The Access Group swoops for automation provider

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The Access Group swoops for automation provider

The Access Group, a Loughborough-based provider of business management software to mid-market organisations in the UK, Ireland, the US and Asia Pacific, has entered into an agreement to acquire Lightyear, a provider of finance automation solutions.

This latest acquisition will extend the Group’s offering in ERP software globally and transform the purchasing and AP customer experience. Founded in 2017, Lightyear has grown rapidly across APAC, EMEA and North America.

Claire Carter, Managing Director of Access ERP, said: “Lightyear is a great fit for our business. The proven success and innovation of the Lightyear team excite us and show huge potential for the future of this world-class product in conjunction with the other solutions we provide today. Following completion of regulatory reviews, we will be delighted to welcome Lightyear into our Access ERP eco-system.”

Chris Gregg, Lightyear CEO, said: “Joining the Access Group is a tremendous milestone for our team and our customers. Together we can innovate faster and deliver more benefit to our mutual customers. I have been thoroughly impressed with their customer focus, ambition and culture. We are excited to be joining their mission.”

Claire Carter summarised: “This latest acquisition supports our growth strategy and focuses on delivering solutions that meet the needs of our expanding international customer base. We look forward to welcoming Lightyear customers, partners and employees into The Access Group.”

Leicester cleaning services company keeps it in the family with acquisition

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Leicester cleaning services company keeps it in the family with acquisition
MCS Cleaning & Maintenance LTD, a commercial and home cleaning services company based in Leicester, has acquired Gemclean LTD. The founders of Gemclean LTD, Jack and Karen Hobbs, are passing on the baton to their daughter and son-in-law, Kelly and Tim Blacknell, owners of MCS Cleaning & Maintenance LTD. Established in 1977, Gemclean LTD began as a small window cleaning business in Berkshire and quickly grew and developed to offer carpet and upholstery and commercial cleaning of offices. Jack and Karen’s daughter, Kelly, fondly recalls her childhood spent learning the ropes of the business from her parents, from methodically cleaning buildings to ensuring every detail was attended to. Now, as Jack enters well-deserved retirement at the age of 72, Kelly and her team are ready to carry forward the legacy he built. “I am so proud of both my parents and all their hard work and dedication to their business and teaching us that hard work goes a long way,” said Kelly. “I always admired the way he took pride in every site as if it was his own building, right down to making sure every window was shut and every door locked up and safe with the alarm set. He would always go that extra mile for his customers and team even when they didn’t expect it.” Gemclean LTD, now operating under the MCS Cleaning & Maintenance LTD banner, will continue to provide cleaning services to customers across Berkshire and beyond.

Contractor raises money for life saving charity with 100km challenge

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Contractor raises money for life saving charity with 100km challenge

G F Tomlinson colleagues are donning their hiking boots to complete the Lake District ‘Ultra Challenge’ in June, raising money for the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust.

Already underway with training, site managers Ed Smith and Phil Laverick will be walking 100km in 24 hours as part of the challenge, crossing the complex terrain of the Lake District on the 8th and 9th of June.

The Midlands contractor announced the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust as its chosen charity of the year back in January and alongside the Ultra Challenge, G F Tomlinson will be hosting a variety of events over the next 12 months to raise further funds for the trust’s research.

Aortic Dissection is a serious heart condition caused by a partial tear in the wall of the aorta, which prevents blood supply and can lead to the rupturing of organs.

Seventy people are diagnosed with the condition each week in the UK and Ireland with only an average survival rate of 50%.

The trust aims to help raise awareness and funding for research into early detection, supporting prevention, treatment, and cures for the condition, which if diagnosed and treated in time, can have an 80% survival rate.

Senior site manager, Phil Laverick, said: “While this Ultra Challenge is going to be a mammoth undertaking, it is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness for the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust.

“Ed and I are currently training hard for this event and adding up the blisters by the week. We look forward to the 8th June and thank you for your support.”

Patron of the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust, Pauline Latham, said: “I would like to thank G F Tomlinson for their fundraising efforts on behalf of the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust. This fundraising will help the trust to develop further research to improve diagnosis and save lives, as well as to raise awareness of this little-known condition.

“G F Tomlinson’s have already done so much for this cause, and once again, I am very grateful for their support.” 

Chairman of G F Tomlinson, Andy Sewards, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust as our chosen charity for 2024. When Patron, Pauline Latham contacted back in January, we were only too happy to get involved and help create a greater awareness of this serious medical condition, to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and ultimately, survival rates for over 3,500 sufferers every year.

“As well as the sterling efforts of Ed and Phil, the Company have an extensive programme of fundraising events organized throughout the year including a charity quiz night, raffle, and staff sporting events.” 

You can support Ed and Phil’s efforts to raise money for the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust here.

New 800-home community proposed in Narborough and Enderby

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New 800-home community proposed in Narborough and Enderby
Blaby District Council and Santander UK are seeking views on a vision for a potential new community in Narborough and Enderby. The site, called Hayes Gardens, includes Carlton Park, owned by Santander, and Enderby Golf Course. The golf course is primarily owned by Blaby District Council with part of the course being owned by Santander. The site is being proposed for inclusion in the Council’s new Local Plan which will be consulted on later this year and which will guide how the district is developed up until 2041. If accepted into the Local Plan, Hayes Gardens could become a sustainable new community with up to 800 homes along with public open space, play areas, community facilities, and park land. The inclusion of Hayes Gardens in the revised Local Plan would contribute to meeting the district’s housing needs. National planning requirements mean the Council is expected to deliver 687 homes a year up to 2036. Councillor Terry Richardson, Leader of Blaby District Council, said: “Working with Santander we see Hayes Gardens as a model sustainable community. In addition to providing much needed housing, this development will look to provide more publicly accessible green space and biodiversity. Improved pedestrian, cycling and vehicle access routes could also help ease the long-standing congestion issues in Enderby, particularly around Mill Lane. “This work is in its early stages, the suitability of the land for housing will need to be confirmed in our new Local Plan process. We are committed to there being extensive public engagement and giving local people every opportunity to express their views.” Nick Roberts, Head of Property, Santander UK said: “We have been working closely with Colliers to consider options for surplus land at our Carlton Park site. Since 2021, we have consolidated our office space into one of five office buildings on the Campus, letting three of the buildings to tenants, with one remaining building being marketed to let. We want to play our part in supporting the local plan, enabling more housing and contributing to the wider local community in which we operate.” Independent consultants Meeting Place will be carrying out public engagement, including local drop-in events in May and June, as part of the proposals to include the site in the Local Plan.

Basware acquires Northamptonshire cloud-based platform

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Basware acquires Northamptonshire cloud-based platform
Basware, a global leader in AP (accounts payable) automation and invoice processing, has acquired Northamptonshire cloud-based platform AP Matching. The acquisition will expand Basware’s market offering, bringing accurate financial data and increased cost savings to the entire invoice processing cycle. It will go beyond traditional AP automation and solve a critical pain point for finance and accounting teams: ensuring the accuracy of financial records through automated statement reconciliation. AP Matching (formerly Statement Matching) is a provider of cloud-based solutions for managing invoices and reconciling statements. Its platform reconciles buyer and supplier statements and delivers matched invoices to customers’ Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Source to Pay (S2P) systems, requiring minimal input from the AP team. For nearly 40 years, Basware has helped enterprises worldwide navigate the complexities of the invoice processing cycle. Powered by AI, Basware’s platform automates the entire accounts payable journey – from receipt and matching through to approval and payment – reducing manual effort and ensuring regulatory compliance. Backed by Accel-KKR, Basware automates over 220 million invoices and $900bn in spend annually for thousands of customers. Jason Kurtz, CEO of Basware, said: “CFOs often struggle to oversee the complexities of invoicing processes end-to-end, which can lead to erroneous payments slipping through the gaps. The repercussions of failure in statement reconciliation is money lost from a company’s P&L (profit and loss statement). But it can be fixed and automated. “We’re excited to combine forces with AP Matching, so that CFOs can enhance their AP automation processes and increase the accuracy of financial recording. We’re on a mission to unlock the future of finance and provide the best end-to-end technology to drive value for our customers. With AP Matching, we will do just that.” AP Matching has been serving large enterprises since 2005, focused on the UK and US markets. Through the acquisition, Basware will also integrate AP Matching’s Managed Services division. Daniel Kimpton, Cofounder and Director at AP Matching, said: “We’re thrilled to join forces with Basware and offer a comprehensive solution that will improve the entire invoice processing cycle for enterprises worldwide. “The acquisition will supercharge our growth and enable us to provide unmatched value to customers, as we combine our expertise in statement reconciliation with Basware’s AP automation capabilities. Together, we will empower CFOs with a powerful end-to-end technology solution that ensures accuracy and efficiency in financial recording.”

New owner for Loughborough pharmacy & Post Office business

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New owner for Loughborough pharmacy & Post Office business
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has sold Saraj Pharmacy & Post Office in Loughborough. Saraj Pharmacy & Post Office is a standard hours community pharmacy that dispenses an average of 7,300 items per month, and operates with a Post Office business that comprises three counters. The business has been owned by Saraj Patel and his family for over 40 years and was brought to market to enable the family to retire. Following a confidential sales process with Carl Steer at Christie & Co, which “brought about very high levels of interest and offers,” it has been purchased by Rahul and Anup Patel who now own 14 pharmacies across the East Midlands. Carl Steer, Director at Christie & Co, says: “The sale is, in many ways, a perfect example of the Leicester market in that, despite the challenges generally being seen across the sector, buyers are as keen as ever to secure profitable pharmacies across the county. “A lack of pharmacies for sale and a growing number of buyers looks to ensure this picture is maintained for the foreseeable future.” Saraj Pharmacy & Post Office was sold for an undisclosed price.

Acres teams up with Vegas

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Acres teams up with Vegas

Melbourne-based Acres Engineering, best known for its work in the aerospace, rail and automotive industries, has a new niche, after teaming up with much loved entertainer Johnny Vegas for his new exhibition at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery.

Vegas has collaborated with the esteemed Wirral artist Emma Rodgers on a joint exhibition titled “Metamorphosis,” an apt title given Johnny graduated in art and ceramics at the University of Middlesex three decades ago.

Indeed, he calls this “my rebirth.”

Both artists have presented two-dimensional pieces as well as sculptures in bronze, clay, and 3D printing, all unified by the theme of flight.

One of Johnny’s artworks featured angels perched on metal RSJs, which provided a contrasting finish that completed the display.

However, the RSJs were too heavy, so after Emma suggested they could mix sculptural materials Johnny reached out to Acres to create replicas of the RSJs from a thinner, lighter material, with the condition that they retained the same industrial appearance as the original pieces.

Johnny visited Acres on two occasions to communicate his requirements and after a number of variants testing out different thickness of material, the perfect balance of weight vs aesthetics vs functionality was found.

Johnny even joined in with the team during the final manufacture.

Luke Parker, Managing Director at Acres Engineering, said: “We are proud that Johnny selected Acres to work with on this important project so close to his heart. Johnny was really impressed with our facilities, our craftsmanship and most importantly our team.

“It was great to see him getting so involved and engaged but he’s a born entertainer as well as an incredibly talented artist so we had a tonne of fun along the way. We look forward to working with Johnny in the future on bigger projects – watch this space!”

Johnny’s work draws massively from his experiences of living with ADHD which he describes as an “accursed blessing,” with concepts of flight, faith, and fear of failure prominent.

As he put the finishing touches to the display at The Walker, Vegas was understandably proud and a little emotional: “I think I’m going to cry…but they’ll be good tears.

“I’m living my best life right now and I can’t tell you what it means to be exhibiting here at The Walker. I want to give a massive shout to Luke and the team at Acres. They’re a family firm and that means a lot to me, I wish my dad (Laurence Pennington, who died from cancer in 2017) could walk in here with me and see this.

“He used to get grief when I was at art school because ‘your lad’s doing pottery’ but he had a deep appreciation for anything creative, and for breaking free from social expectations. He would have absolutely loved it.

“I hope to be able to nip down to Acres with Emma to show her the range of tech and skills the team has because they’ve helped to make this possible after Emma’s bright idea to mix sculptural materials – see you soon team!”

Work commences on 128 affordable homes in Wellingborough

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Work commences on 128 affordable homes in Wellingborough

The construction of 128 new homes at Roundhouse Way in Wellingborough has been marked by a site visit from key stakeholders.  

The event, held at the new development site that will be known as Station Island, was attended by senior development representatives from national affordable housing provider, Stonewater, members of Vistry Group, the construction partner for the project, as well as consultants Ridge and Partners LLP.    

From the creation of the 128 new homes, 11 will be available for affordable rent, with a further 14 available on a Rent to Buy scheme, meaning customers can rent a home at 80 per cent of the market rent, allowing them to save for a deposit and purchase their own home after five years. 39 of the homes will be allocated for shared ownership and the remaining 64 homes available for social rent.   

A piece of public art will be installed at the scheme, a key feature that Stonewater has strived to include in all of its developments since 2012, to encourage a sense of community among customers.  

Chris Montague, Development Director for East and North at Stonewater, said: “These new homes on Roundhouse Way will help to fill the gap for affordable homes within Wellingborough.

“The range of housing options will mean that people in the local area will be able to choose a home that best suits their needs. We’re excited for work to be starting and look forward to this new community beginning to grow.”   

Andy Reynolds, Managing Director of Vistry South East Midlands, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Stonewater on this development in Wellingborough. Once complete, it will not only meet the housing needs of the area but will help create a new thriving and sustainable community.” 

Derbyshire charity officially cuts ribbon on facility to make 6,000 water filters a year

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Derbyshire charity officially cuts ribbon on facility to make 6,000 water filters a year

A Derbyshire charity providing clean water filtration systems saving lives in some of the world’s most disaster-hit places has officially cut the ribbon on a new assembly room which will double production from 3,000 to 6,000 water filters a year.

Outgoing High Sheriff Theresa Peltier did the honours at Wirksworth-based Aquabox, officially opening its ‘Aquaboost’ project which is seeing its team of committed volunteers vastly scale up production.

The charity makes filtration systems that it then distributes to the world’s most troubled areas, where the impact of disaster or conflict means people lack the basic human need of clean water.

Originally established by Wirksworth Rotary Club in 1992, Aquabox has sent more than 125,000 aid boxes to more than 50 countries around the world, converting an estimated two billion litres of contaminated water so that it is clean and safe to drink.

Now the charity has been kitted out with a brand new assembly room and has also transformed its processes through the Lean Sigma manufacturing programme, made famous by Toyota.

The new room and systems now mean that the charity can make twice as many Aquabox family filters, benefiting many more thousands of people around the world.

Theresa, who has now handed over her High Sheriff duties to Ian Morgan OBE, said she had been blown away by the new production facilities at Aquabox and it had been a privilege to officially open them.

She said: “This is an incredible charity right here in the heart of Derbyshire and I’m delighted to have been able to visit during my year of being High Sheriff. The work that these committed volunteers at Aquabox are doing every day to provide clean water in some of the most war-torn parts of the world is simply mind-blowing.”

During Theresa’s visit, she participated in a phone call between charity trustee Cheryle Berry with a member of the Rotary Club in Ukraine who is distributing Aquabox systems there. Cheryle, who is chair of the Children in Ukraine sub group for Rotary Great Britain, was talking to Serhiy Zavadsky who leads the Rotary team in Ukraine, along with Yulia Pavichenko, who chairs the Rotary Club’s Children’s Group in Ukraine.

Theresa said: “It was very emotional for me to be able to take part in Cheryle’s phone call with Rotary Club members in Ukraine, and see first-hand the impact that this charity’s work is having.

“I was so impressed by their Aquaboost project to double production from 3,000 filtration systems a year to a massive 6,000. I wish them all the very best.”

Over the years Aquabox has been sending filtration systems to over 50 countries including Nepal, Syria, Ukraine and Turkey, responding to natural disasters such as earthquakes, or areas beset by conflict where people are desperate for humanitarian aid.

Its Aqua-aid boxes contain a family water filter, plus 40 items like tools, lighting, survival aids, cooking equipment, educational aids and hygiene provisions, carefully chosen through negotiation with the charity’s partners in refugee camps and disaster areas.

The charity supplies two types of filtration system: a family filter, which cleans water at a rate of a litre a minute and is assembled here in Wirksworth, and a community filter which uses the same technology but scaled up to meet the needs of more people.

The new systems implemented through the Aquaboost project means volunteers in Wirksworth – who range in age from people in their 40s to their 90s – can make a family water filter in 16 minutes.

Aquabox trustee Dominic Wish said: “We are excited by our Aquaboost project which is allowing us to scale up our life-saving work by a huge degree.

“We are almost entirely run by volunteers and myself and colleagues are delighted to use our background in engineering and other industries to be working on such a valuable charity that has a simple aim: providing clean water to people in the world who really need it. We are all human beings and we all need water. We will continue our work to provide it.”

Fellow trustee Rob Barlow said: “Many thanks to Theresa Peltier for doing us the honour of opening our new Aquaboost assembly room. It was brilliant that she took time out to visit our charity and we are very proud to be able to show off our new system and production area.

“It will be making a very significant difference to people around the world who are going through appalling situations. It is saving lives and we are looking forward to the next chapter for Aquabox.”

Aquabox would like to thank the following organisations for providing help with the Aquaboost project: Forged Solutions Ltd, of Darley Dale; Pratt and Whitney; ITP Aero of Hucknall; Compressors Ltd of Alfreton; Desoutter UK Ltd and Premier Precision Engineering of Chesterfield.

UK exits recession

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UK exits recession
The UK has moved out of recession, with new figures showing the economy grew by 0.6% in the first quarter of the year. Strong economic growth in March (0.4%) contributed to the strongest quarterly growth since the fourth quarter of 2021, when the economy was still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. This was influenced by growth across the services sector and manufacturing, while construction output fell. GDP (gross domestic product), a key measure of economy growth, had been predicted to rise 0.1% month-on-month and 0.4% in the quarter. Ben Jones, CBI Lead Economist, said: “Back-to-back increases in output over the first months of this year suggest the UK is now on the road to recovery. With falling inflation boosting households’ spending power, as well as opening the way for a reduction in interest rates in the months ahead, the economy should be able to sustain some momentum through the year. “But a consumer-led recovery could prove short-lived without more determined action to tackle the long-standing problem of weak productivity growth, which ultimately sets the UK’s economic speed limit. “Firms want to see action that could help support investment and cut costs which, includes extending full expensing to leased and rented assets, and a business tax roadmap to give firms the certainty and confidence they need to plan ahead and invest in a vibrant UK economy.”
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