor Chris Poulter, leader of Derby City Council, added: “This is another brilliant piece of news for Derby. Within the space of two weeks we’ve been able to announce investment from not one but two industry leaders who have chosen to put down roots at St Modwen Park Derby.
“Getinge is an internationally recognised industry leader, serving hospitals and life science institutions across the world and we’re thrilled that they have chosen to invest into our city, creating more jobs, providing a boost to our economy and continuing to put Derby on the map as prime location for investment.
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming Getinge to Derby.”
John Forkin, Managing Director of Marketing Derby, said: “This is a really important investment that delivers genuine growth in a long-standing local company, as well as significant international investment in Derby.
“We first met with the Getinge team at our London Embassy in 2021 and have been working closely with our colleagues at the city council, as well as St. Modwen Logistics and Innes England, to land this.
“Getinge is a £2.5 billion turnover MedTech company, which we believe will thrive in Derby and bring significant benefits to the city.”
Derby-based Innes England is marketing the site alongside the Birmingham office of Savills. Nick Hosking, director, Innes England, said: “Take-up within Derby’s industrial sector has reached a record high over the last 12 months, with St Modwen’s delivery of 300,000 sq ft of new build Grade A supply in the first phase at SMPD helping to satisfy pent-up demand from within the local market. Attracting Getinge to the scheme is great news for Derby, enabling their continued expansion and securing hi-tech jobs within the city.”
The substantial fit-out of the unit is being managed by Jonathan Heath of Derby-based Armsons Barlow and is due to complete in August 2023.
Burton waste and recycling firm secures significant reappointments
Burton waste and recycling firm, Willshee’s has secured two significant reappointments with Hobbycraft and Brunel Healthcare.
Hobbycraft has reappointed Willshee’s as their sole waste and recycling partner after a successful first term. With over 110 stores and more than 200,000 product lines, Hobbycraft’s has a 220,000 square foot national distribution centre in Burton employing 300 staff.
Anthony Oldfield is retail operations manager for Hobbycraft’s Burton national distribution centre. He says: “Working with the Willshee’s team as our total waste management partner is bringing many benefits to our business.
“They take a very proactive approach which is refreshing as well as being hugely advantageous. Through their investments and industry relationships, Willshee’s has introduced better routes for recycling wood, hard plastics and glass which have reduced some of our costs.”
Brunel Healthcare is a leading manufacturer of vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements. Based in Swadlincote and employing 500 people across four sites, the company specialises in private label and contract manufacture of shelf-ready goods for the global marketplace.
Brunel has reappointed Willshee’s to provide total waste management across all four sites – including the supply of onsite compactors and balers. This means Brunel can now recycle in the most effective and cost-efficient way.
Brunel Healthcare warehouse & services manager Colin Sturgess has been working with Willshee’s for nearly 10 years, and said: “We enjoy a really productive and rewarding partnership approach with the Willshee’s team. Despite working together for nearly a decade, the standard of account management is consistently excellent.
“We’re always looking at new ways to further improve our carbon footprint and environmental legacy and Willshee’s continue to re-evaluate our waste streams and look for new and innovative solutions. This really adds value.
“For example, some of our waste now goes to an anaerobic digestion plant rather than becoming Refuse Derived Fuel. Anaerobic digestion is higher up the waste hierarchy, recycling more and reducing our levels of general waste – which is good news for us, and good news for the environment.”
European success for Nottingham PR agency
A Nottingham-based PR agency has won the top award at an event to celebrate the best marketing across Europe.
Motive PR, which is based in Lenton, was named Content Marketing Agency of the Year at the European Content Awards 2023.
The agency delivers digital PR and content marketing campaigns for a range of e-commerce brands including MuscleFood.com and Quotezone.co.uk.
They were handed the gong after judges heard of the agency’s growth and its record-breaking results for clients during 2022.
During the year Motive’s digital PR team won 14,259 media backlinks for clients which worked out at 40 links for each client per month on average.
They helped several e-commerce sites to double organic traffic during the year with many also reporting record growth during that period.
The European Content Awards were judged by a panel of marketing experts from across the UK and EU including senior managers from brands such as Microsoft, Virgin and IKEA.
In a statement, they praised Motive saying: “This is a small agency with their sights set on big things!”
Motive founder Steve McComish said: “We are riding the crest of a wave at the moment and it’s fantastic to share our success with others. Three years ago, we rebranded our agency with a new name, Motive PR, and a clear focus on digital PR and content marketing for ambitious e-commerce brands.
“We decided only to take on work we’d be proud to tell our mums about and to politely turn away any leads which didn’t fill us with joy. We concentrated on wowing clients with results beyond their wildest dreams and measured all our outputs, compiling comprehensive reports of all our campaigns.
“In 2022 we grew our fee income by 43% which was well beyond our targets. To add further context 2021 was already the biggest year we had ever had so to do almost half as much again was a huge achievement.
“Our results also continued to get better and our content earned a massive 14,259 links for clients – well over a thousand links each month. It works out at 475 links for every client we worked with on average – that is almost 40 a month.
“But we didn’t just deliver on quantity we also smashed it with quality with links coming in from some of the web’s highest authority domains including the BBC news website which is about as good as it gets for SEO.
“Being named best agency in all of Europe really is a little surreal but we are incredibly grateful to the judges for this recognition and we hope it will help us push on to even greater heights this year.”
